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Friday, June 26, 2009

To Punch or Not To Punch!

Now dont we all face that problem in life whether to give back in words or action to something which we did not approve off or like. Do have to be poilitically correct or to not to be? To be Gandhi or To Not to Be!. This can be a tough question. Right?. At least we have mixed opinions in our household.

From a childs perspective

Sid: " That boy hit me in class ". - crying
Father: " Sid, next time someone hits you, hit back"
Sid: " ok papa"
Me: "What, dont hit anyone sid, tell them not to hit, talk to them and talk with a firm loud voice. if they dont listen, complain to your teacher. If teacher is not around, hit them back". Damn did it just tell him which did not make sense?

Boy in the Bus: "Aunty Sid punched me on the chest"
Me: " I looked on, wanted to tell him to punch him back and did in a almost whisper" - did not want to create a war in the bus atleast.
Me to Sid later: " Sid, dont hit anyone in the chest" . Well atleast did not tell him not to hit. As I finally realised that he needed to defend himself as he grows up.

Every Action has an Equal and Oppsite Reaction, holds true for immature relationships. But with "Rational Human Beings" being the new phrase of the century, I am not queit sure whether that law truly makes sense.
But a child just does what directions he has been given and also uses his insticts and makes his own decisions on the actions he wants to take. Its normal. This is irrespective of the principle of life we have taught him. Or are we really teaching them?

Rationality comes with experience and vice versa. Now bring in another turn of the century word " Emotional Intelligence". You have to empathize and undertand the emotional nature of a general person even before you can know him. Now thats some task for a person who has no clue what emotions are. And after knowing the emotionals, take actions accoridingly.

And there are many who care a damn and move on and do what is now the in thing " Politically Correct"

How did I bring out there phylosphies here? "Rationality", "Emotional Intelligence" and "Political Correctness". All this for a punch or not to punch?

Micheal Jackson - This for you!!

Its been many years since I have listened to you. But today, you have woken me up. With my computer speakers crashed and all my audio cassettes rusted with no player to play them, I have turned on Vh1 as my savior to watch your tribute!

I grew up listening to MJ and his songs. My dad, my brother and me were great fans. We never missed out a single album of his. His songs ringed our ears car in can car out, as that was the only system we had " The car Speaker System". Yes you must be laughing, people invest in expensive home theatre system for their homes, with souround sound etc. We had none of that, just a plain cassette player for the house "I think".

The car, had a system which no one could fathom. It had to be the best for my dad. Name an accessory it had it. And we all enjoyed it. Spoilt kids we were by our dad, that now we look no further than the best, be it the car, be it food, be it anything, right bro?

My dad had his life in his car, travelling around southern India for his business. Now, that music is what made his life while he drove with no radio those days, it was MJ, you rocked in our ears all the time.

I am reliving those days as a child and growing up years, all those fantastic albums, the dances, the music, the videos. Incomparable till date!! You were the best.

Do you have any memories of MJ from childhood?

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Look to the West for Food!

Or may I say east for food, or south or north. Now, that's going to be relative for each region. The region I am looking from is India. India is looking to the west.

The Gen Y and the newer Gen is looking no further. West is where they worship, they compete for and pray!. Hold on.

Brewing just one topic at a time, I would like to take time in making some very important observations. While I was living in the west, The USA, I was noticing that schools, the system, the government was becoming more and more aware of the the junk food consumed among very young toddlers, high school kids and the like. Schools in most communities, good and bad was trying to reduce the obesity levels of the children, by eliminating, the junk like -the fried foods, coca cola, the burgers and the like. In the recent past, the government has also take an active part in playing a role to make sure, such junk food, in the formative years of children are avoided. Now that's what we call as people who have learned a hard lesson from the experience and the incidences.

Yes those lessons were learned really hard. Now the system, the government, parents, children, schools are working hard to make it a better system to make better healthy people. Now that country is extreme.

This topic on junk food has begun brewing freshly in India now. More so in growing children as young as 6 months. I would love to mention with great shame, that the population I am living with has taken this system of junk food culture to the next step. Don't we always like to supersede in what we do and over achieve. These some of the very close first hand observations.

1. Baby aged 6 months at a birthday party. The mother goes...
"Oh my son loves ice creams. It has milk, it has some sugar and eggs, surely he gets some protein."

2. Another 1 yr old gulping down a cake - mother goes
"Ah, my girls dinner is now over" - say whaaaa??? are you ok dear mother?

2. Child does not drink milk - the mother goes
"I give dairy milk chocolates - its so much full of milk." Darn...what is going on here, I yelled at her. Thats caffiene, un wanted calories , and a whole lot of sugar. Looks like my next article is going to be on how sugar harms health.

3. Cakes galore - mother goes
" My child eats only on birthday parties." - that's burgurs, fries, coke, cake and the like. Wake up parents.

3. Child insists on taking chips as snack -mother goes
"My son is very particular about what he takes to school. and thats chips"

4. Coca Cola - mother dotes at a party
" I need some cola for my son" - Mother that is caffeine - carsenogenic. does it srtike you. Those are unhealthy calories. Its not good for your child. Please wake up!!!

4. and more and more on the similar lines

5. Every time MY children dont out and they never do - the advices I get from parents are
"You have to train him, he needs to learn to eat everything". My reply back to them these days is " It does not matter - I beleive in giving my children a healthy diet - so they grow up to leaders of tommorrow".

OK, now what I am beginning to understand is, the Gen X parents are lazy, getting hipper and better than the west, to do better than the west, and to beat them. Educated parents "are you not aware that the west is learning from its mistakes and making a change."

Why? Why? Why?. Please ask yourself " Why" I am making such an important point.

Healthy dicipline - Take the time to make your child aware that junk food is not healthy and does not make you strong. Make a change yourself "Parent" only then the child can learn from you.

It is ok to refuse junk food. Introduce it, but show its limits. Now that birthday parties happen every other month and eating out happens way too often as most parents are working or not working and dont like to cook, the junk food does not limit. It just adds up.

I think Parents are living in a denial "that they are only offering junk food once in a while." I would think its otherwise. I am sure most of you parents reading this will go on a denial. Well Indians are always on a self defence and denial. Make this change for the futures of tomorrow, by incultating healthy eating habbits early on. Let us not immitate the west blindly.

Think, rethink and evolve. Let us set limits and boundaries in our eating habbits, so the same gets passed on to the children to make leaders of the future.

Start now to make this change!