Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Obsession arrives and says:
‘Your fate now belongs to me. I will make you look for things that do not exist.
‘From now on, your heart will know no peace, because I will drive out enthusiasm and take its place.
‘I will allow fear to spread throughout the world, and you will always feel afraid, but without knowing why.
‘You don’t need to know, you just need to stay afraid.
‘Work harder, then you won’t have to think. Work harder than you need to, so that you can stop living altogether.
‘Your Love, which was once a manifestation of the Divine Energy, belongs to me too.
‘And the person you love will be unable to leave your side for a moment, because I am there in your heart saying:
“Careful, she might go away and never come back.”
‘Your son, who once would have followed his own path in the world, will now be mine as well.
‘I will have you surround him with unnecessary worries that destroy his taste for adventure and risk,
‘that make him suffer whenever he displeases you and leave him feeling guilty because he has failed to live up to your expectations.’
Never let Obsession control you.
If it comes too close, say: ‘I’m not worried about tomorrow, because God is there already, waiting for me.’
If it tries to persuade you that taking on lots of jobs means having a productive life, say:
‘I need to look at the stars in order to feel inspired and to be able to do my job well.’
If it threatens you with the ghost of hunger, say:
‘I do not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’
-Coelho <3
‘Your fate now belongs to me. I will make you look for things that do not exist.
‘From now on, your heart will know no peace, because I will drive out enthusiasm and take its place.
‘I will allow fear to spread throughout the world, and you will always feel afraid, but without knowing why.
‘You don’t need to know, you just need to stay afraid.
‘Work harder, then you won’t have to think. Work harder than you need to, so that you can stop living altogether.
‘Your Love, which was once a manifestation of the Divine Energy, belongs to me too.
‘And the person you love will be unable to leave your side for a moment, because I am there in your heart saying:
“Careful, she might go away and never come back.”
‘Your son, who once would have followed his own path in the world, will now be mine as well.
‘I will have you surround him with unnecessary worries that destroy his taste for adventure and risk,
‘that make him suffer whenever he displeases you and leave him feeling guilty because he has failed to live up to your expectations.’
Never let Obsession control you.
If it comes too close, say: ‘I’m not worried about tomorrow, because God is there already, waiting for me.’
If it tries to persuade you that taking on lots of jobs means having a productive life, say:
‘I need to look at the stars in order to feel inspired and to be able to do my job well.’
If it threatens you with the ghost of hunger, say:
‘I do not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’
-Coelho <3
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Randomness
“Formerly, when I would feel a desire to understand someone, or myself, I would take into consideration not actions, in which everything is relative, but wishes. Tell me what you want and I'll tell you who you are.”
Monday, August 6, 2012
Seven Minutes Of Terror
And so our new rover 'curiosity' finally makes it to the martian surface. Cheers for NASA and all those who worked hard to make this feat possible.
Our Youth-A blessing or a Curse
In a country, where 63% of the total population is concentrated below the age of twenty five years, formulation of political policies that support the youth are in one word-essential! The proportion of younger generation in the country is at its peak. While this would generally be something positive for any other country because it would mean that there would be presence of a larger working class; for a developing country like ours the situation is quite alarming.
Due to the slow economic growth coupled with inefficient political policies on behalf of the government for the future of our youth, Pakistan now faces another major concern. We do not have enough employment opportunities for our massive younger generation. In November 2009, the New York Times (NYT) while citing a report, commissioned by the British Council, wrote that “Pakistan will face a ‘demographic disaster’ if it does not address the needs of its young generation, the largest in country’s history, whose views reflect a deep disillusionment with the government and democracy.” Even though, this change in the country’s demographics can serve as a ‘demographic gift, ’in the form of a surge in the relative size of the working-age population and the youth within the working-age population for Pakistan, mismanagement on government’s behalf can turn this blessing into a disaster. Unemployment along with inflation, corruption and lack of power and gas facilities can force this huge population to exhort to extreme measures resulting in an overall increase in the countries unrest. Unemployment is not only an issue for the uneducated lot but also for many educated people. There is a huge pressure in the job market as there are lesser employment opportunities and greater number of graduates. Also, an inability to find employment for long period creates a sense of vulnerability, uselessness and idleness among young people and can heighten the attraction of engaging in illegal activities. There is also a proven link between youth unemployment and social exclusion. In both rural and urban areas, young people who complete education and are from socioeconomically advantaged backgrounds are likely to make the transition to work more smoothly, while the economically disadvantaged and socially excluded may face greater difficulties. Furthermore, employability of Pakistani youth in decent livelihood activities is also not very promising. Very few opportunities exist in the formal sector, which has been shirking for some time, for educated youth. Given this situation, the informal sector stands as a leading absorber of the labor force in the country. However, socio-cultural factors exert a strong influence on individuals' career choices in Pakistan. There are powerful norms around what economic roles an individual can or cannot perform based on his or her wealth, education, caste and gender. By and large, our society is averse to manual work and jobs involving "sweat and grease" are considered undesirable. Such perceptions are particularly strong among the relatively wealthy and educated, who prefer "clean jobs" (desk-based, clerical, supervisory or administrative positions). It has often been observed that the educated can remain voluntarily jobless for long periods of time in their search for the right form of employment. Thus, this further complicates the issue of unemployment in the country.
This youth potential if properly harnessed can bring a socio-economic revolution in Pakistan. All over the world youth is being given prime importance in future policy making due to rapidly evolving knowledge base; new and emerging technologies; ever growing potential of social and economic networking in modern times; and livelihood challenges .Thus, proper and timely management by the government can turn this ‘nightmare on the street’ to prosperity.
Due to the slow economic growth coupled with inefficient political policies on behalf of the government for the future of our youth, Pakistan now faces another major concern. We do not have enough employment opportunities for our massive younger generation. In November 2009, the New York Times (NYT) while citing a report, commissioned by the British Council, wrote that “Pakistan will face a ‘demographic disaster’ if it does not address the needs of its young generation, the largest in country’s history, whose views reflect a deep disillusionment with the government and democracy.” Even though, this change in the country’s demographics can serve as a ‘demographic gift, ’in the form of a surge in the relative size of the working-age population and the youth within the working-age population for Pakistan, mismanagement on government’s behalf can turn this blessing into a disaster. Unemployment along with inflation, corruption and lack of power and gas facilities can force this huge population to exhort to extreme measures resulting in an overall increase in the countries unrest. Unemployment is not only an issue for the uneducated lot but also for many educated people. There is a huge pressure in the job market as there are lesser employment opportunities and greater number of graduates. Also, an inability to find employment for long period creates a sense of vulnerability, uselessness and idleness among young people and can heighten the attraction of engaging in illegal activities. There is also a proven link between youth unemployment and social exclusion. In both rural and urban areas, young people who complete education and are from socioeconomically advantaged backgrounds are likely to make the transition to work more smoothly, while the economically disadvantaged and socially excluded may face greater difficulties. Furthermore, employability of Pakistani youth in decent livelihood activities is also not very promising. Very few opportunities exist in the formal sector, which has been shirking for some time, for educated youth. Given this situation, the informal sector stands as a leading absorber of the labor force in the country. However, socio-cultural factors exert a strong influence on individuals' career choices in Pakistan. There are powerful norms around what economic roles an individual can or cannot perform based on his or her wealth, education, caste and gender. By and large, our society is averse to manual work and jobs involving "sweat and grease" are considered undesirable. Such perceptions are particularly strong among the relatively wealthy and educated, who prefer "clean jobs" (desk-based, clerical, supervisory or administrative positions). It has often been observed that the educated can remain voluntarily jobless for long periods of time in their search for the right form of employment. Thus, this further complicates the issue of unemployment in the country.
This youth potential if properly harnessed can bring a socio-economic revolution in Pakistan. All over the world youth is being given prime importance in future policy making due to rapidly evolving knowledge base; new and emerging technologies; ever growing potential of social and economic networking in modern times; and livelihood challenges .Thus, proper and timely management by the government can turn this ‘nightmare on the street’ to prosperity.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Unique Education System
A country which harbors discrepancy not only in its social system but also
in the education system for the various socio economic classes does not hold
much room for positive change. Education is the basic right of each and every
citizen, whether he or she belongs to the elite class or is from the slums
around the country. However, it is also important that the education system
provided is a fair one. Taking note of this point, it should be realized that
the more we privatize our educational system, the gap between the level of
education provided for the rich and the poor increases. This results in a
certain level of unrest and dissatisfaction amongst the masses. Here, I would
like to point out that I am by no means against the private educational
institutions because they are doing what they can to improve our deteriorating
levels of education. However, in this way only a specific group of wealthy
individuals who can afford to pay the hefty amounts can afford the high level
of education. The question that needs to be addressed then is that what about
the remaining people? Having a population of eighteen crore people, it is no
easy task to make sure that they are all literate!
However, to ensure that the kids in the” peeli wardi” get the same level of
education as the kids in the private educational systems, we have to make some
very fundamental changes in the way things are monitored. Our perceptions play
a vital role in shaping our image of the world. Perceptions about things start
to develop the moment we take a step out in this world. It cannot be denied
that schools play a strong part in molding children’s perceptions. The process
of thinking is without doubt something that should be free and unique to an
individual but the skills required to think should be inculcated in the core
syllabus in schools. In this way, the difference between what is right and
wrong can be judged by children themselves.
A unique syllabus should be assigned in all schools whether they are
government institutions or private. The child studying in a private school
should by no means have an advantage over someone studying at a government
institution. There should be patience and a certain level of respect amongst
the youth for each another. They should learn to consider others opinions with
an open mind. This would further enhance the sense of equality between children.
It is important that the sense of obeying rules should be infused in students
at a very young age. Things like not breaking traffic signals and observing the
speed limit etc should be laws that should be mandatory to follow. Again the
perception that rules are meant to be broken should be treated like long gone
clichés.
Our future generation should have the guts to stand up for what they think
is right and condemn the evil doers. They should not be fearful of failure in
life knowing that each end gives us an opportunity for rebirth. Thus, making
sure that all the students receive the same education can help our country in
the future because these children are what our country depends on for its
prosperity.
Sunday, July 22, 2012
Blink!
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