एक और अनेक microbiologists कि मौत....

It was first day of the graduation class in 1990. There were almost 70 students in the class. It was introductory class for the subject.  Everybody was excited and wanted to know the tips for being successful in the life. I was expecting that professor would say like, “Welcome to my class, you have chosen the important subject to learn in life and you will build the career on this if you work hard.” I  and even other students also expected that they would listen something positive about the subject. However professor started negatively, I still remember his words. “ After completion of your graduation, you will face the dark reality of life, there will be huge darkness and you will have to struggle a lot.”

By studying this subject, if your life is in dark, who will chose to graduate in the subject? Next day 50% students opted for Chemistry, Zoology and Botany instead of Microbiology. I remember few students even going for Geography!  We were only 25 students who completed the subject after three years.  The course was restructured by the university and we also got the opportunity to work on small research project. My projects was adjudged as per the best project and I received the award by Microbiologist Association. 

However these three years were with full of struggle and torture by professors. Students started to dislike the subject and at the end very few went for post-graduation. Almost all the student chose different professions. I don’t remember anybody who made their career in pure Microbiology.

I understand his point of view and toughness required to handle the immature students. But is this the only way to handle?  By spreading the negativity about the subject, even he was not confident on the subject  which he was teaching.

“You will never be successful, you will have to work as porters at Railway station after your graduation.” Once the same professor scolded us. Our Professors’ such behavior had made us rebellious. 

If I speak about myself, I decided to do something differently. I think the self motivation & positive thinking brought me at this level.   

Today almost all students are successful in their respective careers and even few are entrepreneurs.

We are not at loss at all, but country has lost many young Microbiologist and researchers :-).

Positive influence…

I have seen some people who always are worried. They face all the problems in the world. They do not get any support from their colleagues. Their children fell ill frequently. The tyre of their vehicle goes flat and so on. Why all the misfortune happens with them only? If you observe these people closely, you will find common thing among all this misfortunate people and that is their negative attitude and people around them. The evil is in their mind.

People are unhappy for material things which they don’t have. They are not happy for what they have. Like minded people come together. Their whole world becomes negative. They pay higher price for not being positive.  The problem is we choose the life which we don’t want and don’t choose the life which we want! Being happy is the choice. I don’t say that being happy will avoid your flat tyres or illness of your child, but you will find more energy to deal with it. You will have not to pay anything extra for being positive.

We should learn to choose the reality. This will help to design the life. This world is very big and there are all types of realities are happening simultaneously. Positive and negative happenings are also the reality of life, but the effect of the negativity on your life will make you unhappy. Positivity plays important role to neutralize the negativity.

One of the friends was not confident to take the higher position. He denied lot of opportunities saying that he was not ready to take the higher position. After few years he was far away from the competition. He had to struggle.

For many, it's not so much a search to find values and a purpose to base their lives on as a search for an identity, an image, with a heavy emphasis on individuality. This individuality is built on positive thinking. To change negativity into positive energy, just reverse the belief you want to change and say it to yourself over and over again, using all your enthusiasm and excitement.

We should ask the question, what we want to be known and remembered for the negative attitude or positive influence we have on others.   

Do you have a choice?

If you get a chance to go back in your past and change your past decisions, would you change some decisions? I can certainly say that you would definitely like to change few which had adversely affected your life. But the fact is that we can’t go and change our past. We have to live with the past we have.

The only thing we can do to choose that decision. I remember the conversion happened with my friend. We both were studying our management. One day he came with new shirt.

“Vinod, usually my parents buy shirt for me, but this is the shirt of my choice,” he said.

“Oh really?” I asked, “How you did that?”

“Yesterday, I went to the shop, asked salesperson to show me shirts and I choose one.” He replied.

“Do you think you choose the shirt?” I asked.

“Off course, I chose one.”

“You did not choose the shirt.”

“Then?”

“You saw different shirt and out of these entire lot, you selected best shirt. Is this a choice? No. you took the decision to purchase one shirt out of different shirts. There were different alternative before you and you chose one. This is not a choice, but mere you decision to purchase a best suited shirt.”

“You are crazy, you are impossible. This is all philosophy. You are playing with words.”  He laughed.

“May be! Did you have in mind what you want? And did you get in shop exactly what you had in mind?”

“No. How it is possible?” Friend asked me.

“You find out the answer.” I smiled and put the ball in his court. I remember, the discussion on choice and decision continued almost for 2 hours and we could not conclude.  

What we do in life. We take decisions and we say that we have the choice.

What you do in decisions? You have different alternatives with you and you select one option which you think is a better. In life everybody checks different alternatives; even arrange marriages are based on decisions.  

What is the choice? Choice is what you like. Choice is the freedom of choosing something with all good or bad qualities.

Taking decision is the inevitable part of life and nescience of alternative can make your life measurable. However once the decision is taken, you should not worry of its consequences. You can not go in the past and change your decisions. There should not be any regret, only lessons. We should learn from the past and go ahead.

Choose whatever you get. Choosing is accepting what you have. Choosing is accepting with wholly and not partially. You can not accept well and ignore bad.

When it comes to relations, you have to choose your relation wholly with good or bad traits. And that is the freedom of choosing. That is the choice. Even if you have any alternative in front you, have should choose thy whole heartedly.

Other Side of the Life

Beautiful River in between two villages was the pride for both villages. There was no bridge. My school was at other side. The only attraction for going to the school was that river. We used to play in the river while going to the school and coming back to the home. In monsoon, river had heavy floods. When we were in the school, we were worried that if flood come, we would have to stay in school.

During one monsoon, due to heavy rains, the level of the river increased. Some my friends passed the river. They were standing on the riverbank.

I asked them, “how to I get to the other side?”    

One of them laughed replied, “you already are on the other side!”

Often life is a matter of perspective, perception and viewpoint. Do you realize how many people are trying to get to the very side of the river on which you are currently standing, while you are trying to get somewhere else?

In life, we wish to go always other side of the life. We have something and still we are not happy. We have already one home, but we want to take second. We have small car, we want big car. At the end of the day we end up increasing our liabilities and tensions. I have seen so many people coming and complaining about the salary. They say, “We can not manage in this salary.” The question is, “who asked you to increase your liabilities?” Most of the time, we do it for showcasing these to the society and our community.  

If there are not the other complaints, then people have complaints about relationship, friends, kids, office, work culture, boss, colleagues etc etc.  

When you're tempted to complain, try focusing your thinking in a different direction. Make a regular habit of counting your blessings. Here are some simple thoughts that might help you focus forward each day…

“Our relationship with partner/boss/friend/colleagues isn’t perfect, but every day, we can work out and make it better.”

 “My kids aren't good in academic, but they're good in drawing.”

“Thanks God, My health is good.”

“Thanks God, I have not to borrow the money for paying bills and rents.”

 “No job is perfect, but here's what I like about mine”

 “I'm pleased that I live in a great community and that I have supportive friends”

We can control everything most of the things. Even if you can control nothing else, you can always control your attitude.

There is always other side of the river, but your side is equally beautiful. Let’s recognize this beauty of this side of the life.

The blind boy and beautiful flower

(As told by one employee during training session)

The park bench was deserted as I sat down to read beneath the long, straggly branches of an old tree. Disillusioned by life with good reason to frown, for the world was intent on dragging me down. If that weren't enough to ruin my day, a young boy out of breath approached me, all tired from play.

He stood right before me with his head tilted down and said with great excitement, "Look what I found!" In his hand was a flower, and what a pitiful sight, with its petals all worn - not enough rain, or too little light. Wanting him to take his dead flower and go off to play, I faked a small smile and then shifted away. But instead of retreating he sat next to my side and placed the flower to his nose and declared with overacted surprise, "It sure smells pretty and it's beautiful, too. That's why I picked it; here, it's for you." The weed before me was dying or dead. Not vibrant of colors: orange, yellow or red. But I knew I must take it, or he might never leave.

So I reached for the flower, and replied, "Just what I need." But instead of him placing the flower in my hand, he held it mid-air without reason. It was then that I noticed for the very first time that weed-toting boy could not see: he was blind.

I heard my voice quiver; tears shone in the sun as I thanked him for picking the very best one. "You're welcome," he smiled, and then ran off to play; unaware of the impact he'd had on my day. I sat there and wondered how did he know of my self-indulged plight? Perhaps from his heart, he'd been blessed with true sight. Through the eyes of a blind child, at last I could see the problem was not with the world; the problem was me. And for all of those times I myself had been blind, I vowed to see the beauty in life, and appreciate every second that's mine. And then I held that wilted flower up to my nose and breathed in the fragrance of a beautiful rose and smiled as I watched that young boy, another weed in his hand, about to change the life of an unsuspecting old man.