If I were asked "What is the most important quality that a person should have?" I would invariably say: "The desire to learn, improve and change". Every other quality can be procured by this quality. It is this quality that has proved to be the most useful to me and it is this quality that allows me to increase and expand the set of good qualities that I have. But for that there are certain pre-requisites:
1) You must realize the necessity of improvement.
2) You must reduce your ego to the extent that you accept your shortcomings.
3) You must recognize opportunities to improve or acquire a trait.
4) You must try to imbibe those qualites wholeheartedly.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
how reservations should be done
The whole concept of reservation is not only outdated, it reeks of vote bank politics. Consider this: The reason politicians give for having reservations in the first place is to uplift socially-neglected groups. If that is so then why are they using an economic approach rather than a social one?* And if they are trying economic upliftment then why don't they uplift the economically disadvantaged? Why are they targeting the socially backward?
If the policy-makers really wanted to uplift the downtrodden this is how they should have done it:
Instead of focusing on castes, they should focus on the economically-deprived. Because lack of opportunity is what we are trying to take account of. And money is much more a limiting factor (think of books, proper schooling) than caste is. Is there any point in reserving seats for a SC/ST candidate who's dad is an IAS officer? How about a brahmin who's dad sells vegetables?
Also seats should not be "reserved" for any group. What should be done is take into account the lack of opportunities a person has based on his family's income and increase his score by a percentage based on how low his family's income is. This way we ensure that meritocracy doesn't suffer because the increase in percentage represents lack of opportunity and not of merit.
This is also a good idea politically, because there are way more number of poor people than SC/STs. Also the support of those who are really concerned about the underprivilleged will be gained.
*i consider reservations in elite institutions economic in nature because of the evident job opportunities
If the policy-makers really wanted to uplift the downtrodden this is how they should have done it:
Instead of focusing on castes, they should focus on the economically-deprived. Because lack of opportunity is what we are trying to take account of. And money is much more a limiting factor (think of books, proper schooling) than caste is. Is there any point in reserving seats for a SC/ST candidate who's dad is an IAS officer? How about a brahmin who's dad sells vegetables?
Also seats should not be "reserved" for any group. What should be done is take into account the lack of opportunities a person has based on his family's income and increase his score by a percentage based on how low his family's income is. This way we ensure that meritocracy doesn't suffer because the increase in percentage represents lack of opportunity and not of merit.
This is also a good idea politically, because there are way more number of poor people than SC/STs. Also the support of those who are really concerned about the underprivilleged will be gained.
*i consider reservations in elite institutions economic in nature because of the evident job opportunities
Monday, March 17, 2008
why is so much expected from the youth?
Pick up any magazine and you'll find surveys about what the youth think, feel and believe. Read any newspaper and you'll find editorials filled with hope in the young of our country. Why are they given so much importance? What makes the youth different from the others?
Idealism
Youth is a time of believing and pursuing ideals. It's a time where you see things that aren't supposed to be, but are, and take it upon yourself to set things right. To fight for a cause is one of the defining moments of youth.
Conviction
When you are young, you believe everything is possible. You are not weighed down by years of failure and experience that tends to make you practical and compromising. When you want to do something, you go about doing it. You don't think about whether you'll be able to do it. " Of course I'll be able to do it", you hear yourself say, "There are no limits to what I can achieve".
Energy
When you put your heart to something, you tap into an inexhaustible supply of enthusiasm so characteristic of that age. Nothing can stop you, nothing can discourage you, nothing will make you doubt yourself even for an instant. You can work for hours without tiring in persuance of your dreams.
Unity
This is the age where most of the youth either study at the same place or live together. Their spending a lot of time together and same age results in them being very closely knit. A strong force for driving a movement is a sense of belonging.
Fearlessness
When you are young, you have nothing to fear. Simply for the reason that you have nothing to loose. You haven't yet created a life for yourself that you'd be averse to jeopardize. You haven't created a career, a familiy, a home. So those you are up fighting against can't put you to ransom - because you don't have anything that they can take away.
Change
When you are past your youth, you finally accept that the "system" cannot be changed. But the youth will not accept that untill they have first fought to change it. And frequently, they are the only ones who stand any chance of suceeding.
As times change, so do people. And the youth are representative of the change in beliefs, values, ideals, aspirations and desires of people. Looking at them, you get a peek into where the world is heading. Because they are the ones who are going to take the world forward.
Idealism
Youth is a time of believing and pursuing ideals. It's a time where you see things that aren't supposed to be, but are, and take it upon yourself to set things right. To fight for a cause is one of the defining moments of youth.
Conviction
When you are young, you believe everything is possible. You are not weighed down by years of failure and experience that tends to make you practical and compromising. When you want to do something, you go about doing it. You don't think about whether you'll be able to do it. " Of course I'll be able to do it", you hear yourself say, "There are no limits to what I can achieve".
Energy
When you put your heart to something, you tap into an inexhaustible supply of enthusiasm so characteristic of that age. Nothing can stop you, nothing can discourage you, nothing will make you doubt yourself even for an instant. You can work for hours without tiring in persuance of your dreams.
Unity
This is the age where most of the youth either study at the same place or live together. Their spending a lot of time together and same age results in them being very closely knit. A strong force for driving a movement is a sense of belonging.
Fearlessness
When you are young, you have nothing to fear. Simply for the reason that you have nothing to loose. You haven't yet created a life for yourself that you'd be averse to jeopardize. You haven't created a career, a familiy, a home. So those you are up fighting against can't put you to ransom - because you don't have anything that they can take away.
Change
When you are past your youth, you finally accept that the "system" cannot be changed. But the youth will not accept that untill they have first fought to change it. And frequently, they are the only ones who stand any chance of suceeding.
As times change, so do people. And the youth are representative of the change in beliefs, values, ideals, aspirations and desires of people. Looking at them, you get a peek into where the world is heading. Because they are the ones who are going to take the world forward.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
solitude
There are certain feelings that you know you can't share with anyone. There are certain thoughts that no one can contribute to, or you can't let anyone know. There are certain journeys that you know you have to make alone .......... and only in going alone will you benefit from the journey.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
why does sex have negative connotations?
Have you ever wondered why sex - particularly premarital sex - is considered bad? Why is something that harms no one but gives so much pleasure (not to mention heralding new life) considered paap? You can enjoy great food, cool bikes, stylish clothes, fun games but sex? Noooo......that u aren't allowed to do. But why? What makes sex different from all the other means of pleasure? I'll tell you why. (I wonder why I keep reverting to anthropology to form my theories. I have absolutely no background in it.) Anyways, here goes:
At some point during the course of the development of civilization, people realized that free love (yes, it is not a modern concept) had it's huge disadvantage viz. uncared-for-children. You see, when people go about mating with each other without any responsibility for the outcome of their actions, what you end up with is pregnant females with no one to look after and feed their young ones - except maybe the females most in demand (maals). The male had no way of knowing whether the child was his or not and hence he had no interest in it's rearing (and hence propagating his own genes - if they were his in the first place). So to ensure that the male would take care of the child the bond of marriage was created and called sacred and pre-marital sex was forbidden and labeled immoral. Therefore, the actual reason for making pre-marital sex a taboo was to ensure the proper upbringing of the child.
Now fast-forward to the 21st century. Unwanted pregnancies can be avoided by condoms and birth control pills, among other methods of contraception. So the problem of the uncared-for-child doesn't arise at all. Considering the reasons for the labelling of sex as immoral and the technological advancements of our age, shouldn't we re-think our assessment about the morality of sex?
At some point during the course of the development of civilization, people realized that free love (yes, it is not a modern concept) had it's huge disadvantage viz. uncared-for-children. You see, when people go about mating with each other without any responsibility for the outcome of their actions, what you end up with is pregnant females with no one to look after and feed their young ones - except maybe the females most in demand (maals). The male had no way of knowing whether the child was his or not and hence he had no interest in it's rearing (and hence propagating his own genes - if they were his in the first place). So to ensure that the male would take care of the child the bond of marriage was created and called sacred and pre-marital sex was forbidden and labeled immoral. Therefore, the actual reason for making pre-marital sex a taboo was to ensure the proper upbringing of the child.
Now fast-forward to the 21st century. Unwanted pregnancies can be avoided by condoms and birth control pills, among other methods of contraception. So the problem of the uncared-for-child doesn't arise at all. Considering the reasons for the labelling of sex as immoral and the technological advancements of our age, shouldn't we re-think our assessment about the morality of sex?
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