How can we control population of the world without interfering with individual rights

As the earth gets burdened with more population, the resources are bound to exhaust quickly. Therefore, it is important we take certain initiatives to control the population of our country. There are laws on family planning but they aren’t implemented rightfully in all parts of the world. Often people are made undergo sterilization or are not allowed to have their freedom in choosing the size of their family. Instead of forceful implementation of family planning laws, people should be made aware of the consequences of having a larger family they, on their own, are encouraged to size their family according to their income. This will motivate people to participate in family planning and the result will be very encouraging. Family planning is important because we need to conserve our resources for the generations to come. If we don’t do this, our population explosion is only going to overshoot the carrying capacity of our earth and our resources will no longer sustain for long.

Textbook knowledge has not much use in real life situations

Textbooks provide us with facts and figures. Facing real life struggles requires presence of mind and wisdom to apply the learned knowledge. For example, there are various books available on learning how to drive. But one cannot simply learn the book by heart and claims to be an efficient driver. One can learn the scientific theories from textbooks but cannot become a doctor. Similarly, to tackle problems in real life one should have experience and a sense of good judgement. Textbooks are a mere means where various data is collected and compiled for easy learning. They are never absolute and should not be taken literally. Just as experience cannot be created but should be felt, textbook knowledge cannot be used literally in real life. One needs imagination, curiosity and understanding brought together with the will to learn. 

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.

Teaching is an art and not everybody can become a great teacher. To be a great teacher, one needs an undying passion and love towards the work one is doing. Great teaching comes with dedication. Great teachers always set a positive example for their students and are also great motivators. They encourage and bring out the true potential within each student. Another great characteristic of a great teacher is that he/she is extremely patient. They do not flinch in explaining things to their students a hundred times over. Their tenacity and passion towards their work and students is what sets them aside and makes them inspiring. They not only construct destinies but also help make better ones. Therefore William Arthur rightly said, “The mediocre teacher tells. A good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires”.

Self imposed discipline is more effective than externally imposed discipline

‘Self-imposed discipline’ as the term suggests comes from within. Whereas externally imposed discipline is either forced or made obligatory. Most parents and teachers are of the opinion that children tend to display traits of self-discipline and self-control only when they are given the external push. But what parents fail to realize is that children who are made to submit to parental authority in their childhood end up as rebellious teenagers and delinquent juveniles. It results in a lot of anger and anxiety to well up inside a child and burst at a later stage. Self-imposed discipline on the other hand comes with a lot of freedom and space. The child is allowed to make mistakes and learn from them instead. This allows the child to have a broader aspect on living life well and growing up as a responsible individual. Therefore, it is rightly said that self-imposed discipline is more effective than externally imposed discipline. 

Education is all that is left when all that is taught is forgotten

Education is not just memorising facts; it is the effect that an individual has on his personality. True education is the sum total of one’s personality. If gathering facts is all about education a computer might be a well educated machine because it can store even more information than a human brain. When we are in school, we learn so many things that we would never be able to remember all of it unless we were to keep using it later in life. We, as humans, don’t typically seem to be able to simply remember everything we hear or read. Instead, we only remember things that matter to us or that we use over and over again. For this reason, our education tends to consist of those things that we learn in ways other than through school books. True education helps us to develop physically, intellectually, emotionally and socially.

Donating organs to save life is a divine act

Saving another person’s life is the highest act of virtue one can indulge in. It is truly a divine work if a simple act of donating organs can be used by someone else who is in dire need of it. Most of us lead a healthy life, unknown to all the misery and pain a few others have to go through. Not knowing if one will be alive to see the next dawn is nothing short of torture for the one undergoing it. If our little donation can give a few of them a glimmer of hope, then it is indeed a good deed. Doing good to others can never fetch any harm. All it does in return is fetch us more blessings and gives out a hope that there are people who care for others. Thus, one must donate blood or organs, whatever is within our reach. Donation Good-Do Nation Good.

Universal franchise should be made mandatory

If there is one freedom that should not be granted in a democratic country is freedom to exercise or not to exercise one’s franchise. In many democratic countries including the West a good percentage of people don’t go for voting. In India the average voting percentage is just about 50% mark. Most of the time people who don’t go for voting are the educated and the rich class. For them it doesn’t matter who comes to power as long as they are able to live in peace and prosperity. This allows many undeserving candidates to win the election and come to power. If universal franchise is made mandatory, more people will come out to exercise their voting preferences and this will help us to get an effective government that will represent the true voice of the people.

Advertisements – A Bane or A Boon

Advertisements have become a part of our lives. We cannot live without them; they attack us from all sides. Step out of the house and they stare at you from all corners, promoting products from needles to CDs, from cricket bats to gold watches. At home every five minutes T.V. programmes are interrupted to tell us what toothpaste we should buy, what kind of salt is good for us or even which toy to give to a new baby! So many kinds of goods are displayed, so many temptations are presented that the poor consumer does not know what to buy or reject.

Advertisements are a help because they tell us about a new product. Without them one would not know what advance has been made in any field. We will not be able to learn about the merits of a new product. It can be anything-  a new medicine, a new book, a new school, a new hospital- the list is endless. Advertisements also lead to competition and better products come in the market.

As long as the competition is healthy it is good, but advertisements have become cut throat-see the Cola War. The competition between Coca-Cola and Pepsi has made them spend millions on advertisement. Film stars are roped in to make the product popular. Films are advertised with huge posters. Sometimes they prove dangerous for drivers! Some advertisements are in bad taste. Some of them are so attractive that they persuade people to buy things which they do not need! For example, housewives rush to buy things at sales which they do not need, but buy them because they are cheaper. 

No one wins a war; but everyone loses it

In a battle death and destruction take place on both the sides. It kills innumerable number of people, families get displaced, children become orphans and countless number of people becomes maimed for life, properties destroyed and so on. Residential areas, public infrastructure, hospitals and the very basis of human existence get destroyed in a war. It results in poverty and misery for countless number of people. No war can be won without any loss. Hence in a war there are no victors. Death and destruction are equal on both the sides. Wars bring untold miseries as well as political and economic instability. People’s lives and daily existence come under threat. It would be difficult to find jobs or live our normal day to day life. A large number of people are displaced and have to constantly move about for safety. People suffer emotionally and physically.

The Deforestation Menace

Deforestation is the conversion of forested areas to non forest land. This removal or destruction of forest cover has resulted in a degraded environment with reduced biodiversity, causing global warming and drop in rainfall. It results in less water in the soil and moisture in the atmosphere. It effects the medicinal conservation and the recharge of aquifers. Deforested areas become sources of surface water runoff, resulting into flash flooding.

In general, deforestation affects the whole environment, causing the greenhouse effect, population shifts and extinctions. It accelerates soil erosion. The tree roots bind soil together. If trees are removed from the steep slopes with shallow soil, it increases the risk of landslides and can threaten people living nearby.

As a result, the world we hand over to our next generation would be without the bounties of nature. Deforestation needs to be replaced by afforestation. Global warming should be tackled by reducing the use of air conditioners and fossil fuel. Recycling of paper should be practiced. Man should behave like a responsible creature and must think that this earth is a gift from our ancestors and we have to keep it safe and healthy as a legacy for our children.

Poverty is the root cause for most of the crimes in our society

No one is born criminal. Most of them become criminals due to certain compelling circumstances in life. Poverty is the major cause for many crimes. Persons become criminals not because they want to, but because they are forced due to poverty. Another back is that a large number of poor people live in bad neighbourhood where crimes are a way of life. It causes social unrest when you have people that are looked down upon by people of a higher economic class (or any class for that matter). Lack of education that goes hand in hand with poverty further contributes to the problem. Most people with regular work and reasonable source of income they will want to lead certainly a decent life, rather than indulging in criminal activities.

Life of Old People

The old age, an integral part of human life, is the evening of man’s existence. It is unavoidable, unwelcome and often the problem-ridden phase of life. It is really interesting to note that everybody wants to live a long life but not to be old! As we think of old age, visitors of loneliness and neglect emerge in mind. The picture gets all the more tragic with the failing health and illness.

Every phase of life has its problems but with energy, strength and courage, in youth one can overcome these difficulties. But in old age, man becomes dependent on others largely due to his physical infirmity. He is also filled with emotional insecurity. Nobody seems to have enough time for him/her. Even his own children, to whom he dedicates his life, do not find time for him. The problem gets accentuated especially as the world ceases to have any resemblance to what the elderly were once accustomed to and changes at a bewildering pace with every passing moment.

At this age, they also begin to realize that time is now not their friend. It passes very quickly. After the loss of someone close to them, they come face to face with their own mortality. For spiritual persons, Godly matters gain more importance.

Growing old is a point in time, a chapter at the end of a journey that began long ago. Those grown old should take satisfaction in the accomplishments obtained. We, as their younger counterparts, should take care of them when they most need us.  

Today’s Generation Should Become More Responsible

Youth are the backbone of the nation. They can change the future of the society with their well meaning and courageous behaviour. They are here to show us that we are not willing to look at within ourselves. Unfortunately today we find the youth are more interested in other spheres which are not useful to them as well as nation. They have become more casual and careless. They waste their youthful energy in meaningless pursuits. They spend their nights partying, taking drugs and living it up, so to speak. More and more young men if this age group are sitting at home in front of their televisions playing games all day instead of improving themselves or going to work. They have no vision and if they do have dreams they do not have the drive to make any attempt at achieving them. If we want our country to progress today’s generation needs to become more responsible. 

Joint Family-A boon to the Growing Child

With the urbanisation and nuclear families gaining more ground, we don’t get to realise what we and our children must have been missing by not following our traditional practice of a joint family. A joint family system may have its drawbacks but it is surely a boon to the growing child.

In a house full of close ones like parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts etc. a small child gets the opportunity to enjoy and cherish the love and affection of so many around. He or she gets to share things with his/her cousins and thus grows into a person who learns to live with the fact that there are other people in the world besides himself or his parents. Thus he grows more sensitive, well balanced, less self-centred and more social. It is surely healthy for a child to have company whereby he finds various channels of communication. He gets to relate to people of all age-groups. If he needs a piece of good advice he can look up to so many. He doesn’t have to depend just on maid-servants for physical care.

A joint family, living in harmony, is undoubtedly a heavenly option for a growing child, especially in our times of stress and struggle for adults. It is a boon for him/her and there can’t be two opinions on this.

The Need to Respect Mothers

A mother is the centre of our world. She gives us birth and takes care of us until we are able to be on our own. She is the first one to wake in a family and the last one to go to bed. She has no holidays and toils hard to take care of her family. But we often take our mothers for granted and forget the sacrifices she has made for us, and the effort she took to raise us as happy, healthy children. All mothers deserve respect, peace and nice gifts on special occasions. Mothers are the backbone and foundation of families. For us our mother is the most splendid woman in the world. What we become I life is primarily of our mother. So let us learn to respect her and give her tight hug and tell her that we love her.

Significance of Holidays

Everyone needs a holiday, both to relax and to have a change of environment. The holiday makers feel relaxed and refreshed at the end of the holiday and look forward to the resumption of their duties, be it at school, office or factories, with renewed vigour. This is the reason why all establishments grant their employees annual leave. With the end of the Academic year the schools and universities grant their pupils a long holiday during mid-summer. This lasts until early September when the new school term starts. Of course the parents will like to take advantage of this and take their leave to coincide with their children’s vacations. This has become a traditional holiday season in most European countries particularly in England.

With the coming of August, the traditional holiday season in Britain reaches its peak point and most of the holiday resorts are packed to capacity. In order to avoid the crowd, some prefer to take their holiday a little easier if facilities so warrant, Those who have already taken their holidays can console themselves not only with reflections on the happy days spent in the country; at the seaside or abroad, but also with the thought that holiday expenses are over for the year and that by taking an earlier holiday they have missed the August rush.

The main thing, of course, is the weather and that would be hazardous to prophesy. But whatever the weather is like, the essence of a holiday for most is the carefree atmosphere in which it can be enjoyed. “Take all you need but leave your worries behind” is the sound advice for the holiday maker. Private worries are not always easy to escape from. However, even the pessimist would admit that for the moment things appear brighter than they have been.

Holiday time is surely a time for shredding serious pre-occupations and seeking the pleasures that appeal to us. It is true that we may not always succeed in finding them; indeed there are people who maintain that the great thing about holiday is that it gives you an ample appreciation of home comforts-a view no doubt more widely held among the elderly than you.

Jyoti Amge (The smallest woman in the world)

Twenty-one year old Jyoti Amge, the smallest woman in theworld, laughs easily and often. Perhaps, from a height of twenty three inches, the world does look a bit funny.

Afflicted with achondroplasia, a form of pituitary dwarfism, 21 year old Amge is a bit shorter than her two year old nephew and a little taller than her framed Guinness Certificate. In fact, Amge, the youngest of five, wasn’t even visible in her mother’s womb. The doctors thought she wasn’t alive and her mother Ranjana, who underwent a two hour caesarean operation in her tenth month to birth her,  welcomed her youngest as a blessing. In all of Amge’s  birthday pictures in the album, her height is the same from age three to twenty one. Kitted out in custom made frocks and bright red lipstick, with fancy beads lining her permed hair, the tiny Amge turned heads in Nagpur and became hit with Hindi news channel crews that approached her for bytes, any excuse would do, even the elections. Apart from a cameo in a Mika Singh video, she appeared briefly on the reality show Big Boss 6.

“I have always wanted to be an actor” says Amge. Amge was quick to say yes when the producers of ‘American Horror story’ Freak Show contacted her. “They had seen my interview in a New York daily” says Amge, who readily agreed to play the role of Ma Petite, the miniature sari and bindi clad assistant of a woman.

“In spite of the name the show was not about freaks it was about compassion”, says Amge. “What makes the world so interesting is that we are different and some folks a little bit odd” she said. Sadly, Amge’s own home country does not seem to respect differences. Amge’s brother complained that unlike the west where “people ask permission before clicking a photo”. Indians take her privacy for granted. People look at her like she’s wonder and try to get too close to her. I have to shelter her like a bodyguard, adds Satish. Amge’s family members now make up her entourage. They help Amge, who suffered an accident in Kashmir that severly fractured her left leg, everything from braiding her hair to carrying her to the wash basin. Be it the nearby malls or a trip to China, one or more of them always accompany her.

The Strength of Optimism

Optimism is the inclination to look at the bright side of any situation and to expect the best possible outcome from any series of events. It is an attribute which all of us have. Everyone has the ability to be optimistic. Living without optimism is living a life full of stress that may lead to failures. No wonder, we’ve all heard the sayings, urging us to be optimistic in life, “Every dark cloud has a silver lining”. “The darkest night is just before the dawn” …and so on. Many times we stand in the blurry distinction between a glimmer of hope and the feeling of hopelessness. We make the choice of what we want to see. We choose either to see the flowers or the thorns. This choice to see the positive is optimism that keeps us happy. It makes every burden lighter by regarding burden as a challenge that could make us a strong person. It makes us appreciate everything we have in life.

At times optimism resembles other traits. It is like hope that lets the person hold on. It is perseverance which keeps the person trying. It is confidence that uplifts the feeling of a person that everything will be fine. 

“We have not inherited this earth from our forefather; we have borrowed it from our children”

Over the decades, a change has come in the perception of the people in respect to the planet. The human perception has shifted to a “holistic and ecological view of the world”. Earth is a living organism that has limited resources. These resources will not last forever. The earth has its metabolic needs that require to be preserved. The need of the hour is “sustainable development” which propounds the need of meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising with those of future generations.

The present problems are not necessarily fatal for us but they are a ‘passport for future’. This is the “Era of Responsibility” that calls for a responsible action from us. We must realise that the earth belongs as much to the future generation as much it belongs to us.

The problems of over population that directly affect our everyday life.

Every four days, the world population shows an increase of one million. With this ever-increasing population, development seems a far-fetched dream.

Over-population leads to the issues of poverty and unemployment. The vicious circle of population and poverty will continue unless the root cause i.e. population is taken care of. It hampers the development of a country. It leads to the consumption of the natural resources at a much faster rate. The fossils consumed, the resources depleted, the forests cleared, the heat produced, the global warming caused are all the repercussions of the fast-growing population.

Laws are never respected not enforced in India.

India, the biggest democracy in the world, is condemned for its easy attitude towards laws. Laws are constituted but never respected nor enforced in our country. For instance, the Indian Constitution mentions that casteism , untouchability and bonded labour shall be abolished; however, these evils flourish barefacedly even today.

The Article 48A of the Indian Constitution, propounds that “the State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country”. However, little is done in favour of this. What we is near “catastrophic depletion” of forest over the last four decades. Forests are disappearing over the decades at the rate of 3.7 million acres a year. Areas that are officially designated as forest land, in reality, are treeless. The actual loss of forests is eight times the rate pointed by the government statistics.

Tourism in India

Tourism has experienced continued growth and deepening diversification to become the fastest growing industry all across the world. India possesses natural bounty and a rich history; its cultural and geographical diversity make it incredible. Its composite culture attracts all types of tourists. Rich in bio-diversity and wildlife reserves; it has also large reserves of minerals like coal, manganese, copper and mica.

Such being the potential for growth of tourism, one should scrutinize the necessary measures to realize the potential. India is a multi-destination country with a variety of tourist attractions and facilities-the palaces, forts and rich cultural heritage. Tourism in India is a potential game changer and holds immense prospects of further development. Airports need to be modernised to international standards. The habit of cleanliness should be inculcated by every citizen. The attitude of the Indians especially those of the hoteliers, guides and the drivers need to be caring and welcoming to encourage the visitors to have hassle free stay. The touts who fleece the tourists need to be sternly dealt with. The government should give priority to construct more motels and develop camping sites leading to important tourist destinations.