It is unbelievable that how mothers teach identical lessons across the cultures

When I was reading the paragraph from page 20-21 of Ronald Reagan’s autobiography….”An American Life”….I got surprised that the identical lessons were repeated by my mother to sooth us in moments of despair…. It took me in total surprise that…. how mothers think alike across the cultures…….

Reagan writes, “I was raised to believe that God has a plan for everyone and that seemingly random twists of fate are all a part of His plan. My mother – a small woman with auburn hair and a sense of optimism that ran as deep as the cosmos – told me that everything in life happened for a purpose. She said all things were part of God’s Plan, even the most disheartening setbacks, and in the end, everything worked out for the best. If something went wrong, she said, you didn’t let it go you down: You stepped away from it, stepped over it, and move on. Later on, she added, something good will happen and you will find yourself thinking – “If I hadn’t had that problem back then, then this better thing that did happen wouldn’t have happened to me.”

 After I lost job at Montgomery Ward, I left home again in search of work. Although I didn’t know it then, I was beginning a journey that would take me a long way from Dixon and fulfill all my dreams and then some.

My mother, as usual, was right”…………………….

I endorse this paragraph by my own experience….when I applied for Army… I was declined because of my height…. I was broken at that time…. But now when I look back and think…if I had the proper height…I wouldn’t be able to follow some of dreams that are now I am following…. Mothers are always right :)

Strategic investment of resources; a way to overcome late starts

Strategic usage gets meaning when you are in short of something. When you have important tasks and less time for doing them…. you use your time very strategically to do the job. When you are in short of money…you spend it very strategically to get what are most important to you. You can’t afford wasting your money. The same is true about learning skills….you have to focus on what you are good at to get maximum of your potentials….

If you are born poor….you are naturally a late starter… In very critical time of your life…just when you are stepping in adolescence…you might have to spend a big chunk of your critical time to work so you could afford learning key skills and equip yourself for success.   Certainly this big chunks of critical time lag you behind of your time unless you spend your time wisely…. If you are aware of the fact that you don’t have the luxury of plenty of time…then you have to spend your time very strategically to become successful…..To me, it is what is called living in depth…..

You will be able to use your time and resources strategically when you realize that it is not just stomach that has needs but also your mind and psyche… You need to nourish your mind with intellect…psyche with loving people… and so on. If you focus on one area…you might be successful in that area but disastrous in others….

As it is true for individuals..it is true for nations… strategic use of time to overcome shortage of skilled people and strategic usage of resources…to overcome missing key moments of progress that other nations had…is a way to overcome the problem of late starting…..

Diversion from main problem....

What really power is?

-"Power is a measure of an entity's ability to control its environment, including the behavior of other entities."................Wikipedia.............

- "the ability to control people or things"............Oxford dictionary..............

-" a (1) : ability to act or produce an effect (2) : ability to get extra-base hits (3) : capacity for being acted upon or undergoing an effect ..........: possession of control, authority, or influence over others.............Merriam-Webster dictionary.......

The main thing is...power is the ability to control something......

Out of these definitions two things are really important....a. ability.....b. possession of something that you excercise your ability....

Now if we analyze all power sources in society...they are based on three principle things..............a. education (knowledge/skills),...... b.wealth....... and c. authority.............

Now that we have set parameters...it is easy to discuss other issues.... Now when we talk about emancipation or empowerment of either for women, children or minorities...these three conditions should be met...

Unfortunately...most of the discussions are intended to divert the attention  of masses from these three basic issues....by creating divide between...men and women.....religions....religion and secularism....ethnicities....and cultures.....

The fact is these three principle sources of power is abused in all cultures, societies, religions (in secularism) and gender....so the main thing is....it is not of gender, ethnic, cultural or religious issue...it is social, political and economical issue and these three sets of problems should met in each contexts.......

what do you mean by context....because it is the context that legitimize the oppression, abuses and also diversion from main problems.........

Contexts are identities and ways of life that people have adapted to like, gender, ethnicity, culture and religion......

The question is, if some problems are rooted in the contexts then is it the solution to erase the whole contexts? Is it possible? or the solution is to able people to deal with their problems by principle sources of the power?

What is your judgments?...............

Nature of existence....

A logical approach to use our talents and energy to help others is to focus on areas we are most familiar. BY this approach the most likely people that we have to focus is our community because we are most familiar with their needs, problems, culture, religion, language and also have better relations and connections...... I tried to stick to this line of reasoning but over time I realized that I can't be irrelevant to people around me....

I can't go without getting affected from people I see on the roads, school, shopping centers, public places and buses. I think I got a very light heart that moves badly by general appearances of people, their facial expressions and their talks......

I was waiting on bus stop around 4: 10 p.m. A fat woman who barely could walk came and sat to chair next to me. "Damn.....damn...." she sighed and breathing fast as she sat next to me. She was really tired...but still had to work...

I was really disturbed by this...and still it makes me sad whenever I remember... I just gave an example but frankly, I see everyday several of these cases where I can clearly read despair and helplessness in eyes, facial expressions and talks of men and women....

I can't go not moved by their conditions...but because I am a foreigner and I am not familiar with culture so I do not want to make people get offended by my compassion so I bury my sorrow deep down in my heart....

I know my existence does not matter to a lot of people. I do not exist for a lot of people but on contrary, People matters to me... To me everybody I come across exist..

When I hear the expressions like, I don't care...or they do not exist for me...I ask myself, why I can't make it that people who have no link to me or to my life do not exist in my thoughts...

One way that I explain it for myself is...Everybody, even those I feel sympathetic with carry a big gift for me...their unique perspective about life...their perspectives are very different than mine....I take it as a gift...I value it...it let me love the life and experience it from a new perspective that I was blind to....

Some may look at it as emotional...or as a sign of weakness...but I take it as a sign of liveliness. I think people collectively have bigger plans for us than we have for ourselves... They might not saying us but their expressions shape our life. If their expressions of praise stimulate and encourage us....their criticisms make us determined that correct ourselves and prove us...if by their relating themselves to us make feel strong similarly by discriminating us as "others" they make us have an identity and make it achieve new glories.....

People around me....is part of my existence because they have dreams, pride, identity and want to have a role in this world...and most importantly to be master of their fates...It is what they share with me...I learn how they shape their destinies and how they overcome their sufferings..

If my more familiarity to my community make them my priority but it doesn't mean I don't care about "others"...their pride, identity, dreams are part of my existence and matters to me...

Retreating youths

The exposures of young generation to world affairs and their deepening knowledge about history, politics and economics make their desires deepened to have a role in increasing connected world. However this desire seems to be naïve as number of stakeholders in global affairs and the competitions get tough and tougher. The increasing numbers of the stakeholders and increasing levels of competition makes different categories among young generation. The majority of young people who find no role in global affairs they retreat from real global affairs to global fashion trends and non-issues. When the youths find their voices not heard even in their own countries they isolate themselves from real issues and take refuge to personal  relationships. The movies help them to idealize a heroic role in relationships and you see their actions and their expressions concentrate around the concept of love. Still those who fail in attracting opposite gender they retreat more inwards idealized, fantasized and romanticized relationships…The retreats of large part of youths is a tragedy…They need an emancipation and communities have need to realize and help these youths to bring them out from their isolation and to link them to real world………

Effects of culture on politicians

News trends in politics are that the popular faces in politics are not much based on the political ideologies and performances but on the appearances and speech performances of politicians. Sarah Palin and Obama are two politicians that people follow them around the world not because they represent democrats or republicans but because they appear and perform their speeches very close to Hollywood stars…. Hollywood has shaped the US citizen tastes so the politicians who have same levels of performances get more attention. Hollywood is not limited to US only…it is popular around the world and its movies have shaped the tests of youths around the world….So Sarah Palin and Barrack Obama are representing the modern tastes…The modern politicians need the understand the changing tastes of people around the world..

This may seem an interesting hypothesis but not replicate the reality. Let me give another example from Pakistan so it not remains a mere hypothesis. The tastes of Muslims in subcontinent have shaped by sermons of the religious scholars in mosques (it is frequent almost weekly) before the advent of radio, television and satellite networks. People liked the scholars who have used emotional and angry tones. Scholars with mild tones were considered having weak nerves, lacking determinations and even lacking clear understanding. Angry tone and challenging opponents were signs of strong personalities….

As politics become widespread especially after democratization the politicians with emotional and angry tone become popular. The Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and his daughter Benazir are popular examples…Cultures really effects and politicians need to follow developing cultural tastes of people in order to remain popular…..

using light to control brain

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8bPbHuOZXg