My Daily Journal#5: CIRCLES, POINTS, RUTS AND PAIN

Time: 9.51 PM                                                                Date: December 14, 2014
Age:18                                                                           Occasion:None
                                     
                                                         Entry#2401

Life is one big circle. We start as nothing and become nothing. And as the author John Green stated, ‘oblivion is inevitable’. You are meant to live and then you’re meant to be forgotten. The starting point and the end point is common for all of us, i.e. nothingness. But, quite amazingly, the journey from nothingness to nothingness is called life, which is considered to be everything.  And in this circle of life, we come across many progressive points which define the quality and story of our life, and decide who we are as individuals. These points can be considered as anything: time periods, situations, circumstances or even the people we meet.  Now the experience of these points can be good or bad, but the ultimate effect of all of them is common: to help us learn, make progress, move forward, to fulfill the purpose of our life, and to reach the ultimate goal of nothingness in the best and the most convenient way possible.

There is one rule about this circle of life. You just cannot be stagnant. You just cannot stop moving forward, because if you stop, you’re not making progress. And if you aren’t making progress, then you cannot fulfill the purpose of your life and reach the end point of nothingness. And that is not supposed to happen, so when you become stagnant, these points of progression start pulling you towards themselves. The pull can be defined as the continuous mental stimulation to move forward done by our own conscience due to our own internal or external factors. And they pull us so rapidly and so intensely, that many people start feeling like they can’t handle it, can’t go on and end up being victimized by things like anxiety and depression. And what depression does to you is what you are not able to do for yourself. It helps you to jump all of your progressive points, travel the circle of life as fast as possible, and to reach the end point of nothingness as soon as possible, eroding the existence of stagnation. In short, it kills you. Life. Progress. Death. There is just no place for stagnation here.

And since humans are meant to keep moving, make continuous progress and not be stagnant before they reach their end point, they are built with certain qualities that instinctively attract them to do so. And one of those qualities is ‘desire.’ A desire to dream, a desire to achieve. A desire to make as much progress as possible, to live these progressive points to the fullest, and to enjoy the journey of life. A desire to achieve success and happiness in almost all areas of our life. A desire to make the most out of everything, and to cherish the joys of success, fame, money or relationships. And as we target to achieve something, and we work towards it, our desires and expectations only grow because they make us feel closer to passing our progressive points, and to reaching our ultimate goal of nothingness.

And when our desires and expectations grow towards something, what comes along is dissatisfaction or pain. This pain can arise from failure or lack of progress in our desired goals. It can be bearable, too little or too much. But it is something you cannot escape from, as much as you want to. The purpose of pain, I believe, is to help us understand our desires and expectations, so that we can work towards our goals more wisely. But the big question arises-What if the pain is non-bearable and it takes over our lives? And how to tell whether the pain is bearable or not?

Well, we humans are so clever.  Subconsciously, we do know that there is no place for the existence of stagnation. So when we experience tremendous pain in our lives, we pick up the particular progressive point that is causing it, fixate on it, and start circling around only that particular point. Our spirits are aware of the fact that we cannot stop, we have to keep moving forward, and we that have to go keep up the circular path.  So we give up working round the circle of life, instead we start to work round this particular circle that we think will help our pain go away. We get caught up in these little circles, in these little ruts until the problem gets solved and the pain goes away. Travelling in these little circles or ruts for some particular time can prove to be healthy sometimes. It may help to ease your pain or to discover the unexplored aspects of your life. But it is all good only until and unless you don’t get stuck in that little circle.

You know you’re stuck in that circle when you’re continuously trying to work on things that don’t matter, don’t benefit you in the long run, give you continuous disappointments, become an addiction or necessity, or increase the amount of your pain.

So what to do if you really are stuck? You can’t not do anything about it and be stagnant, because if you are stuck in a little rut which gives you pain, it will kill you soon. If anything can make it better, it is acceptance. But even that can't make it go away. Accepting your pain can only make it easier for you to live with it, not make it go away.

So what is the solution?

She put down her pen and gave a deep sigh.

“I guess I’ll just write that at the right time.” She said to herself as she smiled.

To Be Continued

Copyright © Upasana Goyal 2014

TIME FOR A CHANGE (IMPLEMENT SEX EDUCATION-FOR COLLEGE PRESENTATION)

It is the 21^st century,

We are the next generation.

We’re people full of knowledge and capability,

Who ironically choose ignorance and hesitation.

The dreamers, doers, creators and reformers of the nation,

Who’ve been taught every skill in the world,

The teachers, preachers and learners aspiring for innovation,

Who’ve never been taught the difference between a boy and a girl.

If we are ashamed to comfort our children
with the existence of sexuality,

We deserve to be ashamed-

For this is a shame!

Because without proper sex education,

No citizen can take sex normally!

So my friends-

It is time for a revolution!

This generation will take things differently,

We must change,

Give up the hesitation,

And implement sex education definitely!

-Thank You

Copyright © Upasana Goyal 2014

GIRLS-REALIZE YOUR WORTH, EMPOWER YOURSELF#1: Treat yourself the way you want to be treated by the people around you.

The world has different kinds of people. And each person has a different mentality. But still, nothing in the world is free. Nobody will love or respect you, just because you want them to.

You have to earn all the appreciation you want. And to make people appreciate you, you have to learn to appreciate yourself first.

Consider this. Who decides the way you should be treated by the world? Could it ever be a relative or a friend? No way, right?

Under all circumstances, the answer would be Y-O-U.

No one else has the exact same thinking, desires, sentiments and beliefs as you. Only you know who you are, and what you want from the world. Only you can decide how you want to be treated by the world.

After you have given enough thought on how you want to be treated, you just don't go announcing your opinions and decisions to the others. Because that way, nobody will listen to you. Instead, you have to let your actions do the talking. And how to let your actions show what you really want from the world? Well, it is easy.

Just imagine, a person X comes into your life, who treats you exactly the way you want to be treated. You can use him/her as an example to show to the world what you really want from it. That way, you will never have to give anyone a verbal explanation of how you want to be treated, you can just show him/her as an example whenever you need to.

But the best part is, you don't have to go and search for that person X anywhere. Because that person X, MUST BE YOU! You, yourself have to be that example. Nobody else can show the way you want to be treated by others! You, and only you have to show the world the treatment you deserve, through your actions. And you can only do that by treating yourself-the way you want to be treated by the people around you.

Copyright © Upasana Goyal 2014

NEW,EXCLUSIVELY FOR GIRLS(12+):REALIZE YOUR WORTH, EMPOWER YOURSELF

Science proves the fact that women are more biologically complex than men. And this complexity lies in almost all mental, physical and emotional aspects of life. But here is the catch:

The complexity that is naturally gifted to us(all of the women and girls) is meant to be an exquisite  and irresistible beauty, not any sort of a stress or burden.

But, unfortunately, if this beauty of being complex is ever misunderstood or misinterpreted, it can lead to great pain and suffering. But if it is clearly understood and used in the right way, it can literally lead to miracles. I mean it. Miracles. The greatest of the greatest miracles.

Because when and if you understand this beauty, you realize your worth. And realizing your worth gives you power. Power to take the wheel, control your own life, and that of others around you. And when you are in absolute control of your life, you can do wonders.

So how to gain this power? How to realize what you are actually worth? We will explore the answers to some of these questions in the following articles.

Copyright © Upasana Goyal 2014

A Day In 2024 [College Assignment(600 words)]

It was August 7, 2024. I was sitting at a corner table in the Boston Public Library, United States, which is among the most popular libraries of the world. With my Billy hat, dark blue scarf and Dolce and Gabbana sunglasses, I was trying to hide myself from the paparazzo, who had been stalking me for about a week then.

As I took the first sip of a brand new flavour of my morning coffee, which happens to be Kopi Luwak (the most expensive coffee in the world), my phone started to vibrate. I picked up the phone. My personal secretary happened to be on the other side, in his usual low and shaky voice.

“Hello ma’am?”

“Yes, Johnny?”

“I’d like to inform you that Mr. Matthew Hussey has requested for a meeting as soon as possible.”

“Tell him to meet me on Sunday morning. And schedule all the work related to my motivational team, NGOs and radio shows for the next weekend.”

“But ma’am...Don’t you have that San Francisco and San Jose motivational speech scheduled for the next weekend?”

“Oh yes, of course! Well, postpone that. You see, I have other stuff to do during the weekdays. Being a Corporate Communication Manager in the US is not a very flexible job.” I smiled.

As I began to leave, I noticed a young teenage girl, who was not reading anything, and was sitting alone exactly in the centre of hundreds of other silent readers. She was wearing a frown, and didn’t seem to be interested in anything.

Teenage is that time period in which every human being is the most vulnerable to being astrayed, if not guided properly. I attempted to talk to her, because the voices in my head which had always talked about things like youth, feminism and women empowerment tempted me to do so.

“Hey, why aren’t you reading that book?”

“Which book?”

“That book...which hundreds of other people around you are reading.”

“Oh, you mean that book by Upasana Goyal...”

“Yes. Don’t you like it? I’ve heard it is the best seller of the year.”

“Oh, no! I love it. I’ve read it twice, already. Upasana Goyal is an amazing writer. She inspires me so much. I am waiting for her next book. She is my role model.  I’ve even bought T-shirts with her quotes printed on it. You wanna see?”

I smiled as she took off her jacket so that I could read my own quote, printed in bold letters on her T-shirt.

“That is some really cool stuff.” I said, with a bigger smile this time.

Her frown had disappeared. My mission was accomplished. Instead of a miserable look, there was now a twinkle in her eyes. I wished to reveal my identity and to talk more. But I chose to say nothing else, as I wanted to remain in disguise, so that I could stay unnoticed by that paparazzo.

As I was driving to my 7 star home in my car, I noticed a large crowd of thousands of young girls and women standing outside my house. I was really surprised, as I didn’t expect that to happen.

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY, UPASANA GOYAL!” All of them screamed as I stepped out of the car. I laughed, and cried tears of joy. I received thousands of birthday cards which stated how I changed those girls’ lives, inspired them, changed their thinking, and taught them to fight for themselves. That feeling of peace, success, contentment and accomplishment that I experienced while reading those cards- cannot be described in words. It was my best birthday ever. Life couldn’t have been happier.

Copyright © Upasana Goyal 2014

NEW:IS THE EDUCATION SYSTEM DOING IT RIGHT?

DO WE REALLY KNOW OUR NATIONAL ANTHEM?

Every Indian is familiar with ‘Jana Gana Mana’-the national anthem of the country of India. But does anybody really, truly know it?

“Yes, of course!”

This will be the response of almost all Indians if I ever happen to ask this question from each one of you. But I ask you to give it a second thought.

Carefully read and analyse the following statements of the grand-old anthem of the country of India:

जन गण मन अधिनायक जय हे
भारत भाग्यविधाता
पंजाब सिन्धु गुजरात मराठा
द्राविड़ उत्कल बंगा
विन्ध्य हिमाचल यमुना गंगा
उच्छल जलधि तरंगा
तव शुभ नामे जागे
तव शुभ आशीष मागे
गाहे तव जयगाथा

जन गण मंगलदायक जय हे
भारत भाग्यविधाता
जय हे, जय हे, जय हे
जय जय जय जय हे!

Now, I request you to do another thing for me. Translate the simple anthem in a simple and understandable language, preferably in English or Hindi. State the meaning and significance of these words. Can you do it?

Well, I’m sure most of you weren’t successful in translating the entire song. And for those of you who were able to give an ENTIRE, WORD-TO-WORD AND MEANINGFUL TRANSLATION of this anthem, well, this article is not for you.

National anthems are played on national holidays and festivals, and have also come to be closely connected with political, social and sporting events. In some countries like India, the national anthem is played to students each day at the start of school as an exercise in patriotism. A little baby is conditioned to parrot out the national anthem from his/her very first day of school. This conditioning is continuously done for the next 12 years till the music as well as the lyrics of the national anthem gets permanently stored in every citizen’s brain cells for a lifetime. In other countries the anthem may be played in a theatre before a play or in a cinema before a movie. Many radio and television stations have adopted this and play the national anthem when they sign on in the morning and again when they sign off at night.

Now, I’m not saying that there is something wrong with this age-old tradition of singing the national anthem. In fact, this is a truly magnificent and a perfectly appropriate practice. This collective system of chanting the anthem of  our respective countries is very special, as it allows every human being on this Earth to exercise patriotism for his/her own country, and grants him/her the equal right and opportunity to do so.

But, there is something all of us have to understand:

WHY are people continuously encouraged to sing the national anthem throughout their entire life? WHY a school-going child has to spend an extra few minutes to remember the words that symbolize his/her nation,every single morning? WHY, JUST WHY?

These could be the possible reasons:

1)    The national anthem creates a sense of pride and common identity among the citizens of the country.

2)    It is a reminder of significant national/cultural/patriotic events.

3)    It helps people to realize the greatness of their nation.

4)    It helps to instill the feeling of nationality in them.

5)    It helps to unite them.

But, let me ask you an obvious question.

 HOW ARE ANY OF THE ABOVE MENTIONED GOALS BEING ACHIEVED IF NOBODY KNOWS THE TRUE MEANING, VALUE AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE NATIONAL ANTHEM?

I believe that they are not being achieved on a large scale. The true reasons and the sole purposes of the very existence of our national anthem are unfortunately, not paid attention to.

Before I suggest a solution, I want you to once go through the translation and meaning of the Indian national anthem carefully:

जन गण मन अधिनायक जय हे

पंजाब सिन्धु गुजरात मराठा
द्राविड़ उत्कल बंगा
विन्ध्य हिमाचल यमुना गंगा
उच्छल जलधि तरंगा
तव शुभ नामे जागे
तव शुभ आशीष मागे
गाहे तव जयगाथा

जन गण मंगलदायक जय हे
भारत भाग्यविधाता
जय हे, जय हे, जय हे
जय जय जय जय हे!

TRANSLATION:

Thou are the ruler of the minds of all people,
Dispenser of India's destiny.

Thy name rouses the hearts of Punjab, Sindhu, Gujarat and Maratha,
Of the Dravida, Utkala and Bengal;
It echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas,
mingles in the music of Yamuna and Ganga and is
chanted by the waves of the Indian Ocean.
They pray for thy blessings and sing thy praise.
The saving of all people waits in thy hand,
Thou dispenser of India's destiny.
Victory, victory, victory to thee.

GLOSSARY:

जन गण (Jana gaṇa) : जन refers to ‘people’ while गण refers to a ‘multitude’. जन गण refers to a multitude of people i.e. all people of the country of India.

मन (Mana): This term has multiple meanings like the mind, heart, soul, imagination, subject or introspection. But over here, it refers to the human mind.

अधिनायक (Adhi nayaka) : Leader/ruler.

जय हे( Jaya hai): जय refers to ‘victory’. The term ‘जय हे’ is a typical Indian phrase of praise which is used to wish victory to someone.

भारत भाग्यविधाता (Bhaarat bhaagya vidhaata) : भारत refers to India. भाग्यविधाता refers to dispenser of destiny. भारत भाग्यविधाता refers to the Dispenser of India's destiny.

पंजाब (Punjab), सिन्धु (Sindhu), गुजरात (Gujarat), मराठा (Maratha or Maharashtra), द्राविड़ (Dravida/South India), उत्कल (Utkala/Odisha), बंगा(Bengal): Regions of India.

विन्ध्य (Vindhyas), हिमाचल(Himachal/Himalayas): Mountain ranges of India.

यमुना(Yamuna), गंगा (Ganga): Sacred rivers of India.

उच्छल (Uchhala): The way in which high waves rise upwards.

जलधि(Jaladhi): Ocean. Refers to the Indian Ocean.

तरंगा (Taranga): Waves.

तव( Tava): Yours(or Thy).

 शुभ (Shubh): Good(Refers to the goodness of praise and blessings).

 नामे (Name): Name-Which refers to respect in this context.

 जागे(Jaage): Awake.

आशीष (Aashish): Blessings.

मागे(Maange): To seek.

गाहे (Gaahe): To sing.

जयगाथा(Jaya Gaatha): Song of praise.

मंगलदायक (Mangal da yak): One who offers happiness/saving/salvation.

Now, let us move forward to the solution.

THE SOLUTION-LIES IN THE INDIAN EDUCATION SYSTEM

Let me just tell you this. Not being fully aware of the true meaning, value and significance of the Indian National Anthem is NOT completely our fault. There can be multiple reasons for this kind of situation, and, there can be multiple solutions. But the biggest and simplest solution, I believe, lies in the Indian Education system. The type of conditioning given to us in school emphasizes more on reciting the national anthem rather than defining it. This type of conditioning gets so deeply rooted into our subconscious mind that every time we hear the national anthem being played, we feel the compulsive urge to sing along without getting deep into its meaning, value and significance. So what's happening? 

The music as well as the lyrics of the national anthem gets permanently stored in every citizen’s brain cells for a lifetime-but NOT its meaning.

Another thing that I have noticed is that a large number of people make mistakes while reciting the anthem. For instance, some people pronounce the line ‘गाहे तव जयगाथा’ as ‘गाहे सव जयगाथा’  or ‘गाहे सब जयगाथा’ . This mistake can be fixed if people are made to know what they are singing.

For so many ages, we have been tested on enormous amounts of poems in literature as a part of our curriculum-which a student of every grade and level has to learn.  So why can’t our national anthem be included in our syllabus? Why can’t students be made to learn the anthem on an elementary level? I think if students between class 1 and 5 can be taught about the various other national symbols of the country in G.K, and can be made to sing their national anthem first thing in the morning, they can also be taught how to define it.

                                                                           -Thank You.
Copyright © Upasana Goyal 2014
                                                                           

Something's Beating

Something's beating inside me,

Is this what they call a 'heart'?

'Coz I've never known how to use such a thing,

From the very start.

Sure, I've made mistakes.

But they were all supposed to hurt myself,

God knows, what it really takes-

When it comes to hurting someone else.

And now I'm standing here-

Not knowing what to do,

There's a fight-between wrong and right,

My chest feels heavy, and my head feels confused.

'Coz I'm not one of those who prefer to just let it be,

To live amidst ignorance, oblivion and no mercy,

'Coz my entire life flashes before my eyes,

When I remember the only pledge that I had once taken with all my might.

A pledge that would cost me-my entire 17 years,

Everything will become so drastically meaningless,

If I ever try to break this pledge:

"That 'true emotions' is a rare gift-something that not everybody can feel,

Wherever you go, whatever you do, never mistreat someone real."

My thoughts and opinions had always been clear,

My head had solutions to almost everything that didn't feel right,

Until it opposed this something that's beating,

And they both got into this massive fight.

What if I end up doing down some destructive path?

'Coz I'm not aware of the aftermath.

And I don't know what I want, what I'm going to do.

Am I going to get broken?

Or am I going to break?

Am I going to kill & destroy?

Or am I going to relish & appreciate?

No, I don't know what I'm feeling.

It's all numb-my conscience, my only guide.

I can only listen to this something that's beating,

The only proof that I am still alive.

At last. Peace.

Peace is the only thing that I need, the only thing I ask for God's sake.

But something's beating inside me,

Which takes it all away......

 -Thank You(2014)

Copyright © Upasana Goyal 2014