PERSONAL   DEVELOPMENT

Effect of Surroundings

This essay focuses on self development by CONDUCIVE SURROUNDINGS only. Hence opt for better surroundings / training. Hence let us consider immediate surroundings (I), of a person (P) and masses (M), around him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(I)is limited to family, friends, school, office,etc. (M) Covers general and social conditions of masses surrounding subject (P).  I and M have a very effective impact on development of P.   I Can be modified to an extent by P or his mentor. Modifying M is difficult and not in the hands of an individual or his family. Hence effective way of changing M is physically shifting into a suitable M  at at some other location. Same is true to an extent for I also.

Let us consider properties of P and manipulation of I and M in the following discussion.

Person :P:  Considering aging process, broadly, P goes through following stages:

1.      CHILD: dependant on others.

2.      YOUNG MAN: Independent ; has usually  minimum load of dependants .

3.      FAMILY MAN :  Independent ; has full load of dependants.

4.      RETIRED: Rather dependant . Has lot of experience; tastes ’ripe and sweet’.

With cells getting continuously replaced, a person is physically changing every minute. Original program ( by default) remains the same at almost all stages. Training , experience and circumstances do modify it at all stages. In fact, a person in each of these stages, must be considered as a different entity. Hence properties at one stage need not be the same at other stages. This concept is difficult to digest. We do say that a growing person has ‘changed’ too much!

 

Following points must be considered for personal development:

1. Education
2. Capability ( intelligence, grasping, analytical power)
3. Achievements ( personal track record )
4. Health
5. Resources available, economic status.
6. Social status ( including constraints of family, religion, friends, work culture).

For personal development, one must do an audit of his requirements and plan or design an ideally suitable immediate environment. Then he has to strive hard to realize his dream. For a child, this has to be done by parents / care taker. For all other stages, ( young man to retired person) he can do it himself  or better consult a counselor. I would advise this counseling especially for ‘young man stage’. The exercise of auditing will be on an ongoing basis.

Here comes the concept of ‘BEHAVIORAL AUDIT’ or better termed as Personal development counseling. An experienced person will be able to plan it with ease and professionalism. An individual also can do it himself with unbiased introspection and application of mind.

 

Immediate Surroundings :I:

Circumstances are good trainers. ( inducing good or bad qualities). Circumstances mould individual or masses. Some of the circumstances might be thrust upon you while you can select your own surroundings as well. This thought kindles the idea of self development by changed or modified surroundings.

After studying your personality,  ( items 1 to 6 under personal development) you have to design ideal surroundings for the best personal development. These will vary case to case. Then put these against existing surroundings and compare. The resources available and social circumstances may allow you to modify surroundings by making suitable changes or changing your location to ideal surroundings. Sometimes, the constraints of resources and social limitations may not totally allow this. Then you have to see how best or next best can be achieved immediately or over a period of time. All this work out may need expert counseling. Sometimes teachers, sympathetic elders and friends may serve as counselors.

 

 

To give this thinking a concrete basis, let us list out  various ingredients of immediate surroundings ‘I’:

1. Home, Space, Facilities, Car-Vehicle, Location, City, Village.
2. School, College, Teachers, Office, Workplace.
3. Eating, Drinking, Veg.-nonveg, smoking, styles, patterns, clothes, physical fitness,sports.
4. Family members, habits, beliefs, attitude, religious constraints, educational and health status, Friends ( good / bad).
5. Economic: Inheritance, wealth, poverty, savings, work culture.
6. Available resources,: types, volume, constraints, limitations.
7. Attitudes: Scientific, blind faith, values, mindsets, leanings, openness, dogmatism, pragmatism.

All these categories are not distinct but creeping into each other. Still they provide an insight into ‘I’. These will help you to take your decision.

Broadly speaking, well to do and pragmatic surroundings with enough resources will make it easy for a person to modify his  surroundings for proper development. One can easily go to a better school , an advanced city, for better exposure and openings. But with limited resources, ( especially economic), one may not be able to change with ease. Then he has to work  while studying , or get a small loan . As far one has a will, he will always find a way, by himself or through a well wisher .

There are many instances, when rich children have been spoilt due to unhealthy friends  and habits. All the same, many poor students study under street lights, station platforms, and stay in dormitories / foot paths. Even street children work and go to night schools and many social organizations help them out.  What matters is will and counseling.

Many students get fellowships, teaching aids, to study at a better institute in India and abroad. That is change of surroundings. If family atmosphere is not good, it is advisable to keep the student in boarding school / hostels. If your job does not give scope for development, it is better to change to a suitable slot. If you have to travel a lot, to your school/college, you may opt staying in hostels and save on  time.

Very opulent persons might develop habits making them dependant on servants and appliances. This should be avoided. Change surroundings to make him self reliant and not always going for soft options. Over protectionism and continuous monitoring by parents is also to be avoided.

Circumstances make a man. A very loving person at home may not be so at work place.  ( or vice versa). The behavior changes as per needs of surroundings.

While selecting ideal immediate surroundings , ‘I’ , one should consider his own capability, track record, ambitions and resources. Selecting tall or dwarf surroundings should be avoided. Then one can see if it is within reach and manageable. Some changes may be practiced on an experimental basis initially.  In brief, surroundings should be conducive to physical, mental and economic health.  A need may arise to convince family regarding some decisions. Thus, a strong will to improve and achieve will only drive you to success. You must talk out in convincing manner regarding any problems to well wishers and a solution will do come up. A continuous evaluation and readjustment will keep you on smooth track of progress.

 

Masses M :

General , social, economic conditions of society / larger surroundings.:

These will relate to larger geographical areas like a city / state.

Pointers for this will include mainly:

1. Geographical conditions( land, water, weather, transport, communications)
2. Social conditions: (Beliefs, attitudes, religious extremisms, pragmatism).
3. State of development( Education, industry, communications)
4. Economic status( This will decide available facilities).
5. Political conditions : Freedom of expression / movement, etc.).

These will indirectly affect many of the ‘I’ conditions. As pointed out earlier, one may have to change ‘M’ by  migrating to a suitable M  if majority of the factors are restrictive.

 

To conclude, one’s progress is based on his intrinsic values and the training he gets(acquired values). Circumstances are best trainers / molders. Hence opt for better surroundings, training. Once you achieve advanced level, try to improve masses and surroundings in general . This what SOCIETY requires of you, hence start contributing  in your own way!

 

 

 

 

 

LEARNING  STRATEGIES

First part of the essay summarizes how one should manage to study effectively using memorizing , reading and writing skills. Second part describes the process as it works out  in brain, namely basics of cognitive process. Last part focuses on skills to be developed in various age groups and broad hints at developing a clear cut and creative thought processing.

FIRST  PART

MEMEORY: everything first enters short term memory( STM). Processing this information by reviewing, recollecting, analyzing and its usage converts it into long term memory (LTM). This processing must be done immediately to convert STM to LTM.

 

For this, one can apply various personal strategies. REPETITION, reading again and again is one of them. Number of repetitions required depend on your IQ, concentration, & environment.

Larger pieces can be memorized as such  or initially in bits and then as a whole. Memorising becomes easy when one understands meaning and underlying principles / concepts. Other techniques are memorizing first letters, making strings of them, short rhymes/poems, from key words. One can use graphical visualization, linking themes, sub titles, with objects, images, etc.. Eventually when you are thorough, these props of cues may get dropped automatically.

Another way of repetition is to read the same topic from various books (different authors). Try to teach a portion to your friends. This will help do a self assessment and help building confidence.  RECALL lost memory . Stretch your memory as an essential exercise. Have your own filing system in brain with various links and hyperlinks to make  it easy to recall. This is building your own search engine which must be used very often. Brain has its own way of sorting and storing unrelated information . Realise your own powers of recall and scanning memory to increase your confidence. This needs challenging yourself (for stimulation).

LEARNING  MODALITIES: Identify your own  learning modality. All are OK. Use your own style effectively.

VISUAL LEARNER : He uses graphics, charts, tables, maps, flow charts, schematic diagrams. He tries to transcribe material on paper and make sketches, vharts, etc. He works alone.

AUDITORY  LEARNER :  Reads aloud, talks to himself, about important points, sets a purpose and verbalizes it. Summarises loudly. Speak into audio tapes and replay. Talk to friends about summary.

HAPTIC  LEARNER :  Paces around room, listens to music, TV, . Chew gum, stand and read. Use colors. When reading first time, scan through, get general idea and then dig in. Visualisation is a great tool for haptic learners.

Slowly try to convert your self into a silent reader with maximum concentration, for effectiveness . Apart from books, also use audio / video recordings.

 

GENERAL PLAN TO ATTACK A CHAPTER:

SURVEY :  Read headings , synopsis, summaries, introductions, etc. to get an OVERVIEW.

QUESTION:   Create    interest in the matter by asking “what are main points of the chapter?”  what is the purpose and underlying principles? Etc.

READ:  Before underlining and writing notes and key words, go through the material to understand it. Know unrelying principles and concepts. Avoid day dreaming, nodding off, and getting lost in other thoughts. ( Practice meditation to improve on this ). During second reading , read with comprehension and retention. Underline key words. Write main points in the margin. If necessary, take down notes into a hand book.

RECITE:  Close the book, and recite aloud main points. Try to explain points in your own words. This takes more time but clarity and absorption improves.

REVIEW :  Revise digested material several times. Keep re reading underlines and notes in margin. Verbalise sequence of ideas for better retention. Numerous reviews are better than a crash cramming session.

NOTES  TAKING : ( FROM LECTURE / BOOK)

Requires your attention, focusing and filtering out the unwanted. Write notes legibly. Write highlights in margin. Research / explain key information immediately and accurately. This will resolve all doubts. Have effective writing plans before hand. Overcome information overload.

THINKING :  Analyse everything read. Store necessary things in LTM. Think out of the box. Generate more ideas, corollaries. Note down points for elaboration and research in spare time. Improve clarity of perception. Emotional and set thinking must be kept aside for clarity . Seek counseling if confused. Don’t  sleep on confusions.

TIME  MANAGEMENT : avoid procrastination. (putting off to a later day). PRIORATISE.  First things first and second things second. This will minimize eleventh hour stress automatically. Resting is important Avoid all-nighters. Identify your strengths and weaknesses . Get counseling. Streamline time consuming activities. Depending on subject nature, give more time to written practice and problem solving. If your performance is always on borderline, you need more practice, written exercise and memorization. If not self driven, you need tution and monitoring by teachers. Final examination is written. Hence, writing in limited time must be practices very well.

 

SECOND  PART   :  BRAIN  BASICS.

EXPERIENCES REWIRE BRAIN:  rewiring brain involves formation and elimination of synapses(connections between neurons).  Dendrites and Axons  are highly branched structures. Dendrites are on input side of neurons and Axons are on the output side. Brain is a parallel processor. Learning engages entire physiology. Learning is profoundly influenced by nature of social relationships.

Appropriately challenged environment encourages taking risk and makes maximum wiring in brain. We must create and maintain an atmosphere of relaxed alertness involving low threat and high challenges.

Love, care must be provided in child hood to develop an integrated personality in later life. Touch and feel is critical to brain. Hence patting, cuddling, licking(without pampering) is vital in child hood. Otherwise brain goes into survival mode and does not flourish. Nutrition , exercise and counseling with periodic expert evaluation is most necessary in child hood.

Cerebral cortex is growing most rapidly during first ten years. Hence basics for life must be inculcated during this period through enriched education and stimulating environment. During 4 to 10 years of age, brain cells are vigorously learning, which connections to keep and which to discard.  Wrong exposures (threat , violence) must be avoided during this period. Various basic skills like languages, music, swimming, memorizing, arithmetic computations, oratory, good hand writing, sports activities and good behavior must be taught now. These will be basic programs in your brain ( like computer softwares)..

 

CONSCIOUS AND UNCONSCIOUS PROCESS OF LEARNING:

Much of our learning is unconscious in that experience and sensory input is processed below level of awareness. This means that much of our understanding may not occur during class and may occur days and weeks later . Hence subsequent  conscious processing helps this process and fixes it in LTM.  We have a set of systems for recalling unrelated information.  We also have autobiographical / spatial memory allowing instant recall. This is motivated by inlaid novelty. Hence this must be continuously activated by providing challenges.

OLD AGE :

Absence/depletion of hormones like estrogen, ( in both males and females) and lack of nutrients causes mental degradation(Alzeimer’s,etc.). Education is food for brain. Brain has ability to rewire at any age provided stimulus is provided by attempts to learn new skills.

EDUCATION HELPS MAINTAIN GOOD HEALTH.:

Introduces more connections in brain cells.

Education by itself promotes awareness of health and changes life style and promotes acceptance of new ideas.

THIRD PART : SKILLS FOR VARIOUS AGE GROUPS.:

AGE 4 – 10 YEARS( primary school):  Counseling is required. Basic tools for later life must be acquired now. These are: Various physical skills, swimming, sports, team work, dancing, learning new languages, memorizing  poetry, shlokas, mathematical tables, oratory, singing, playing musical instruments, oral computations, good manners, cycling, balancing, yoga, meditation, ambidextrous activities( to activate both halves of brain), risk taking(adventure sports), good hand writing, clear pronounciations, alertness, etc,..These skills are apart from regular school studies.

AGE 11 – 16 YEARS (secondary school): Counseling required. Initiate self study and self management, staying alone/in hostels, camps,group activities, social work, helping sick/old,.Advanced skills of listed items for (4-10 yrs) age group. Introduce learning strategies from first part. Cultivate independent thinking, self management. Participate in competitions.

AGE 17 and above (college students): Apart from skills in above group, add : self evaluation, creative thinking, research activities, taking responsibility to complete various jobs, anticipation of problems / favorable events, teaching and counseling youngsters, keeping open to novel ideas, sex and adult education, health awareness. Prepare for old age by cultivating adaptability, open attitude, physical fitness. Inculcate awareness of working for community and country.

 

IMPORTANT  HINTS :

• Study a little more than your class / std stipulates.
• Teach others(this concretizes your studies)
• Adventure sports (to develop fearlessness).
• Practise yoga, meditation (to improve concentration)
• Ambidextrous activities and exercise.(activates both halves of brain and helps activate routine and creative thinking).
• Cross training(do what you usually don’t do. Engineers to take lessons in music/art, accountants to learn cricket, music, football players to learn dancing)This gives a new dimension to your professional excellance.
• Examine your thought processing. Avoid “screen savers”(idling times). Instead, plan for tackling  anticipated /unforeseen events in spare time.
• Attempt to develop your own theorems and corollaries.
• Construct your own quizzes/ problems concerned with your class-subjects.
• Solve cross words, quizzes.
• Participate in competitions.
• Periodically review your methods and performance. Consult a counselor .
• THINK OUT OF THE BOX!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

REMIX    RAMAYAN

 

Dasharath goes to poach in reserved forest, shoots a deer accurately with his modern rifle. He is caught by forest officer ‘Shravan’ and jailed. Kaikeyee somehow gets him released through her top connections. Thankful Dasharatha gives her a ‘Varadaan’. She realizes her boon and sends Rama to Vanavas.

 

VANAVAS:  Initially at Gurgaon, Rama meets Maruti and his friend Suzuki. Naturally they don’t have transportation problems. Most of the forests are already cut. There are many resorts on the way and credit cards and cellphones make their vanavas a pleasure trip. They thank Kaikeyee for that. Lalloo offers Rama Chief ministership! Shekhar Suman takes Rama’s interview in his talk show, where Rama realizes the whole story and proceeds southwards. He meets Veerappan in Madumalai forest . LTTE  captures Seeta as hostage They even offer her a BMW instead of Maruti. One fallen MIG pilot tells Rama that Ravana of LTTE has taken Seeta to Jaffana.

 

Rama and his army plan to attack Ravana after crossing Palk Straits. They even ask for global tenders to build a bridge. Some try to put stones into sea after writing ‘$ ‘ on each stone. But naturally all stones sink. Jaswant  advises Rama to put ‘Re’ on each stone. Ahoy! The stones do float. Bridge is ready. Rama prays for help in the adventure. Atal intervenes and by ‘George’ , Rama gets all the land and air support. He frees Seeta and installs Bibhisana Senanayake on Lankan throne!

 

Seeta on her way back has to pass through many hurdles of custom and ministry of external ‘affairs’.. Finally when they reach Ayodhya, Rama finds his palace vanished and Babri masjid in the place!  Unfortunately Rama does not have any documentary evidence . Dasharatha has not insured the palace! Finally Rama and Seeta escape to Italy (courtesy Swiss accounts of Dasharatha).

 

 

 

 

 

 

REMIX   MAHABHARATA

Dhritarashtra gets operated for cataract and detached retina , gets his vision back. This has a direct effect on upbringing of Kauravas.They are well looked after and turn out to be well disciplined boys. Naturally Gandhari also does away with her blindfold. She bars Dhritarashtra from wearing goggles any more. Thus every body knows he has vision.

Shakunimama is shocked to see Kauravas as well disciplined suave boys. How will Mahabharat take place now? Naturally he arranges for their ‘proper’ training with AlKaida schools in terrorism.

Pandu gets treated for anemia and other shortcomings by modern medicine.  Naturally all Pandavas are his own issues and they do not get special powers from Indra, Vayu, etc. All are trained at Doon School and Doon military college in modern warfare, missiles, nukes, air surveillance, computer aided technologies and what not!

Kauravas buy cheap nukes from Russia,biological and chemical weapons from Saddam, through Quottrochi, a friend of Shakuni.

While in vanavas, Pandavas make friends with Bhind Thakurs, Lalluprasad, Veerappan, etc. They help Pandavas to escape to Malasia during Adnyatvas.

Before war, Krishna makes last ditch efforts for peace. He starts ‘Friendship bus, friendship railways, etc. But no! Kauravas want to fight out. Finally both agree on three ‘onedayers’ at Kurukshetra, Panipat and Mohali. Both agree that 18 day war is tiring and out of fashion. Onedayers will be telecast and naturally Dhritarashtra will be able to see it on Zee TV. Incidentally Doordrishti of Sanjaya is out of fashion and he gets voluntary retirement.

On Kurukshetra, while doing toss, Arjun sees all elders, Drona, Kripa, Bhishma, etc.on the other side. He knows that all these are on ‘extension’. Still he is worried about winning at least two matches. Naturally Krishna takes Arjuna to dressing room and and tells that he can rest assured of the ‘win’ . This is so because matches have been already ‘fixed’ with Bhishma. To be extra sure, Krishna has fixed with Ranawat to replace knee joints of Bhishma only after the series. Finally Arjun gets satisfied about his win and is relaxed.

At Kurukshetra, Abhimanyu gets caught in Chakravyuha. Krishna tries to send him tips by SMS. But Abhi’s cell battery is down and Pandavas loose the first match. Any way, they win the series!