Toastmasters Speech Project CC-5 : The Power of Now (Eckhart Tolle Teachings)

Speech Objectives:

Your aims for this speech project are to complement your message with your body during delivery. Specifically, be aware of your:

• posture,
• body movement,
• facial expressions, and
• eye contact.

The Power of Now

What do you feed yourself each morning? Wait..I can actually guess! Do you read the newspaper each morning? What does it contain? Content about terrorism, crime, corruption, pain, suffering? So, that means, along with breakfast, you feed yourself unhappy thoughts of all these negative events. It probably generates some unhappiness in the thoughts and minds of all those like me and you who are reading the newspaper.

Let me tell you I also used to absorb a lot of unhappy thoughts from the media. I was also frequently unhappy because I used to constantly pontificate over some past negative event in my life, or worry about the future. Untill I came across one book that began to transform my life. It is a book called “The Power of Now” by a spiritual teacher called Eckhart Tolle.

One of the Fundamental Truths of Life that I learnt from Eckhart Tolle was that the primary cause of unhappiness is not ANY external situation, but our thoughts about it. And we can eliminate a lot of unhappiness from our life by accessing the Power of Now.

It is very very simple but powerful concept that anyone can apply their daily life. Power of Now is nothing but “present moment awareness”. It is about always living in the here and now, mentally and physically. It is about narrowing down your life to this moment. Because most of our problems survive ONLY in in our THOUGHTS of the past or future. Think about any any problem in your life. Has your problem already occurred, or do you fear it might occur in future. Ask yourself if it is still a problem, right here and now, in this room, at this very moment? Most problems cannot survive long in the reality of the “Now”.

A lot of our problems are also due to dysfunctional thinking. Through the Power of Now you can remove a lot of unhappiness and negative emotions from your life:

1)    Eliminate psychological time. Remove past and future, from your thoughts. Yes. Use thoughts of past events or mistakes only for practical learning. Use thoughts of future only for practical planning. Simply withdraw attention from past and future when they are not needed.

2)    Disidentify with the mind and thoughts. You are not your mind and thoughts. Your mind is just a tool for thinking. Use it for specific, purposeful thinking. Don’t let that voice in your head rule YOU.  You must have a “stop” button to stop compulsive thinking when not needed.

3)    Disidentify with the “ego” or the “false sense of self”. As we grow up most of us have a mental image of who we are, based on some personal and cultural concepts that we imbibe. This is called conditioning of the mind.  My mind is conditioned to believe that I am an Indian, I am an IT professional, I am a Wadian, bla bla and other aspects of my physical identity. But this is a false sense of self. It is called the ego. Don’t get attached to this sense of self. Because you will experience unhappiness when your “sense of self” is threatened, that is when something related to “my” or “mine” is threatened.  Reduce egoic thinking. Because we are not just our thoughts or our physical identity. We are much more than that.

4)    Observe and accept your pain-bodies. Each one of us carries some pain-bodies, which are nothing but accumulation of old emotional pain and suffering from a negative event. These pain bodies may be individual pain-bodies or collective pain-bodies of a community of people. Observe when these pain-bodies are activated in your thoughts, and accept their existence in the now. By doing this, slowly thoughts-related to pain-body will dissolve.

5)    Surrender to the present moment. Break the old-pattern of present-moment resistance. Accept what is. Accept what the present moment contains, as if you had chosen it. Good, or bad, embrace this moment. Then act or take the steps as you need to.

6)    Stay connected with the source energy inside you. Do this by focusing attention on your breath, your inner body, and stillness and space around you. Practice meditation and silence daily. Take out some time to just ‘be”.

And then you will see how your life is miraculously transported into a place of inner peace and joy. 

"FEAR" CC-4 Speech for ToastMasters

Objectives:
The aims for this speech project (4) focus on your selection of words and phrases:

1. Choose words and grammar which communicate clearly.
2. Choose words and grammar which appeal to the senses.
3. Eliminate jargon.

Tips and Techniques:
Choose Descriptive or Story-based Topics, Use Sensory Language, Use Repetition Wisely

Title:
FEAR

I'm sure everyone is familiar with this word "FEAR"?
Well, for many years I did not know what is fear, until I went to the Singapore Night Safari!!
Our second-last day at Singapore was very a grey, cloudy day.
There was a loud, dusty thunderstorm. Flashes of silvery lightning made the purplish evening sky looked electrified. Due to this there were few tourists at the Singapore Night Safari that day. We were not discouraged by weather and we decided to go.

The Night Safari wildlife sanctuary at Singapore has  over a thousand beautiful animals from the Himalayan mountains, the African Savannahs, and the Asian tropics. It is the world's first nocturnal zoo that brings people and animals together at night hours when most animals are awake and very active.

Late evening, as you enter, the fading twilight gives way to a dark blue, velvety sky. Animal enclosures are open, and designed as per the natural habitat of each species. No cages. The lighting scheme inside the animal enclosures is brilliant. The lights are designed exactly like natural moonlight, though they are a little brighter. Due to these features you can see the animals roaming freely, and from very close quarters.

You can chose to walk along the forest trails or take the tram. The walking trails are flanked with thick dark green-brown vegetation on both sides. In the tram ride areas, most of the animals enclosures are Placing separated from the  main path by large pits and water pools. Of course, there's more protection with the carnivorous species.  But some of the friendly animals like the deer even wander so close to the tram paths, that you can just touch them. Well, touching is forbidden.

We were a family of four. Initially we wandered around on foot,  then later we took the tram. During the night hours, it feels as  though the shadowy depths of the forest come alive with rich and exotic plant and animal life. At the end of 4 hours we saw tigers, lions, fishing cat, leopards, hyenas, wolves, elephants, giraffe, zebras, otters, porcupines, babirusas, and many more.

Finally we reached a wooden overbridge above a water pond. The last animal species we saw were 4 crocodiles in the pond below. Their bodies are camouflaged so well, they just look like a pile of harmless rocks.  **AND ONE CROCODILE OPENED ITS JAWS.** We actually  saw it's sharp yellow teeth as it looked at us greedily.  I felt a shiver down my spine.

We hardly realized that it was almost midnight. Most of the tourists had left the zoo. We had a uniquely interactive experience with nature. I really did not know was that I was in for a more intimate encounter with the jungle.

As we were on our way out, I realized I had forgotten my phone.
 Maybe I left it on the bench near the crocodiles enclosure, where I had stopped to tie a shoelace. My husband decided to stay put with my son asleep on his shoulder, while I backtracked a little with my daughter to fetch the phone, hoping to find it there. Just before I reached the crocodile enclosure, I noticed a small bylane without lights. It had an eerie, desserted look. A warning sign board read "FOR SAFETY, FOLLOW ALL SIGNS AND STAY ONLY WITHIN DESIGNATED AREAS" "Only a fool would go into such a spooky forest path, I thought"

My daughter and I bypassed the lane and were a few feet away from the bushy undergrowth sloping down to the crocodile pond. **SUDDENLY THE LIGHTS WENT OFF!!!!. **The forest plunged in TOTAL BLACK blinding darkness. Close your eyes and put your hands over your eyes and and imagine the scene.

I COULD. NOT. EVEN.  SEE my daughterrrr!!!!!!!! No mobile. No torch!!!! My heart sank. I took several urgent steps...and STOPPPED. Hissssssssssss. I heard a rustling round of dry leaves somewhere near my feet. I turned and RAN in the opposite direction. MiIli. MiIli No answer. Had she gone into the forbidden track? Were there dangerous animals running lose? Ooooh Gooooood. I panicked.
Then I remembered I had a matchbox in my backpack. I found a match and lit it quickly hoping to spot Mili around. There was a LOUD bolt of thunder. I held up the matchstick and saw...the orangish-brownish hide of an animal dissappeared behind the trees. WWWhoa What was ttthat....I I wanted to sscream.

MAMA....I heard a blood-curdling scream....... I froze!!!!! Mili !!!!!!!MAMA...am here...I walked few steps, groped among the trees and felt her hand ! Mili!!!!!What happenned? She was crying. She had slipped and was about to fall into a pit...That instant  the lights came on!

We just realized that her foot had slipped on the undergrowth that sloped down to the crocodile pond. Yes! She just managed to avoid falling by holding on to the branch of a tree. Just then we heard a loud siren of a small emergency jeep. It stopped near us. My husband stepped out and also a few members of the zoo staff. They were glad to see us safe and apologized several times for the rare and brief power outage.

Soon we all were on our way out of the zoo. I examined a small bruise on my elbow. I felt the trickle of blood, and I knew I was not in a dream or nightmare. It was real, but we were safe now. I had experienced the thrill of nature more intimately than the others. Whew!!!!

That's the time I came to know what is fear!!!

CC-3 Project Speech at Toast Masters: A Revolution through Social Media

CC-3 Project Speech at Toast Masters

Objectives:
Determine your general purpose.
To inform audience about various trends in the social media culture
Focus in on your specific purpose.
To urge people to use social media for social good
Ensure that the entire speech maintains focus on your objective.

Title:
A Revolution through Social Media
Speech:
Last week my hubby's cousin came down from Canada after 20 years. We met up with him over dinner. "So dude, tell me what's happenning in India? " he drawled! "Don't ask!" My hubby said. Gruesome events in the past 2 months. Brutal Gang-rape, and next these two soldiers beheaded by Pakistan". "All BAD!!!" said hubby! NO, that's not true I said.!!! Its not ALL bad!!! There is a little good I've seen here. With the recent events, I have seen the single most IMPORTANT achievement of the New India. I have seen a MOST powerful force being unleashed like NEVER BEFORE!!!! It is the power of the Social Media. Social Media is empowering People. It is empowering collective protests against the system. It is empowering the Voice of the citizens. A voice that's united like never before!!!

How many of you do not have a presence on any social Media app? FB, Twitter, etc?  Today almost everyone with an internet connection has a presence on these sites. Initially you might have registered to keep in touch with remote friends and to network. But now  as more and more people are connected, Social media is no longer just a networking tool. It has now become a broadcasting media powerhouse.
As per a survey report, Facebook has more than 65 million active users in India, and Twitter has over 18 million active accounts. Such usage ranks India among the top 5 Social Media nations. People are now connected like never before!

There are a lot of people leveraging social media. There are businesses doing Viral Marketing. Then we have Bollywood and Cricket celebrities use it to connect with their fans. We also a lot of politicians who have no choice but to join the herd. In 2011, thousands of people connected through social media, came forward to participate and support Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption campaign. After the gang-rape incident, several youngsters, armed with smartphones, used the social media to devastating effect. When Delhi police rounded up the protestors, these young students fired tweets after tweet, broadcasting to the world what was happenning. In a flash their messages went reached thousands of people. In no time, lawyers, activists and supporters landed up at the police station.  The police and politicians were unprepared for this kind of reaction.

So it is up to us, how we can use this power smartly and responsibly!!!
As citizens, we can use social media to propagate the changes we want in the system. If you have a worthy cause, social media provides you an unbiased, unfiltered platform for social good. While traditional media is commercially inclined to selectively covering only sensational stories, we can use social media to express ourselves honestly and fearlessly, but responsibly .

All of us can support some social issues with whatever resources at our disposal – intellectual, financial, political or spiritual  With these internet tools, we have a virtual megaphone with a global reach. We can make our voices heard.  We can use these to connect to a large network of friends, spread awareness, and get their support for social causes like gender equality, child abuse, environment, drugs and alcoholism, and so many others.

One example of a creating awareness was a video I saw posted on FB about child sexual abuse. The first part was about the myths for parents to know. The second part created awareness among children. Finally, the part that I likes the most  was a VERY very simple 3-point response approach for children to remember, if faced with such a situation. A very effective message.
As the urban population we can use such messages to change the mindset and redefine the rules of democratic governance.

Folks, the seeds of a revolution are being sowed in our country. To make India a better place, we need to be part of this change, by communicating through the virtual world, and participating in the real world issues.

Cultural Explosion (TM First speech)

I'm going to take this opportunity today to tell you a little about my family life. So how did I become Mrs. Mago. How did the story begin?

Let us do a flashback to 1993. Imagine a 17 year old girl and a 21 year old boy, both studying in Ness Wadia college, Pune. They both like each other. The boy invites the girl for his brother's marriage. The girl says she would need her mother's permission to attend.

Now imagine the scene at home, between the girl and her mother.

Girl: Mom, please can I go for Sameer's brother's marriage, please please!
Mom: Sameer?
Girl: Oh, he's my friend Preety Bhalla's classmate. He's a Punjabi. Actually his dad is a Punjabi, and his mom is a Maharashtrian Brahmin.
Mom: Hmmm, love marriage?
Girl: Ya, even his brother is going in for a love marriage, he is getting married to a Gujarati lady.
Mom: Hmm, naturally, if parents have done a love marriage, then the children also want to follow.
Girl: Actually, that's not all...his second brother is engaged to a Jewish lady. She is half Jewish and half Sardar (Sikh)
Mom: Oh I see. Now, looks like the third brother Sameer likes the Sindhi girl? Huh?
And the girl blushed and smiled!

So few years later this Sindhi girl, Manisha Nachnani, with her ancestral roots in Pakistan, got married to the Punjabi boy Sameer Mago and became part of this multi-cultural joint family.

Now this practice of love marriages outside the community is very common these days, and everyone is doing it, but during my father-in-law's generation, it was not so easily accepted. Through love marriages their generation set a precedent for the subsequent generations to follow. Practically everyone in my husband's family has glorious love stories to narrate to their children and grandchildren.

My father-in-law's eldest brother was married to a Tamil lady. He was born and brought up in the Lahore area of Pakistan, in a devout north-Indian family, and when  he said he wanted to marry a Tamil lady, I'm sure they must  have had a lot of family opposition. Later, my father-in-law's second brother married a Christian lady, and adopted Christianity. My father-in-law's sister got married to a Parsi gentleman. Unfortunately she passed away in her youth, and the Parsi uncle remarried a Bengali lady, who was affectionately adopted as aunt into the family. Their son is now married to a lady who is half Parsi, and half Marwari.

Not to forget, my father-in-law's cousin married a lady from the north-east. Her name was Bluebell.

We all know that India is a land of great diversity. We have many different states, different cultures, languages, traditions, festivals, and so on. What happens when people from all these different cultures come together to form a family? There is a total cultural explosion. My family has now become a melting pot of all these cultures. And our family tree probably looks like the political map of India and Pakistan.

Life has been very interesting in such a family. We celebrate a whole lot of festivals. My children have picked up a few phrases of several languages. We've even attended many of the family weddings in church, because my mother-in-law's brother is also converted to Christianity. And cuisine is literally the spice of our life in this family.

Few years after I got married, it was my sister's turn to get married. We lined up a whole lot of boys for her to see, and she rejected all of them. No, No No!!!! Why??? My husband asked her. Is there someone you have in mind? Don't be afraid to tell us. And guess what she said? "Mallu chalega ?"
So few months later my sister was married to a Keralite boy, in the traditional Malayali style ceremony.

My cousin just got engaged to a Bihari girl, AND over all these years I have come to believe that all these cultural differences are superficial. Human beings in any part of the world are essentially the same. And if all human begins would realize this fact, then perhaps we would never have any racism, any communal riots, or religious wars.

thank you.

First prepared speech: @ Speakers Club @ SAS

Latest trend in Bollywood: The 100-crore club
Don't you think that Bollywood is the most exceptional phenomenon of our country.  Sometimes I wonder if there were no Bollywood, how would we be able to have any interesting conversation, Imagine? And how would Indian media survive?
Let me tell you about this latest bollywood trend. Recently I had invited my daughter's friends home. The topic of dicsussion moved over to guess what?  Bollywood of course! Anyways, I asked these girls who was their favorite hero? While many voted Aamir, Salman, Shahrukh and Ranbir, but one girl was a fan of Imran Khan, and others just condemned her preference.What's wrong with Imran Khan. Imran Khan is soooo Cuuuute. But Aunty Imran is not a 100-crore star, said our business-savvy generation kids!!!
On googling I realized that the 100-crore club is all about Box office performance or revenue  of a film! Only male actors whose films net Rs. 100 crore (not gross)  or more in India are recognized as part of this elite club. Since when did female fans of an actor start worrying their pretty heads about box office numbers, I was wondering!!! But nowadays, I guess, like everything else in this world, any art is not about winning hearts, it's just about revenues!!
So as Ghajini (2008) was the first film to net more than Rs. 100 crore in India, Aamir Khan became the first member of the club. Some of the other films that have reached this banchmark are 3 Idiots, Dabangg, RaOne, Agneepath, Housefull 2, Rowdy Rathore and Bol Bachchan and Ek Tha Tiger.
Now we know veneration is such an inherrent part of our culture. First we venerate thousands of mythological gods! Is that not enough? Then we venerate the hundreds of bollywood and Tollywood stars, especially male ones!!!
So if a Dabanng or a Three Idiots crosses the 100-crore mark, then it is Aamir Khan or Salman Khan who become members of this 100-crore club. Such is the gender bias in our society. What about the heroines? Don't you think a Dabangg or a Raone would have attracted many crowds without thefemale item numbers?
Unfortunately Vidya Balan's The Dirty Picture did not touch 100 crore. Otherwise , it would’ve been interesting to see who would have become a member of the 100-crore club – Vidya Balan,or the male actors?
Strangely this club ignores all others who also contribute to the film's success--the producers and directors, distributors and the whole unit.  I think the 100 crores ceoncept is  nothing but the latest media hype. It is ridiculous the way the industry and the media are obsesssing with it. If a film has crossed the magic number, does no one care about anything else? Is this the only benchmark for good cinema? Are we teaching our kids that money is the only yardstick to evaluate a piece of art? I can imagine that very soon when kids play games like bollywood dumb charades, they will be doing this, and someone will invent sign language for 50, 100 and 200 crore!

Chose to be Happy - TM prepared speech (second speech project)

Chose to be Happy (based on my poem)
If I tell you that today is my birthday, what will you tell me? If I tell you today is my anniversary...??? If its Holi, Diwali, New Year...what it is that we all do?
We wish each other, we celebrate-Why?
Because we want to be HAPPY
We want to receive happiness, we want to give happiness.
Have you ever heard anyone ever say " I only want to be sad forever" NO! We all want to be happy.
So What is this HAPPY-NESS???? 
I think it is a state of mind that WE ALL "constantly" want to be in. To proove let me ask you to look at yourself objectively as an individual.How would you describe yourself? "
You would say is that you are either a professional, or an entrepreneur,  or a student..wotever.
You 'd describe some special set of skills, talent, characteristics. You might say that you are an ordinary/mediocre person.
No matter who you are, At this point each of you would have some status in life..a good job, flourishing business, some position, title, big or small house, car, some assets..etc.
And no matter what your status at present, each one of you would certainly have some goals, or something you want: "if you single, you want to get married, or if married, you want to start a family, or want a better job, want a better car.
Because whatever your current status in life  there will always be something  more .....something else or something better that you want...
Let me tell you that even if you are a Bill Gates, a Barack Obama, or a Warren Buffet, and have the whole world eating out of your hands, do you think you would stop saying "I WANT....." NO!!! Never. From the moment a child learns to speak till the person dies, does anyone ever stop saying I want..."
WHY do we always want something more than what we already have???? Because we think when we get that something more it will make us HAPPY. But after we get what we want, are we happy forever? Maybe temporarily, untill the we figure out the next thing we want!

If you question all your goals, you realize that your ultimate goal is to be happy, in whatever you do while you live.
 Therefore I am saying that no matter who we are, at whatever age, or stage in life, we are always constantly looking for HAPPY-NESS
So  how do we find this Happiness???? Life is so full of problems.
My theory is that we all need to consciously  "Chose to be Happy" in every situation. Let me explain how.
There might be a time in life when luck is just not on your side, you can chose to be happy about family or friends who are by your side.
At some time you might go through a difficult phase, some crisis situation,  you have lost a loved one, or have health problems. Typically it happens that when things go wrong, 3-4 problems come up at once and hit you from all sides. But if you take a paper and write your 3-4 problems on one side, and list of good things in your life on the other side, you'll probably find that the "good things" list exceeds the "problems list"
Sometimes when you are feeling low, or you are very hurt, frustrated, or angry, and feel that life is unfair, or very wrong! Why me you ask? Just go to an orphanage and hug an orphan child or visit the cancer ward in a hospital, or talk to someone who is battling between life and death. If you see the pain and struggle there your own problems will seem so inconsequential  in comparision. Be happy.
At times you might feel so dissapointed, with people around you, you can frown by thinking of the people who add to your problems OR instead you can just list of those people who have helped and supported you at some time. You can chose to be happy even if there is one dear one who makes you smile. It might be a child, a dog :)
So happyness not something that we can achieve through some external event or thing. We have to find in within us.
You know human minds are created in such a way, that the power is all hidden within us, within our own mind, our thoughts and our approach to every situation. By your own response to situations you can consciously choose to be happy and win through every situation. Then nothing can keep you down or make you feel unhappy.
Your happiness is really your choice, you can make this choice each and everyday.

Watch your thoughts, they become your words
Watch your words, they become your actions
Watch your actions, they become your character

This is well said and for those who are on a spiritual journey to find deeper meaning to life and lasting inner peace and happiness, this is a theory very much implementable on the ground level. It is widely believed that much of our problems actually stem from our own mind and thoughts. Mind Control is an age-old concept in Hinduism and also explains the immense powers of the heroic characters in Hindu mythology. I like to believe that there is a foundation of truth in the fictitious powers demonstrated by most of the kings, ascetics and preachers of that era. By disciplining the mind through regular meditation, fasting, penance and other religious practices, I am sure they were able to acquire divine powers which enabled them to become invincible personalities displaying miraculous capabilities, as allegorically described in the mythological tales.

Mind Control is being practiced since ages and even today, I think it is a hard but not an impossible task. It is strongly believed by most saints and philosophers that every human mind is connected to the universal mind and to every other mind. Our minds are believed to be small scattered fragments of a bigger universal force like droplets of water in the ocean when sprinkeld in different directions. In fact, such is the power of our human mind, that if you have a strong mental wish or desire, and you literally sort of “will” something to happen, simply by focusing your mind, your thoughts and your energy on that desire, without any negative thoughts of fear or worry, then your desire actually becomes a reality. This works provided you strongly wish for an outcome that is pure, sincere and heartfelt. Then as they say "if you truly wish it to happen, then the whole universe conspires to make your wish come true". This is the whole reality about mind power and it works if you believe in it and practice it enough. But, mind you it needs to be “practiced enough” for it to work.

From my association with various spiritual works, I understand that the keys to this are through detachment to worldly pleasures, self-discipline and meditation or the practice of controlling the focus of the mind. One can begin by purifying the mind and body. A satvik (vegan) diet and regular fasting helps in purifying the body and attaining some control over our temptations and cravings. This part is not so difficult as fasting is a concept inherent in many religious practices and we Indians grow up with the idea of temporary control over our urge for food and water. The next step of purifying the mind is all about controlling the flow of thoughts and ideas into your mind. Broadly that means all that your brains and senses are exposed to. Then once you have control over your body and subsequently over your mind, by practicing meditation you can focus your mind and energies on those outcomes you want in your life.

If you read a lot of spiritual literature, you realize mind control is based on the fundamental philosophy described by most of the saints, seer s and thought leaders, which is “you attract into your life whatever you think about most” Most of the positive and negative outcomes in your life are actually a result of what your mind dwells on. So if there is that outcome that you fear the most, and if you frequently visualize negative consequences, if you constantly think about negative outcomes, then the situation you fear the most is actually what you draw into your life by constantly focusing your thoughts and energy on it. It becomes your reality. If you consciously put out all negative thoughts from your head and dwell on positive mental images and visualization, then it is believed that you can subconsciously attract positive events into your life.

These thoughts are also pretty much connected to the philosophy of the three monkeys, who see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil, advocated by ancient Oriental philosophers and later in India, by Gandhi. The underlying philosophy behind the three monkeys really tells you is not to expose yourself, your senses and your thoughts to anything negative or in other words do not absorb negative energy and thus you will also not generate any negative ideas, thoughts, energy or vibes.

I have often tried to put these ideas into practice and although it is harder than we think, I know for a fact that when we intensely focus our mind and energy a particular outcome, practice mental imagery and affirmations, miraculously our sincere desires do come true.

Therefore all these ideas often raise several questions in my mind. By limiting or eliminating all exposure to local or world news through any media can we keep out the negativities? Take for example the newspaper. What makes news? The unsual happennings or more likely the negative issues and events in the world around us. Of course I understand that not reading the newspaper does not change anything in the world around me. BUT when think about it, I realize by not reading the newspaper for half an hour every day, I do prevent my mind from from focusing on many negative feelings of anger, fear, worry, religious, racial or cultural resentment, that are reported in the newspaper from places all over the world. etc. Mostly because the truth is that negative events and happennings make more news than the postive stuff. I sincerely belive that to some extent ignorance about bad and ugly events can be bliss. In fact that the very concept of news is warped these days. In reality a scoop or story actually sells and becomes more thrilling if it has negative elements in it. So the good deeds hardly receive much limelight as do the gruesome murders, scams, scandals, terrorism acts, rapes, suicides, gossip, fraud, robberies, broken promises, breaches of trust, etc. So it is with the action blockbuster films and many thrillers and bestselling books.

But I also wonder, how far is it possible for us to consistenly consciously block out all negative input to our brain, wherever we do have a choice to do so. I seriously ponder about what kind of a place the world would be if each one of us consciously and selectively exposes our self to positive content through all media, be it books, television, internet or even our conversations. I also wonder that if each one of us shuts out such negative inputs, and makes a sustained effort to focus only on good events happening in the world around us, would we, as a human race, be able to attract more peace and positive events into our lives and into the world?