Striking a Balance - Technology and Nature

The child comes from school, drops his bag and runs to his tablet/iPad/mobile phone. The husband and wife are back home from work and as soon as they arrive home, after exchanging hellos with their family, the television is immediately switched on and remains on till it's time to hit the sack. We have all become slaves of technology. Although a lot has been written and said about this topic, I chose to write about this as one of my readers requested me to pen down my views on how technology has killed our quest for nature.

When I was growing up, we didn't have mobile phones and tablets yet we had a very interesting childhood. We would come home from school, finish our homework, have some snacks and then we would go outdoors to play games. Television and radio was a very important part of our growing up yet it would be switched on only for 2-3 hours in a day. Now the children of this present day generation may wonder how we spent our time if we didn't play games on computers or tablets and if we didn't surf the internet or message people on WhatsApp or Facebook all day? Apart from playing outdoors, we used to spend our time reading books or comics (remember Tinkle and Archies) and we used to engage in conversations with our neighbors, our family and friends. That is how we gained knowledge and learnt life lessons and values. We didn’t have google but we had encyclopedias and elders to help us solve our queries. How many people take their children out on nature trips instead of malls these days? When I go to a park, I see less children than the ones that I see in the malls. Our parents used to take us to Juhu beach in Mumbai or to some parks and gardens on weekends. We really enjoyed playing on the sand, water and grass. 

Technology is very important and has undoubtedly opened up many opportunities and new avenues in all aspects of life. But it is important to strike a balance in life for overall personality development. Instead of always going to the mall, take your children to parks or beaches. We learn so much from the trees and the sea. It is also very important for our health to go out in the nature and spend some time with our loved ones or simply ourselves. The walks in nature inspire creativity and positivity in a person and releases stress and tension. Nowadays even our exercise regimes are enclosed within the four walls of an air conditioned gymnasium. We are so comfortable indoors that we just don't feel like stepping outdoors to get anything done. I have a few suggestions for my gadget loving friends that may help them strike a balance:

1. Sometimes we can go outdoors for a walk or jog or swim or play a sport instead of working out in the gymnasium. I am not suggesting that one should not work out in a gym, but a little change is good sometimes for your body and mind.
2. Instead of looking at your phone while walking on the road or sitting in a waiting room, let us engage in conversation with our neighbors and other people sitting in that waiting room. Many great friendships are born while commuting in a train or a bus. 
3. One should read books as each book teaches us some valuable lessons. 
4. We should focus on developing new skills every year and develop new hobbies and interests to keep our mind happy and healthy.
5. When we go on a vacation, try to get away from your mobile and tablets for a while and instead of taking pictures to post on Facebook and Instagram, build memories.
6. Go to the park and beaches instead of going to the malls sometimes. It’s good to get some fresh air instead of inhaling the carbon dioxide emitted from the air conditioners.

We may love machines but we are not machines and that we must never forget. Don't let your world be trapped in the small screen of a tablet or a mobile phone. The world is much more than gadgets, there are many mysteries of life which can only be unlocked in nature and with human touch.

The Bias of the Unbiased

We often hear people say they are impartial and believe in equality of gender and races, yet they choose pink for a girl and blue for a boy. Isn't it strange that the so-called “feminists” are always discussing about how a seat should be reserved in a bus or train for a woman and how it is important that a woman should be allowed to skip a line full of men as she is a “woman”? If you want equality then why do you want this special treatment and reservations? Why should the color pink be branded as a girl’s color? To me this is bias and not feminism. These days it seems that women are fighting (in the name of gender equality) for gender superiority and not gender equality. A Bollywood actress says something about the opposite sex and she becomes a “feminist icon” overnight. What is wrong with us and why are we always ready to start an argument or fight with or against the opposite sex just because we are women? There are laws to protect women safety such as dowry prohibition laws and laws against cruelty on women, etc. If we believe in gender equality then why don't the so called feminists fight for a law to protect husbands from cruelty by their wives and her peers? There are many households where the men are ill-treated by the wife and her peers but that woman is considered as a strong woman in our society. 

The time has come to fight for gender equality in its true sense and not in the sense that we have been doing so far. Women are not weak and they don't need reservations of seats while traveling or being allowed to jump a line full of men just because they are women. We are already standing shoulder to shoulder with men in all areas of life. So as women, let's fight for what is right. The modern woman needs to understand that the laws are for her protection and not for giving her the wrong advantage of harassing a man. 

Similarly, we have a very big bias about the color of someone's skin and we easily label and judge people based on their color or race. Just because a person is dark and has a strong built why do we consider him dangerous or unapproachable? The people who pretend to be modern and cool also judge others based on the color of their skin and religion. In many countries, employees’ remuneration packages are determined by the color of their passports and not their qualifications and skills. Yet, such organizations and people call themselves impartial and unbiased. We fail to realize the impact such judgments and opinions have on the confidence of an entire community. When we as a society fail to accept blacks and browns as one of us, we create a market for fairness and whitening products to generate profits. Then we debate about how such products should be banned. Why can't we accept black as black and brown as brown just the way we openly accept white as white? After all, it's just a color not a parameter that defines a person’s character.

Most of the times we don't even realize how biased we have become in all the choices we make. We should stop having a bias when we call ourselves unbiased. In my opinion, the real modern man or woman is one who accepts people as they are and treats them with equal respect, whether it is a man, a woman or a eunuch and whether he is black, brown or white. That is the person I would consider an unbiased person. As humans we err and that is all right as long as we strive not to judge, we can all survive.

As Gautam Buddha said “Until he has unconditional and unbiased love for all beings, man will not find peace”. 

I am my Rescue

Lisa Nichols appeared live on the Steve Harvey show and made a very inspiring statement “I Am My Rescue..No One Else is Going to Come Rescue Me”. I was so inspired by Lisa’s story that I decided to write my own interpretation of these words.

When we are stuck in the midst of a difficult situation or a crisis, we always try to find answers from outside of ourselves. If we don't get the help or support that we expect from others, we feel disappointed and start blaming others for our problems. Mostly we blame people who are closest to us. Why are we always trying to find a scapegoat to blame for all the problems that we ever face? Life is not an easy ride, it's a roller coaster! You go up and you are bound to come down. Sometimes the days that we spend down maybe more in number than the days that we spend up. But we should never give up our spirit and we should learn to enjoy the ups and downs of life, just as we enjoy the roller coaster rides.

When I face a challenging situation, I tell myself that “this too shall pass so why worry when I know this situation won't last”. Then I calm down and look for solutions. Often people say that they can't find a way to get out of a tough situation. But I would say to these people that if God had brought you to it, then he will get you out of it. Do not lose faith and hope. If one has faith in his abilities and does not let his hope die, he/she surely will emerge out of any difficulty.

Sometimes the night seems too long,

And you feel alone all along,

But the night is going to turn into day,

And your face will brighten up with the sunray,

So don't give up just yet,

Coz the fight is not over yet,

Don't look for someone to solve your problems or give you a cue,

Coz you have to fight through your lows as you are your own rescue.

No matter where you are in life, make yourself strong enough to save yourself if you fall in a ditch. There is nothing wrong in seeking help when one needs. However, one must never forget that God helps those who help themselves. Teach your kids to be honest, brave people with strong faith because faith in oneself never fails. 

As Lisa Nichols said “Be authentic and transparent about what is not working in your life; identify what you are hiding and protecting and figure out the distance between that and where you want to be.”

Tip tip barsa paani, paani ne aag laga di ⛈☔️

During this monsoon season in Mumbai (India) the rains drove everyone crazy literally, flooding streets and paralyzing road, air and train services. On 29 August 2017, it had been raining since morning yet I thought that the rains might recede, so I stepped out of my house to visit the hair salon at Juhu. During my ride from home to the salon, I noticed some water logging at some areas in the city. Light showers of the rain water were touching me through the open Mumbai Autorickshaws (similar to Tuk Tuk in Thailand). I was enjoying this short ride and pleasant climate which is the opposite of the weather in Oman at this time of the year. I was unaware of how bad the rains could get in the hour and a half that I spent at the parlour. When the hairdresser finished blow drying my hair, I received a call from my brother (Jaydeep Doshi) informing me that the train services had been stopped and that he may spend the night at his office. I went out looking for an auto rickshaw to take me home, but by then it was raining cats and dogs and the roads in Juhu near Amitabh Bachchan's house were completely water-logged. I tried to walk in the rains to find help but could see vehicles drowning in the rains and barely any cabs or auto rickshaws. During such times, the cab service of OLA and UBER were completely unavailable.
I finally managed to reach my cousins friend's Pooja Bhartia home by walking in the knee deep waters. While I sat at Pooja's house sipping chai and munching on a sandwich and homemade bhujia, people on the roads were struggling to reach home. As the rains receded, my cousins Niraj Doshi and Karan Doshi came to pick me and I finally reached home. My little adventure ended on a happy note. My brother Jaydeep had his own little and rather dangerous adventure when he travelled from Thane to Charkop on his friend's Enfield Bullet Motorbike, which is around 18 miles, in these crazy rains, "enjoying the green mountains and the rains" (these are my brother's words). He reached home safely the next day when the trains started.
In these beautiful yet crazy rains, some people were enjoying their chai with bhajias and pakoras, some were looking for transport to get home or a roof to take shelter from the rains. Yet, the city of Mumbai always comes alive during such emergency situations with its amazing spirit of brotherhood.   People were standing in groups near the open manholes to warn the people walking on the roads, human chains were being formed on the roads, hostels and vada pav sellers were offering free food, water and shelter to the distressed people. That is why I love Mumbai and am proud to be a Mumbaikar because no matter how busy and crazy this city drives you, it has a heart ❤️ of its own.