The Indians Abroad

Overseas Living: NRIs & India abroad

Posts Tagged Consciousness

A not so vain global fashion

Dec 22

Posted by admin in Consciousness & Awareness, environment

The fashions change with time, the trends evolve. The hairstyle, the shoes, the dress code..….everything changes as the time goes.

And, it is not just our dress code, it is not just how we present ourselves, the change is a part of every aspect of our lives. How we address each-other, how we greet someone, how we write, how we talk…..everything is so different compared to when we were kids.

When we were kids, smoking in public was a common scene; throwing trash on the roadside – or in the middle of the street – was not rare; kicking an empty can or a bottle down the street was normal. It was somewhat cool and expected.

But that is not the case anymore. The time has moved on, so has the social thinking, so has the new ‘cool’.

Now-a-days, people dress less formal; the greetings are more casual. It is no longer a fashion to smoke in a public place. You will get some dirty looks if you decide to toss your empty Coke or Pepsi bottle in the middle of the road.

So what is fashion now-a-days? What is the new cool?

Cleaning behind your own mess is considered cool now-a-days. If you refrain from smoking, your colleagues appreciate that – as non-smoking is the new trend. If you recycle your waste, you will earn some extra points from your neighbors and friends. Picking up someone else’s trash and throwing in the recycle or garbage bin nearby is all cool.

So next time, when you see an empty bottle or a can lying in the middle of the street, when you see a newspaper trashed along side-walk, it is okay to pick it up and throw it in the recycle bin. It is okay to remind a smoker in a public park that smoking is not allowed there; a mother with a small kid nearby will appreciate your gesture.

Now-a-days, here in North America, more and more households are switching to fuel efficient cars and trucks. People are starting to brag about how they are using environment friendly ideas – the solar lights, the energy efficient appliances, planting more trees in the neighborhood. ‘Going green’ is becoming a new topic of small talk……

It is the new trend; it is the new fashion that is catching up everywhere. Read the rest of this entry »

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‘Happily Single’ – Growing trend of marriage-free single lifestyle

Nov 13

Posted by admin in Consciousness & Awareness, Culture & Society, Marriages & weddings

All young women begin by believing they can change and reform the men they marry. They can’t. ~George Bernard Shaw

Some things never change; human mentality for ever-lasting freedom is one of them! :)

Growing Trend of staying single and marriage-free
According to the United States Bureau of the Census, the fastest-growing household type since the 1980s has been ‘the single person’. There has been a similar increase in single person households in England as well. If we look around, this trend is probably true for most of the free societies around the world.
Surprised?
You should not be. The institution of marriage has been under attack for a long-long time. This attack is coming from the marriage itself – the attack from within!
Now, what are these attacks from inside – from the marriage and married life itself? There are too may, you name it:

  • Unhappy marriages – there are plenty of them to go around;
  • Incompatible marriages – Not made for each-other;
  • Marriages with different expectations – ‘I never thought we will end up like this’
  • Drifting away over time – ‘I didn’t know we could grow apart over time’,
  • The past – ‘I miss my freedom of good old single days’
  • The grind – ‘I am doing this for the sake of the kids….only for the kids’
  • Regret – ‘Sometimes I wish I could turn back the clock’
  • The dead End – All the way to something like ‘I hate your guts more than I hate you’
  • ….And many worse endings…

This should not surprise anyone, right? We all have seen this in our society, in our neighborhood. Day after day, there are examples of miserable or failed marriages playing out in our own back-yards. But somehow, we have all have found a way to justify and isolate ourselves from those troubled relations.
“That couldn’t be me. I can never be miserable like this”. Many have made this kind of promises to themselves. These self-declarations may not mean much down the road.

Marriage – The Compromise, the sacrifice
The Marriage brings reality of married life. And if reality is not what was expected, the justification begins. The justification may vary, but it is often there. Just ask around, give it a try!
You can ask your parents, your can ask your friends. Or if you have courage, ask yourself. If your listen, everybody says the same thing, one way or another: ‘Marriage is a compromise, it is a sacrifice’. Those who disagree are either delusional, or crazy, or single, or newly married. :) Read the rest of this entry »

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Someone has to say it!

Sep 4

Posted by admin in Consciousness & Awareness, Culture & Society, Trivial Stuff

Find the ‘helping’ voice within, that often goes unheard

“There is no witness so terrible, no accuser so powerful as conscience which dwells within us.” ~ Sophocles

Remember a time when someone needed help and you passed by?
Recall an incident where something felt wrong and thought you should do something and yet, you could not find the courage?
Or, may be it was none of your business, but did you feel bad or guilty walking away?…

In our daily lives, what do we do when we find something wrong, when someone is acting against what we believe is right or moral or ethical?
More often, the answer is ‘nothing’.
We let so many things slide by, it is amazing!
We are often telling our family and friends as to what we believe in, we have our opinions and we are not shy about voicing them. However, the same voice is lost somewhere when we step out of our social or family circle. The opinions get suppressed when we are out of our comfort zone. Read the rest of this entry »

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Long live Freedom, long live the Earth!

Jul 4

Posted by admin in Consciousness & Awareness, History, Trivial Stuff

“We look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms. The first is freedom of speech and expression. The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way. The third is freedom from want…. The fourth is freedom from fear.”  Franklin D. Roosevelt

America is celebrating its Independence Day today. The day honors the birthday of the United States of America and the signing of the ‘Declaration of Independence’ on July 4, 1776.

For any nation, Independence Day is the day to be proud of their past, to salute those who struggled and sacrificed for independence. It is a day to remember the importance of freedom. Thanks to our ancestors all over the world in different countries, we have the freedom to pursue our goals and dreams. We have the freedom to express our opinion, the freedom to decide what is good for us and our family.

Equally important, it is also a time to remember this: while we live a free life dictated by our own will, we also have responsibilities as the free citizens of the globe. We owe it to those who sacrificed everything for freedom; we also owe it to the future generation who will tread this planet after we are long gone.

Franklin D. Roosevelt envisioned a freedom from fear. Let us do our share in minimizing the fear of uncertain tomorrow by making this planet a better place to live for a long-long time. While we guard our dear freedom, let us also guard our future and the future of our kids by being responsible and caring inhabitants of this earth. We can do our share towards keeping this planet safe by reducing pollution and by eliminating waste. Let us educate ourselves and everybody around us to improve the environment, and to minimize the impacts of climate change.

Read the rest of this entry »

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