Intelligence Quotient

I was reading "A Song for Selma" by Kurt Vonnegut the other day where a group of school teachers discover that a certain pupil is a genius and so encourage him to do better, while another dumb pudgy boy is criticized for his stupidity. In my previous blog posts, I've discussed how nature and nurture shapes us into the individuals that we are today and will become in the future. So this brings us to the question of what is intelligence? 

Granted that we have all heard of the IQ test and how it determines how smart a person is but we have to keep in mind that the test itself was created by a group of human beings who are prone to bias and would think in a certain way. There is the very clear distinction between Arts and Science but a person skilled in the Science discipline maybe bad at art and vice versa. So if you were to judge him from an Arts perspective he wouldn't be brilliant whereas from a Science perspective he could be a genius. We only know the I.Q of the most brilliant minds in the field of Science, Stephen Hawking for example. But does that go to say that someone like Michael Angelo was not very intelligent? Today paintings that look like they could have been done by a 3 year old seem to sell for millions of dollars because the buyer sees it as a genius' work. 


Survey's have shown that teachers expect a child who is physically more attractive to perform better and will be biased towards that child and push him/her to perform better. So if nurture does play a bigger part than nature, then that means that subconsciously we are hindering the performance of a child just because "he does not seem to be the type that does well" etc. So not having a clear distinction then leads to the Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Proposed by Howard Gardner, it consists of 8 abilities that a certain individual could be categorized into. Again, humans and our need to categorize...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_multiple_intelligences

So really there is no way to tell if an individual is actually intelligent or how intelligent he is. Everybody is in their own way some form of intelligent, the idea is to find and nurture that ability. Find something you like and are good at and stick with it.

The famous Albert Einstein quote comes to mind; "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid".

Crimson Sky

Helicopters flew across the sky covered with black clouds that hung like a disease over the city. Police and ambulance sirens blaring as they rushed past the emptied apartments. Rats, cockroaches, humans running haphazardly down the streets; all fleeing, fleeing from doom, from death. Many took the moment to hastily take whatever they could from the nearby shops; thieves, employees all the same. Thick black smoke emanated from the buildings as they crumbled under the heat. Nobody was trying to be a hero, nobody could. When basic primal instincts take over, the scared and frightened animal runs. And they all ran together, blindly not knowing where they were going or what they were fleeing from. 

"Honey get in the car! We don't have time to take anything. Just get in."

"Okay seat belt Abbey... and you too Nate" 

"Daddy, I'm scared. I don't wanna go!" 

"Shhh sweetheart it's gonna be fine okay. I promise. Just let Daddy drive" 

The skies became angry and the red smog crept in blanketing the city; inch by inch. Screams of men and women echoed through the streets as they were engulfed by whatever was behind the smog. 

"The day has come! This is the beginning of the End! Confess, confess now dear children!" shouted the old man as he walked along the pavement waving the bell in his hand. Ash rained down from the buildings all around as flocks of birds covered the sky. 

He switched gears and pressed down on the accelerator. 

"Just hold on okay. We don't have full gas but it should be enough to get us out of the city" 

She grabbed his arm while clutching the baby's head with the other. He looked at her and she at him, they knew. They knew just getting out of the city wasn't going to be enough to get away from it all. 

Explosions now shook the ground as the car swerved to avoid them. The underground pipes burst and the road ahead started to collapse. The frightened screams of the children filled the car. Tears broke from the eyes of the mother as she held her baby close to her chest. 

Finally they had reached the bridge. There was a glimmer of hope, maybe they would make it out alive. A great ball of fire hurtled down from the sky, the wings of the plane were still visible through the flames. 

"Peter! Watch out!" 

"Daddy!" 

The plane came crashing down on to the bridge and went straight through it. A loud hiss went through the air as the burning plane sunk down into the river. The bridge was torn right through. Peter knew there was no way they would be able to make that jump, the car was too heavy and the hole was too large. The car rolled to a stop to the edge of the hole. 

Peter repeatedly punched the steering wheel, shouting. Mary grabbed his arm again trying to calm him down. "Peter stop..." her voice was low and soft. Tears rolled down her cheek, she had accepted it was over. They removed the seat belt and got out. The crimson smog was now at the bridge creeping closer and closer. They looked up to see Death inching towards them. Nate held Peter's hand, Abbey held Peter's and Mary's and Mary clutched little Martin...

Omega

Omega, the last letter in the Greek alphabet and usually associated with the end of something. We have this tendency to not notice something good till its gone. So naturally when something gets over or is lost we usually don't know what to do without it. For a period of time after it is gone, we feel its absence, learn to accept it and then move on. Some of us take longer and some take no time at all.

The thing is, we as a species have always adapted to change, and ironically change is one of the only constants, the other being time. Nothing stays the same, and the end of something is just another form of change (if it wasn't obvious enough). Though unlike some changes are easier to cope with, this one in particular can mess with us quite a bit, considering the fact that it may never happen again. This leads to depression in many cases. The end of certain things just pass by, and we don't even notice, like when a day ends, or when a minute passes. Although, this negligence only takes place when we're occupied with something else and 'don't have the time for it' (sound familiar?). Or, when we know it might just happen again, if not the same event or incident, which may also have been planned out. Sort of cyclical. As I mentioned earlier, the end of something does affect us.
The way it affects us also depends on how prepared we are to face it, just like any other situation. If we know something is going to end, we may try to prepare ourselves for it. On the other hand if the end is unanticipated, it may hit us quite hard. For example, the end of a relationship would be abrupt in several cases and most people end up in serious depression. Whereas, the end of school would be anticipated and so some of us are able to understand this and prepare ourselves for it. On a lighter note when most good movies end, we feel delighted and compliment the movie. Taking this example lets look at "the end" from another angle.
We've heard ourselves say, "I'm glad that's over!" at several points in time. Obviously what this means is that, the termination of something has positive effects. Microscopically speaking, the end of the week brings a bit of happiness due to the fact that we can rest after a week full of work. Macroscopically speaking, the end of a war brings hope and happiness all over the affected regions. One thing common between these two examples is that the happiness comes from the fact that there's the expectation to do the things that would not have been possible without closing the previous chapter. This emphasises the cyclical nature of the world.
In conclusion, think of all the feats that can be achieved after the omega, this will keep us motivated. To put it simply, keep moving forward.

Meaning of Life - Part 2

When pondering over the meaning of something we are clearly searching for evidences that lead us to conclude that that something is meaningful or holds meaning. If so, then we are actually asking if life is meaningful. Which means that for life to be meaningful there has to be a certain criteria but once again like all things that are of a philosophical nature, there are no set rules, no set criteria. What determines the meaningfulness of life? Go to school, study well, get a job, be successful, have lots of money. Does that mean your life is meaningful? or would you rather be free, own a farm out in the countryside and live off the land? Being human beings we tend to think of only ourselves. We have to realize that life is in every single living being. It isn't just us who live is it?

The animals that live their lives, they hunt, they mate, reproduce, fight for their territory. What would make their life meaningful? Of course there is the fact that they do not comprehend philosophy and would not think as much as we humans do. But truth of the matter is that they also have lives and when talking about the meaning of life, then we should also be considering the meaning of life as a whole; not just meaning of life pertaining to human beings. They live because they are alive, not for any other reason. Only humans try to lead a life that means anything or try to find meaning in living. In many ways that becomes our hubris.
Many a times, we tend to confuse the meaning of life with the purpose of life. Meaning is the value that we associate with life while purpose is what we do unto others or ourselves that in turn makes our life hold a value. So then, let us take that approach; let's try and find the meaning of life through the purpose of life.

 If you have read some of my previous posts, there is one named "Happiness". The purpose of every man in life is to attain a state of happiness, there could be different ways of obtaining it but the crux of all that we do boils down to happiness. We help others because that makes us happy, we buy an item of luxury that makes us happy and so on. So if the purpose of life for all of us is to be happy; then can that mean that the value of somebody's life be measured in the amount of happiness that they possess. But that again raises some problems does it not? Firstly, there is no measurement of happiness as such. We can't really gauge how happy a person is. Secondly, there is the problem of when exactly are we measuring the happiness of an individual. There are so many stages in life and if the only thing that is common to us in life is being born and dying, then that means that the only time that we could ever measure the meaningfulness of life of an individual is when he is dead because obviously a new born does not yet understand life or for that matter anything that is happening around him.

That which unites us all becomes the factor that determines the meaning of life. When we are all staring at the face of death, we are united and we look back to think whether we have fulfilled the purpose of life; whether we are truly happy. And when in my mind, if I think I am happy and have fulfilled the purpose of life; then I alone for that moment am the man with the most meaningful life in the world and would gladly accept death.

Meaning of Life - Part 1

What is the meaning of life? When asking a question of such complexity, problems start to arise right at the first instance. The framing of the question in itself is hard to explain. Meaning is a matter of language; we usually search for the meaning of a word or maybe something pertaining to art - the meaning behind the metaphor etc. Life when considered by its noun form alone can be defined by biological terms such as the difference between a living and dead organism manifested in functions such as metabolism, growth, response to stimuli, reproduction etc. But life isn't just that is it? it is much more complex. Life is also the physical, mental and spiritual experiences that constitute existence. So in that sense, the question of "What is the meaning of life" is in fact meaningless.

Secondly, the questions seems to assume the fact that life is objective. Is life objective or subjective? The answer to that question is both and neither. It is objective when it is seen as the interval of time between birth and death. Everybody goes through childhood, puberty, adulthood, old age etc. We all grow, metabolize, respond to changes in our environment, reproduce and all that we do showing that we are indeed alive and living. But the similarity ends there. Diversity can be seen everywhere; men and women, young and old, rich and poor. In all aspects of society diversification is existent. This combined with the fact that our minds and the way we think are unique to us. An intricate web emerges for each single individual that inhabits this Earth. 

Nature and nurture construct the psychology of our minds. Considering all this, each experience - physical, mental, spiritual - is unique to an individual. Therefore, we can conclude that life is also subjective. Thus, life is both subjective and objective but neither. So is life meaningful? We will explore this in part 2

Superficial

We spoke about perception in many of our published articles, for various reasons pertaining to the topic of the article. Most of who are gifted with the ability to see would probably agree that visual perception is by far the most important and for good reasons too. Our sight helps us observe our environment, perceive colours and shapes. Furthermore, sight allows us to pass initial judgement about people. Whether you would like to admit it or not, it is true.

Place yourself at a social gathering, you intend to meet some new people, assuming that no one you know is around. Who would you approach? The person who is dressed in dark clothes and does not look too presentable, or the person who is dressed in a more colourful manner and seems to know exactly the type of look that would suit them. This answer would vary from person to person, but statistically, a greater number of people would approach the relatively more 'good looking' person. Human nature causes people to think that those who look good are more confident and trustworthy.

So in a way, keeping up appearances is important whether you care about it or not. Your future job might just depend on it. Moreover, if someone looks good their confidence would increase knowing that people appreciate the effort that they put in. There are methods to positively enhance how someone looks, from self grooming to make-up and even augmentation.  However, if we think about it, could enhancement be a method to just cover up insecurities? (I do not wish to offend anyone by saying this).
If it was not made obvious enough by the world around you, how you dress and carry yourself reflects your personality and sometimes amplifies it. Except those who use their physical appearance to mask their actual character, even though they are uncomfortable with it. Then it makes you wonder, why is it that people are so insecure why are people so fake? Yet again, whether you like it or not, to many people make-up, clothes and behaviour is just a cover. One should not blame them nor should they blame anybody else for it. They are afraid of that which society or their culture would think of them.

In a way we are all afraid aren't we? The way you behave and present yourself in any way, will lead to comments and judgements from others, others who may have their own insecurities and problems. That is just how they are. Our perception of being beautiful has led to so many problems among males and females alike, just like many other things, beauty is also very very subjective and this makes people uncomfortable to be themselves around others. Though, this may not always be the case, there are also those who are a little more flashy by nature, and this makes people either love them or hate them. Social networking provides an outlet to flaunt. This gathers attention, if that person is lucky enough, positive attention, otherwise more hate and definitely some type of jealousy. To some people, this may make them feel worse about themselves and they would start to wonder as to why they are not appreciated as much.
Here's the clichéd part, we are all different, you don't have to change your appearances to seem acceptable, someone or the other will accept you but firstly, you have to learn to accept who you are and prepare yourself to show that character to the world. Be fearless when it comes to yourself, it takes time, but it is worth it.

Morality - Two Train Tracks

Being able to differentiate the good and evil behind the intentions or decisions made is what we have come to define as morality. Morality however as we have seen throughout the course of history is in fact subjective and varies from person to person. So what is morality? Can we choose what's right and what's wrong? Then would that not lead to chaos due to the difference in the opinions of individuals - each fighting for what he/she believes is right? The classic question based on a hypothetical story comes to mind; you are in control of a mechanism that allows you to switch the tracks on the railroad. You look up to see a train that clearly shows signs that it has lost its breaks. Down the line you see the tracks diverge into two; one where a few kids are playing and the other with workers trying to fix the track. Which track are you going to choose for the train to run into?

You're probably thinking 'use the damn horn on the train to warn them' but consider the fact that you do not know whether somebody is in control of the train or whether the horn still works. Now think about it again. 

There is really no right answer to the question so whichever track you have chosen is a clear indication of your morality. Who deserves to live? Killing either group would be immoral but your mind has chosen its moral ground. Now your choice is unique to you meaning your morality is subjective despite the fact that there are only two choices and so some of you will have the same choices. We also note that there are many factors that influence our stand on what is right and wrong.

This is why laws exist; to sort of bring about a unanimity among individuals - not necessarily in opinion but in actions and behaviour. Laws and rules reduce the difference in opinion and thus lessen the chaos that would otherwise exist if each were given the freedom to choose their own morality. Religion also goes a long way as to where we draw the line. We are told and shown what is right and wrong during our childhood and thus it sticks with us throughout life. So if drugs are illegal because they are bad, we will choose to believe so. But what about countries like the Netherlands where it is legal? Where do we draw the line? It is really up to the people to decide. Now what that means is not that individuals are allowed to decide, no. It is a collective group of individuals who share the same interests that decide what is right and wrong. Thus, governments come about and authorities are elected to run the country etc. The term majority wins fits perfectly well in recognizing what morality really is. Morality is a principle that distinguishes the good and bad based on the opinion of a collection of individuals who share the same thoughts and ideals. 

The Apple of Eden Part 2

Earlier, I spoke about knowledge and how we acquire it.  We are surrounded by new ideas, and some of them are thrown right at us. Are these ideas actually what we want to see, or are they what we are made to see though?

Some of us if not most of us are aware that facts are usually manipulated a little before it is shown to the public eye. Or, they're just not shown. Movies, video games, books and all kinds of media and information sources are restricted from being let out into society. Some restrictions or bans maybe implemented due to offensive material, but what about the rest? Society controls what we read and watch and along with it, gives us a (what we seem to see as a) very good reason to do so. Most of us blindly accept things as they come to us ( me being one of them). Why? That's because we are either scared or just lazy to bother finding out more. See the contradiction, we are know for being eager beings, we want to find out more and yet we hold back, we only explore more into areas that we are allowed to explore into.

Along with this society even uses techniques that influence our decisions. One very common technique that is used in the Black and White choice. In this method, you are offered two extreme choices, and one of them would be a choice that favours what the person wants and the other will be one that you will not choose. To better explain this here is an example, "Are you going to fight me, or run away like a coward?"  The choice that is made by most people would be to obviously fight the aggressor, mainly because the other choice is sort of derogatory. This is a more microscopic example but apply this to the type of messages that you may or may not see around you.

I got these ideas from an article that I read (http://www.cracked.com/article_16656_6-brainwashing-techniques-theyre-using-you-right-now.html), rather eye opening. What I mean to say from all this is that, just because some words are thrown in that may antagonize us or make it seem like the wrong thing to do (this doesn't apply to anti-drug campaigns, drugs are bad and always will be), the choice is entirely up to you to go out and explore the world around you. Understand the situation completely before blindly following what is shown. We are humans, not sheep.

  

Who are you?

There comes a point in life where we wonder 'Who am I?'; this question though existent subconsciously since the time we are aware of the world around us, does not form until the individual is somewhere in the adolescent phase and fully realized depending on the individual's mindset, awareness and knowledge that he possesses. The reason why we may be able to deduce so is because as children we are curious and always trying to find answers regarding the world around us in order to learn more. This in itself is a demonstration of the fact that we are conscious beings. Conscious in the sense that we are able to perceive deeper meanings and understand that there is more to things than just their physical attributes. You don't see animals conducting research so as to find how they have evolved but we as humans are in this never ending quest to learn more, discover more about ourselves and the universe. 

The fact that we as human beings have communities, religion, art, literature, psychology, philosophy and science are all exhibits or evidence of our consciousness. These ideas are all so complex and it shows why we are the dominant species on Earth. When an organism ventures to discover its evolution and beginning, that is the highest level of consciousness that can be reached. When you think 'Who am I?' that is when you as a human being have realized your true potential and what you are capable of. Rather that is just the beginning of realization as a conscious being. The complexity of our minds is such that each human being is unique and has his own characteristics which is unlike any other living creature on this planet. 

But who are you really? As each minute of your life passes by, you are constantly changing. Physically and mentally. The cells in your body have all been replaced within the past 10 years or so. Then of course there is the fact that your body is constantly growing. The mental make up of our minds are influenced by either nature or nurture. The ideas and thoughts that we possess do change over time and our character and personality change with our experiences. A good example is the change in the mindset of the soldiers before and after their military training, where they are broken down physically and mentally and are reconstructed so as to be that competent person to whom we entrust national security. So you as a human being are never constant so everytime you ask yourself who you are, you are already somebody else... 

Poems

The following are a set of poems written by our friend, Pratik. We thought we should share them. Happy reading.

The cold wind from the north blows,
yet the warmth from your heart flows.

Although the world has propelled into darkness,
I see nothing but u and our happiness.

The love we share has no bounds,
for even god has no control over it.

Come my love let us dance in this moon lit night,

for undoubtedly it is our eternal right.

(2^nd December 2013)

…..

The passion within me is slowly dying,
yet the thought of you is always mystifying.

The mind tries to reconcile with reality, 
but the heart tries to run away from human mortality. 

My dreams shall never see the light of day,

even during the warm May,
for they have left their dwelling place

(2^nd December 2013)

…..

The mind is a land of desolation,
wandering hopelessly for redemption.

It is filled with memories we made,
that have slowly begun to fade.

Your voice that echoes in the mind,
has slowly pierced the soul.

The merciless turbulence has wrecked my boat,

ceasing my chances to float.

(1^st December 2013)

…..

…..

Humanity has stepped into darkness,

propelling the future into an unfathomable wickedness.

Yet the moon shines bright at night, 
to give peace to those in flight.

Love now may seem to be a broken fragment
or a fleeting moment,
yet it gives the heart the elixir,

to the eternal torment.

(3^rd December 2013)

…..

The cold winter slowly approaches,

while the warmth of the sun steadily diminishes.

The heart waits in anticipation,

while the mind is full of contemplation.

Yet the homeless celebrate their happiness,

and birds sing their melodies.

Peace seems omnipresent,

while pain seems absent.

Sweet is the night air,

for it has the God's holy flair.

As the moon stares down at the empty night,

 all it sees is humanity's daily plight.

It shines its soothing light on the shoulders,

 only to find that they are burdened with heavy boulders

Dreams now seem to be a hopeless fancy

and love an idealist's incomprehensible lunacy.

Darkness seems to be the only light that prevails and hope,

 a goal, that has an unprecedented trail. 

…..

The sun shines its light to show humanity the way,
yet the confusion in the mind and the heart leads us astray.

Peace now is a piece of history,
tormenting an idealist's mind that tries to solve the forgotten mystery.

Now, humanity resides in a reality filled with wickedness,
devoid of souls that were once filled with impregnable righteousness.

(22^nd December 2013)

…..

Real Talk #2 - Peer Pressure

As a teenager, we have all come to a point in our lives when we have faced peer pressure. Some fall for it while a few manage to stick to their ideals. When we hear the word 'peer pressure' we automatically get the notion that it is negative and yes, it is in many ways negative. Majority of the teen smokers answer that peer pressure was the biggest influence. Teens do it to feel less alienated and part of the group. During our adolescents when our bodies are raging with hormones and our minds are confused, we are constantly trying to fit into society and create an identity for ourselves. This search for a unique identity ultimately leads to us being part of a certain group of people who eventually become our peers.

What we do have to realize though is that peer pressure does not have to always be bad. It can be good to depending on the context in which you see it. Now if we see peer pressure as just a term that is used to imply the behavioral change in an individual due to the actions of his/her peers, the negative aspect is completely eliminated and thus can be viewed neutrally. How can peer pressure be good you ask? Well it is simple really. You are compelled to smoke because your peers smoke likewise would you not be compelled to get higher marks in your tests because your peers are getting such scores? It goes both ways and it should go both ways. Pick the guy who tops the class and aim even higher than his scores. Nobody is born stupid, it's your mentality that ultimately decides how smart you really are. If you really do not have friends who score well then it is up to you to be that friend. You will be the stimulus, the peer pressure that causes your friends to become better. Do not try to make excuses.

If you really want to be cool, top the class. That's how you're going to be cool.

The Gift - A Short Story

Huh What?! What is this? Bloody hell I can't move...

My body feels so numb, what the hell? Did they like drug me? What is going on? 

Oh wait, here comes a guy. Middle-aged, wears a black leather jacket, checkered shirt and blue jeans. Whoa whoa what? Where is he carrying me? Where in the hell am I? Trying to get some blood flowing through my hands... Still can't feel jack squat!! Am I being kidnapped? Oh God, he is carrying me over to his car. He's smiling, bloody heartless criminal. No no not the trunk please! I would easily fit in the back. Please not the trunk!!

It stinks in here and it is so dark. Not used to tight spaces, I think I'm claustrophobic... Not sure how long I've been in here. Probably in the highway, I hear the engines of lots of cars whizzing by. Turning right now. Where is he taking me?

Okay, we are pulling up. I can hear him pull the e-break and the click of the seat belt. That's the door being shut. This is your last chance! When he opens the trunk, RUN. Better get some kind of feeling in my legs. Please God help! Argh! Any sensible person would tie up his victim right? Despite me being drugged and what not? I should have been tied up but I'm not... I still cannot make sense of any of this. I don't even know who I am or where I was before this. Damn the trunk is being unlocked. Now!

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Not even a single muscle moved. God I would kick something in anger if I could move my legs. It seems like he brought me to his own house. He's not going through his front door though... He's going around the back. Why? What else does he have in there? Or rather who else does he have in there? Somebody who he doesn't want to see me obviously. Partner? Wife? Kids? Oh Lord, kids??
We are in the kitchen now and he is walking right past it. Okay, he is taking me upstairs, probably to his bedroom? There seems to be nobody else in the house. I want to call for help but my throat is so dry i can't make a sound.

Whatever drug he used it's very strong. I don't feel sedated yet I'm paralyzed. He's wrapping me up now. I can't see through this material. I'm hoping to God I don't suffocate. Is this how I die? Drugged and suffocated to death without even knowing who I am. I don't know what's going to happen now...

Huh, I hear a sound! Don't know how long I went to sleep but the drug doesn't seem have worn off. Then again it may not have been a drug this whole time, maybe I'm actually paralyzed. Blow to the neck? Thanking God I haven't died. Maybe I have one last fight in me... But wait that sound. That is laughter. That is a kid. Oh my God they use kids? Sick bastards, how dare they? Kids! For God's sake. This is absolutely disgusting...

She's tearing through it. I hear her tearing through the wrapping. I really don't know what is going to happen. The bright light; it hurts my eyes. I manage to adjust to the lighting. I'm face to face with the child. Her eyes widen. Surprise? Joy? I cannot decipher.

"It's a dolly!!" she screams...

Real Talk #1 - Stress

Starting this week, we will have a segment called Real Talk. This will mainly focus in issues that come about in our day to day life. This week's topic is one we all are well acquainted with; stress. 

I don't think I need to define stress, we're all too familiar with it. I will although talk about how it happens and some methods on how to deal with it.

Stress can be brought about when: 

1.We experience a emotionally scarring event.

2.We have a workload piling up on top of us.

3.We constantly fail at something.
The reasons mentioned above can be found on pretty much all the websites related to stress. So let's look at it differently. Stress can also be caused due to over-thinking. When we start thinking about negative things, they tend to occupy most of our thoughts, we start getting stressed over hypothetical situations. Stress can also be caused due to procrastination. Why does all the work load seem to pile up? We may not realise it, but all of the deadlines only seem like deadlines when we start approaching them. Till the, we usually tend to neglect the work thinking that there's still time left. Certain forms of stress are unavoidable, but the effects of most stress types can be reduced if not prevented.
These methods may help counter stress:
1. Do not over think or over analyse things, but be prepared for the unexpected to prevent severe disappointment.
2. Superstitions and horoscopes are nonsensical and they should not dictate the way you live your life. 
3. When you're stressed out, talk to someone close to you, they may be able to relate to you. Not just that, it feels good to let stuff out once in a while. 
4. Make time to do the things you love, that should get your mind off the little things. 
5. Do not get influenced by people who don't matter to you.
6. Do not give up.

Lastly, have fun with whatever you do, even if its work, make it seem like fun, or think of the things you can do after you're done with it. This should act as a motivation. I hope this helps. 

Double Rainbow

Imagination allows us to create new ideas, it is believed that our imagination is strongest during our formative years i.e when we're kids. It's not surprising either because that's the time we learn the most; we are inquisitive creatures by nature. We're always willing to learn more about things we're interested in. Though, why is it that most of us lose our curiosity as we grow older and thus limiting our imagination?

Here is a theory to why our imagination narrows down:

When we are kids, we are usually given the freedom to try out whatever we want; from touching things, to hiding them and eventually receiving a reward, usually in the form of a scolding from those above us (literally). Either way we aren't stopped from being curious, we are just told not to do something if it's bad for us. We learnt things in this manner; by trial and error. We were truly free at that point, free to think, free to behave the way we wanted without the fear of being judged. 

As we grow older, we certainly learn more, but our scope of learning is rather restricted once we're sent out into the world. The things we learn, the way behave are all dependent on those around us. At this point we do sort of lose our freedom of thought. This may be a factor that affects our capability to create new, original ideas.
Again this may not be true in all cases, there are people (adults) who are able to think and express freely. We see them; artists, writers, musicians, scientists and chefs who come up with new ideas all the time. In conclusion, nothing can actually stop us from imagining or thinking out loud. It's up to us to create new ideas, everyone is innovative in their own ways. It may not be an 'in your face idea' it may be masked or hidden in something that you saw, heard or felt. So go out, explore, and idea might stare you in the face and you probably won'
t even realize it. Stay young.   

W.A.R

We Are Responsible

Come hear and see what is in store for you,
The land is green and the water is sky blue,
Yet the world is at war, we cannot find peace,
Crime clings to humanity like a disease.

Be born, live then struggle and die,
Here! Have another lie,
We draw our borders based on religion,
Up in arms with weapons of destruction.

The calls of Nature are drowned,
There is no life to be found,
Families spend the night in fear,
Come tomorrow will we be here?

Women and children hide yourselves,
For this is the sound of hell's bells,
This to ourselves, we have done,
Fear it child, you better run!

Freedom is Slavery

Our thoughts and ideas are shaped by nurture and nature i.e how we are raised and how we adapt and learn from our experiences. If we do think or do something out of the ordinary it gets embedded in our memory and thus has become an experience and will be added to our list of thoughts  and actions that are available to us. This adaptation means you grow in knowledge of things around you, so in that sense your mind has a sort of map or a flow chart to go to for every single act you do and everything you think about. Then of course there is the media that shapes majority of our knowledge of the world around us. Everything that you know has been taught to you by something or somebody else when you were young.

 2+2 = 4 because that is what you were taught. Which makes us wonder how much of our thoughts are truly free? How free are we really? We have a list of laws to abide by no matter which corner of the globe you're in. You can't do this, you can't do that. Even atoms and particles behave in a specific manner that makes them predictable meaning even they are not free. Since everything is made up of atoms, then does that not mean that there truly is no freedom? We all want to be free from certain things yet freedom comes with responsibilities. There is the matter of impeding another person's freedom by exerting your free will or free speech on them. Thereby resulting in the taking away of the freedom of another person. For example: If a person takes the liberty of commenting on another person's religious choices then that person is impeding the free will of the person who chose to make those religious choices. So if one had freedom then he is bound to impede the freedom of another at some point in time and so not everybody will have the right to freedom. This is always going to be the case considering the 7 billion people we have on Earth. The truth of the matter is that if we did have; true freedom, the world would be plunged into chaos. Everyone exerting their freedom on everything with no order whatsoever. This would ultimately result in our own demise and collapse as a society. Our thoughts and actions will never be free as we will always be influenced by one thing or another and if they were completely free it will result in our own desolation. Thus we are made to walk a fine line between complete freedom and slavery every single day of our lives from when we are born till the very day we die. if it existed, true freedom exists in the first few minutes immediately after we emerge from the wombs of our mothers, that is the moment we are truly free. The moment you breathe in the air of the Earth we are enslaved by forces and factors we do not know or understand and spend the rest of our lives trying to understand these forces and factors. True freedom though desirable is in many ways the forbidden fruit that will enslave us...