Positive Overtones

Fear isn’t something that is inborn rather it is learnt through experience. Sigmund Freud, in his book ‘Studies in Hysteria’, would say that it is the startling experiences that we have in our childhood that get embed into our sub-conscious. Thus, when a similar situation arises, the experience in the sub-conscious is triggered. This, then, gives rise to fear. The external situations, by itself, do not cause fear, rather, it is our perception of the given situation that would or would not stimulate fear. And, thus we can say that it is we ourselves who put fear into ourselves. There are times when we feel that our fears are like an unconquerable mountain. But this is an illusion. In Joe Mannath’s book, ‘Happiness Right Now’ , he presents seven steps towards conquering fear. 1      Ask yourself what really is your fear. As you ponder on this question become aware of the thoughts going on in your mind 2.       Question the irrational assu...

The God of Small Things written by Arundati Roy in 1997 centres around the unfortunate events faced by the Syrian Catholic Ipe family. The grandmother Mammachi is a half-blind aged woman who is immensely fond of her Anglophile sib Chacko. Chacko, the Oxford boy, is an overly-proud man believing himself to be an enlightened man after his brief academic stint at England. Margaret Kochamma is Chacko’s ex-wife who comes down with her daughter Sophie during the Christmas holidays after losing her husband, Joe. Baby Kochamma is Mammachi’s ex-nun sister who converted to Catholicism out of her love for a Catholic missionary. Estha and Rahel, the two central characters are two ‘inseparable’ twins born out of a broken marriage and living with their mother Ammu. The narration in the books shuttles between the past and present yet revealing the various evils that are still practiced in society. The plot consists of two recurring themes: caste and love. Caste: This forms the main theme t...

Arun (name deliberately changed) had been an avid follower of the Game of Thrones series from the day of its inception. After following the episodes, week in and week out, he was all the more eager to see what happens at the series finale. However, he was disappointed as it had not reached his expectations. Over the past few months, there have been many cases just like Arun who have been disappointed with the series finale of the recently concluded Game of Thrones series. Many of them had even fallen into depression because they did not know what to do after the series ended. They were left with absolutely no motivation to do anything else because of their addiction to the famous TV series. Recently, in Goa, there was an event organized to help these people to come out of depression. But the fundamental question we could ask ourselves is, “Will this solve the underlying problem?” I would say no as the matter one needs to investigate a little further. Most people get addicted to ...

“All love is expansion, all selfishness is contraction” – Swami Vivekananda Taking inspiration from the above mentioned quote by Swami Vivekananda I would like to present the power of an altruistic love, the possibility of a universal brotherhood brought forth out of love and respect for one another and the consequences that selfishness has on the person. India – A land that promoted love and universality For a long time now, India had been considered as the land beaming with cultural diversity, love and harmony. The peaceful blending in of the various religions ranging from Buddhism to Hinduism, from Sikhism to Jainism, from Christianity to Islam and the various other religions prevalent in specific parts of the country has really been an example for the world that a universal brotherhood is possible. However, that has been the past; but the present is very different. The present times see conflicts between various religion groups, language groups and cultural groups. The s...

Theology is a process and one never comes to a finished state of theological insight. These are the opening statements of Derek Johnston’s book A Brief History of Theology . At the outset, Johnston says that this book provides a glimpse into what theology is all about. It introduces key ideas of the theologians of various areas and what were the questions that gripped them at their particular times. The book is meant to provide the foundations for the reader to think theologically. As one goes through the book, one comes across the thoughts of great theologians and thinkers like St. Augustine, John Wesley, Karl Rahner, St. Thomas Aquinas and John Calvin to name a few. I have taken the liberty of mentioning, in brief, the thought patterns of a few of these great theologians in accordance with the book. Theologians and their thoughts St. Paul: Paul who began as an active persecutor of the Church becomes the first Christian theologian after his conversion. Being a well-educat...

The Winner Stands Alone Book Overview Synopsis Paulo Coelho’s 2008 novel ‘ The Winner Stands Alone’ is a story set in the world of glamour and fashion. It reveals the darker side of the celebrity world, the wealth and fame by interweaving the characters' connected stories. The central story revolves around Igor Malev, a Russian businessman, arriving at Cannes to win his ex-wife, Ewa, back. Ewa had run away from Igor after realizing the psychopathic nature of her husband. She escapes and gets married to a famous fashion designer from the Arab world, Hamid Hussien. Igor has been planning a way to win Ewa back and he finds his opportunity when she arrives at Cannes with Hamid. He decides to send her cryptic messages by assassinating a number of people. He begins with a young girl at the beach and moves on higher to aspiring actresses and famous actors and directors. The Interpol are equally perplexed by the various assassinations, which seem so random at first. Howe...

A Brief History of Philosophy (Book Overwiew) A Brief History of Philosophy is a general philosophical book written by Derek Johnston. The book guides the reader into the various ages and schools of philosophy beginning with Socrates and culminating with Derrida. At the very outset, the author notes that one would not be a master in philosophy after reading the book but will get an overall idea as to what philosophy entails. He says that a reader would be disappointed in the book if his quest at the beginning itself is to get a clear and distinct definition of philosophy. Philosophy is a term that has not been clearly defined right from the very start. This is because it is an act rather that a single thought. It is a way of life. This is brought out in the book as the reader goes through the various chapters. The author has made an effort to reduce the philosophical jargon to the minimum. Nevertheless, the basic philosophical terms have been explained time and again so that...