CURIOSITY

PRITHA’S PERSPECTIVE

Curiosity, a quality related to inquisitivity, exploration, investigation, observation and learning can be defined as the constant urge that triggers your mind to find out more and more about a particular field of interest. The seed of this trait was present since you were born and observing the things in your surroundings helped you nurture it.The curiosity of a human mind can never follow boundaries. The lifelong capacity to learn is the reason why neoteny has worked so well for our species. Our extended childhood means we can absorb so much more from our environment, including our shared culture. Even in adulthood we can pick up new ways of doing things and new ways of thinking, allowing us to adapt to new circumstances.

 

‘The important thing is to not stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing’

-Albert Einstein

Humans have a deeply curious nature. We just want to know about everything even when we know it might be of no use or relevance to us. This curiosity sometimes makes us do utterly unproductive things also like -learning topics we will never have use for; reading stories  we know are fiction,knowing  people we know we won’t meet again and exploring places we know we will never come back to or reading news about our favourite actors(Not World Affairs! But we all love reading ht café or Bombay Times don’t we?)

(Well you cannot find a better example of unproductive curiosity than a bunch of ladies gossiping for hours :P)

‘Evolution made us the ultimate thinking machines and the ultimate thinking machines need to be oiled by curiosity’

-Tom Stafford.

If Newton was not curious why the apple fell on his head, a field of science would have remained unexplored for centuries. Even when we are unaware of most of the species and reasons of occurrences of events on our planet we send rovers to explore possibilities and evidence of life outside in space. Hence curiosity is not only based on observation, it is also fuelled by imagination.Curiosity is something that can be nurtured and developed. With practice, we can harness the power of curiosity to transform everyday tasks into interesting and enjoyable experiences. We can also use curiosity to intentionally create wonder, intrigue and play out of almost any situation or interaction we encounter.

 

 

 

 

 

IDIOSYNCRASY

VASVI’S VERDICT

Idiosyncrasies according to me are what defines our personality. It is something that is peculiar to an individual. It can be anything, a characteristic, habit, the way they react in a particular situation, it is this peculiarity about that individual that is called idiosyncrasy. Idiosyncrasy can also be called as an individual’s reaction to a particular chemical or drug, but here we will be talking about idiosyncrasy as a human trait. If we try to understand ourselves we tend to realise our idiosyncrasies, and with time we get used to it and eventually learn to accept them.

Idiosyncrasy is a neutral trait; because our habit or reaction (etc.) can be either positive or negative. Everybody has their own idiosyncrasies so whether it is positive or negative varies from people to people. This trait is something that can be realised about you either by people closest to you or your foe or the person is just really good at observing. When an individual encounters a situation, his proclivity towards a particular reaction, is something only that individual would think about in such a situation. This is what defines that individual’s personality. It is something that is distinguishing and unique.

Any individualistic characteristic about a person is what sets them apart from the group. These idiosyncrasies are something that gets you closer to some people because if something is unique about you and if someone accepts your uniqueness wholly then you end up being close to that person. Eventually, if you happen to share a close bond with that person you understand, accept and adjust to each other’s idiosyncrasies. Sometimes when we miss people we kind of do miss their idiosyncrasies, their uniqueness. This individualistic trait is what according to me adds the quirky element to our personality.

But if this trait is negative in an individual’s personality then it is really important to amend and also reform it a bit. It becomes really difficult to make amends after a period of time but working on it with people close to you can make it easy because if not fully they do understand that trait about you because that is what sets you apart. Give it sometime and be tenacious. We are humans after all; prone to make mistakes and we do act differently in calm and dire situations, so if we are persistent enough we can change the negativity to a more positive one.

“One role blends into the next role. I mean, there are strange idiosyncrasies from roles that I play that I picked up that will never go away”

– Jake Gyllenhaal

Like in the quote above the role’s personality is perceived from the idiosyncrasies.

 

CREATIVITY

PRITHA’S PERSPECTIVE

“Creativity is intelligence having fun” –Albert Einstein

Creativity pinned on noticeboard

As Einstein says, creativity is very similar to intelligence and I agree to it: the more you use it, the more it gets enhanced. This one trait in an individual can make him stand out of the box from a lot of 100 people. It is the art of putting new thoughts into reality. It is the ability to perceive the world in new ways and creating something new and phenomenal which involves innovation.

 

The characteristics of this trait can be seen in varied forms in different individuals as it highly reflects an individual’s psychology and personality. Creativity comes out of various experiences and observations one makes from his/her surroundings.

 

“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it , they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while. That’s because they were able to connect experiences they’ve had and synthesize new things”-Steve Jobs

 

 

The seeds of creativity live in everyone.It hides in ones personality and many a times,it cannot be spotted easily. Some individuals are fortunate that their sprouting imagination was nurtured and grown into creative thinking abilities. Creative people are able to communicate their thoughts to others in various forms such as research,speech,art,dance,poetry,plays,etc.

An essential aspect for embodying this trait includes having the courage, patience and perseverance to put the ideas across, despite of the challenges and hurdles that you might face. Let me give you an amazing example. Our two amazing hands !Just imagine for a moment what it would feel like to live your life without your hands! – An organisation in Maharashtra is collective of members who paint with brushes held in their mouth or feet as a result of a disability sustained at birth or through an accident or illness that prohibits them from using their hands. These artists continue to inspire millions of people the world over with their amazing ability to create art with only their mouth or feet.

Creativity is one of the traits which cannot be learnt or cannot just be claimed. It is something that comes naturally to you and one should be able to make the most out of their creative ability.

“Not creative people are successful but all successful people have done something creative”-Anonymous

 

INSOUCIANCE

VASVI’S VERDICT

The word insouciant comes from the French word ‘se soucier’ which means to care. So, after we add the negative prefix ‘in’ we can simply say that the word insouciant means not caring. Insouciance is a very important trait that helps us to define, interpret and elucidate someone’s personality. Now according to me this trait is perceived by people around the world in two ways.

They first way is that we consider this trait in the positive light where it is simply means that the person is casually carefree; the trait of having no strings attached to concerns, worries, troubles, anxieties etc. This is a good thing because with this attitude we tend to act towards what we want not considering hindrances like worries, anxieties and what not. Lack of concern does not necessarily signify lack of interest, it just means that it is not your priority and you have your eyes set for something else. Being insouciant does not mean you do not care about every aspect of your life. You can be selectively insouciant as well; where showing concern is not necessary, because sometimes if we care too much it might lead to self-destruction so we would rather not care. You can correlate it to acting nonchalantly.

     

The second way is that sometimes people perceive this trait in the negative way. This is the part where we think that possessing this trait means that we are acting rashly and without prudence. Well sometimes when we do not show concern about some factors we tend to ignore it and do not consider all the parameters and implications of our actions. So this might eventually lead to our own inconvenience as we act foolishly without taking any efforts or pain.

According to me insouciance is a very important trait and mostly a positive one if we take it casually. It is extremely important to which aspect of your life you are applying this trait to because sometimes if some part does require concern and you carelessly ignore it you end up hurting yourself. But there are times when caring can also lead to inconvenience so at that time it is better if we  stop showing concern and stay true to our insouciant character.

People generally tend to categorize this trait among youth. They also say that it is permitted for a “particular” age. But according to me people should not put any kind of age restrictions on this trait because you should be allowed to be casually care less whenever you want as long as it does not cause you any kind of inconvenience. There should not be any age criteria to deem this trait as inappropriate. This age categorization is generally done because the older generation confuse this casual and cheerful lack of concern (insouciance) with ennui or lassitude. If you are insouciant about people’s opinion,  that does not necessarily mean that you would not accept their advice or their criticism.

Being insouciant does not mean that you have a bad attitude towards life. It is completely okay to be insouciant. I perceive it as a positive trait because, we know best what is important for us and what is not. Deeming it appropriate or inappropriate for age groups is a wrong approach because if everybody understands the actual meaning of this trait and applies it positively the world would be a better place. Being insouciant is good as long as it does not change apathy. Insouciance is very important because we need to live our life as per our priorities and not caring (casually) about the stuff that is not important to us.

“If you live life for people’s acceptance you will die from their rejection.”

-Lecrae

AMBITION

Vasvi’s Verdict

“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved. ”

– Helen Keller

Ambition is a very common word. And it seems to be misunderstood at times. Ambition is a desire for something be it success, money, power, fame, honour, leadership etc. it varies from person to person as per their own yearning but it also requires you to be zealous. If you simply desire for something it does not make it your ambition, it stays a wish or a dream. It becomes your ambition when you actually work for it and perseverance should be the key to your ambition. Bailing out simply means that you did not want it as badly as it seemed. So, ambition comes a level above your wishes. We have a lot of wishes but they only become our ambition when they take up a significant portion of our priorities and become our sole purpose, and failures should not put you down (because in every venture of our life there will always be failures but when we rise above them, that is the point where we experience success). So sometimes doggedness will help you climb a few steps. Ambition is a really important trait any human should have because this is what gives meaning to our life.

An ambition can never be assigned to an individual because it is his/her adherence for their proclivity towards something. If that individual does not have any inclination or any motivation towards that task (or target) then it becomes very difficult for him/her to devote their time and energy and so he/she becomes intermittent. Being ambitious is basically being enthusiastic but with a purpose or target in mind. Ambition is a very important human trait; what is the point of being intelligent and talented when you don’t have any target that will lead you on a path where you can use your intelligence and talents efficiently. And even though you do not succeed that does not mean all your efforts were a waste because you learnt something; you did land somewhere rather than nowhere and if that happens then rather than sitting idle look for another purpose. This classic quote explains this idea very well :

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”

― Norman Vincent Peale

And never be discouraged by what others have to say about your ambition. Yes do take some guidance and advice from the people in your inner circle who you know wish the best for you and will never let you stray on the wrong path. It is always better to stay away from people who belittle your ambition or it is even better to fervently work your way up on your path and prove them wrong. Being ambitious is something that everybody should prioritize; because your life can atrophy if you are under ambitious as you do not have anything to strive for. An ambitious person should always strive for the goal, work out a plan to pass through the setbacks and after it all ends always set up another goal.

Ambitiousness like everything has a good and a bad side. Being the good ambitious one is where you set a goal that is very important for you work for it not bothering what others say about it as long as it is not harming others and it should not be self-deteriorating as well because some times what you think is right might actually be wrong; so it is important that you have a clear analysis. The bad side is being under or over ambitious. Under ambitiousness is bad for a simple reason that is that there is no purpose. Sometimes taking a break is okay but extending the break for an indefinite time is the problem. Over ambitiousness is sometimes or actually most of the times self-deteriorating and it does hinder others as well. Everything is running smoothly until negative characteristics such as greed, intolerance, lust, ruthlessness etc are introduced that is when ambitiousness turns into over ambitiousness and leads to problems with your surroundings or close ones and sometimes to a downfall. Having an ambition is very important because striving for a purpose is what drives us, just acknowledge the good and bad associated with it and filter the negativities.

“Take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly, and try another. But by all means, try something.”

– Franklin Roosevelt

 

TOLERANCE

Vasvi’s Verdict : 

What is tolerance? It is the consequence of humanity. We are all formed of frailty and error; let us pardon reciprocally each other’s folly – that is the first law of nature.

                                                                                                                                           – Voltaire

In today’s world a lot of issues have occurred because of the lack of such a simple trait as tolerance. Nowadays the word intolerance has become more common than the word tolerance. I agree that times change and that things do change with time; even in the past things had not been exemplary. There had been complications because of the differences created by intolerance. The world was never perfect the moment we realised one emotion of love we simultaneously did realise another emotion of jealousy or envy; but that does not mean that we let the dark parts of anything consume us. I know it’s clique but it is never too late….the world has never been perfect but that does not mean we give up on striving for the happy times. Perfection does not mean that everyone should be the same; our entire existence will lose its allure, diversity is a good thing not bad. The bad thing is creating barriers; rather we should be tolerant about each other’s opinions, beliefs, ideologies etc. and coexist. Perfection is when tolerance and harmony brings down the barriers between the diversities.

The key is just being autonomous and respecting others because melange is a positive thing it does not define superiority or inferiority, or right or wrong. We humans who call ourselves the rational beings should understand that this is the best thing about our existence because the rational thing is to be tolerant and find joy in coexisting. Tolerance can only be achieved when we come to a realization that nobody is perfect even ourselves and thus accepting everyone as they are; to thrive. We hear a lot about intolerance these days, why not bring about a positive change and hear more about how tolerance changed lives for the good rather than how intolerance destroyed lives and relationships. Tolerance in simple words is respect for diversity.

A tolerant man accepts social alterity without raising his eyebrows. In this modern world where individualism is an important thing; we all have our individual value system. And this value system should always contain the idea about tolerance because we all live together and as humans our most important quality is humanity and being tolerant is a huge part of it. A person is tolerant if he/she attaches symbolic value not only to his/her own characteristics but also to those that he/she does not have – but others have. This is respecting each other’s point of view.

Being tolerant also does not mean to be tolerant to someone’s inhumane or rude behavior. Here the word tolerance refers to an understanding where we recognize and honour diversity, it is accepting everyone as they are. Tolerance never means putting up with the bad things going around you in the society. Here, tolerance is being referred to as a generic term. It teaches you how to respect diversity and coexist happily; and is a virtue; but it does not mean to be suppressed by just tolerating the wrong doings (because everybody has a right to take a stand for their own rights). The context of the word tolerance used here was mainly referring to accepting diversities and coexisting happily with different cultures and opinions.

The human family is very diverse, with many different beliefs and cultures and ways of life. Many conflicts in our world are caused when people are intolerant of the ways that others see the world. Learning tolerance is an important cornerstone to creating a better world.

 – Robert Alan Silverstein

FRIENDSHIP

MAINTAINING FRIENDSHIP OVER BARRIERS

“I believe that two people are connected at the heart, and it doesn’t matter what you do, or who you are or where you live; there are no boundaries or barriers if two people are destined to be together.”

– Julia Roberts

Well even if we look at this thought from a friendship point of view it actually holds true. If you are to remain friends with someone it does not matter how far you live or where you live, it does not matter how often you talk; all that matters is that there is still that same trust and no matter what, you can count on each other. Let’s face the fact that everybody has a mask on and you put it down only in front of the people you trust. As we grow old some relations change some of us grow apart but there are some that we hold onto and never wish to let go because they are our close friends. Sometimes we might become distant to our close friends because of some circumstances but we tend to find our way back to them over a period of time. No matter how long it has been or how far apart you live but when you meet again or talk on weekends over the phone or Skype to get the week’s updates you act the same way you did before, no filters on your words and no mask needed for the crazy facial expressions because it is impossible to describe the whole lot of drama that you have to catch up on with a straight face. Friends are supposed to be crazy and weird but not with everyone; weird conversations and crazy ideas for fun don’t change; just the ideas improve with time, but don’t let that maturity take the friendship away.

And barriers in a friendship do not necessarily mean time and distance but also a fight or a misunderstanding or simply the inability to put your thoughts forward. When you are friends things like distance and time don’t matter; agreed that you might meet not as regularly as you used to owing to the tight schedules but you can surely take out sometime to catch up with your friends over the weekend or fortnightly…it does not matter how often you talk or meet all that matters is that whenever you talk it makes you happy and you can laugh your heart out or share your worries and insecurities or cry to your heart’s content or simply just talk about random stuff. This does not mean that you do not stay in touch with your friends thinking that it’s going to be the same when we meet, but once in a while a small (or a long) conversation can really make you feel nostalgic, in a nice way(in most of the cases). Sometimes someone miles away is closer to you than someone you see daily. But there are some really close and true friends right next to you but here the barriers can be some kind of a misunderstanding or something you really did wrong, it is all about apologizing if you are wrong or just settle it out by hugging them tight.

And if there are any misunderstandings or fights they can be sorted out once the heat cools down. People generally tend to say the things that they later regret whenever they are angry. So wait till things cool down and then clear out the confusion or apologize; just don’t let anger ruin the relation. Ego can also be a big barrier; ego as perceived these days is not just all negative there is also a positive side to it; it is all about how you channel it. If that ego is ruining your relation then it is a worst thing because if you really consider that person your friend then you would not let the negative side of ego ruin everything and if you cannot control your ego then you are weak and it is entirely your fault. Yes if things go wrong you can take your time to recuperate but keep that friendship (if true don’t end up playing naïve) above all the barriers. Don’t give up on those amazingly crazy, trustworthy, non-judgemental and loving friends “our chosen family” just because of some barriers. Because the biggest obstacles in our lives are the barriers our mind creates……….

“It is the privilege of friendship to talk nonsense, and have her nonsense respected.”

                                                                                                                     ― Charles Lamb