samha's table

Productivity, Capitalism, Dreams etc.

This morning I made an attempt to paint northern lights on paper with acrylics. It didn’t turn out looking exactly like northern lights though, when I showed it to some of my friends, they liked it. They appreciated that I’m trying to stay productive. I felt really good!

Well, later my sister saw it too and asked if I want to be an artist in future.

‘No’ I replied

‘Then why are you wasting time on this? You are supposed to do something productive, right?’

I nodded. She has a great logic. I’m a student of sociology, not fine arts or something that includes painting. Spending time on painting and wasting time watching tv are not supposed to make any difference for me.

We, the students, are always suggested to get involved into extra-curricular activities. These develop our social strength, help us to maintain a healthy life. I have some classmates who are really doing a great variety of things. Not everything is related directly towards career. Are they all in vain?

I’m a Bangladeshi. On global comparison I’m a poor person. So, giving time to anything that is not money-maker should be considered as time-waste for me, hmm? I have enough to live, eat and buy colors-brushes-drawing paper. I gotta do struggle for a better living too. The word ‘Productivity’ has different meaning for different social classes I guess.

Being money-headed is common and okay nowadays. I wonder how capitalism put a check on our hobbies! Our lives require a least level of productivity, whereas money requires a whole life!

Practicing Aloha for a Better Living

There’s a Hawaiian proverb- He kehau ho`oma`ema`e ke aloha – which means, “Love is like a cleansing dew.”

If you feel a presence of dirt in your mind, love can surely clean that up. Love, affection, kindness towards other people will give you a good feeling. Aloha is a custom of love. Hawaii, the most isolated population centre of the world, is called The Aloha State.

The word Aloha is used by Hawaiians to bide hello or goodbye. It sometimes replaces good morning, good evening etc too. The literal meaning of Alo is presence and ha is breathe. It was once a ritual in Hawaii to greet one another with breathe when two Hawaiians meet. It is a sign of love and respect towards each other. The word Aloha has a deeper meaning-

Akahai,” meaning kindness, to be expressed with tenderness;

“Lokahi,” meaning unity,to be expressed with harmony;

“Oluolu,” meaning agreeable,to be expressed with pleasantness;

“Haahaa,” meaning humility, to be expressed with modesty;

“Ahonui,” meaning patience, to be expressed with perseverance.

You see Aloha is not just a word. It is a feeling that tell you to live in harmony. Be kind to whoever you meet, put a smile on your face when talk to someone. Work with love because love works the best. If you go to Hawaii you migth see posters beside the driveways saying Drive with Aloha!

Aloha Friday is maintained in many offices in Hawaii. It’s almost like a national tradition. People come to offices wearing Aloha Attire every Friday. Kimo Kahoano and Paul Natto used “Aloha Friday” in their 1982 song, “It’s Aloha Friday, No Work ’til Monday,” which is still heard every Friday on Hawaii radio stations across the state.

Hawaii produces Aloha shirts since 1930. With floral motifs Aloha shirt represents the beautiful nature of Hawaii. Both men and women can wear Aloha shirt.

When you work with love, it gives you a better result. Similarly when you are more loving towards other people, you feel happier. When everyone around the world will feel the spirit of Aloha, no wonder this earth will be a better place.

Turning an Economy from Brown to Green

Imagine, you woke up one morning with an oxygen mask on your face and you’re told you cannot put it off if you want to go out, as there is not a single atom of oxygen left in the free air. You looked at the sky, you saw it is covered with brownish cloud. Everything outside is so clumsy. It is nice and clean only inside your room! Yeah inside your room, it is super comfortable! From the sensor gadgets to the temperature controller, you have everything you need just right there! People did not think of such comforts maybe decades ago.

What if one day, you feel like knowing how a sky looks? How breathing in fresh air feels? What is it like to have a long walk in a huge sea-beach without any artificial protection?

The artificial super comforts you get, the classy coziness you love is the gift of Brown Economy. Unlimited economic growth it offers is lucrative. It creates a competition among people, ‘the more you can grab the better’ it tell us. In the 21st century, beyond doubt brown economy is giving a lead. But it has become a danger now as it is unkind to the mother nature. Deforestation, unplanned use of fossil fuels do not bring anything good in the long term.

The bundle of brown money might seem heavy but you need to breathe properly first. I bet the capitalists will not give their hands in it, but are you like them too?

Green economy speaks for natural capital. It calls for the ecological balance. (Actually I have to write another chapter on this now.)

Whatever, Sustainable consumption and production are needed for our own existence. Why not save green then, right? It will give us comfort in home, gift us a healthy fresh nature and a beautiful sky outside.

Urban People Are So Selfish!

Yesterday, one of my friends was telling me about his warm village life. He had a lovey dovy life there. People are so close to each other, social bonds keep a peaceful environment.

‘Urban life is exhausting. People are so self obsessed. And look at the pollution. It’s all tiring!’ he said.

With a smile I asked, ‘Then why are you here?’

He replied with a bigger smile, ‘You know why!’

Yes we all know why. People come to city to fulfill their needs. Livelihood, better education, easy access to the important events, a hope of higher standard living bring them here. No wonder people, who come here are naturally prone to prioritise themselves above everything. Suppose you came to a city to get admitted into a better school, you will definitely want to meet that need first, right?

Louis Wirth, an influential sociologist from 1900’s, argued that urban people have schizoid characters. (In Psychology discipline, egocentric, secretive, emotionally cold, detached personality is called Schizoid) They are straight forward to their goals. Kinship, neighbourhood etc bonds are therefore so weak.

A city is like the heart of a civilization, a big part of revolution. People do not like urban area because of its pollution, built environment and cold unwelcoming nature. But did they ask why an urban area is so? We live in post modern era where both technologies and industries rule! (Basically technologies). It is much obvious that a city must be featured with modern devices, new built structures rather than trees and fields!

An urban area accepts variation. In that sense, it is much more welcoming than a rural one. What do you say?

Newtonian Revolution, Human Mind and Enlightenment

The year of 1680, a man, created a miniature cosmos. He wants to say that all the things there are settled in their own places because there is a certain law. The objects are either attracted or repelled to each other and still remains within a system. This is called the natural law. Every natural thing works according to this law.

What if, human mind is like a cosmos? A new idea in a head is either attracted by the old ones, therefore creates its place, or it is rejected when it does not match!

Okay, let get back in 1500’s. How do you think people bahave there? Surely they are not as knowledgeable as us. They have their own way of thinking, right?

Now tell me one thing, do you believe that people who are ignorant, are ignorant because they do not ask any question? They do not want to find the truth? They just accept whatever they are told?

The last line, ‘they just accept whatever they told’ certainly rises a question, who tells so?

Well, human minds never cease to search for a reason until they find something reliable. Until 300 years ago, people used to end up returning to god. Ancila Theologiae ‘The Hand Maiden of Theology’ reigned that time.

Out of these ordinary people, a great thinker was born in mid 1600’s, who revealed his theory of ‘Natural Law’ in 1680’s. He believed in observation. He believed that facts are not chaotic, it all has a certain pattern!

Sir Issac Newton worked on physical science. There were philosophers like John Locke, Thomas Hobbes who linked it with human psychology. As I said before, Newton’s miniature cosmos is like a metaphor of human minds!

Newtonian Revolution

We should first observe something to know how it works- this is called rational thinking. Newton, influenced by Galileo, taught us to do reasoning. He applied rational thinking in physics. But it contributed to society marvelously! This reasoning, led us towards enlightenment. A journey from metaphysical (religion based) society to positive (scientific) society was definitely a revolution. The era of Ancila Physicae (The hand Maiden of Physics) did start in 1700’s. I would love to say, it is Newtonian Revolution which later influenced so many scholars to think deeper and rationally. One example is Auguste Comte’s law of three stages.

I personally believe some people are still in their own metaphysical era. Let me know if you agree!

Colors Can Help You to Lose Weight!

That white plate was full of peanuts just a while ago, I was not hungry either. Why are the peanuts in my stomach now?

Psychology of colors says that it is because of the WHITE plate. If the plate was red, I would never finish all those peas. It is the color ‘white’ which increased my appetite.

Some colors can reduce your appetite too. If you go to a restauraunt which uses blue as the dominant color for decoration, chances are that you will eat less there. On the other hand, green walls will make you hungrier!

You use white plate in home, right? I guess you should make it red or purple. A red plate seems more filled up with less food whereas the white ones are the opposite. You can paint the walls of your dining purple. Or at least you can use purple or blue table mat sometimes. Reduce appetite, lose weight. Happy coloring!

Something Invisible Controls You? Here Is What Adam Smith Says

Your mom was yelling at you this morning to get you up? You just sighed, “I don’t have anything important to do now. Why she can’t let me sleep till noon?!”

Well, she can’t because she cares for you. She knows it will break the sleep balance. But there are you! You believe you will still be on a right track even if you sleep eighteen hours a day! Why? Because you know you can give this habit up when you need. You balance things in your own style. Something invisible wakes you up at 6 when you have exam. Haha!

Did you think the whole world economy could be balanced by something like that too? People buy and sell things everyday numberlessly. They do not think about the economy system in a whole. It is the government who plays the mommy role here. It puts a bar on to keep a balance in the economy system. Why would it do so? Can’t the market take care of itself?

Adam Smith, our most beloved scottish economist, believed that a free market can take care of itself. Supply and demand manage to meet the place where the price should remain. He used the phrase Invisible Hand in his ‘Wealth of Nations’ to refer to this process.

When people find same product at different prices, they go for the cheaper. In free market economy there is a competition between the sellers, that’s why price can really not go awfully high. Supplies are always limited, so it cannot go that cheap either. An equilibrium is created naturally. Everyone looks for his interest but together people all work for the common interest! Adam Smith denies that government has to intervene in a Laissez Faire economy.

I personally believe Smith’s invisible hand has much influence in our life too. Like look at your dress right now. Why did you buy it? Didn’t the invisible hand made its price reasonable to you and only then you did buy it?

Why you should apply behaviourism theory in everyday life

“Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in and I’ll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select—doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief and, yes, even beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors.”

This is what John Broadus Watson said in 1913 in his article “Psychology as the Behaviorist Views It”. Sounds weird?

Look back in your life, where did you choose to study? Why did you choose it? When you check in some restaurant, what type of food do you order? Why makes you choose that food?

Behaviourist theory suggests that everything we do, every decision we make is a result of environmental effect. People around you recommended you to study in a certain institution, they somehow get you convinced that you will get better education and recognition and there you clicked! You made your mind just like that!

Did you notice there are two kinds of drives that made you take this decision?

1. If you get admitted you get better education. People will praise your achievement. John B. Watson calls it positive reward.

2. If you do not get admitted there, you lose an opportunity to get better education. People count it as a somewhat failure. John B. Watson calls it positive punishment.

What I told above is quite a society thing. You can apply it personally. Suppose you have to read a chapter which is too difficult to start. Or you have a boring task that you leave for ‘tomorrow’ everyday. Now think about a positive reward you would like to give yourself after finishing the task. (Anything you like to have, could be a good movie or fancy snacks or a good tour!) Now start that task. That positive reward will lead you to things done. If it is still not working, then give yourself some positive punishment (like keeping yourself away from the sources of recreation.)

You can apply this theory in long term if you want. Like, you can give a tour to somewhere good, after finishing a six-month-project.

I believe this theory will help you achieve your life goals more easily. Just set a goal, think what you have to do and start working. Still Procrastinating? Okay, get yourself a positive punishment for that!

Introducing BLUE ECONOMY

Hey, are you a sea lover? Do you love spending holidays by the sea-shore? You take a deep breathe in the sea-wind, enjoy the lovely waves, but do you know this lovely sea can make you some money too?

The world we are living in, no doubt, is money-worshipper. People today try to make money out of everything. The planet we are living in is mostly blue, how can we still ignore the fact that the BLUE can play a big role to the world economy?

Okay, now think, how many things are there in a water body that we can use? You can sell drinkable water, do fishing, grow some edible plants in the water bodies. Look at the sea, you can collect salt, start shipping business. Sea-foods are at great demand, oil and gas are important government asset, established tourism opportunities is a great way to earn foreign currency. Nowadays, people have expertise in technology and potential for using almost each natural resource. From coral reef to sands, everything is of some use! Let’s say United State started Marine Corpse.

According to Commonwealth organisation 350 million jobs world-wide are linked to fisheries. Aquaculture is the fastest growing food sector and provides about 50% of fish for human consumption. Not only that marine resources are great for reducing poverty, they are also very good for nature.

Well, talking about nature, it should come to our concern that the preservation of the resources is as pivotal as anything. The rise of sea level, climate change, global warming are haunting us. Unplanned disposal of plastics and other poisonous substances will destroy the resources and a part of world economy as well. Next time you visit some sea-beach, observe the businesses around. You will see how our friend, the blue, is being abused. (As I said most of the people are money-headed)

Lets just love the blue the way it should be!

Lingua Franca and Pidgin Language

If you ever visit Bhutan, go for shopping there, you may need a translator to talk with the shopkeepers. They don’t understand English!

Well, if you know hindi, you can easily interact. The Bhutanese know hindi very well.

Here, the language hindi, is the common one between India and Bhutan, therefore, it is the Lingua Franca there.

We all know English plays the role of the common language world wide now. The oldest Lingua Franca in history was Greek (no wonder). In modern time French was the first Lingua Franca which is still used wide all over Europe. Arabic and Latin also played very important role at times.

Okay, now what if neither those Bhutanese know English and you don’t know hindi and there is no translator, hmm?

You can try to make some words easy for them, right? Like, instead of saying ‘how much this costs?’ you just say ‘nutram?’ or ‘rupee?’ (nutram is Bhutanese currency). So it will be easy for them to understand that you want to pay. This is how Pidgin language works. Pidgin Language helps you to communicate with those who can’t understand your language. It has no grammar or letters of its own. Nigerian English pidgin language is fun. Like, instead of ‘I don’t know’, you can just say ‘I no no’, haha!