24 June 2012

A Dummies Guide to An Optimistic World


“I feel the glow of your unspoken love. I am aware of the treasure that I hold…And I say to myself, It’s wonderful, wonderful – Oh So Wonderful, My Love!”

Who said Life is Shit? It’s wonderful and beautiful! You just have to look in the right place and you’ll find it. But as always, sermons are much easier to deliver than to implement in our boring lives. So what to do? Here are a few tips :

1. All’s Well That Ends Well : If at the end of the day, you are tired and lying on your bed and listening to a sad and slow song and you think to yourself, theek hai yaar zindagi (Life is okay), then that’s all you need. Getting anything on Planet Earth is not easy, except of course the scorn of other people; so if you’ve gone through lots of troubles and bad times, consider yourself natural. But if those turbulent times are over, then enjoy the sunshine and don’t fret about the ghost of troubles past. The good thing is that they are gone and done – and you are free and should be happy, until of course they come again. If in the end, you’ve nearly got what you wanted, breathe a sigh of relief. Aaram Karom, Relax Karom. Chill. 

2. Misery is Another Constant in Life : Furthering Point # 1, misery is the other constant in life. Bad times will come. We all keep wondering why isn’t our life like a fairytale, but we forget that the happily ever after ending comes, well, in the end! Before that there is a huge black spot of misery. Alice fell into a rabbit hole, changed forms and beat the Jabberwocky; Snow White battled an ugly step mother (not the fairest of ‘em all, eh?) and slept for a long time, before a necrophilist Prince Charming came along. Pinocchio was hung upside down on the branch of a tree! So don’t worry about misery – it’s going to come anyway.  Best you can do, is pull up your socks and beat the God the damn thing! Man Up (Woman up too)! Life isn’t sugar, spice and all that’s nice – there is always a Chemical X! (PPG :P)

3. The Lynchpin Theory : Oooo. This is my favourite. Sometimes what happens, happens for the best. Take for example, if I had been rewarded with one more mark in my board exams, I wouldn’t have been doing B.Com Hons, nor would’ve been in the same college, might not have even learnt debating, and finally might not be writing this post. How small things work their way up, it’s incredible. Small, insignificant things go a long way in shaping our lives and it is only in the retrospective that we realize that. If you regret doing or not doing something, then measure the full value of that regret. If you would’ve done things differently, things would also be different today. And since we don’t know if they’d be much better or much worse, spare yourself the headache. Look into the mirror and smile. It might be the silliest thing you’ll ever do, but it will go a long way in making you happy. Small Things. Big Outcomes.

4. Make it the Worst : If the above rational argumentation does not make sense to you, start imagining the worst. Don’t think that good and bad outcomes are equally likely; instead think that bad outcomes are more likely. So if you are upset that you don’t have X+5,  imagine if you ever on X-5. The level of happiness would fall tremendously na? So don’t be greedy and be a little grateful.  I mean, where else would you receive such clear and FREE analysis on how to live life. Not everyone is able to read this Blog, but you can. So be grateful about that. Now, be a dear and send in the fan mail, flowers, chocolates and cheques! Plenty is what you have!

5. SWOT Analysis : Every business from time to time does a SWOT Analysis i.e. : Strength, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats. I don’t care about the rest, but Opportunities is important. I am not of the belief that when one door closes, another one opens; in fact I think a million doors are always open. Life is full of opportunities.  There are so many things in this world.  You could be an actress and yet have half a dozen children, you could be a painter and an inventor at the same time, you could be deaf and still make Music, you can be so many things – all to your hearts’ content. So if something doesn’t work out, think about what went wrong, work on your flaws and then move on! Time is better spent on doing new and better things, than on lamenting! Look at me - from IAS to MBA to M.Com to LLB to MA Eco -only to realise in the end that I don't want to study more. Story for another day. 

6. Realistic Targets : There is a difference between Optimism and Stupidity. Optimism does not mean that you think all is well and all will be well. It's rational enough to account for deviations and abnormal events. Optimists don't feel bad about things that they don't control. It is okay to feel bad about something you could've controlled, but feeling bad about something that you couldn't have controlled is a little pushing it. Some bad things in life, no matter what you do, you cannot control (death, disease, natural calamity). If you're upset, it's okay. But don't let it become you. No matter what happens, you've got to move on and eliminate the cause of the misery. So if a natural calamity happens and you are sad, do something about it! Sometimes when I lose a debate, when I think I should've won, I just let it pass. I can't reverse the judges' decision, why make myself miserable about it. Of course, I give the judge a low score, that's my way of doing something about it :P

And that's about it. I hope these help you. They've helped me. Always remember, nothing in this world has the ability to hurt you or should have the right to make you feel miserable.Tum Bindaas raho. Broken heart, Bad marks, Bastard Boss or Bekaar Phone - nothing is more important than you. So value yourself.

To Jaya Row Ji. For being a Wonderful Guide in my life.


I highly recommend listening to the song. Also that's a Mentos with Chill Pill written on it. I highly recommend that too :)



P.S. : The Blog's new look has inspired me to add pictures to all new posts (as of now!). Don't worry I am not buying a DSLR/SLR for the same :P
Also, adding tags/labels to posts, so they can be categorized well. Yay!

12 June 2012

No One Gets Left Behind

This isn't as awesome as its old cousins, but please still welcome the new template! For one, it's yellow!


This is the new dynamic view by blogger, which is supposed to be user friendly. It allows viewers to choose the way they want to view this blog. You see "Flipcard" written on the top left hand side? Take your cursor there and it'll show you other options to view this blog in; such as Classic, Timeslide et al.


From what I gather, this is still in the baby stages of Blogger. So there could be some bugs. As you can notice on the right hand side, there are no widgets. There is just a black bar which has Blogger Supported Widgets such as Bio, Blog Roll, Blogs I Follow and Subscribe. So it'll take a while for the random Shakespeare quotes to come back. Thank God for this guy (Click to Meet!), his coding helped me make the blog look better. I owe him. Thanks!


You may also notice that this blog is no longer called "Shakespeare's Jeans" . This is not something new, the blog has changed names before (From Carving a Niche to In Shakespeare's Jeans to just Shakespeare's Jeans). I changed the name, well, because I no longer felt in sync with it. Neither I am reading Shakespeare, nor writing as awesome as he did and certainly not having as much fun as he did with (or without) his Jeans! Which also means, that the random quote widget might not make a comeback.


In light of that, please also welcome "Thesaurus" . Firstly, it's miracle that I spelled it right. Secondly, don't ask me why. I am not going to tell you. You can of course, be assured that nothing is going downhill.


With that, I realise that other than the posts, everything else has changed. Accept it with open arms or take out your scorn in the revamped comments section! I am also thinking of buying my own domain-name/website, taking cue from the latest GoDaddy advertisements. In which case, the blog address might change as well and I might merge the two blogs. But that'll happen only once I have the money to buy and maintain it.


Funny, this post is called No One Gets Left Behind.


I hope you like it. If you don't, it's okay. No One Gets Left Behind.


Song : No One Gets Left Behind -- Little Miss Sunshine



8 June 2012

What lies beyond..

So the reason why this is the second post of the year, despite the fact that half the year has already gone, is because the final year of graduation sucks. Thinking about the future sucks.


Deep down, I am scared this might be the end of the Blog. There are symptoms like single digit posts. I'd hate to see that. Imagine not being able to write. I hope it never happens :(


Yet, there are things that words can't say as much as "other" things. Lists, Post Its, Flowcharts, Highlighters, White Boards, Organizers! Language, just beautifully packed.


As I stand at the crossroads of my life (Don't you just love the drama), here is an insight into my position. Feel free to give me advice by commenting here, I will politely "try" (read : ignore) and incorporate it.


Here goes : http://debategraph.org/whatliesbeyond
(Copy the Link and paste it in the next tab of your browser)


Post Dedication : To Mom. For standing by me, always. Thank you.


Songs (Click to Listen!) : Balloon -- Lou Reed  and Somebody That I Used To Know -- Walk off the Earth


FYI, I am happy. I hope the recruiters never see this! :P


Also, Blog needs renovation. Suggestions? I am thinking Yellow.



3 June 2012

Why Aamir Khan Should Not Apologize

Disclaimer : 
1. I am not a legal or medical expert. So if you spot any legal or medical flaw in the following piece, please do comment, so that I can incorporate the same.
2. This piece is focused on the Healthcare episode of Satyamev Jayate. It does not comment on whether or not the show should be there in the first place, but focuses on the backlash that particular episode faced from the Healthcare Professionals.

Most of you would have seen the Satyamev Jayate Episode on Healthcare aired on 27th may 2012. It dealt with the misdeeds of doctors and pharmaceutical companies, and the general lack of healthcare facilities in India. That got many people angry and a particular group of people are demanding an apology (Read Here). Here is my take.

Before answering any of the concerns that the aggrieved party have highlighted, I would like to probe if there is any basis for that episode. I know, Disclaimer # 2 says I will not probe into that, but this is brief. Medical Fraud (For the lack of another word) is not alien to us. There were genuine stories on the show that proved that yes, some doctors do cheat their patients (Click here). We've all gone to doctors to give us "medical certificates" in exchange for their "consultation" fees. One may not even see this as a violation, but the point I am trying to make is that they aren't God sent Angels and there are some black sheep. Thus, the show had a sound basis. It was made in good faith.

Someone told me, that sometimes patients are the cause of trouble. They insist on certain medications, operations, procedures etc. They read newspapers and Google diseases on the internet and demand "that" treatment. Some go to Singapore to get pre-natal sex determination. I agree, there are some idiotic patients. But that does not mean there are no cheating doctors. There is still scope for blame to be attached purely to some doctors.

But then not all doctors are hungry beasts. That is true. My family doctor is amazing, I truly love her. But did the show say that all doctors are hungry beats? In fact I remember seeing a story of a gentleman from Rajasthan  who started a chain of generic medicine chemists in alliance with the State Government. And of another gentleman who started a cardiac hospital that did operations at extremely subsidized costs. So the show wasn't an all out Nazi attack on all doctors. 

On another level, doctors are like any other profession - Politicians, Management Professionals, Policemen, Journalists, Flimstars, Writers etc. And time and again, news channels and media houses have conducted investigations and sting operations on them. We are all okay with stories that show them in bad light - some bank executive that pulled a multi-crore scam, or R. Raju sweeping all the money out, or some land deal of a politician, or the casting couch of Flimstars. All of them are aired on TV. It does not mean that all others are bad. The truth is, that some doctors cheat on their patients and if you are to maintain consistency, then these stories of those frauds should be aired on TV. Else, there is some solid hypocrisy by the aggrieved parties, because I did not see them coming out when the others were allegedly slandered. 

Of course, simply because there is precedence for Media Houses wrecking with alleged wrongdoers' reputations, it does not mean that they should be allowed to do so in the future. But then the problem is a greater one, not limited to Aamir Khan, or Healthcare or IMA. And for the retrospective actions of a collective media, Aamir Khan should not apologize.

A common Freedom of Speech argument applies here too. The show had a plethora of reactions. Some people were crying. Some people snubbed it. Some people threatened to file a lawsuit. Some people blogged about it. So there was no universal reaction of Doctors are Devils. People did not stop going to doctors. And in the absence of direct harm caused, you cannot claim that the show producers are guilty. Even if, some people (IQ level in question), thought all doctors are rascals, then again the fault is not of the producers. It is of the viewer. Because different viewers got different messages from the same show. So what you get from the show, is accountable to you. Not to the makers of the show.

The worst the show could've done is created a trust deficit between Doctors and Patients. And as much as I believe that Faith in your doctor is important for healing, I think that in a situation where you have cheating docs in the pool, such an attitude can only save you. Doctors and Patients enjoy a very fiduciary relationship. And some doctors have taken advantage of that. In a situation, where you cannot trust the doctor (because he isn't your family doctor, or is a new one), it is always better to be vary. Take second opinions. I am 20 years old and I go to a Child Specialist for treatment, because she's treated me since I was 0. I trust her fully. But it does not mean I extend that trust to every doctor.

Another idea that circulated through Social Networking websites was that Doctors spend large amounts of time studying and doing rural internships. Yes, they are very hardworking. Does not give them a licence to cheat. Or to escape slander when they cheat. The show said they should be charitable. Now that's just pushing it. Like I said, they are like any other profession and thus are allowed to make lots of money. From what I know, there is no cap on consultation fees. But, if you make money at the cost of someone else, you are liable for Consumer Court action, like any other profession. As for the rural internships, maybe its time we extend the same to lawyers, engineers, MBAs etc or scarp it altogether. Hypocrisy is not nice. 

Even though the charitable remark is incorrect, an apology is still not in order. That's not defamation. If I have to make a show on some doctors committing wrong actions, and I cannot name the doctors, because the matter is sub judice, what am I to call doctors other than doctors. The underlining idea was talking about "bad" guys.

One thing I'd like to say very much. Please do not bring Aamir Khan, his salary, his illegitimate children or his brother into this. A college going student of Logic would tell you that it is called an ad hominem fallcy. It's as bad as saying Jimi Hendrix died of drug overdose, so his music is useless (From Wikipedia). You should look for merit and demerits in what he is saying and not merits and demerits in him. If he says doctors should be charitable, look for merits and demerits in that, and not "He's not charitable, he is asking 3 crores, so I will not be charitable!" You do your bit.

Just two more things, be patient. Everyone knows that there are some bad doctors. And they shouldn't really be doing the bad things. Maybe they are pressured by inflation and rising family demands, but the brunt of that cannot be borne by the life of a patient. My personal belief is that when they asked for that apology, they sent out the message that No, all doctors are very fine. So what they ended up doing was, putting up this huge cloak on the bad ones. Well in fact what they should've been doing was developing a mechanism to weed out the bad ones. We can't continue like this - his fault, your fault, you apologize. There is no difference between the politicians we so dislike and this. There are some bad people, we don't want to cover them. Must "do" something.

Finally. Doctors are special people. Some even treat them like God. And that is perhaps more of an occupational hazard, than a compliment. It puts them in sticky situations with moral dilemmas and confusions. People expect charitable behaviour from everyone (except themselves), and more so from doctors. That is unfair and incorrect. So when they aren't charitable, it hurts a little. But that's manageable - people get charity rejections all the time. But expecting ethical behaviour is important. And when that gets breached it hurts a lot. And that is not specific to doctors. When you violate your ethics, other people get hurt. So if you have a standard to expect of others, apply that to yourself. But, in a case they falter on their ethics, does not mean you give up yours.

After this, I don't think an apology is needed. But of course,

Truth alone Triumphs.