Happiness and Life - Tenzin Jambey

Listen to the Podcast

As humans, we often contemplate the concepts of happiness and life. Our constant desire to improve our circumstances and seek inner peace is universal. In this week's "Reflection," Jambey, a bright student of My Good School, shares his thoughts on happiness, peace, and life. Through his personal experiences, he sheds light on how different perspectives can impact society. Join us as we explore the perspective of a young mind on life's journey, from finding the right path to losing our way. Enjoy the podcast, and if you wish to join us, please visit our website at www.SchoolEducation.com #MyGoodSchool #JoyOfLearning.

All 'Lives' have equal 'Value' - Aria Gupta

Photo: https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/equality-inclusion-and-diversity/fair-and-equal/

This blog is about a book I’ve read and loved known as “The War that Saved My Life” by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. There are no spoilers ahead; I’ll just briefly introduce the protagonists' life. Her name is Ada, and she has a twisted foot.

"I was waving from the window when Ma'am smacked me in the face. “I gave you some time to look out the window out of kindness, and you decided to wave!” she bellowed. “I was just waving to Stephen White!” I cried back in defence. “You ain't waving to nobody with that crippled foot!” she exclaimed. “Jamie's out there,” I said quietly. “He ain’t a cripple like you!” responded Ma'am. Soon, she left for work. It was a perfect time. I was crawling, and I tried to stand up. “Aaah!” I cried in pain as tears rolled down my eyes. I could also see a little blood in the place, where I kept my bad foot as I fell back down to the ground, crawling again. I tried a second time, doing it more slowly and cautiously. First, my good foot, then my bad one. Still, the pain wasn’t any less. I shrank back down to the ground, deciding I’ll stop this walking thing for today. I cleaned the blood on the floor so that Ma'am couldn’t notice and stayed there for a while. Suddenly, Jamie burst through the door. “Why are you so late?” I scolded. Jamie was left speechless. When he was younger, we had always played together. As he grew older, he wanted to play with the kids on the street. I told him to be where I could see him. At first, he did, but then he made friends with a gang of boys and always went running out of sight. I was lonely in the one-room apartment. I dreaded being lonely. I could go out. I’m not that helpless. It’s just that the last time I went outdoors, ma'am beat me until my shoulders bled. I’m not even allowed to go to school. So, I just had to stay in this apartment, all alone, waiting for someone to come."

- Taken from the book 'The war that saved my life'.

Ada, here, is being mistreated because she is specially-abled, which is incredibly wrong. All lives are equal, and you can't label a person as 'not so important' or a 'disgrace to the family' just because of their occupation, weaknesses, etc. This is because even though they might need more attention and help than us, they are still humans who deserve to be treated right.

Aria Gupta
Grade VI | Gyanshree School

To be human... - Rishona Chopra

Humans. That term rings a bell, doesn't it? What does it really mean?

Scientifically, humans are the most common and widespread species of primate.
Psychologically, humans are complex beings, and their behaviour and mental attitude result from interaction within and between their internal biological, psychological and social systems.

There are several definitions of "human", which are perhaps countless. I believe that "human" is just a term for creatures with two arms, two legs, two hands, two feet, two eyes, one nose, and two ears that can talk and express their words clearly. Apart from our distinct physical features, we are like any other living organism.  

There is so much we can learn from the smallest of creatures. Ants, for example. They work diligently in an organised manner and are quite industrious. They never fight with each other and don't interfere with each other's work. They simply do what they do. Even sheep, they only care about getting food and water. They don't realise that they're walking a new road every day. They probably don't see that the fields are different and the seasons change as long as we give them food and water. (lines from The Alchemist).

 This shows that sometimes we humans too, don't realise that every day is a new adventure, a new beginning to relish. We are so busy in our work that we don't care to look out the window and see the world's beauty. 

You might think that animals don't have feelings, but we do, so we are superior to them. But, have you ever been in the mind of an animal? Probably not, so you have no idea if they have feelings and thoughts too. And if you have been in the mind of  an animal, bird, or plant, tell me what you saw in the comments below!

It is right when we say humans are complex. Everything is perfectly laid out, but we unnecessarily make our  life complicated and create issues. We get puzzles to solve, telling us that the boy has to reach a box of cookies through a complex maze. We can just directly take the boy to the jar without really going inside the maze but going out of it! Isn't that so much simpler? 

We say animals' life is simple, but we don't realise that so is ours. We divide ourselves foolishly into castes and religions. In my opinion, it is nothing but our blindness to the truth. We separate ourselves based on different "gods", but there is really just one god, a power that guides us. "My guide inside", as some of us would call it. I wouldn't comment more on that but this is my opinion. 

Let me ask you a question, or why don't you ask yourself a question. What is your purpose on Earth? To get a good job, earn money, be a good citizen, be a good child, and be a good student? You would probably quote all your roles as a reply. I believe that your only purpose is to do good. I think we all have forgotten that very purpose and are physical humans but mentally we are not. 

Rishona Chopra
Grade VII
Gyanshree School

How we see Understanding?

Understanding is the thing that should be in every human being. Everyone should understand each other. Those people who don't understand easily create trouble and chaos. Sometimes big fights and world wars also happen because of misunderstandings. We should always take action after understanding the matter nicely. Some people take action without having knowledge of it. This may lead them to the loss of friends and loved ones. Education and knowledge are essential. Only then will we be able to handle and understand any situation? We can only take a case if we understand it. Hence, it is imperative to be understanding.

Ritesh Gaire

Understanding can improve explanatorily when one has more true beliefs about correct explanation, and true thoughts are of fundamental epistemic value. When we understand our values, we can make decisions confidently knowing that we have our own back. Understanding is about seeing things connected in larger contexts. When you know something you don't need to mug up. It will stay in your mind forever. If you have an understanding of something, you know how it works, or you know what it means. The more we listen to understand and gather information, the more connected we are. 

Pratyush Chhetri
Ahlcon Public School

Understanding has a particular value that other epistemic states, such as knowledge, do not. This fact threatens the justification for the focus on learning that the history of epistemology displays. Elsewhere it has been argued that knowledge does not possess this exceptional value. There are a couple of lines of argument. However, that threatens to extend the denial of this particular value for knowledge to a denial of a specific value for understanding. Underlying all such challenges is the apparent fact that the language of knowing and learning are closely related. This discussion argues that the kind of understanding we prize most is immune from the concerns plaguing the theory of knowledge. 
Sarthak Rana from Pestalozzi.

Understanding is a significant thing. We must understand others' problems and help them. Understanding a person is an essential thing in every man's life. 
Karma Woeser from Pestalozzi

Understanding is something in which we can make decisions confidently, knowing we have our own back. Achievements have final value. We should understand things. And understanding should be there in each and every person's mind.
Tenzin Tsomo from Pestalozzi, studying in class 7 

Understanding has a particular value. When you understand your values, you can make decisions confidently, knowing that you have your own back. You have spent time thinking about your values, and now you can tell them to help and understand you along the way. 

Aditi Aswal from Pestalozzi

The value that other epistemic states, such as knowledge, do not, and this fact threatens the justification for the focus on learning that the history of epistemology displays. Elsewhere it has been argued that learning does not possess this unique value. There are a couple of lines of argument. However, that threatens to extend the denial of this particular value for knowledge to a denial of a unique value for understanding. (Reference https://academic.oup.com/book/32937/chapter-abstract/278520566)
Shubham Panwar from Pestolozzi

Understanding is about seeing things connected in a larger context. Experience should be there in every person's life. It is the first thing we need to have in our lives. Understanding other people makes your life easier. You will have a positive mind, factual beliefs, etc. The more you know, the more you will see everything better, or else if u don't understand others' feelings, not only for people but for every small creature living in this world, your character will automatically turn into a selfish person. So we should always cooperate with our surroundings, Society, school, and wherever we live. 

Tenzin Choesto from class7 at Pestalozzi

Understanding is the most important thing because, without understanding, many things can happen, like fight between friends. We should first understand the situation and then do because everything depends on understanding. We should have understanding.

Tenzin Dickyi

Understanding can improve explanatorily when one has more true benefits about correct explanation, and true beliefs are of fundamental epistemic value. When we understand our values. We can make decisions confidently, knowing that we have our own back. Understanding is about seeing things connected in larger contexts. When you understand something, you don't need to mug up. It'll stay in your mind forever. If you have an understanding of something, you know how it works, or you know what it means. The more we listen to understand and gather information, the more connected we are. When you know something, you can also imagine and use your creativity. We should sometimes mug up. So, something we need to do by understanding as well.
Shiwani Kunwar

Understanding is the ability to understand things. We can have a clear or complete idea of knowing others' feelings. When we understand our value, we can make decisions confidently, knowing we have our own back. Understanding is more important than our knowledge because understanding is about selling things connected to larger contexts. The feeling of understanding is that subjective experience that income opposes all the emotional and intellectual processes. We undergo the process of gathering evidence to achieve an understanding of an event. It also motivates people to act one way or another.
Jiya Sangrail

Understanding has an exceptional value that epistemic states such as knowledge do not. The language of knowing and the language of experience are closely related. Learning is more valuable than knowing because you need to understand a thing to be knowledgeable about it. Understanding provides a deeper connection between what's happening inside our minds and in the real world. It may be possible to know without knowing, but it is impossible to understand without understanding. At last, we should understand and then learn about it.

Prachi Thakur

Understanding is essential as it is vital to follow the right growth path. It is more valuable than knowledge. It is necessary to feel how people think about us and react. It helps us to understand people's beliefs, feelings, experiences and intentions. It also allows us to make decisions. A person needs to understand something to be helpful. He/She cannot understand what is happening around them. The more we know our thoughts and feelings, the more we can understand someone else'. 

Nisha Gharti Magar

Understanding means communicating with each other and understanding. Understanding is so important. If you don't understand each other's conditions and situation, you can talk nicely and make them feel good. It is so important to understand if you don't understand so you can't work and talk nicely.

Shashimohan Panwar

The Creator - Rishona Chopra

The Universe, this earth, and us humans and: there is a creator for everything.
Who is that genius who creates all this?
It is a divine power - God.

A message from God:
"You thought I decided your destiny; whenever you had a problem, you blamed me for it and prayed to me to resolve it. Sweet children, I am your Father. Can I ever give you illness, poverty, abuse, conflict and natural calamities? Everything in your world works according to the Law of Karma. You are only getting a return for what you have done. You are the creators of your destiny. I can give you the wisdom and power to create a wonderful destiny. But you need to connect to me and study the wisdom I give."

In the winter months, it's chilly. We do not see the wind but perceive the wind (the effect) and conclude that air (the cause) must exist. Without air, there is no wind. Likewise, without God, there is no creation. 

God is the divine power that creates the base to help us as the creator. He gives us wisdom, kindness and empathy. We must build the tower of peace on the ground he gave us.

We, humans, are God's children. We are not the greatest. God creates the base of us, but we have to build it.

Rishona Chopra
Grade VI
Gyanshree

Autobiography Of A Phone 📱 - Oshi Singh

Image courtesy www.saatchiart.com, used for representation only.

Hello There! It is the strongest, most powerful thing available on Earth. Yeah, you guessed it right. The modern smartphone. I am sitting at the White House and writing this autobiography. My autobiography! 

Well, my journey began 30 years ago, in 1992. When 'IBM' invented the first smartphone called 'Simon'. When Simon succeeded, more of his family was created in the factory. 

I was one of the first ones to be created in the factory. While all my brothers and sisters went to different countries. I was still in the United States Of America. I was sitting in a shop watching people, and time passed by. What caught my attention was that most everyone was walking with their parents. I got really fascinated about who my parents might be? 

At that moment, I was brutally disturbed by a man who brought me here to the White House. For many months and days, which felt like ages, I was busy thinking about the answer to my question. 

The next day, a visitor came with his own smartphone and one of my brothers. I decided to let all the burden on my mind and technology out! I asked him all I wanted to know about my family. He told me about my family and birth, what humans call 'invention'. 

Our parents were 'Wired Landlines'! They had tails and didn't possess their own calculators, address book, world clock, fax, games calendar app, email or any modern technology we have! They just possessed the quality of being able to call. Also, he told me that they were really cheap for like the cost of 8 dollars! 

Afterall all this knowledge, I felt so grateful! We are so educated! So I started working hard. I found more things about myself and became Independent. I learnt new things every day, like the fear of being without a phone is Nomophobia. Hearing or Feeling your phone ring is Ringxiety. The first text message was made in December 1992. 

Although there was something that was still bothering me. It was not related to my family but rather a new emotion I had never felt before. It was guilt! After so many years of helping humans out, that was the day that I realised what a big sin we phones have committed! We spoiled their health, their ability to learn, find their own mistakes, and much more! Don't deny it; look at yourself! Do you go out? Do you play outdoor games? Do you have good eyesight? Do you try solving the questions? Do you keep trying until you get it right? No, the answer to all these questions is a simple NO. Now all you humans do is sit at home, play online games, and search Google for your homework questions and nowadays, children as young as 5-6 are wearing glasses! 

Now all I do is wait for death. I keep thinking about how humans will improve my siblings and me to what they think is bringing a positive impact in their lives by making it easier for them. 

OSHI SINGH

 Grade VIII D 

GYANSHREE SCHOOL

Reference: 

https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Teal-Telephone-Retro-Pop-Illustration-Painting-of-Vintage-Phone/768860/4938802/view

A Dilemma - Reveda Bhatt

"…wondering whether I wait to live or if waiting is also living;" - From 'Extinctions' by Sharmistha Mohanty.

Due to the greed pertaining in humans, which doesn't seem to have an end, every moment of our lives is spent waiting for something from our to-do list. Some people are lucky enough to get what they want while waiting for theirs, and some do not understand that what they lost for what they wanted was what could have been gained.

In life, some of us just fix a pinpoint around our life circles wherein instead of living freely, we tie ourselves onto a mystical bull's eye, which we aren't even sure about. We, people, save money for our future or future generations, dragging ourselves into a so-charming-as-seen-superficial bond which limits our life, wings, and flight.

Now, realizing what we are doing with our lives raises a dilemma: whether to wait to live or to live! Taking a step towards waiting to live, the thought popping into our mind is the worry about whether the next generation would be much self-obsessed to even pay us back for the time we spent establishing a bright future for them. Believing they won't, we reframe our step back towards the initial position and then towards living, when we tend to wonder what if our next generation will not be able to get all the best things in life just because of our one stupidity to live freely and fully. That is how few moments of
our lives slip off our hands just like that, waiting for another.

The fact that we limit ourselves in this materialistic world when we can grow out of it really makes me wonder why we want such pleasures? It's not that I am saying let go of them. No! We also need them for our living, but picking out for them in excess is bad. It shouldn't ever be like you are stealing someone's right. All I am saying is that what gets sowed here on this planet, ultimately, wilts.

We get decayed in the same soil where we used to play, blow away in the same air that we
used to breathe, flow out in the same water that we used to swim in and get ash-ed up in
the same fire that once used to give us warmth.

In the past few years, I've learnt that by waiting for something else to come in, we make something go out, out of our mind, out of our soul, out of our body and lives. Halting for a moment to catch on, we lose another. People come, people, go, and moments come, moments go, although once the present is gone, it never comes back but haunts you as your past, a past that could have been better.

So, what I've been doing since those years after realizing that waiting is also living, is- "Forget the past, live in the present and think of the future."

Future, too, sometimes, but not always.
Long way ahead!? 

Reveda Bhatt

Grade IX

The Aryan School, Dehradun

Image courtesy My Good School, spreading the joy of learning for a better tomorrow.

Autobiography of a ghost - Rishona Chopra

Hey there! No, don't run away. I ain't gonna hurt you.

You ran away; that's the problem with these foolish humans. I just want to be friends with them. How come they don't understand that? 

I might be transparent, but I am gorgeous and have a heart of gold. Not to boast, but I am adorable. If only you waited and listened to me. You don't know how sad it is to be a ghost, no one wants to talk to me, and all are afraid. I feel so alone. My only friend is a book. Her name is "How a ghost became my friend". She is my only friend and my only family. I genuinely wish I had a human friend. There are advantages of being a ghost too. You can run super fast and never feel hungry, which is a good thing because I don't want to be hungry. People say I hide under their bed, but trust me, I just stay in your room so that you become my friend.

By any chance, would you like to be my friend?   

Ghost

Avni: Inside the Hunt For India’s Deadliest Man-Eater - Rishona Chopra

On November 2, 2018, tigress 'Avni' or T1, as she was known officially, believed to have been responsible for the deaths of 13 people in Maharashtra in two years, was shot dead in the Yavatmal district of the state.

Like we humans think of killing animals and banning them from the world the same way animals want to kill us because humans and animals can both live in harmony, but fear causes us to create trouble. Just imagine yourself as a tiger who people want to hunt down and hurt; won't you want to hurt those who hurt you? Sometimes, when I look at a tiger's eye, I feel the sadness, fear and pain in her eyes. 

After all, the cause of animals hurting us are only humans. We cut trees and make buildings in the forest, harming the animals. Imagine people charging in your home and ruining your place. You now have nowhere to live.

We blame animals for hurting us, but actually, we hurt them primarily because of fear.

Rishona Chopra
Grade VI
Gyanshree School

World Earth Day - Anvesha Rana

     

Preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, 

the only home we've ever known.

Earth Day, celebrated on the 22nd of April each year, should be actually recognised every day! The Earth is the only home we know, yet we are constantly demolishing this beautiful planet with our skyscrapers, machinery, industries and technology. The fun fact is that everyone knows this, but we all are just too busy to save the planet which birthed us. 

Life originated from Earth, Humans evolved through earth, and today we are alive and breathing because of Earth. We should not just mark a particular day to save Earth; after all, Earth provides us food and shelter all year round and all days and has been doing that since the beginning of the human race. We can do our small action in return for this service by simply dedicating at least 5 minutes of our day to Earth. 

Don't bite the hand that feeds you, and Don't Destroy the planet that Helps You! 

 

                                                                She birthed us,

                                                          She took us in her lap, 

                                                               She nurtured us, 

                                                            Let's Love her back,

                                                       After all, She is our Mother,

                                                                 Mother Earth.

Anvesha Rana, 
Grade 10-B, 
Gyanshree School 

Autobiography of a piano - Rishona Chopra

Hey there! I am Ms. piano. You must have heard my name... I am pretty popular. What a second you don't know me! Oh my goodness, I must tell you about myself.

So I am a grand piano, 5 - feet long ( quite tall). I am a mother of wait how many children, yes 36 teenagers and 25 babies. Lots of work! You might ask where my children are well for you, humans what you call 'keys of the piano' those are actually my children. The small ones (black colour) are the babies, and the long ones are the teenagers. I don't really remember the names, but I'll tell you a few of them. Let's see, Pinky, Kitty, Keyer, Kate, Peter and other names.

Enough about my children, now about me! As you know, I am beautiful and elegant. Sometimes I feel I have lost all my respect (even my children forget about me sometimes), but when I read the book 'The Piano Shop On The Left Bank', I just knew that someone loved me, truly loved me, even more than my children. Did you know that when my owner plays me, it doesn't hurt me! It hurts my children but seeing them hurt, I am sad, but what can I do? I am a piano, after all.

Rishona Chopra
Grade V
Gyanshree School

Autobiography of a wardrobe - Rishona Chopra

Hey there! Remember me? Wait, you don't! I am your beloved wardrobe. Where you keep your clothes! Remember? Oh yes.. now you do. So let me tell you a little more about myself. I mean, you all already know me. I am famous, but I will tell you a few secrets that no one knows. So if you are reading this, you are lucky!

So, I look gorgeous to have mirrors over me, but the thing is that I can't see my beauty. Only you can see yourself. Secondly, you selfish humans put those disgusting balls in my body, those stinky naphthalene balls. To some of my friends, they are fragrant, but they are so awful to me! 

To finish off, some ridiculous people keep dirty clothes in me! Like, does anybody even understand that I like being clean!

Rishona Chopra
Grade V
Gyanshree School

Autobiography of a school bus - Rishona Chopra

I am a bus. A school bus, to be precise. Unfortunately, I can not remember much. You see, I had gone through several surgeries, and that is why I don’t know much. Some think that I had gone through so many surgeries because of my carelessness. I assure you that my surgeries happened because of the selfish plans of some people. They wanted to make me beautiful and comfortable for them! They did not think about me at all. Now, you must be thinking, why didn’t I shout for help? I did call for help, but those selfish creatures did not listen to me.

Before my surgery, I called … Van. Then I was called Bus and then finally I was called a school bus. Despite all the pain I went through, I like only one thing. I want to meet children. Many children come and sit on me, and I love talking to them. They hate wearing my friend Seatbelt, but what can I do? Those cute little faces bring a smile to my face. That is indeed the best part of my job.

School Bus

Rishona Chopra Grade V Gyanshree School

What do cows think? - Rishona Chopra

Cows think about having lots of fun with their children.

While delivering milk, their children are taken away from them, so they can't drink it as we selfish humans need it! Cows think about having lots of fun with their children without restrictions. They wish to dance and play with them like any parent. 

Cows would love to have lots of food. Although they can eat little food for a longer time, they would like to have more if they don't get food to eat the other day! When people hit them to get milk, they obviously feel hurt and want to hit them back. They think about taking revenge on them and going out of the shed and being free, having freedom.

We humans talk about having freedom, but we don't realize how we take others (animals) liberty away.

Rishona Chopra
Grade V
Gyanshree School

Never give up hope - Aanya Kumar

We, as humans, have been given hope for innovation. As creatures on this planet, we have been given hope of survival. But, we tend to lose hope many times. Jodi Miller was diagnosed with seizures when she was only three years old. 

The only cure for stopping this was removing half of her brain. Miller's parents could have given up... But they didn't. They chose to go to Dr Ben Carson. He made them understand that removing half of the brain has disadvantages, but it was the only solution.

Miller's parents thought to not give hope and help their child in some way than letting her have paralysis or seizures either. Soon Miller was ready to start over again. Miller aced in school and became very successful.

Just like Jodi's parents, we should not give up hope.

Aanya Kumar

Gyanshree Shree

Grade 5

Making Mistakes, Accepting Flaws - Arav Agarwal

Based on the chapter Making Mistakes, Accepting Flaws, from the book is your child ready to face the world by Dr Anupam Sibal.

We are humans, we tend to make mistakes, and we should accept the mistakes. We should reflect and learn from our mistakes and not repeat the same mistakes.

Let’s take the example of Thomas Edison. When he invented the light bulb, he failed 999 times! Then in an interview, he was asked how was it like to fail 999 times. He said, “I did not fail 999 times but only found 999 ways of how not to invent the light bulb.” Every time he made a mistake, he learned from it and improved. Imagine if he had given up and not learned from his mistakes, our life would be without light.

We should not expect everyone to be flawless in everything. There is a beautiful story in this book called the two pots. It teaches us that we should see goodness in our flaws. We should accept it, and mistakes are a part of our growth in our life.  

Name: Arav Agarwal
Grade: 5C
Billabong High International School, Thane

Minimalism - Rishona Chopra

Take a look at all the things in your house. Are they bringing any value to your life? Are they even close to you? Do you use them? Your room would probably be filled with things that you don’t use or don’t bring any value to your life. Imagine a life without those unnecessary things. Pretty plain and boring. Right? Not really. Humans have created a belief that is to love things and use people. 

Loving things will give you temporary happiness because as soon as things are finished, we crave them again and plead for them, and if we don’t get it, we are disappointed or angry. While on the other hand, if we love people with a true heart, happiness lasts forever. People crave things so much and so that without them, they are not able to survive. Imagine people can’t live without water, food, and now people can’t live without things! Doesn’t it look a little silly?

Honestly, I thought the same. I felt that things were the most important for me. My entire room was filled with things I didn’t really need, but for some reason, I just felt like holding on to them. 

A question that we could ask ourselves is, do we need all these things? Do they bring any value to my life? And in my case, the answer for most things was no. I tried to understand that all my items were necessary, but inside I knew they weren’t, and I am sure you know that too. 

Minimalism is all about giving away the things you don’t need, clearing away the clutter. It doesn’t mean that you clear the clutter and then repurchase new things. It means just make your life straightforward. To simply remove the clutter and not put more again. This is a vast and challenging step, but in the end, it gives you peace of mind. Even though I haven’t successfully accomplished this minimalism step, I did try, and we all can.

Rishona Chopra

Grade 5

Gyanshree School