Gratitude - Arfa Khan

We all are familiar with the feeling that life is not as we want; our relationships are not deep enough, we are not successful enough, and we don't have the things we crave. This is the feeling of dissatisfaction, a feeling that makes you at others with envy and at yourself with shame. Social media makes it worse by showing us the picture-perfect life others have, unlike us. We have seen many people laughing and enjoying their lives...but their lives aren't perfect too. Then why are some people happier than others? Can we also apply their methods to be more comfortable and more satisfied? It all sums up to one thing - Gratitude. 

Gratitude is a feeling that connects us with the positive side of the world. There are many ways to practice it, like gratitude journaling, where we write about the things we are grateful for. There are many everyday things in life for which we should be grateful, and we might be taking them for granted, like:

1. Recovery/ Post-Crisis -

Life can feel fabulous after recovery like an enormous burden has been lifted off our shoulders. We can do many things that we couldn't do earlier. Objectively, our life would be the same or maybe slightly worse than before, but we compare the present to when life was terrible and react with gratitude.

2. Our Relationships-

We might feel lonely or want more friends, but there might be one or multiple people wanting to spend time with us. We might feel this is not enough and feel bad. If we're grateful for our relationships, we might accept the offers or take the initiative. Many people don't have anyone and suffer from mental illnesses, but we have many people who care for us.

3. Anyone who means a lot to you-

There might be someone significant in our lives, and we can't imagine life without them. By comparing our life with and without them, we feel grateful that they are with us.

4. Fate-

We have many things in our everyday life many don't have, like clean water and food, money, access to the internet, limbs, eyes, ears etc. We should be grateful for these things.  

Scientists have found many benefits of gratitude journaling. Many participants showed more happiness and life satisfaction after practising for a few weeks and even a change in brain activity after a few months. It's pretty mind-blowing that something as simple as writing about a few things you are grateful for can help fight dissatisfaction. We know our life is hard, but it might not be as bad as it seems if we look from a different perspective.

•  Arfa Khan 

  Ahlcon Public School

Sources:

https://leadchangegroup.com/daily-gratitude/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPPPFqsECz0&t=15s

 

What Independence means to me - Rishona Chopra

Independence is not the right to do as we wish but the right to do what is right. Independence is the essence of freedom, the feeling that we are not ruled by anyone else but have the opportunity just like others to explore and learn. Independence is to make our own decisions. In the national flag of India, the top band is of Saffron colour, indicating the strength and courage of the country. The white middle bar indicates peace and truth with Dharma Chakra. The last bar is green in colour, showing the land's fertility, growth and auspiciousness. Our country is developing, but its heart is devolved with unity and pride.

We have so many languages,

Each of them gives us so much knowledge.

Lots of different cultures,

Each one of them is precious!

This rich diversity,

Gives me a new identity.

Everyone is so unique,

Together when we come, no one is weak!

Even though our differences create problems,

We should understand our differences are our customs!

We are all united as a team,

We can together make a dream.

After all, it's unity in diversity,

We are just so extraordinary!

This country makes me feel proud,

It makes me unique in this big crowd.

I love my country the way it is,

All the fights were challenging quizzes.

Salute to those who lost lives for us,

So we live in a better world, and there is no fuss.

I see people dancing with pride on the street,

And giving each other sweets.

I see them saying "Jay Hind" proudly,

They say it clearly and loudly.

Rishona Chopra Grade VI Gyanshree School

Happiness - Rishona Chopra

Happiness, as we all know, is a feeling where we feel pleasant, jolly and satisfied, but where do we get happiness.

All of us want happiness in our lives, but there are so many bad things happening in the world; how on earth can we be happy? Here's the answer, we don't get happiness from things and situations. Even the worst thing in the world can have a positive side!! So if we take a look at each case from a  positive angle, we can easily be happy.

To understand it better, let me tell you a story-

Happiness is everything

Once there lived a young boy named Jack. People said that his luck was never on his side, and he was also known as the unlucky boy. 

Once in his exam, he broke his pencil, and it took him 10 minutes to sharpen it! The other day in the park, he fell several times and from that day till the next few weeks, he was not able to play. Such minor unlucky instances made Jack very sad. It was like his happiness was lost.

That night Jack wanted to cry all his pain out, and he called out to his mother and said, "Mum, everyone calls me the unlucky boy, and it really isn't my fault, and what did I do wrong that my luck never supports me?" His mother, surprised, told him, "My dear, your luck was forever on your side; you just had to take a look from another angle. When your pencil broke, didn't your teacher give you extra time to sharpen it?" Jack said, "She did". His mother said, "Well, then you could have used that time to calculate a few questions too, right? Jack, realizing what his mother said was true, happily cried out, "Yes, and when I got hurt?" "When we get hurt, it helps our body grow stronger!" said his mother. "Oh yes, mum, yes. 

Thank you for making me realize that," said Jack, smiling.

From that day, Jack was never unhappy and found little joy in everything!

So even if a thing doesn't have a positive side, don't be sad; you can be happy by thinking about the 

the solution to that problem!

Rishona Chopra

Grade V

Gyanshree School