Change I have seen from my recent past - Tenzin Jambey

Time goes on. We become old, much more experienced as the year passes (like a changing season). Reflection on things and my surroundings has become a part of my life. And from them, I get life lessons. This summer vacation was full of learning and knowledge, indeed. Knowledge is something other than what you get by opening books. 

Sometimes life and time teach you the best and most unforgettable teachings. So this vacation, I worked as a labour. Working under the orders of our boss was a different story. Well, for me, it was a lesson I learned that- life is not easy. For every human being, from poor to rich; and businessman to doctor, life is tough, and it is up to us- how we deal with it. The poor people think living a luxurious life is best and that money is everything. 

We chase money like a donkey chasing a carrot tied with a rope to a stick, while the master controlling the carrot takes the donkey where he wants. It's just an illusion a donkey sees. And the same case is with us people running behind an earthly thing like money. But if we think deeper, then we realise that money is an important asset to earn a living today and the same case for the donkey who runs behind a carrot to overcome hunger. 

There is a saying that "Too many cooks spoil the broth". Similarly, more money would not solve the problem but could lead to problems like - greed, desires, etc. And the conclusion for this will be that - 'For every problem, there is a solution'. And behind every solution, there is a problem. Recently, I have seen myself developing and becoming an idol for my juniors and even becoming a favourite of my house mother due to my efforts. Even in my village, I have a good image among everyone because I push myself to do better every time. 

Whenever I see any person older than me, I talk with them in a very respectful and comfortable way. They always give me a big smile when I meet them. If you work hard with your soul, life will pay you for that. When we push ourselves harder by getting out of our comfort zone, life teaches us lessons. And we are rewarded for the same accordingly. "That's the change that I have seen in my recent past".

Tenzin Jambey, Pestalozzi Children's Villiage India

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

Appreciation - Kiran Vehniwal

Picture Courtesy- https://picpedia.org/handwriting/a/appreciation.html

Appreciation is a simple word that means 'to tell others that you are thankful for their efforts towards you'. Just a 12-letter word that can brighten up someone's day or make someone feel good about themselves.

We, being humans, tend to show appreciation only when someone does something for us.

Have you ever paused and thought about how people make a difference in our life just by being a part of it? Even if they are doing nothing extra to add value to our life?

I assume the answer will be no.

At points, we try our best to do better to make someone proud because that one person matters to us. That someone may not be doing anything in particular, but their existence drives us to achieve more.

Don't they deserve the most appreciation for giving us a motive in life. Definitely, they do.

Let's not only be appreciative just for showing a gesture in return for something but appreciate every living soul we come across, as they will definitely leave an impact on you to make your life better. 

Kiran Vehniwal 

Prita Lee Lesson School, Kapurthala 

You Breathe - Reveda Bhatt

Photo from: https://www.curioustitans.com/blog/book-review-when-breath-becomes-air-by-paul-kalanithir

I wrote the following poem after reading 'When Breath Becomes Air'. The book hits me to my core. I hope you feel the same way I did, too...;)

[They gave their breath.

Nature took it as air. 

We made it our breathe.]

You breathe now what once was air,

Which earlier was the breath of the person who disappeared,

That's just how it is-few days of sorrow

While the others celebrate-

The other not being here.

Might feel like despair

But to make it clear

That's how it is-

You Die - Few Cry - While The Others Celebrate You Not Being Here.

And then, what you used to 'BREATHE' just, in a moment, became 'AIR'.

Reveda Bhatt
Grade 9 The Aryan School

All Lives Have Equal Value -Tenzin Jambey

Inspired by reading the book at our Sunday School.

Shouldn't we treat all living beings equally? Don't you agree that animals, plants and insects deserve respect?

If you think that they should not, then tell me the reason for that. We, humans, are exploiting wildlife, hunting and poaching animals and trading their body and their body illegally for the sake of earthly things called "money". What harm have they done to us? For what reason are we hurting them? Shouldn't we care for the cow which gives us milk? Shouldn't we care and protect the forest that provides us with a source of living?

Plants, flowers, trees and grasses all have equal value in life. If we pluck or take them, they will die like us. We pluck their leaves, and they will get hurt like we get. If we love and care for them, they will grow like healthy human beings. 

We don't like plants and animals. And we feel like they shouldn't exist in this world. For example- Mosquitoes and weeds. Similarly, now place yourself in an animal or a plant like a goat and Sundari tree and ask yourself- 'Would you let a human live who is exploiting you for their means and for earning money? Ask this yourself twice, thrice and thousands of times. And you'll get the answer by yourself. Next time, before killing an insect or before harming a plant, you will think thrice.

At last, life is tough for everyone, whether rich or poor, animal or human. Sometimes we feel like becoming a bird or sometimes a butterfly. But they have their life challenges. 

If poor people think rich men live a luxurious life, he is wrong. It's the rich man's hard work day and night that the poor man didn't do, but we cannot blame the poor people for being poor. As I have told you before, life is tough for everyone. There can be many causes that led him to poverty.

Tenzin Jambey

Pestalozzi Children's Village, India.

Is it right to do mercy killing? - Rishona Chopra

Mercy killing is killing a person or animal to relieve their suffering. 

When fishermen fish, they bring the fish out of the water and kill it. When out of the water, it suffers, and we kill it to "relieve" it of its suffering. 

If an animal is wounded and in deep pain, we kill it to "relieve" it of its misery. 

I believe that there is simply no mercy in killing. Mercy killing should strictly only be done when a person or animal is in extreme pain and suffering and mentally accepts that it has to depart. 

 Imagine if you are sick and someone comes to you and says he/she is doing mercy to you by killing you. Does that even make any sense? If you are ready to leave all worldly desires and go, it would only seem alright to you.  

I think mercy killing, when done for no extreme reason, is straight away wrong. If you wish to "relieve" an animal's suffering and have such good intentions, why do you kill it anyway?

Most of the population depends on fishing. Fishing should be banned as why put a fish through so much pain. But that would also cause several issues. So, we can't do that, but there are humane ways to catch a fish. 

Even if we depend on animals to survive and we have to kill them, there are less painful ways to do so. 

You can learn more about this matter here: https://kb.rspca.org.au/knowledge-base/what-is-the-most-humane-way-to-euthanase-aquarium-fish/

I believe there is a difference between euthanasia and mercy killing, especially in India. Euthanasia is killing an animal when they are suffering from extreme illness, and the illness has NO CURE. And if they live any longer, it will hurt them all the more. But mercy killing, especially in India, is killing animals for our own advantage. 

You can see the proof here from an article from Hindustan Times:

There is another headline that says:

*This was back in 2017 and early 2018, but now mercy killing is banned.*

Even though it is banned, I believe that until 2017, mercy killing was allowed even for a mere reason like "space". Why not kill humans to make space for animals, then? I am sure they would need it. 

Each animal has there own rights, their own family, and their own life. Just in a second, it all ends for them. Why is care for humans, kindness towards humans and humility towards humans? Let us now show the same towards animals. 

Rishona Chopra
Grade VII
Gyanshree School

All people have equal value - Aati Pema

In the world that we live in today, we have to abstain from the "our people" mentality which is basically saying me, myself and I but in a more moderate manner. 

This is harmful as we stop seeing how lucky we are to have the company we have and end up losing them. Getting detached from reality and seeing the world through prejudice-filled eyes is not good. So for the times when you are either irritated or mad or not in the mood to be with the company you have and think that you are better off alone, keep in mind the thought that all people around are as important as you are to yourself. 

"We are fortunate to have the things we have as we just won a lottery of life."

Written By-

Aati Pema Tseagon 

Pestalozzi Children’s Village, India.

(Reflection from reading Live Life In Crescendo by Cynthia Covey Haller)