Our most powerful weapon: BOOKS - Nishan Karki

Why is education important?

"It wasn't until I started reading and found books they wouldn't let us read in school that I discovered you could be insane and happy and have a good life without being like everybody else." John Waters

Our most potent weapon is books and, more precisely, education. The book is vital in people's lives, including teachers, students, businessmen, workers, and all the others. It serves as a medium for acquiring knowledge and gathering information.

Like me, there are numerous students all around the world who use books. The use of the Internet for gaining knowledge and information has increased, yet books have retained their trend and popularity among the masses.

"If you do not have any friends, make books your friends." In fact, you can make books with your best friends.

Why is education important?

Education must be taken by every person. It is vital for the holistic development of every human being and for improving people's quality of life. An educated person can become a good citizen of society. It's also necessary to decide your career.

The rapid rise in population and pollution is because people are uneducated.

Let's take the example of India. India has been facing the problems of pollution and population growth since it attained independence. Many people in India still need to be educated. People may be literate, i.e., able to read and write, but need to be educated.

Educated people can bring the most effective change to society. Although the problem of population growth might not be wholly diminished, it can be reduced to a great extent. So education is vital for the development of every country in the world.

Nishan Karki
Pestalozzi Children's Village Society 

My Experiments with Self-Awareness - Anvesha Rana

From daily news to new trends, the weather forecast to the match score, we know so many things just because they are happening around us; we love to be up to date. However, amidst gathering this information, we get so distracted that we must remember to collect ourselves or ask ourselves what is happening within us? 

Self-awareness is to know, share, ask, or be aware of oneself. Strangely, the person we have been since time immemorial is also the person we know the least about; most of the time, other people know more about us than we do about ourselves! Yes, and as an exercise, ask your friends about what you like; I am sure they will get it right. 

So, self-awareness is vital as you need to know who you are and be clear about what you like or dislike. Self-awareness is a gradual process, though it is believed to be an innate ability that vanishes growing up. Thus, we need to constantly experiment to regain ours. 

Whenever we get lost in a discussion, we should ask ourselves, is this really important? Would I like to be a part of this? Moreover, we must decide about numerous things daily and sometimes need help with choices. Consequently, we should learn to recognise and observe our choices and decipher the pattern. This code or pattern is our approach to problem-solving that sums up the kind of person we are. 

To be more self-aware, we should spend time alone with our thoughts in our head; it’s good to head out, but sometimes, to seek answers to deep questions, it’s okay to run in. Being the observer of our lives also means observing or influencing our thoughts. Being the observer is being in the position of power, i.e. we are not guided by the current flow in the ocean, but we decide where the current shall flow. It may be difficult initially, but once we start to love our own company, that is the self-awareness threshold.
Anvesha Rana
Grade 11
Gyanshree School

Being always grateful is what Gratitude means - Tenzin Jambey

Gautam Buddha was born into a royal family, but unlike other princes, he didn't like being a prince or wanting to become a king or rule a kingdom. He was greatly affected and unfortunate after finding out that human life is a misery; therefore, he attained "Nirvana" after meditating for years to free himself from the world of sorrow and sadness. Sometimes, religious texts and stories make me wonder whether they occurred in reality.

The flying chariot of Ravana, the superpower monkey God like Hanumanji, etc., are all myths that few people in the world don't believe, and some people like me are in a dilemma. Some people believe that praying to God and offering sacrifices brings peace into one's life, but we must understand that we bring happiness and sadness to ourselves.

Now, the question arises: What does gratitude do with all this?

Gratitude is an art that can bring about a significant change in our lives. When gratitude becomes part of our lives, we stop blaming gods for our sadness and sorrow. First, we must understand that it is a natural process that, after giving birth, everyone has to die. A flower that is blooming today won't stay blooming forever. At the same time, we have to learn to accept sadness, sorrow, failure, hate, death, and misery. Because of all such emotions, we know what happiness, joy, birth, and pleasure feel like.

"Every action has an opposite reaction and an equal reaction." Newton's law is implied in everything around us, even our emotions. Now that we know that sadness and sorrow will come into our lives, why mourn for a long time? Why do you have to cry and shed tears for the sad moment that happened years ago when you didn't laugh at the joke from last year?

People are like a maze, and it's our nature to look for sadness until we change it ourselves. To overcome this, "gratitude" serves as a hearing medicine. We should always accept that whatever happens, it happens for the best. Always be grateful for everything that happens around you. Even if you fail or someone takes away your privilege, be happy and grateful, as there is always a learning part and learning and lessons are far better than winning. "Be grateful for your house," "Be grateful for the food you eat," and "Be grateful for your body organs," as there are some who don't have a home, have body parts, or get one meal a day. A boy was sitting on the bench, and he was barefoot. We wished for a show and became sad, but his desire for a shoe vanished when he saw another guy with no legs. This is how gratitude works.

 

Having gratitude will protect you from being affected by others; feelings of jealousy and hate will never arise if you follow the art of gratitude in your daily life. "BEING ALWAYS GRATEFUL IS WHAT GRATITUDE MEANS."

TENZIN JAMBEY

Pestalozzi Children's Village Society