Thursday, September 4

Psychological Parley

Hi mighty people! How ya doin?

U mus b bored of all the TV and movie and book reviews I keep writin about. Sala kisi ne zara tareef kya kar di, main to chipakich gayi us topic ko! No, I’ll talk about sumthin mo my-type this time... Like wat? Philosophy, psychology, life-ism and love-o-logy...

Calamity unites humanity. When it was pouring over the weekend, people wer runnin helter-skelter ducking the showers. Raindrops as huge as snowballs(Ok, a lil exaggeration thr, but the way they hurt was comparable). Its nice to see that on such an occasion whn passers-by seek shelter under commercial and private awnings, nobody turns them out. I was perched under Allen Solly’s near Aundh, and several bikers and families rushed to the same spot for cover, but no showroom personnel came out and complained about them using their roof and wetting their stairs coz they wer non-customers. It was very moving and heartening. Even whn Mumbai is doused with rainwater and floods, people help each other irrespective of caste, gender, age, status. A completely different picture frm whn times r rosy... We need reminders to embrace our humane and benevolent side. Thanks, Nature!

... And thank you for the rains as well! We need them else we shud prepare ourselves to put up with endless power cuts and food scarcity... Not too pleasant whn ur getin drenched and ridin a bike, tryin to get someplace asap. But when did we ever have the authority to command Nature?! We jus THINK we do... Misconceptions galore!

Speakin abt humanity, wat does Psychology mean to u? Most ppl think it’s all abt mind-reading and craziness. Sooooo not true... Each time I tell sum1 I’v an MA in Psych, the first comment is “Oh! So I shud b careful! Maybe ur judging/reading me!” Get off it; I’v got betr thins to do ;-) Freud is the layman’s only connect with this subject, and he is notorious for his pervert, shocking revelations. According to him, most things v dream about r about related to genitals and sex. Even otherwise, his views were very anti-humanistic, so I thank Maslow, Rogers and the like for showing Psychology isn’t jus for the “bad/abnormal” people, but also for the good folks. Check this site for positive psychology; quite a few interesting tests thr once u register:
http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/Default.aspx

Other popular topics in Psych, especially in the educational and occupational area r Motivation and Transactional Analysis (TA). The latter deals with how one behaves, y he behaves that way, and how it can be modified. Pretty interesting when studied deeply; a mere glance at Berne’s Games People Play may not entice u much.

I firmly believ that whatever one does and whoever one is and however he lives, is coz of one’s childhood experiences. I don’t quite concur with Freud whn he talks about the Oedipal/Electra complex (where kids are “attracted” to their opposite-gender parent), chiefly the part about the castration/p***s anxiety sounds grotesque... But, I do know for a fact that the environment one lives in shapes his/her ideas, lifestyle, behavior, perceptions, and a zillion other things. For example, I know of this lady who spent her childhood in her disagreeable uncle’s house, fearing and dreading the consequence of her every action, and she continues to be a nervous, diffident individual, even after so many years. Another person I know saw a life where every penny was a luxury, and now, even after money’s flowing, he still continues to drive a hard bargain at every nook and cranny. Small examples, but if u spare a moment to think y ur d way ur, u’d probably find the answers in ur childhood experiences and upbringing. Your parents, siblings, authority figures and significant others sculpt ur thinking, feeling, understanding and behaving processes, and u carry these wid u into ur adulthood. U can change urself outwardly, but inside u’ll always carry dat young boy/girl inside u, dat needs to be protected and nurtured wid love and affection.

... And whn there’s noone to give u a hand wid wat ur tryin to accomplish, thn u turn to (oh no, not me all the time!) God. The Almighty. Who always has ur good in mind. Who always wants nuthin but the best for u, in watever capacity possible. Who accepts ur innumerable accusations, disrespect and hatred jus coz he luvs u so... And we ignorant earthlings jus dont realiz this...

Somethin dat voices my sentiments is dis SMS that I got awhile ago - Prayers are not to lighten ur burden, but to strengthen ur back. Hav faith in God. Faith doesn’t move mountains, but it gives u the power to climb them...

So, the next time a pebble falls on you and you complain to God about it, just bring to mind it was actually a boulder that could’ve crushed you to pieces... Had God not intervened and taken the weight on himself... He’s watching you... And he loves you... No matter what a jerk you are...

Mantra for the day - Jai Shri Krishna!
Cheers! (The abstinent one, guys... get off it, booze-happy one-track minds!)

Love,
Anuja

2 comments:

Sibi said...

first of all m not bored o yo tv reviews or book reviews,people who r not interested in books will turn up for reading,such is the power of yo words.hey in my next birth m gona do psychology for sure.its very intersesting.the tests,the facts,people can know themself's betr if you r in this field.waiting for the next post.wil keep guessing wat the topic will be..byeeee.

Princess said...

Y wait for ur next birth? u can start now... u can take free tests online (tho they are not very accurate, reliable or authentic) and u can browse thru material on the net and in various books... And about knowin ppl, kisko time hai yaar ;-)

Keep guessin! thanx for commentin!

Cheers!

Shadow

He looked at her like she was the air he breathed, Without, he would collapse.  He lived to see her smile, Her dimples, his prized possessio...