The Secret

"The Secret" is a book and film phenomenon that launched in 2006. There was a lot of publicity and TV interviews about the ideas in the book. I took time to read it and it was definitely a worthwhile and inspiring read. The secret has a few main ideas: "Ask", "Believe", and "Receive". It says that you need to be clear about what you want in life, behave as if what you want is already with you, and be open to receiving it. The book was also marketed pretty well, which explains why so many people raved about it.

If you think about it, many of the world's major religions have ideas based on the secret. Apparently, people have known this for centuries. I agree with the basis of the book, because positive thinking does create better results for people in the long run. You are more motivated to work hard and are more likely to attract the right people into your life. Visualization of goals helps people behave as if their dreams have already come true and it somehow makes them work towards that goal more. The only time I get a little nervous about liking the idea wholeheartedly is knowing that luck does play a role in shaping people's lives. Children born into poverty are not as lucky as children born into affluence. Hungry babies in famished countries are not as lucky as healthy babies in wealthy countries. Abused women are not as lucky as others. So, do these people attract these negative events into their lives? I dont think so.

Anyways, I have tried to see how "the secret" works in my life and the lives of people I know. To a large degree, it works. The Secret and similar books teach people a lesson: you attract what you think. I have noticed that positive people are much more successful in the long run. Negative people like to complain about their lives and point out everything that is wrong with them and that in turn attracts more negative events.

I recently read "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho. The story is about a shepherd trying to find his personal legend. Here is a quote from the book

"And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."

Ms.Magazine to women of today

The women of my mother's generation paved their way for the "modern" woman. They lobbied for equal righs, equal pay, and worked to stop objectification of women. They criticized and campaigned to make life easier for us. Sometimes I wonder if the womens rights and feminist movement of the 60's and 70's really helped the women of today. Western women of today are not necessarily happier. There are high rates of depression and low self esteem. Objectification of women has increased and people can see it everywhere. Women are trying to have a career and raise families at the same time. Women cannot be overly aggressive for being termed manly and they cannot be overly passive because they will be a doormat.

For years, women blamed men for their treatment and issues - and historically it has definitely been true. However, sometimes I wonder, especially nowadays, whether women are responsible for their own problems. In many cases, you choose to be insecure; you choose to have men define how you are supposed to look; you choose to dress the way you dress; you choose to be unhappy; you choose to take on more responsibility than you can handle. Can women ever win?

Michigan lakes and city intersections

I am spending this long weekend in Michigan with my parents. I find it sad that such a beautiful state with hard working people is in the economic situation it is in currently. The recession that other states are experiencing now, the state of Michigan has been expriencing for the past few years. From my parents' house, I watched the fluttering birds and snow that partially enveloped the lake; the icy part stood still and the part that melted was flowing like the river. The sun cast its last rays among the winter clouds and turned the background into different colors. I love spending time at this house, because it is quiet and away from the big city- a sharp contrast to the life that I have gotten used to. I like the warmth and friendliness of the mid-westerners; neighbors know each other and there is none of the standofish attitudes I find with people living in the east coast cities. Do people change to adapt to their environment? Probably true, because I cannot be the friendly midwesterner when I am trying to get into the subway to be on time to a 8 am meeting or while grabbing a cab quickly to get to a dinner on time or while quickly scrambling my way among the crowd to cross a busy intersection while the light is blinking with the red hand. In my heart I am still a midwestern Indian girl, but it never hurts to be the New Yorker once in a while. As the saying goes, if you can live in New York, you can live anywhere.

Slumdogs and Billionaires

The popularity of the movie Slumdog Millionaire has made me think a lot about my birth country: an enormous democracy of wealth and poverty; mountain snow and tropical waters; modern and ancient. A country of a rich and ancient past that emerged victorious despite many struggles. A country that has some of the most eminent scholars, authors, and poets in the world, but also has more than 25% of its own people living under the poverty line. The largest and most expensive house in the world is being built in Mumbai, the same city that has the largest slum in Asia. See links:

Largest and Most Expense House
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/3002586.cms

Largest Slum
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/world/06/dharavi_slum/html/dharavi_slum_intro.stm

I wonder if I would have had the same opportunities I have now, if I had grown up in India. Maybe yes, but most likely no; I would be a woman and a minority in a country that still has rigid caste, relgious, and social structures in place. In spite of this, somewhere in my heart, I have a place for India. I can't explain that feeling but I know that it feels similar to a child's love for a mother.