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.

Celebrities, Tea Cups, and more

I have met a few celebrities in my times in NY, including one yesterday. I am not going to post a list of names since I would like them to remain anonymous in my blog. I have to admit that a part of me has a fascination that makes me excited every time I meet a famous face. It could be the fact that millions of people know this individual or it could be that I see this celebrity as my window into the world of fame and glamour. I have never seeked fame, nor do I really want to be famous (to the level of every person knowing who I am). If it happens, I will accept it, but I will not seek it. Sometimes, I feel as though I get thrown into the spotlight. I will explain those situations in another blog.

Today, I had brunch at this place called Alice's Tea Cup. I am warning the men that the name does hold true and you will find it to be a very 'girly' place. Of course, I loved it. The brunch was good, and my friend and I shared a teapot with a small cat attached to it. A mirror had little pink dresses attached to it and the decor was created to resemble Alice in Wonderland story. Here is a link:
http://www.alicesteacup.com/

Alice's Tea Cup is a tea wonderland, but aren't we all living in a real-life wonderland? How do we distinguish between dream and reality? Our past memories become dreams; our future is a dream; only the present is reality.

Economy and job losses..

Like everyone else, I have been hearing news of more and more job losses in many sectors of the economy. Every morning, I get off at the Wall St subway stop; it is bewildering to see the epicenter of this mess. Trinity church continues to mightily overlook the street. Some people dressed in business suits, others in jeans and a little slumped, slowly make their way. I remember my first day at my current job. It was Sept 29, 2008. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell more than 777 points - the largest single day point loss in history. The next day, on Sept 30th, I had to attend a meeting on Broad St. I got off the Wall St stop around 8am and started walking along the sidewalk that leads to Wall and Broad. There were television cameras and reporters waiting to cover the news that morning. I crossed Broad St and and for a brief moment I looked to the right of me - There it stood, the New York Stock Exchange - a symbol of financial birth, might, and collapse. Weeks and months later, we have seen the consequences and ripple effect on every sector, not only in the United States, but elsewhere in the world. Greed and stupidity, bad advice and unfortunate decisions, consumerism that fed off captialism - an economy that is continuing to learn its lessons. For those who thought of their jobs as their identity, they learned a cruel lesson. For those whose spending had gotten out of control, they also learned a cruel lesson. For a poor family trying to survive every day living paycheck to paycheck given wrong advice by experts - I wish they didn't have to learn this cruel lesson. I hope that our country will survive this and I really hope people all over the world will get through this meltdown.

A moment in history..

I took this picture yesterday among the crowd of people assembled next to the New York Stock Exchange. I was lucky to be next to a very symbolic building in this period in history. Years from now I can say that when our country was drowned in an economic recession, unnecessary war, and housing crisis, I was there among the hopeful, excited, tearful, and joyful crowd enjoying the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States. I cast my first vote in this election and knowing that my vote made a difference in shaping the world is an honor.

I do not take my American citizenship for granted and I never will. I became a citizen in the morning of September 11, 2006 several years after I came to the United States as a child. I will never forget that moment when I raised my hand to recite the oath of allegiance- it was exactly five years after the darkest moment in American history. Yesterday, I stood among a group of Americans and tourists, young and old, wealthy and poor, comprised of all races and colors, all waving their hands and flags, shouting and hoping, crying and screaming; I stood among them feeling more American than ever before.