Happiness

 

Rem Koolhaas

 Rem Koolhaas is a Dutch Architect. He has written about Otium and Chinese concept of wandering with nature. 

He has also written about Leisure. 

Steve McCurry

 Steve McCurry

He has covered Aghanistan through his photography. The famous picture of the green-eyed Afghan girl was taken by him. I am trying to remember her name. I think her name was Sharbat Gulla. The picture appeared on the cover of National Geographic in 1985. She was photographed in 1984 at Nasir Bagh refugee camp at Peshawar in Pakistan.  

She was evacuated from Afghanistan to Italy in 2021. 

Her life in Italy is captured in this article. 

I do not know what Alphonso Lingis would have said about her photograph. 

Self writing

 

Why I Write Letters to Myself—And Why You Should Too

Many leaders write letters to themselves—not because they’re lost, but because they’re deeply connected to where they’re going.

Self-writing is clarity. It’s alignment. It’s a quiet but powerful act of leadership.

Here’s a short note I wrote to myself this morning. Maybe you need to hear it too:

Dear Masood,

What a gift it is to wake up surrounded by blessings.

This day—this very one—will never come again. Let it count. Make it a meaningful step toward your bigger dreams. Connect every task, every decision to the future you’re building.

You just drank lemon water to detox your body—now detox your thoughts, too. Let go of doubt. Release the past.

Breathe deeply.
You are loved.
You are blessed.

Reach out to the people who matter. Feel their presence. Let gratitude be your fuel.

Now ask yourself: What do I want to create today? What truly matters?

Let’s begin.

—Masood

He did'nt say it

 He Didn't Say It

“Oh, I won’t bother you again.”
With those quiet words, she stood to leave his office.

He wanted to stop her—to say, Don’t go. You don’t bother me. I love the way you tease me, annoy me, bug me.
But the words never found the courage to escape his heart.

And so, she left.

She left for good, and in her place, a hollow silence settled—a blank space that echoed louder than any goodbye.

At first, he just stared.

Then, slowly, that void began to shift.
Colors emerged—soft, fleeting tones like the brushstrokes of a fading dream.
He heard echoes too—her laughter, the rustle of her presence, the gentle hum of moments once alive.

It made him smile.

But beauty, like dreams, never lingers.
The colors dulled. The sounds dissolved into stillness.

Where had she gone?
From where had she come?

Was she ever real—or just a figment summoned from longing?
Had a dream walked into his world, only to vanish at the first touch of reality?

And then the truth struck him:

The destiny of all the dreams that become reality is disillusionment.

He sat with that thought, not bitter, but quiet—like someone who has finally understood a secret the world whispers only to those who have loved and lost.

In Silence

In silence, I speak
My silence speaks to the universe and I speak to myself
My thoughts traverse galaxies in a flash

The universe remains mute but answers 

Only if our frequencies are aligned 

My heart is vast and filled with silence, a universe in itself. 

When I am quiet I and the universe become one. 

Mood and Actions

 

What kind of feelings one wants to carry on? Do our bodies tell us about the state of our mind? Do we feel stress because of our thoughts or because of our bodies? Is there a link between thoughts and health? Can we change our moods by taking actions or our moods influence our actions? In all the above questions my focus is on independent variable and dependent variable. Generally we consider that our moods (independent variable) is responsible for our actions (dependent variable, and hence we wait till we have right mood, state of mind to take action). But equally important is to know that our actions our independent variable to shape our moods. Moods should be placed in their right position as “dependent variable” to our actions. The right categorization of variables is liberating and places man’s freedom to choose attribute at the central and critical position in the shaping of one’s emotions and moods.

14 October 2016

Nilofer Merchant

Tick Tick

It is dawn here in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi. The month of October is ticking away and the year 2012 is closing to an end.

Your life is a canvas

The avoidance to tackle our insecurities merely aggravates the sufferings. The insecurities are the baggage that we carry from our past. We cling to our anxieties of yesterdays like hard-won trophies and never dare to trade them for the bounties that tomorrows may offer. The deadliest of the anxieties is the fear of losing the love and approval of  loved ones.  You give the key of your sanguinity and happiness to others. A viscous circle starts. You want approval of your achievements from others and if it is not granted, the motivation to do your best is lost. "The locus of control of your behavior should firmly be within yourself."  Do not make your life a ceaseless struggle for getting the nod of approval that had remained elusive and would remain elusive forever. Endeavor to realize your own potential; reward yourself for your achievements, pamper yourself with treats and cherish your talents and uniqueness. You are the artist and your life is a canvas; sketch the most beautiful picture that truly reflects you; this will be the ultimate gift you would give it to yourself. If someone does not have the eye to appreciate its beauty that's not your problem.

Success I deserve you!

Why have I shunned success for so long? Why am I afraid of success? Is it because success may expose me that I am really not worthy of it? Is it because I am used to "my not so ideal way of living"? Is it because success would put me under uncertain future? Whatever the reason or may be every reason that I have just given has some truth in it; the situation that prevails now is unsustainable. I have to decide do I really want to be successful or stop striving for what I desire half-heartedly. The half-hearted approach  gives me good enough position but saps my energy big time. I have wasted many precious years of my life in trivial activities. I could have achieved far greater positions had I not doubted myself and my ability to achieve greater heights. What was my biggest failure? What was my biggest nemesis? It was pandering to my desires. Now I have to change myself. I have to really focus. I know I can do this. I have to just do it.