LAUGHING AT SELF Ex.

In this exercise asked the students to narrate a personal experience which they think is funny or laughable. The experience should be their own experience and they have to make fun of themselves by sharing that experience. This can be a learning process of the audience also. So the speaker should tell about the early days of their entering a college/joining a company/learning a skill/visiting a place etc for the first time  and committing a lot of mistakes.

TO BE CONTINUED...

LISTENING (with awareness and love) EXERCISE

In this exercise asked the students to first find a listening partner. Then they should stand facing each other. The listener should make their mind-thoughts clear/free of these four things:

1. Biases & Prejudices

2. Assumptions & Limitations

3. Beliefs based on past experiences 

4. Fears and Desires

(Having an awareness of the above four types of thoughts will also help in listening with love)

The time given to the speaker to express their thoughts on a topic : 3 minutes

Topic given for sharing their thoughts: A dream/goal/ambition in my life and the barriers/hurdles I have to overcome to realise that dream/goal/ambition.

The time for the listener to prepare a written summary of the speech: 5 minutes

The time for the speaker to read the speech summary: 2 minutes

The total time for a pair of students: 10 minutes

Message of this exercise: We see things as we are, not as they are.

TO BE CONTINUED...     

EC GRAPHOLOGY

Graphology is the study/analysis of handwriting to assess/understand a person's true nature.

While studying a person's handwriting, the following qualities can  be considered:

Slant: A moderate left slant means the person is shy, inhibited, introvert, choosy, reflective, withdrawn and independent. Depressed, fearful and anxious. Non-communicative. Non-sympathetic, non-compassionate, unaffectionate, insensitive and unfriendly.

Size of letters: Large letters mean that the person is bold and aggressive. Ambitious for name, fame and recognition. Enthusiastic, boastful and extrovert. Sometimes lacks concentration and discipline. Confident, optimistic and strongly motivated, a good leader too.

Letter spacing: Wide spaced means the person is sympathetic, a spendthrift, considerate and extrovert, reasonable, self-confident, non-adventurous, amiable, well balanced.

Pressure: Light Pressure means sensitive, tender, forgiving, adaptable, tolerant, and spiritual.

Physically weak and fragile. Passively indifferent, weak willed, non-committed and lacks vitality.

Connecting strokes: A moderate arcade shows one to be creative, artistic, meditative, gentle, protective, poised, shy, formal, proud and authoritative.

Position of dot of small letter - i : Left of stem indicates that the person is a fast thinker, impulsive and impatient.

Letter-g resembling number 8: Shows that the person is intelligent, altruistic, adaptable and understanding.

Parochial-r: It shows that the person is artistic, musical and suppressed thinking.

Loops: Exaggerated loops suggest that the person is an extrovert, sympathetic, social, intuitive, impulsive and compassionate.

Connected and disconnected: A disconnected handwriting shows the person to be perceptive, intuitive, imaginative, observant, inventive and sensitive. It also show some negative qualities in the person like being aloof, lonely, insecure, moody, selfish, suspicious, shy, restless, inconsistent, illogical and impractical.

TO BE CONTINUED... 

BREAK THE RULES Ex.

In this role play based exercise asked the participants to enact a situation from real life where they obey the social/conventional/traditional rules. In the second round they have to break some rules and enact the same situation. And then there can be a discussion about the possibilities and consequences of changing the long standing rules.

TO BE CONTINUED...

EC PRO-BLEMS

6A Strategy to feel easy while facing PRO-BLEMs :

1.Accept that the problem exists....(ACCEPTANCE)

2.Analyse the composition of the problem...(ANALYSIS or Break-it-apart)

3.Argue on the factors associated with the problem ie., the root cause.(ARGUMENTS)

4.Agreeing on the best possible steps to solve the problem. (AGREEMENT) 

5.Preparing an action plan. (ACTION PLAN)

6.Acting on the action plan...think and take only one step at a time and always be motivated by your vision of a better tomorrow. (ACTION - VISION)

TO BE CONTINUED...

COMMON ISSUES AND THE COMMON MAN

What are the common issues before a common man?  Undoubtedly better food, education for children, good jobs, good health facilities, good roads, good transport, law and order, safe living conditions for women and children, care for the elderly, places for social interaction and enjoyment, freedom to worship and having a belief system which one likes, etc.

And we have political parties, government servants and institutions, private companies, NGOs, and other organisations to make all these happen. 

And what is the present situation in our society now? Sometimes it seems that the political parties and the society are not concerned about the real/actual issues affecting common people. 

"Poisonous vegetables" is a big issue here nowadays but what is the government doing in this regard? Stray dogs tormenting people everyday but what is the response from the authorities? Road accidents increasing day-by-day but is any organisation trying to control this? 

In short, real issues that really affect majority of the population (around 80%) are not at all discussed anywhere. That's what it seems, going by the newspaper and media reports. 

All that is actively given a priority are the policies and steps to make big companies sell more and more products by giving them tax exemptions. All that is given a serious thought are the decisions to make the lives of a small minority more comfortable with every passing day. And all that is forgotten are the measures to make the poor, the weak, the socially backward class happier.

For our society to develop collectively, first and foremost our discussions, conversations, thoughts and priorities, ambitions and vision should be about real issues. But what the media, leaders, even we people do is think and talk about things that don't actually matter to most of us at all in the long run. We talk about our luxuries, our comforts but we don't talk about our needs - the universal needs, the needs of the society, ecological needs and those who are voiceless, the unrepresented. 

Let's us hope that there will be more awareness about human issues like nature and environment, health and spirituality, education and employment, better living conditions for the poor, and above all, to have a safer world for children, women and the elderly. Let's be the change we want to see in this world.  

TO BE CONTINUED...  

EC LAUGHTER - The Wonder Drug

Human beings have been gifted with the power to smile and laugh but not everybody can laugh at themselves. Laughing at our own failures, weaknesses, follies, mistakes, drawbacks, shortcomings, defects, limitations is a gift which only a few have. And those who have it are happy and de-stressed because they don't have to appear confident, self-assured, wise and smart always. They can relax, try new things, explore new ways of doing something, think of new possibilities as they don't carry the burden of invincibility upon their shoulders.

Shakespeare says about the human life through the eponymous character of Macbeth :

"Life's nothing but a walking shadow, a poor player strutting and fretting his hour upon the stage. And then is heard no more. It's a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury and signifying nothing."

TO BE CONTINUED...