Learning Challenge: How to Be Happy

“Want to Be Happier? Science Says Do These 11 Things Every Single Day” by Jeff Haden

According to this article, I’m barely setting myself up for success since I can safely say I probably do barely do half of his suggestions daily. The eleven habits to start incorporating into your life for a happier tomorrow include: smiling more (smizing, really since smiling without one's eyes apparently indicates it is fake and therefore serves no function), exercise for 7 minutes minimum, sleep more for a better mood, spend more time with friends and family, get outdoors more often, help others, plan a dream trip (even if this one is never fulfilled, it supposedly affects endorphin levels to simply pretend), meditate, move closer to work, practice gratitude, and get older (we apparently become naturally more satisfied as we age).

Phew, that is a long list. Of these, I feel like I would vouch for only a few given my own experience of whether I felt my day was improved if I engaged with the above advice. I am a self-proclaimed nap queen, and I can say with certainty that I feel my most rested and relaxed at around 9 hours of shut-eye. Likewise, so long as the weather isn’t too extreme one way or another, I think spending time in the sun and fresh air has its effects. I think this has to do with the fact that you can focus on your own thoughts if they aren’t preoccupied on the uncomfortable sensations of being too hot or cold. If you move close enough to work, you could satisfy 3-5 of these suggestions on your short walk: living near your job, spending more time outside, meditating, imagining an ideal trip you would take given the chance, and exercising for 10 minutes or less. Apparently, living near your job is the best bet to facilitate a content life, these things considered! I suppose you would get older upon these daily walks, too, in which case the happiness can only multiply with the years! What these denote is a sense of mindfulness of your desires and daily actions, since it's only with proper attention to these can you take steps toward your goal of securing greater happiness in your future.

(Image Source: Pixabay Stock Photos)

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Reading Notes: Mahabharata (Part B)

This section of the Mahabharata is particularly dense; keeping up with places, people, events, and themes proved tricky. I’m still not sure I am clear on everything. Also, I have noticed this far into the epic that compared to the Ramayana, the writing style is more consistently prose than it is poetry. This compels me even more to try to turn my preferred episode into a written verse version when I write Week 6’s story. Now that we are a couple weeks into the project, I’m trying to “read like a writer” even more by mentally bookmarking the scenes that inspire my imagination. The episodes that appealed to this part of me were more limited in Part B, since some were exciting but don’t exactly compliment my Storybook topic of twinhood. Even still, the two-three that stood out are still interesting.

One of these was episode 28, “The Story of Nalayani.” So far, we have encountered stories that suggest karma was at play but none that interconnects as this one does with the concept of reincarnation. If I’m remembering right, the only instances of “rebirth” that I can recall are exclusively Gods being born in an earthly form as “avatars.” Drupadi, however, is simply a human character. In her former life, her name was Nalayani. As her husband was a rishi who turned to celibacy before his wife felt her sexual libido was spent, her five prayers for a husband was met with a promise of five husbands when she was to be reborn as Draupadi.

I also really enjoyed the 31^st episode, “Arjuna and the Apsaras.” It’s sort of just a side story, but how Arjuna was pre-destined to return water nymphs’ back to their original shape after a curse that turned them into crocodiles was a nice little aside to the core narrative. They had been given this fate for tempting a holy man to break his vows. This story really reminds me of sirens in Greek mythology who were known to enchant sailors with their singing. This is all I know about them though, and I think if I were to do a re-write of this story I would do a bit of research to incorporate these magical creatures as a parallel to the Indian water nymphs since they are each known as seductive women. If my memory isn’t wrong, they are symbolic of human beings’ more secular compulsions like lust or sex. This theme of unchecked impulses and worldly desires leads right into the final episodes where Yudhishthira loses everything in a gambling match. I guess I will have to wait and see how this theme of choices and consequences plays out in Part C

Bibliography:
Author: Various
Title: Mahabharata
Source: PDE Mahabharata, web

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

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Reading Notes: Mahabharata (Part A)

I was most intrigued by the birth story of the girl-boy fraternal twins born of the Chedi king, Uparichara, and a cursed apsara (celestial nymph) in fish form, according to Wikipedia. The story creates an odd image in your head: somehow Uparichara’s semen “fell into a river” as he flew across the sky in a crystal car sent by Indra, God of the Heavens, only for his sperm to be consumed by a female fish. How a creature can be impregnated through her mouth seems anatomically absurd. This type of mystical, preposterous conception is common so far in the Mahabharata, as we later learn of the bizarre birth of the Pandava twins. However, with these twins being the topic of my Storybook, my attention is more focused on other twins and/or close-in-age siblings like Satyavati and her brother whom she was separated from since Nakula and Sahadeva’s parts haven’t picked up yet since we’re only on Section A. 

Another significant feature from this episode that caught my eye was that her foster father was a ferryman on the river Yamuna, which also I'll point out is the sanscrit word for 'twin'. This is the same Yamuna that is so named after the twin deity also known as Yami, who symbolizes light/life (and her brother, Yama, darkness/death). It is in this river she is approached by the brahmin Parashara in the next episode who compensated her by giving her a sweet fragrance to replace her fishy smell on the condition that she has his son, which by the language of it sounded like she had no choice as his impregnating powers apparently emanated from a cloud that fell upon her boat. After the “wonder had been accomplished,” she was somehow reverted back to her virginal state which again defies logic and left me scratching my head since someone sexually pure with a child seems paradoxical. It also leaves me to speculate why this is necessary if in the next episode she ends up bearing King Shantanu's sons anyway. I know I decided on the Pandava twins as the subject of my Storybook, but after reading Satyavati’s story I’m tempted to talk about twins of the Mahabharata more individually to include characters like her.

Bibliography:
Author: Various
Title: Mahabharata
Source: PDE Mahabharata, web

(Image Source: Pixabay Stock Photos)

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Growth Mindset: Three-Tiered Treatment for Confidence, Coming Right Up

“Tips to Boost Your Confidence,” Translated by Jennifer Cody

“Take the belief that you are valuable, worthwhile, and capable. Also known as self-esteem. Add in the optimism that comes when you are certain of your abilities, and then empowered by these. Act courageously to face a challenge head-on. This is confidence.”

This video claims that confidence is a combination of nature and nurture. Since my dad has no shortage of self-confidence, that’s for sure. Some people who are off-put by his strong personality sometimes consider it closer to conceitedness. Though I’m all for self-love, I just can’t relate to the proud self-assurance he puts off. I can only assume my lack thereof comes from my circumstances and my choices since instead, I’m more prone to insecurity. One thing I do have going for me, however, is my ability to continuously fail yet my resilience is unscathed. Whether this has to do with my sheer willpower to improve or stubborn discontentedness with imperfection is debatable. I’m willing to try the three tips for cultivating confidence. For starters, her first suggestion is done and done—I am the queen of quick fixes. I can ride on those feelings of satisfaction for a while. Tip two, believing in my ability to improve, is something less simple for someone like me. While I am all about completing those short-term tasks that make me feel accomplished, striving for longer-term talents and skills seem like a mountain even when the practice that makes perfect are more like molehills. My attempt at emulating my twin sister’s artistic skills comes to mind. However, just because I’m more likely to give up in the context of becoming the next Frida Kahlo I don’t think means I inherently believe I have this sort of fixed mindset in all areas. Instead of art, which I’ve become perfectly okay at being less than proficient at, I tend to focus this energy on developing my own unique gifts. Lastly, tip three I can say I have more than mastered as I could be the poster-girl for regenerating after many a mistake. All things considered, you’d think I’d ooze confidence based on the three tips in this video! I guess this remedy for confidence is more a life-long treatment than a clear-cut cure, and that’s okay.

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)

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