Growth Mindset: Handling Pressure

Exploring the growth mindset, I want to focus more on the journey than on the final destination. In doing so, I want to do growth challenges that will help me as an individual. I struggle on a daily basis with anxiety. Small things (like picking out a clothes for the day) can present a real challenge for me. On the other hand, big things (like tests - eek) can cause me to go into a real panic-mode. It is something I have been working on for about a year now, and I have really seen an improvement - but I can always use some helpful advice. I found this article, "How to be Calm Under Pressure", on the growth mindset challenge page, and just knew it would be the perfect thing for me to check out.

Keeping Calm When the Pressure Is On

What do you do if a problem arises and you just can't seem to handle the pressure? After reading this article I found out! 

First, ask yourself two questions:

1. What is the worst thing that could happen?

2. Will this matter in five years?

Answering these questions will help ground you, and put the situation into perspective. 

Next, understand that while this problem may be a big deal to you - it probably isn't that important to others. 

Now that you have calmed down about the situation, get to the facts:

1. What is the actual situation?

2. What could actually happen because of this?

3. What are your options in fixing the problem?

4. If the problem cannot be fixed, is there anything you can do to make it a little bit better?

Finally, enough worrying - take ACTION. You have made a game plan, and it is time to get to it! 

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This was such a great challenge to go for.  I am a list person, and this was a really nice way to put what you should do when you are worrying about a mistake/problem into a condensed list. Being in a situation where I thought my mistake was the END OF THE WORLD, it is nice to be able to look at something like this and remember to just calm down and be LOGICAL about it. Sometimes I let my emotions take control, but being able to take a logical approach to my problems is the way to go! This challenge was definitely useful for classes and life in general. You can make mistakes just about anywhere in life...but keep calm and carry on!

Keep calm, it will all be okay! (Sharkyovengloves)

Learning Challenge: Buddhist Teachings

In week one, I outlined some of the learning challenges I would like to do. For this week, I am going to start with a health/happiness challenge. I had said I wanted to study some of the life lessons from Buddhist teachings, and so I studied some and wrote about my favorites (find the article I read here).

Vital Life Lessons from Buddhist Teachings

Give generously to others

     "If you light a lamp for somebody, it will also brighten your path."

I think this really touches me, because I try very hard to give a little bit of myself to those around me. I have been dealt a difficult hand, but compared to others I have had it very good. You never know what someone is going through, so just offer up an open heart - you just might get something extraordinary in return.  

Release feelings of hate, resentment, and fear

     "You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger."

Being able to move past negative feelings can be very difficult for me. I have a hard time with the whole forgive/forget mindset. However, it is becoming more apparent that the only one suffering from this negativity is me. I am trying to move on from things, and the more I move towards positivity, the more I gain a freeing happiness. It is really amazing how down those bad feelings can get you.

Be here now

     "The past is already gone, the future is not yet here. There's only one moment for you to live."

This quote always makes me think of what my boyfriend is constantly telling me - don't worry about the what if's. I have a bad habit of wondering about the many, many different possibilities out there, yet it doesn't really matter. Worrying will get you nowhere, you need to ACT in the now. I have tried being more focused in there here and now, and it is really beneficial. It also makes you think a little more about what you do with your present time - is it worth it? are you happy right now? is there something more worthwhile that you could be doing instead?

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I think going over these Buddhist teachings was very helpful to just reiterate what is important in life. When choosing a humanity class to take, I didn't want one that I wasn't going to enjoy - and I am so glad I chose this course. I am getting to explore more than just Indian epics. I think these teachings will be helpful in this class, as well as my other classes. I can apply this lesson from being willing to share notes or tutor classmates, to not focusing too much on the final and actually enjoying the class.

Learn to enjoy the journey! (Bright Side)

Week 2: Famous Last Words

For the second week’s last words, I want to re-cap on what I have accomplished this past week:

Reading for this week:

This week I completed the Ramayana – it was a very good read and I just could not put it down. The Ramayana was an excellent epic, and I recommend it to everyone. It is a very short read (like 200 pages), and gives a good peak into Indian literature. It really inspired me artistically, and I am now in the process of designing a piece based off the way Rama described Sita as a pretty lotus flower (a quilled lotus has a lot of potential!).

Best writing for this week:

I wrote a twist on the section in the Ramayana where Rama and Sita first meet. In the original story, Sita is made out to be a lustful woman who goes ill because is so infatuated with Rama. I think descriptions like this really put down women – she was portrayed a weak and silly, not to mention the way her father basically treats her as property (any man who can string the bow of Shiva gets to marry Sita – how romantic). It is not uncommon in older literature to find pieces like this that do not give women the credit they deserve – so I think putting a little modern twist on it was just the oomph it needed to become a great story.

Other classes:

In my petroleum engineering classes, things are really starting to get serious. In capstone, we are narrowing down our prospective field locations and gathering data. Improved Recovery is turning out to be a really interesting course – we are learning more about waterflooding and how different things on the macroscopic and microscopic levels can affect waterflooding efficiency.

Outside of school:

Other than schoolwork, I haven’t been doing too much. I am in the design mode for most of my art projects. That consists of me finding inspiration in literature or on Pinterest (I have ‘liked’ thousands and thousands of pins). It is really important for me to set time aside to be creative, and I really love the design time because I just let loose and try out all these crazy ideas. Like I said before, I am really inspired by the Ramayana. I was between doing an elephant or a lotus. An elephant may have to happen later on because it has so many possibilities – in some pieces they “filled” the elephant with flowers or other types of designs. Here is a nice example of that, with a link to a tutorial:

A picture of a quilled elephant. (Source)

Week 2 Review

The second week of the semester is coming to a close, and with that it is always good to review what you have done. I made sure to back-up my Blogger posts (no need to back-up the Google Site, because no changes have been made). Next, it is important to make sure all assignments were declared - it would stink to miss out on points just because I forgot to declare it. Finally, I reviewed the daily announcements for this week (things can get hectic, and sometimes I don't always read the announcement on the day it was posted). I find the announcements both helpful (it is nice to have a summary of what is going on) and interesting (between the growth mindset cats and other memes, I am always engaged in those posts!). My favorite item comes from the Friday announcement - Mythical Creatures. Throughout the Ramayana, I have come across several mythical creatures. It was interesting to see a diagram of the different kinds of creatures you can come across in literature, you can see it below.

Mythical Creatures diagram. 

Project Topics

Project Topic Brainstorming

This semester I will be working on a project - either a storybook or a portfolio. I have already decided to go with a storybook, as I think that will allow me to do a little more research into the interesting beliefs found within Indian epics. I have found four main topics that interest me for my storybook, you can read about them below.

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Karma

Weighing out free will and destiny cold be an interesting approach to a storybook.I would really like to find stories that show how much a tiny choice can have a big impact on things. I am a firm believer that the smallest of things (like the color of my shoes) can change how my day goes (did the job interviewer give me the job?). Exploring this cause/effect relationship could make for a very interesting project.

Karma refers to the spiritual principle of cause and effect, where the intent and actions of an indivisual influence the future of that individual (find more here). It is represented by the Endless Knot, see below. In Hinduism, it explains causality.

A picture of a stone from the Iron Age Fornsalen in Sweden, which depicts the endless knot. By Wolfgang Sauber. 

Maya

OOOHHH! This topic really seems interesting. Distinguishing between reality and illusion can be tricky. Some parts of the Ramayana easily prove to be illusion, but sometimes it is much harder. Learning more about Maya and then creating a storybook to teach others would be exciting.

Maya (illusion, magic), has many meanings in Indian philosophies. The word itself implies the role of imagination in the creation of the world (read more here). In Narada and the Illusion of Maya, Vishnu comments:

"The world is my Maya. He who accepts this, realizes me."

The idea of Maya is illustrated with Narada's illusion of a beautiful woman who agrees to be is wife and have his children - it turns out that it was all made up by Vishnu. 

A depiction of Maya, the mirror of illusions. By Arthur Bowen Davies.

Dharma

The Dharmachakra, and the idea of Dharma in general, seems like an interesting topic. I think finding stories that were difficult to judge whether Dharma was added or diminished could be fun.

Spoiler! For example, when Rama kills they monkey king giant dude with an arrow. Rama could have attempted to find peace with the situation. He could have easily have gone to the brother and explained the situation. Why would he just kill someone without first attempting a peaceful end?

Dharma is many things to different religions, but the overall gist is that it is the behavior of an individual which may be good or bad. It can represent law and justice, as well as virtues. More can be found here. In Hunduism, it is described as "the natural universal laws whose observance enables humans to e contented and happy..." (About Religion). The dharmachakra is one of the ashtamangala (a sacred suite of Eight Auspicious Signs) of Indian religions, which represents Dharma - see picture below.

A representation of the Dharmacakra in Sun Temple, Orissa. (Source)

Vishnu

I would like to explore the possibility of new avatars. Each avatar comes into the world with a purpose. So, I would like to give a brief summary of each avatar and their purpose, have a timeline, and then add on to it. Could Vishnu come back in modern times? What would his avatar be? What about in recent history (WWI, Civil War, etc.)?

Vishnu is one of the three main gods in the "trimurti" in Hinduism. More details on him can be found here. He has ten avatars, which were descended for very specific purposes (in-depth description). Also, I could explore into Vaishnavism - one of the main branches of Hinduism (I really, really love learning about religions/philosophies). 

Here is a depiction of Vishnu. (Source)

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Topic Choice

After doing my research, it really feels like I could do something combining all of these in some sort of way. While doing the research on Dharma, I came across the Ashtamangala (eight auspicious signs of religions). I thought perhaps I could pick some of "Vishnu's favorites". In sacred Hindu texts, Vishnu is depicted with four arms holding a lotus flower, mace, conch, and disc. Perhaps, I could elaborate and make a story for each of these in relation to an Ashtamangala: lotus, conch, dharmacakra, and the dhvaja.  

Week 2 Storytelling: Sita

Here is my story based on the meeting of Rama and Sita and their engagement. A good description of the original story can be found below (from this reading guide):

Rama and Sita, daughter of King Janaka of Mithila, fall in love with each other at first sight — not surprising, given that Rama is an incarnation of Vishnu and Sita is an incarnation of Vishnu's consort, the goddess Lakshmi. To win Sita's hand in marriage, Rama must lift, bend, and string the enormous bow of the god Shiva, which he does, of course!

Rama presents Sita with a flower crown. By Sunity Devee. (Source)

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SITA

Rama arrives in Mithila and notices the vast beauty and richness of the city. He ventured to King Janaka’s palace, where upon a balcony he laid eyes on the most beautiful woman his eyes have ever seen. It was Sita, Janaka’s daughter. Sita is actually Vishnu’s spouse Lakshmi, but has been reincarnated at a lovely princess.

Despite their mortal limitations and being complete strangers to one another, their bond was as strong as steel. They both felt a need to be near one another, a need to be married.

Knowing that his daughter was worthy of only the best suitor, King Janaku made a condition that whoever could lift, bend, and string Shiva’s bow would be considered fit to become Sita’s husband. Try as they might, no suitor was worthy of approaching the bow.

She didn’t know how to get around this, but was afraid if she didn’t act fast her soulmate, Rama, would also shy away with this difficult challenge. She needed to take matters into her own hands. She glanced down at her little hands, covered in rings and bangles, and she started to smile. Of course! She would take matters into her own hands.

Filled with the love from Manmatha himself, she walked up to the bow of Shiva. This was no ordinary bow, and as she looked it up and down, she become aware of his enormity. With only the slightest of hesitations, she grasped the mighty bow in her hands, lifted it to her target, bent the string back, and sent an arrow thrice around the world. The god Shiva himself was so impressed by Sita’s inner strength. For it is not the might of one’s arm that guides the arrow, but the might within.

Her father, realizing his mistake in making his daughter's love into some trivial competition apologized to his daughter. In trying to protect her form unworthy suitors, he had actually made her out to be some sort of property or trophy.

Rama, desperate for the chance to marry this dear woman, presented to Sita the most beautiful lotus in the kingdom. He asked if she would marry him.

Sita, being gracious and gentle kindly accepts her father's apology, and also agreed to marry Rama.

Rama decided that he needed a chance to also shoot the mighty bow, so that he can prove to her that he is worthy of her love. Understanding how important this was to her dear beloved she watched from her balcony.

Rama picked up the bow and pulled back the string so hard that the bow cracked with a thunderous sound. Putting away the broken symbol of his promised one’s fate, Rama went before Sita to express his love for her with a simple kiss on the hand.

The two soulmates announced their wedding, and all the kingdom was blissfully joyous.
 

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Author's Note:

In the original story, King Janaka had stated that any man who could string Shiva's bow could marry his daughter. Furthermore, it was originally said that Sita - upon setting eyes on Rama - falls madly in love with Rama and turns into some lusting, silly girl. She is described as "tossing in her bed complaining." I didn't like the overall feel of this section in the Ramayana. It portrayed women as property, who cannot control their feelings. Sita should have been given the ability to choose whom she would like to marry - her father shouldn't have made her future into some sort of game. Also, I find it hard to believe that Sita - and incarnation of Vishnu's wife Lakshmi - would stoop to such lows as to throw a tantrum. She would have been calm, cool, and collected.

Feeling that certain changes were necessary to the story, I adapted a "twist the story" type of writing style. I understand that Sita and Rama are destined to be together, but I think Sita could have been depicted in a much better light. So I twisted the middle of the story, but made it so that the ending was the same (Rama and Sita do make a cute couple).



Bibliography:

"The Ramayana: A Shortened Modern Prose Version of the Indian Epic" by Narayan (1972). 

Source: Narayan's Ramayana.

Week 2 Reading Diary, cont: Narayan's Ramayana

This is the second part to Narayan's Ramayana.

For Part B, we witness Rama going into exile, moving deep into the forest, and begin his battle with Ravana. Like before, I split the reading into my own parts, and jotted down some of the key points that really hit me while reading:

Encounters in Exile
As Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana reach Panchavati, they are approached by Ravana’s sister, Soorpanaka.
First, one their journey through the forest, Rama begins to feel “a great tenderness” for Sita. I like how - just before the crazed Soorpanaka comes - Rama’s feelings for his wife are described. We see how devoted he is to Sita.

Then, Soorpanaka (in the disguise of Kamavalli) comes to seduce Rama, he turns her away. He is disgusted by her cheap advances, and this shows how good his character is. He is a stand-up guy, and isn’t one to be flattered by easy women.

Also, I think it is worth mentioning how he has a pretty good judgement on the character of others as well. He is quick to see the good works of others; he points out how great Lakshmana’s engineering is.

Finally, my favorite part to the section in the book is how protective Lakshmana is over Sita. Upon seeing Soorpanaka try and attack Sita, Lakshmana is quick to the rescue. While Soorpanaka’s punishment seems a little barbaric to me, in a way it did feel like justice was served (her nose, ears, and breasts were cut off). 

This depicts Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana in the forest. (Image Library)

Ravana – In Lanka and with his uncle Mareecha
Ravana has gods and gurus as his servants, and is very powerful. He is outraged with his sister’s predicament! He goes to his uncle, Mareecha for help in capturing Sita from Rama.
I am very interested in how these gods seem to be the victim a lot. How is it that they come to be captured? And why are they so awful at thinking before they do something? They grant these boons before they even think of the consequences. No one in this story seems to THINK.

I like the quote from Mareecha: “I am like a fish in a poisoned pond. Sooner or later I am bound to die, whether I stat in it or get out of it.” I think this sums up a lot in this epic. For example, if Rama were to have not accepted exile, his father would have been disgraced (broken promises are very bad). So either way Rama has a difficult path ahead of him. Or with the deer – Sita wanted the deer, Lakshmana felt it was a trap. If Rama says “no, the deer is obviously a trap,” his wife will be upset. However, we see what happens when he goes and tries to capture the deer. This epic is filled with “rocks and hard places”, and I think it would be interesting to explore that a little further.

Week 2 Reading Diary: Narayan's Ramayana

Starting off the semester, I am reading Narayan's Ramayana (pp. 1-53).

Going through the reading, I made notes on points that caught my eye – things that were interesting, points that I didn’t like, and topics that I would like to write on. I broke this section into six main sections:

Prologue – King Dasharatha
We are introduced to the kingdom of Ayodhya, where King Dasharatha and his four sons (Rama, Bharatha, Lakshmana, and Sathrugna) live.

What I really enjoyed here was how despite the fact that the king lives in this beautiful kingdom, with palaces and riches, what he really want is a family. I think most people get caught up in the idea of “getting rich”, that they forget how rewarding a family can be. Dasharatha goes through so much – the yearlong sacrificial ritual – to obtain the silver plate that gives his wives the ability to have children. His love and dedication is really captivating.

Vishvamitra – Rama’s Initiation
In this section, Sage Vishvamitra wishes for Rama to go with him to battle with the demons around the sacred grounds.

After reading how much Dasharatha had to go through to get his four sons, you can really relate with how upset he gets with Vishvamitra’s request. I am especially interested in Rama’s journey (I plan on doing my storybook on Vishnu, and Rama is an avatar of Vishnu). I like how he has the compassion to pause before killing Thataka; he doesn’t like the idea of killing a woman.

Mahabali – Demons – Sakara
The epic then continues by telling the story of Mahabali and how Vishnu transforms into a dwarf in order to defeat him. I plan on using this in my storybook later on, but I also liked the message of how mighty things come in all sizes.

Ganga’s Story was also a really good piece, where we learn how the Ganga River came to be. An interesting piece was the quote “we attain a full understanding only when we are aware of the divine and other associations of every piece of ground we tread on.” I think this could be a good piece to bounce writing ideas off of.

Ahalya
We then learn of the beautiful Ahalya, and how - upon being tricked by the god Indra – was turned to stone by her husband.

I find it highly irritating that Guatama felt the right to turn his wife into stone. A GOD tricked her, so she was at no fault whatsoever. Furthermore, after she was freed from her stone state, I think it was ridiculous that she was expected to return to her husband. He most certainly does not deserve to get to be with her after his rash decision.

Sita
Upon entering Mithila, Rama and Sita immediately fall in love when they see one another (they are the incarnations of Vishnu and Lakshimi – SOULMATES).

That is where my good feelings for this section ENDS. It is absolutely ridiculous how Sita is portrayed as some silly damsel in distress. Somehow, she falls terribly ill and bad tempered after one look at Rama. THEN – her father had the audacity to make a competition for her hand in marriage. ***I would like to rewrite this piece and put it into a super-woman type of theme***

Rama’s Coronation and Exile
We end this portion of the reading by witnessing Rama get told he is to be king, then get told he is to be exiled for fourteen years (all in the same night).

Morale of this story: Kaikeyi is a shallow woman, whose desire for power overshadows her true loving nature. I am really disappointed in Dasharatha here – he should have stood up to his wife and demanded her be sensible. Ultimately, what I am finding it that these men make promises without thinking out all of the consequences (Sakara, Guatama, etc.).

This image depicts Dasaratha's grief over Rama being exiled. (Source: Image Library).  

Tech Tip 02: Embedded YouTube

For the next tech tip, I learned how to embed a YouTube video in a Blogger post! To add a video, I first had to find a YouTube video that caught my eye. I chose a cat playing peek-a-boo for obvious reasons (too stinkin' cute!!!). After that, its a simple copy/paste job. Here is the video:

You can also see it in my Introduction Post!