Will putting hefty fines be effective as a strategy to control traffic mishaps?

In psychology there is a very popular theory of motivation. Theory X and Theory Y, one of the very famous theory of motivation by McGregor. Theory X explains the need for supervision, rewards and penalties whereas theory Y emphasises on internal motivation to do any task. There is no doubt that if any being is driven by internal motivating factors then there is none of any rewards or penalties or supervisions. But the real question is " Can imposing penalties actually lead to behavioural changes in breaking the rules?"

Lets sit back and think about the human nature when he sees threat in something. The first reaction can be a panic, a thwart, a glitch to take desired action, however as the feeling syncs in fear slowly subsides down. People in the meantime learn to take either the preventive actions or shortcuts to avoid the loop. Breaking any rule gives a kick to prove the courageous and outgoing nature. Internet is full of quotes which says" Break the rules and make your own". somewhere down the line people have associated breaking rules with their own liberation. this is where the prima context goes for a toss. 

Liberation or courageousness is not associated with the rule breakers. People need to understand that there is a ecosystem for everything to co-exist. If traffic rules will not be followed then the consequences can be disastrous. As per statistics, the number of vehicles have grown at an alarming rate on Indian roads. the average speed in Some cities is as low as 17 kmph. The most astonishing figures come from tier-2 cities of India. the five most dangerous cities which recorded the highest fatalities in road accidents are: Jamshedpur, Asansol, Amritsar, Agra and Dhanbad. Cities with the highest number of accidental deaths includes Delhi, Chennai, Jaipur, Kanpur and Lucknow. At this point I would like to raise a question worth a thought: It is the same Indians in other countries (developed) where they don't break the law. Is it the fear of the punishment or the ecosystem which makes them conscious while they are on road. I hope the latter one works more in this case as their breaking rules is not synonymous to liberation. Everyone is liberated enough for the enlightenment that traffic rules are meant for their own safety and they should not break it.

 One of the root cause of accidents includes more usage of personal vehicles as compared to public transport. in developed nations people use more of public transport rather than personal but in India the situation is the reverse. Just like every person holds more than one mobile similarly every household owns more than one vehicle. Poor infrastructure has led people to switch to their own convenience. There is no doubt that population density in our country is too high being the second most populous nation therefore the measures to confront personal vehicle cannot be just effective enough. 

Number of flyovers and highways do not ensure the minimal road casualties. Then where lies the solution to this grave problem? People should understand that rules are not some hindrance to their freedom but its a way to ensure their safety on roads. there should be more and more examples to reinforce the idea of safety by the government. This fine hike should not be seen as the shackles. Just like "Swatchch Bharat Abhiyaan", if cities gets awarded because of the cleaner roads similar concept can be applied to minimal road casualties, there should be an applaud for the residents of the state/district/state. The participation of people in small communities to work together and discuss the reason to eradicate the road mishap can be very effective. This will lead to minimal involvement of police to reinforce the rules. It is very well evident that if any problem is tackled by government and common people of the nation that problem just disappears in a matter of time. The consciousness to acknowledge the adversities of the current behaviour needs to rise. This problem can be solved by proper feed back mechanism and not just by imposing stricter rules. It is just a matter of perspective. If a person is breaking signal because he is in a hurry to reach to some place or someone is drunk and driving or not wearing seat belts or helmets, all these reasons can be taken care of if people work together. It is the nature of any living creature if boundaries are created they will definitely tend to break those boundaries but if boundaries are expanded to raise human consciousness these problems might prove to be timid. Positive reinforcement (rather than negative) always works better in case of theory X and if things can be brought line with theory Y then no problem will actually exist.

Book Review

Becoming by Michelle Obama: 10 reasons why it is a must read?

Some books are simply written in a flawless manner that inspires others and simply puts in the seed of "hope". Hope for better future, hope for liberating oneself from the shackles, hope to dare to dream big, hope to lead others. Such is the inspiring story of Michelle Obama. We all see or judge not just America but any developed nation as full of positivity and elevated standard of living, however its not always true. And who would be the best person to describe this situation other than Michelle Obama. She had her own journey of ups and downs, lows and highs, dilemmas which every other working women will once encounter in her life, struggles of an African American even at the highest level of authoritative position in the country. It was too easy for her to be overshadowed by her husband's position but what she chose to be was an overwhelming story of a brave and a determined lady who left her mark in the history of America by her own deeds.

Being the First Lady of the most powerful nation comes with its own privileges, its upto the person how the platform is utilised. Coming from the most humble background and fighting against all the adversaries nothing came on its own and everything was respectfully "EARNED".

While the whole book is amazing and worth reading line by line, some of the key highlights are summarised below.  

1. NEVER DOUBT YOURSELF.

2. DO NOT LOOK FOR JOBS BUT FOR CAREERS.

3. TAKE LIFE EASY. LIFE IS A SEE SAW AND IT WILL PUSH YOU UP AND DOWN.

4. NEVER TYPECAST YOURSELF BY OVERHEARING WHAT OTHERS THINK ABOUT YOU. 

5. KEEP YOUR EXPECTATIONS LOW. LIFE IS NOT A MATHEMATICAL EQUATION X IS NOT ALWAYS EQUAL TO Y.

6. PRIORITISE YOURSELF OCCASIONALLY.

7. TO BRING ABOUT A CHANGE PATIENCE IS THE GREATEST VIRTUE.

8. YOU ARE SPECIAL AND MUST KEEP DOING THE GOOD WORK.

9. ACCEPT THINGS THE WAY THEY ARE BUT PUT IN YOUR EFFORTS TO WORK TOWARDS THE BETTERMENT.

10. POWER WITH HUMILITY IS ADMIRED AND BLESSED BUT WITH ARROGANCE THE VIRTUE IS LOST.

 Each one of the above statements are mentioned in the book in some context. In order to understand little more following paragraphs are adopted from the book. They echo the different stages of life which came across the life of Michelle Obama but they are equivocally applicable to the lives of any person who dreams big, works hard and aspire to do some good work in life. 

1. "All of us have doubters. Some continue to have roaring, stadium sized collections of critics and naysayers who will shout I told you so at every little misstep or mistake. The noise don't go away, but the most successful people I know have figured out how to live with it, to lean on the people who believe in them, and to push onward with their goals".

This is so very true and is relevant for each and every individual during the different time horizons. There is a very thin line where we expand our boundaries and motivates ourselves to again give a start to the journey to achieve our goals.

2. "Finding a career as opposed to a job wouldn't just come from pursuing the contact pages of an alumni directory; it required deeper thought and effort".

Career vs job two very different approach for a person to decide while taking a call for action. The perspective for life differs in both the cases. It needs introspection for life. Not many reaches this state of actualisation!

3. "Most of us lived in the state of constant calibration, tweaking one area of life in hopes of bringing more steadiness to another."

This is what most of the people in simplified terms say work life balance. All strive to reach that state of equilibrium but everyone just dwindles on the see saw of personal and professional life. It is always upto us what we are ready to sacrifice or pay the price in order to achieve what we want in our life.

4. "Its remarkable how a stereotype functions as an actual trap."

There is always a trap in which a person can be under false illusions if not paid enough attention to minute details in our life. Once someone else stereotypes you in some particular fashion and the same thought gets resonated by others around you (may be because of some fickle reason),  you are very likely to fell into this trap of actually behaving like the puppet of others. This happens with people so many times around us. In order to get out of this what is of utmost importance is "PAUSE" and "PONDER". Be careful to watch your actions to send right message at the right time.

5. "You have got to be twice as good to get half as far : an old maxim in the black community."

Each and every society is built upon some hierarchies and some societal orders. No where in this world the society are free from vices be it black vs white, women vs men, rich vs poor and so on. In order to overcome beyond those shackles of stereotypes one needs great efforts to rise and define the new rules. After all not everyone is born with privileges and have their own boundaries to work.

6. "I had learned through my years of trying to find balance in my life that it was okay to flip those priorities and care only for ourselves once in a while."

This is a lesson which very few people dare to think upon. their priorities never grows beyond their circle of life. They wake up, live up and work up for their beloved ones, now a days we can put men too in this club. they don't realise that there is life beyond that too and for once in a while these priorities can take a backseat. Difficult to persuade as people build a cocoon of guilt around them.

7. "Life was teaching me that progress and change happens slowly. Not in two years, four years, or even a lifetime. We were planting seeds of change, the fruit of which we might never see. We had to be patient."

These lines goes well with everyone. People work hard to get desired results. They become desperate to see the effects, sometimes even feel frustrated with their surroundings and gets themselves in the trap of de motivation. However one should realise that attempts are never forgone. it takes time to nurture a sapling. Only time, perseverant efforts and sustainability of the action will bring fruits in the due course of time. 

8. "You Belong, You Matter. I think highly of you." 

This is a self talk which one should indulge in case of doubts. These are the thoughts which can uplift a person even from the toughest of the circumstances. It definitely gives power to sustain whatever negative is happening around. These magical words can inspire a person to go beyond the limits and surprise everyone around.

9. "You may live in the world as it is, but you can still work to create the world as it should be."

Its easy to complain and create a fuss about it rather than accepting the situation as it is and makes your hands dirty 

10. "Dominance, even the threat of it, is a form of dehumanisation. It's the ugliest kind of power." 

Power has its own highs but if that high turns into dominance it is the most toxic instrument in the hands of authoritarians. 

Perspective in a poetry!

Mountains and the valley

Deep inside the earth there is force,

The outburst of which led to genesis of so many things

This force is very wise,

Brought the beauty and the beast in tandem

Knit together, existing together

A mountain and a valley stood side by side

Looking at each other pondering who has more pride

Mountain laughed and said " I am too tall, I give challenge to people"

Valley replied " Your stature can make you banal, be a point of zenith than to dare"

Antagonized from valley, mountain said " I stand still in every season, watching the pain and cheers"

" I invigorate everyone and make their miseries disappear"

They roam undauntingly in my cocoon, without any fear

Mountain asked the valley I wonder why people are then making you polluted

I am happy with my flora and fauna; this sparked talks that became disputed

Both were in the deluge of their smugness

Suddenly, a crinkling sound was heard

Something was hitting the mountain hard, uprooting the trees and pieces of rocks rolling into pebbles

Valley felt the pain, in a spur of moment it realized valley cannot be valley without the mountain

Mountain was coming on heels and realized his pride was in vain too

Existence of both was just like two sides of the coin,

 Presence of equal and opposite force , no one can purloin!

How powerful brands communicate?

We all live in the world where information is buzzing our ears all the times. We are so much connected to machines and interested to see what people around us are doing. Sometimes we draw inspirations from them and sometimes we are comparing ourselves with them..It definitely arouses some or the other feeling in a person while they are consuming the media... 

No consumption of media is just a passive consumption, it triggers something or the other in our brain. What impacts one person the most may not impact the other one as we all differ in our empathetic scores. However, there are few things which definitely works with most of the people. What are the components of those messages ? There can be a good number of pointers which will say we have a great message. It has all the ingredients: we have a story, emotions, actors, creatives good social media presence and many more to enumerate. If everyone knows all the ingredients where is the miss? Most of the global brands were as much popular in one corner of the world as the other when there was nothing like internet and they are still amongst the favourite global brands. There is definitely something beyond just executing the messages and increasing the reach amongst the target audience. 

The key lies in the conscience of the message. 

Message can be a globally appeasing or locally appeasing message. 

If internet is providing the power to connect to the remotest corner of the world and allows you to choose people whom you want to follow or listen to, then so does the consumer decides which global brands they prefers to consume. Awareness is no more a major problem until innovation breakthrough is to be conveyed. 

So chances are if the message conveyed is global, people connect with it not just on the basis of the content but also because the same message is conveyed not only him but also to the people who live in developed nations. This vantage point makes people feel connected in an entirely different way and they try to lend a word of mouth amongst their peers. Humans do have the herd mentality. What others follow they tend to follow on internet. A socially driven experiment on comparing two pictures but altering the number of likes made a huge difference in swaying people's perception. 

Internet broadens the scope of conversation which are taken globally. It's interesting to see how culturally different people react to the same message? The exchange of ideas and discussions triggers and improves the mutual understanding of the participants. 

But that doesn't mean that all globally launched campaigns are successful. It's only the powerful ones which succeed. 

How to define powerful..its the power of "stories" which connects people which makes them believe in things like magic !

There is no boundary for the popular stories in terms of nations or developing or developed or whatever biases people can think of. A simple powerful story is the one which works for one and all. This is the reason the children across the world almost read the same stories in their kindergarten. 

The stories lives inside people, they can connect with it, they can feel for it and thus great brands always have a powerful story. Great brands also keep in mind one very strong human behaviour insight: They identify the human behaviour they want to leverage. They don't try to change people's behaviour but they leverage it. They are working on their today by grasping the present and develop a strong vision for future. Saying these words" Create a vision for future" easier said than done. 

Vision is not always built by the most smart or most intelligent people in the team, but from the people who are most adaptive to the change in the surroundings. 

Be vigil for the new researches going on the relevant area and think in your own context. It is not always good to pounce on whatever comes as the most new trend but what matters is to understand the sustainability. Fad works for small times only. Today on internet the spikes of fad are more frequent. Adaptability to them can be fatal or sometimes it may be like may hay while the sunshines!! who knows?

After all this is what the Darwin also said " It's not the most intelligent one who survives but the one who is most adaptive and human brain is an adaptive machine". 

Can "Free-will" overpower Brain circuits?

We have heard lots of jargons which talks about our willpower.

Strength does not come from physical capacity it comes from indomitable will: Mahatma Gandhi, 

Who is firm in will, moulds the world to himself: Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 

“People do not lack strength; they lack will.” Victor Hugo

“The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.” Vince Lombardi

and the list goes on.......

Since our childhood we are asked by our parents and teachers that no matter what comes in your way you should be able to do the task if you are willing to do. Enough of this will-power sermon. Here I am not going to talk about it. What's new on our plate in 21st century is something called "Free-will". I don't know how many of you guys have heard about it or are even aware about it but let me throw some light on it.

The roots of free-will lies deep into the field of neuro research. Sam Harrison has even written a complete book as "Free Will" which is a very debatable book. First of all let us define "free-will". As the word says the will which is not under any influence it is free, your brain can take any decision which it wants. People take lots of decision in a day. Most of the decision are taken sub-consciously and people don't even acknowledge that this is some sort of decision we have taken. E.g. What to eat in lunch if you have a buffet? What to wear today to office? and so on... But what if science says that all these decisions you have taken could be easily guessed by the person who is monitoring you. You are taken aback as if your identity is stolen. First thought: Am I too predictable? (Whole stuff on which OTTs hack your viewing choices!!). Yeah you are..

But here comes the twist!! Research says that if consciously monitored a person can take charge of himself and can make the best decisions which may not be predictable, if he takes charge of the "Free Will". Imagine some random options are provided to an audience to select any one thing from the menu. Now, each and very individual will make decision at different point of time. so the time when a person thinks of some option and freezes that option completely there is a lag of time. This lag of time is basically called the Illusion of free will. It is at this moment that person feels he is making a decision but in reality he is NOT! But it can be shown through scientific techniques like fMRI that you didn't take decision,  it was the impact of the surroundings or other external factors which just pushed you forward to put a seal on the obvious decision. Your decision can be influenced (This is the game which marketers want to play around with you so that you just buy their brand ..lol!!) Now, this is a moment of crisis for a person as people think that they are unique but if they are puppets guided by external factors, this does not make sense!

Now, Prof Moraf Cerf, a neuroscientist has shown that our brains do not have one identity there are lots of conflicts and lots of fight going  inside and it is like whosoever wins the arguments inside wins the battle. He further says that our brain can be profiled by understanding its true nature of decision mapping with the brain activities. It can prove that some people can take better decision in morning, some in evening, some when they are hungry some when they are full and so on...These critical findings about oneself makes person to perform the best in the current state of affairs. and therefore he is actually on board of so many multinational companies to help CEOs better decisions!!

So what is in there store for us because not everyone can access the means to oneself better in these ways and improves in day to day affairs. So there is a very powerful narrative which plays a role in each and every individual's life. It is this narrative to which we all are tied and just make a boundary and define ourselves. If someone says Life has dejected me that person will always live in that impression and never be able to take control of whatever is going around. Prof Cerf further tells about that we have a memory with which we can actually play with. The illusion created by our imperfect memories is just what we feed daily to ourselves. If we recall one particular incident which was crucial in your life, each and every time narration will be painted by the present state of mind and will be restored in memory. We slowly and slowly alters our memory and our emotions unconsciously. The type of people who are around us affects our brain activity. Science has shown that when two person are sitting next to each other their brain activities do interact with each other. It alters our brain deep inside. If you are in the company of humorous people it will start altering your brain activities and both brains will become similar after much interaction. It's very important that we should surround ourselves by people who we like to become. 

Thus Free will becomes guided will if we are conscious about it. Its illusion of being free is in existence only till the time we don't acknowledge it. The moment we acknowledge it's Boom....

Human beings are special because they communicate with each other, they are affected by the environment and makes an impact on each other's thinking process. Our brain circuits are complex structures which interacts and evolves. this is the reason we have strong communities, we can influence people by the way we talk, by the way we have a narration, a story to talk about we have belief systems. This is the reason that movies, stories, Tv shows across the world influences our belief system. In today's electronic world, we can watch videos, access books from any corner of the world, this is what alters our brain. Our brain always communicates, it always talks this is how we improve ourselves. It surpasses thoughts which it don't want to be strong and solidifies the  persona which it wants to wear. 

So just try to feed good to your brain as a daily dose!!

Why Reading is important ?

Why we often see the great CEOs or billion dollar empire owners are always well read people? 

Well, we all know literacy is important and that is the success pillar of any nation. more literate the people are better is the society to live in. But is literacy the ultimate goal?

Nations which have stopped at this goal have not survived long in the race of innovativeness. Then what next? Should we not take baby steps to reach a goal and set a goal?

The answer is NO. Goal becomes our destination and we stops there and then. We may thrive for more and more feeding a monster inside us who is ever hungry. This is the time when we run out of our sanity and takes a hyperbolic path towards where we started. This tears apart people. 

Then what is the real solution? should we not consider fulfilment of a goal? or even define a goal? because then we become slave of that desire. What is the middle path people should take? where is the solution?

No body knows the right answer. But yes defining goal definitely constrains us and restricts our potential. However the continuous evolution of a human being constantly reminds him that there lies a bigger picture. Nothing should be seen in silos. From where do people see these bigger pictures? even bigger than themselves?

Its the good literature which gives them a company! There is a constant state of flux which tells them to look beyond and just not trapped in your little vision. How to define a good literature? Well, that's a question which no body can answer upfront. But yes one thing is for sure, if the literature which you read do not troubles you or brings agitation in your thoughts it is not a good literature. This can be a little thumb of rule in my perspective. 

Just as 3R's are important in services which are "Reachable", "Responsive" and "Reliable" makes a service consumable similarly the good work should also be available, Talked about or discussed about and should have reliable sources in its content that makes a book noteworthy. 

Books defines and refines our perspective. It evolves us with time. It challenges our brain. it gives us food for thought. It helps us to be humble to be patient and there are so many other countless reasons which are to be written down. 

The biggest one is though " READ AS IF YOUR SUCCESS DEPENDS UPON IT". May sound cliche but its true and very very true.

 

Ask yourself a question? Why do I read 

Simple answer is the more ideas you absorb from your environment more ideas you will assimilate and give them a new perspective. You will always remain relevant in your field of work. You will always be able to think out of the box! There will be times when some things don't make a sense to you, but it's not a pitfall. Either resolve that conflict or put it aside in peace. Even if you are taking away some things its a achievement.

Always keep challenging yourself for good reading speed. It's fine to be a slow reader speed will come with time. In digital space we have so much options now, we have app like Audible which can do the job for you even when you are on move! So save time in whatever manner you can

Read all genres even those which do not fall in your comfort zone. Some like art, philosophy, literature, fiction, non-fiction, sci-fi, motivational, self-improvement,mystery and the list goes on. But the true beauty lies in switching the genres. It definitely teaches you something which you could not imagine. That's what sucks out the best version of you from you. 

There are so many good communities which encourages you for reading. My personal favourite is #Goodreads. You not only comes across other readers who shares their views but at the same time its a virtual collection of all books from where you can select the best out of the best! You really feel inspired. Its true that drive has to be from within but sometimes external factors just accelerates it for you!.

KEEP READING! 

Will keep you posted some of my favourite books!

What to watch with Kids on NETFLIX? Post-1

It's not an easy task to watch the desired content on an OTT. Especially when there are so many players in this domain each with their own web series, own set of movies and classics along with the regional stuff.

The limited time when people usually have their dinner time everybody sits together and watch tv together. It's a great challenge to cate to the demands of everyone. Moreover it's not easy to dig out a content which children sitting with you can also watch. Here I will be posting frequently what all content is a must family watch specially for kids. Now-a-days parents want their kids to have limited time screen watching. 

Thus to make the best use of time here is something to the rescue.

Movie: Back to future

The three movie series is available on #Netflix. 

Its an amazing watch for kids in the age of 7-9. The sci-fi movie which introduces time travel is a movie full of adventure. Kids watching a teenager going on a time travel trip is a fascinating concept for them. This is one of the humorous movie which everyone will enjoy. The anticipation of coming back to the present state of affairs is also shown in a curious manner. It keeps you thrilled till the nail biting finish of the events takes place at a roller coaster speed. 
Though the movie was released in 1985, it story takes place in different timelines of 1955 (as status quo time which is the referees present time), 2015 and 1885. 

 The Old America is shown in a very beautiful manner.  A very interesting piece of movie with kids at home on a weekend.