Hello again, my friend.
This is the most unusual
Positivity Weekly till date. This volume covers stories that, at first and
second glance, seem absolutely un-positive. It’s in the re-reading and
re-analyzing that we see the spark of inspiration within. Take for instance the
gruesome world of child trafficking. Can a few stories of liberation alter our
mindset? Well, decide for yourself. Also, how can a father’s protest of the
R-word (read: RETARDED) lead to anything positive? That’s for you to read and discover.
My personal favourite is the one about the schizophrenic woman. Her story is likely
rattle you.
Why this change in tone? Well,
just to remind ourselves that life offers more than marshmallows and cotton
candy. Our newsletter usually deals with smooth joy and evident beauty.
But in this issue, we will learn
to see the innate beauty in cacti.
News from the public domain
Triumphing against sex trafficking
7 stories collected over 2
decades. Trust the New York Times to
carry such a feature. Read it here.
Do you often “tard”?
If you have watched the superbly
imagined sitcom named Scrubs, you
will need no introduction to John C McGinley.
For those unaware of Scrubs,
John is a veteran actor. He did a role in Wall
Street and continues to act till date. And he is as famous for his fabulous
acting as for the fact that his son has Down’s Syndrome. So he wrote this
article, all by himself, describing the agony of the word “retarded”. The
article is rather abstract in patches, but the message and its importance comes
through. Please spend a few minutes to read through it. People with special
needs are all around you. And sometimes, they appear so normal, it’s scary.
Reading this article might help
you help such people.
Most astounding fact of the universe
What are the quintessential
ingredients of Life itself? That’s a question of connectivity. Of relevance. Of
wanting to belong to the biggest picture in the universe. Well, good news. You
do belong. That’s the message of this
video.
The first kiss
Let me lighten the mood just a
bit with a story about the first kiss.
The first attempt at intimacy
between a romantic couple is the first kiss. The first kiss doesn’t tell you
where the relationship is going, but it might indicate where the relationship
is stationed in the present moment.
So what happens when total
strangers are asked to kiss… for the camera? I would like to describe this video as Sweet
Amazing Coalescence!
Nuremberg prosecutor offers a humane solution
This man is the only surviving prosecutor of the Nuremberg trials. He has looked Nazis in the eye and demanded justice from them and the courtroom. He sounds a tad pessimistic about the present, but is quite upbeat about the future. This story belongs here just like the ones above.
Nuremberg prosecutor offers a humane solution
This man is the only surviving prosecutor of the Nuremberg trials. He has looked Nazis in the eye and demanded justice from them and the courtroom. He sounds a tad pessimistic about the present, but is quite upbeat about the future. This story belongs here just like the ones above.
That fetid air
Elyn Saks is a person suffering
from schizophrenia who has somehow overcome the gravitational pull of her mental
illness.
The rainbow of mental illnesses is
seldom explored by mainstream society. Fortunate millions go through Life
without having to investigate the challenging colours therein. I, for one, have
had to deal with it in many ways. My father has Alzheimer’s, I have covered
stories on mental health as a journalist, I’ve started counselling children with
special needs and I am acutely aware of my own run-of-the-mill neuroses. Not to
mention the fact that certain relationships have made me wonder how people can
even believe in the existence of normalcy!
It is due to this acceptance of
alternate realities that I find intense beauty in this superb TED
talk. In it, Saks makes a passionate plea to not use force as a mode of
treatment. Yet, she thinks that her devils are so powerful that her angels
might have already fled.
Do you see struggle or liberation
in this video? You see what you want to, I guess.
P.S: Watch out for the insanely
humorous moment at the beginning of the twelfth minute.
In conclusion
Did this volume disappoint you?
Or were you alright with the offbeat approach? I’d love to know your views. Do
write in, as usual, to positivityweekly@gmail.com.
To read the previous volume of
Positivity Weekly, please click
here.
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