The grand essentials of happiness are: something to do, something to love, and something to hope for - Allan K.Chalmers
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
A Thought for Today-324:
The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of your state of mind - Wayne W. Dyer
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Random Thoughts-36: "Living in the World of Walter Mitty"
I was rearranging books in one of my shelves. I came across this torn, battered copy of a book of short stories collection. Even the title page was not there and it started from the contents page. Out of curiosity, I perused the titles of the short stories. When I came across James Thurber's, "The Secret World of Walter Mitty", I remembered having read it long back and having discussed it with my friend VC, while we were on a 'padayatra' (pilgrimage by foot) to Palani. It is a world-famous story and a masterpiece.
Before I go any further, have you read the story? If not, kindly read it before proceeding further; am providing a link to the full story from All-Story.com:
http://www.all-story.com/issues.cgi?action=show_story&story_id=100
Walter Mitty is a pathetic, pitiable character, a no-body. He finds it difficult to face reality and indulges in heroic daydreams assuming himself to be a famous general, surgeon etc. In short, though harmless, he is an escapist. To balance his inferiority complex, he indulges in grand and elaborate dreams of heroism. The world is full of such pathetic characters, to whom life has been difficult to bear. Probably they could easily empathize with Mitty. That may explain the popularity of the story. It was so popular that the word "Mittyesque" got into the dictionary.
People who lead a dull and dreary life, who keep repeatedly bumping into reality, find a way to hide themselves in their wild fantasies. Instead of facing their problems and fears head on, they just run away and hide themselves. At one time or the other, everyone might have indulged in this sort of dramatic fantasy, though not to the extent of Mitty.
I also used to be another Mitty. I had a very difficult life. Sometimes I wonder how I got out of it and feel grateful to God that I am out of that miserable condition.
I think Spiderman, Superman and such characters came into being because of this sort of fantasy deep inside everyone of us. It also explains their runaway success. It proves that in a limited sense, it could be helpful to one and could help one to get out of depression once in a while.
For further reading:
"The Secret World of Walter Mitty" from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_Life_of_Walter_Mitty
Write-up on "James Thurber" with his picture from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Thurber
I take this opportunity to salute the memory of James Thurber. Also my grateful thanks to All-Story.com and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Before I go any further, have you read the story? If not, kindly read it before proceeding further; am providing a link to the full story from All-Story.com:
http://www.all-story.com/issues.cgi?action=show_story&story_id=100
Walter Mitty is a pathetic, pitiable character, a no-body. He finds it difficult to face reality and indulges in heroic daydreams assuming himself to be a famous general, surgeon etc. In short, though harmless, he is an escapist. To balance his inferiority complex, he indulges in grand and elaborate dreams of heroism. The world is full of such pathetic characters, to whom life has been difficult to bear. Probably they could easily empathize with Mitty. That may explain the popularity of the story. It was so popular that the word "Mittyesque" got into the dictionary.
People who lead a dull and dreary life, who keep repeatedly bumping into reality, find a way to hide themselves in their wild fantasies. Instead of facing their problems and fears head on, they just run away and hide themselves. At one time or the other, everyone might have indulged in this sort of dramatic fantasy, though not to the extent of Mitty.
I also used to be another Mitty. I had a very difficult life. Sometimes I wonder how I got out of it and feel grateful to God that I am out of that miserable condition.
I think Spiderman, Superman and such characters came into being because of this sort of fantasy deep inside everyone of us. It also explains their runaway success. It proves that in a limited sense, it could be helpful to one and could help one to get out of depression once in a while.
For further reading:
"The Secret World of Walter Mitty" from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_Life_of_Walter_Mitty
Write-up on "James Thurber" with his picture from Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Thurber
I take this opportunity to salute the memory of James Thurber. Also my grateful thanks to All-Story.com and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
A Thought for Today-324:
Some gifts are big, others are small. Gifts from the heart are the best gifts of all - Unknown
Monday, February 15, 2010
A Thought for Today-323:
There is no such thing in anyone's life as an unimportant day - Alexander Woollcott
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Saturday, February 13, 2010
My Journal-3: February 13, 2010, Saturday
Got up at 5 a.m. Prolonged illness and depressed mind have kept me away from my journal for quite long. Switched on my PC and open the mailbox. First to catch my attention was the Self-improvement Newsletter from Self-Growth.com. There was a video on "Goal Setting" by David Riklan. Though I have read many articles on Goal Setting and the Importance of Goal Setting, this video very much impressed me, especially the acronym, SMART, which stands for Special Goals, Measurable Goals, Achievable Goals, Relevant Goals and Time Frame for achieving the goals. In the space of less than 7 minutes, he beautifully summed up goal setting by his lucid talk, making my morning pleasant and instilling faith and hope in my mind.
From that, I went to his video talk, "12 Goal Setting Mistakes in Five Minutes or Less" (which supplemented the first video talk) and "Great Health in 5 Minutes or Less". I thoroughly enjoyed watching these videos and found them highly useful. I should pick up the ideas and implement them in my life, so help me God!
Further, his invitation to visit SelfGrowth.com where 62,000 articles on Self-Improvement by 9653 experts can be read freely. I intend to visit this site and read the articles that interest me.
Also I would very much like to get hold of Riklan's book, "101 Greatest Ways to Improve Your Health".
In case you are interested, you can also visit their website, SelfGrowth.com:
www.selfgrowth.com
My grateful thanks to David Riklan and SelfGrowth.com.
A Thought for Today-321:
Where your talents and the needs of the world cross lies your calling - Aristotle
Friday, February 12, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Self-Improvement-70: "101 Ways to Transform Your Life" by Wayne Dyer
Grateful thanks to Wayne Dyer, 'mindsecret1' and YouTube.
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
My Photo Album-43: "Pravin solo and with others"
Photos taken with Suri's Canon Powershot A590 camera
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