Soulful Illumination - Aati Pema

PC- Ati Pema

"Soulful Illumination: The Essence of Kindness and Genuineness"

"Kindness is defined as one who is considerate towards others through their sympathetic actions. Kindness in itself is a charitable action as it's selfless, where one keeps one's self-consciousness aside. When one shows kindness, we become honest to ourselves and this genuineness embodies the warmth of the human soul. Here kindness is the torch which burns in the dark and a person's genuineness embodies the warmth and light. 

Kindness promotes genuineness, which is what makes the connection between two souls. This is why mercy is said to be nectar to those who give and receive, as it is also a way in life to show kindness. So kindness is actually not defined just by being considerate of others. But it is any compassionate act done with a genuine empathetic spirit. Though I have said it to be a selfless act in the paragraphs above, it still raises our self-esteem throughout our lives with every act of such selfless service.

"That light we see is burning in my hall. How far that little candle throws his beams!" - Portia (William Shakespeare)"

Aati Pema
Pestalozzi Children's Village Society

Importance of forgiveness - Nishan Karki

Forgiveness means letting go of negative feelings and attitudes towards another person. Forgiveness arises when we try to understand other people's feelings and show some sympathy towards them.

It is one of the most important human values.

Forgiveness can help both parties, i.e., the one who forgives and the one who receives forgiveness.

The paragraph written below is the famous mercy speech by Portia in the play The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare.

"The quality of mercy is not strained;

It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven

Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest;

It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:

'T is mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes

The throned monarch better than his crown:

His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,

The attribute to awe and majesty,

Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;

But mercy is above this sceptred sway;

It is enthronèd in the hearts of kings,

It is an attribute to God himself;

And earthly power doth then show likest God's

When mercy seasons justice." 

In the above lines, Portia says that mercy ( forgiveness) is not a quality that is felt or shown under any compulsion. It is shown by humans as naturally as the gentle drops of rain fall from the sky to the earth below. Mercy is a double blessing. It blesses both the forgiver and the receiver, or the one being forgiven. It is the supreme quality that anyone, no matter how great, can possess. It is the most powerful quality in those who have the highest authority. It suits a king sitting on his throne better than his crown suits him. The golden rod of authority in the hands of a king is an indication of the force of his earthly power. The rod of authority is a symbol of the fear that kingship inspires in others, and it indicates the high dignity of the king. But mercy is something higher and greater than earthly authority, which is symbolized by the rod. Mercy occupies a lofty place in the hearts of kings. It is a quality and attribute of God himself. Earthly power acquires a divine quality when a man softens the hardness of the demands of justice by showing mercy.

So, the quality of mercy or forgiveness is one of the greatest possessions of people. In fact, animals also possess the quality of mercy, so why can't humans? The quality of mercy or forgiveness must be in the possession of every living being on earth.

 

Nishan Karki
Pestalozzi children's village society

Image Courtesy- Premium Times Nigeria

Acceptance - Rishona Chopra

Acceptance is considering people as they are. It is not knowing people's faults and not talking about them. That is being sympathetic. Acceptance is to not even realise one has flaws or is disabled; it is just to consider them equal to you.

In the book Totto-chan, Takahashi was short, but no one talked about it because they probably didn't realise that he was disabled or had faults. They just accepted him as a child. 

When we grow up, we know more, we know the faults, we know when one is disabled and when we see that, we even stop feeling pity for them! That is why our brain cannot use it to its total capacity because the more we know, the more problems we create. Life will unfold itself. We don't have to force it to open its destiny. 

In an extract from Peter Pan, Peter says to Wendy: Children don't believe in fairies because they know more than what they are supposed to know, and that's why fairies are fading from the world.

Accepting people is looking at their good qualities, not at their faults, because after all, everyone is different and no one is perfect.

Rishona Chopra 
Grade VI 
Gyanshree School

Empathy - Ushita Saxena

Empathy is when you connect with someone. When you understand someone's feelings and know what to tell them. When you observe someone suffering, you may be able to imagine yourself in their shoes and sympathise with them. 

Have you ever heard of the term "sympathy"? Sympathy and Empathy may sound like synonyms, but actually, they aren't! Sympathy is when you feel sorry for someone from your own perspective. Empathy is when you put yourself in someone else's shoes and understand why they feel that way. This is a significant difference to understand. Let's take an example. Your friend's sibling died, and they are feeling super sad. What would you do? If you were to sympathise, you would say things like 'I'm sorry you're feeling that way or 'It's okay. Don't worry about something like that. But if you were to empathise, you would say things like, 'I have been there and be sad too.  

Empathy is essential as it helps build connections with people and bond with them. Social relationships are necessary for your body and your mental state. Empathising with people makes them empathise with you and spreads it.  

To practice Empathy and influence it, you can do a ton of stuff, such as: i. Work on listening to people without interrupting 

ii. Pay attention to body language and other types of nonverbal  communication 

iii. Try to understand people, even when you disagree with them iv. Ask people questions to learn more about them and their lives 

To conclude, Empathy is when you understand that person and know what they are feeling, which can prepare you for telling them about it. It helps in socialising and creating bonds. Sympathy and Empathy are very different; sympathy is when you feel sorry for them passively, and Empathy Is when you are sorry for them in a more active way and feel what they are feeling. 

"If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours."  

Ushita 

Grade: 6A

Gyanshree School

Empathy - Rishona Chopra

Empathy is understanding others' feelings and reacting accordingly. It is to feel what they are feeling, to be in their shoes.

We often misunderstand Empathy and Sympathy. Sympathy is when we feel pity for someone, while Empathy is feeling what the other person thinks and helping them out. If your friend won a basketball match, you can understand his feelings and be happy for him and celebrate his happiness. Even if you hate basketball, after being happy for him and by making him happy, you feel good too. This is where Empathy connects with Making Others Happy. 

The above picture shows how two people can connect and understand each other as one. This is all because of Empathy.

Here is a poem I wrote on Empathy:

Empathy is something so strong, 
It senses when something is wrong.

It connects us together,
And we become as calm as the weather!

I know how you feel,
And we can together heal.

I feel your pleasure and pain,
But empathy is a feeling, and it's hard to explain.

Understanding each other's feelings,

makes you look appealing,

it helps you make friends,

and makes fights end!!

It might be a bit difficult,
but it's nothing different.

Everyone should understand it,
at least a little bit!!

Rishona Chopra
Grade VI
Gyanshree School

Friendship - Akshar Rajpurohit

Friendship is a relationship of mutual affection between people. Friendship is a more vital form of interpersonal bond than an association. Friendship has been studied in academic fields such as communication, sociology, social psychology, anthropology, and philosophy. Various educational theories of friendship have been proposed, including social exchange theory, equality theory, relational dialectics, and attachment styles.

Such characteristics include affection; kindness, love, virtue, sympathy, empathy, honesty, altruism, loyalty, mutual understanding and compassion, enjoyment of each other company, trust, and the ability to be oneself, express one's feelings to others and make mistakes without fear of judgement from the friend.

Name: Akshar Rajpurohit

Grade: XI Commerce

The Fabindia School

Making Others Happy - Simar Kaur

The beauty of life does not depend on how happy you are but how happy others can be because of you. Every time we make someone happy, an indescribable feeling enters our body. It makes your day better, and at night you can go to sleep feeling better about yourself. Life is meaningless without compassion, love, empathy, and sympathy. It seems to be even more pointless if one is not happy. It is human nature to discover more and more ways to be more comfortable and more content with life. Many people find contentment and satisfaction by making others happy, and it works like a charm. The quest for happiness is not proportional to the pursuit of money, fame, or success. It's a quest present in the heart. If we follow our hearts, we will be happy with ourselves at the end of the day.

How can we be happy? There isn't one definite answer to that question. But there is a way, that is to make others happy. In his book 'Is your child ready to face the world', Dr Anupam Sibal names two famous personalities who followed their heart and made the world happier. Walt Disney made beautifully animated stories. His legacy continues till now. Many people find happiness in watching his stories and visiting 'Disneyland' each year. His creation Mickey Mouse makes millions of children laugh and smile. The second person Dr Sibal named was Charlie Chaplin. Chaplin made millions of people happy without even uttering a single word. The way he mended pain to be humour made him distinct from many others. His creativity is genuinely commendable.

One more person who made millions happy was a man named 'Jaspal Bhatti'. He continues to bring a smile to people's faces even today, after almost 9 years of his passing away. He is known for his satirical take on the common man's problems. Watching his episodes has been a bonding activity for my father and me. His humorous shows and witty acting have never failed to make us happy.

Making others happy is what can help us attain joy and happiness. It makes us more comfortable than anything else. If we even make a little effort and make someone happy every day, we will be happier with ourselves. That can make all the difference in the world.

Simar Kaur

Grade IX

Gyanshree school