Looking for happiness - Rishona Chopra

Happiness. 

It is something we all try to look for in everything. Everything temporary. We look for happiness in a cup of ice cream, but when that ice cream finishes, so does our happiness. Why isn't our happiness long-lasting and in our control? If we look for happiness in a pen, once the pen is broken, our happiness will be broken, too. We are the authors of our books. We are the hand that controls the pen. But in this case, isn't the pen controlling the hand? Aren't our feelings going in control of someone else?

When someone does something not to our satisfaction, we lose our happiness. In that way, can't that external person take control of when we are happy and when we are sad?

Another instance is when we see one of our family members or friends sad, we often tell them, "If you are sad, I will also be sad," but that is not the way. Again, someone else is controlling our feelings. Why not cheer them up instead?

The journey of looking for happiness is quite an interesting one. At every moment, we realise that we are giving control to someone else or something else. Even though I always hear this, I have not fully found happiness in myself. I have not found happiness being alone with nothing, but we all learn at every step of life, and so am I. 

There are a few lines I remember from a book I read, they were:
"Never search for your happiness in others; it will make you feel alone. Search it yourself, and you will feel happy even if you are left alone."

Rishona Chopra
Grade VII
Gyanshree School

Love To Serve - Rishona Chopra

It is said that what we do comes back to us. Karma, as some of us would call it. A good act of kindness comes back to us. It may be true and correct, but it should not be our cause to do something good. We shouldn't give, help, care or be kind, just believing that we will do good so good will come to us.

The law of karma isn't something that can be fooled. It is just a power of the universe. It looks at the thought behind it and not just the action. 

When we give something, do we expect something in return? Well, I did, and I realised that when you give someone something - not an item but even an act of kindness and care, not many return the same to you, and we have to live with it. The only way to yet be happy is to first accept it and then know that your deed of kindness has helped somebody. 

When God blesses you financially, don't raise your standard of living. Raise your standard of giving. - Mark Batterson

It is true what Mark Batterson has said, we should give not only when we are rich in our everyday lives, we should raise our standard of giving, it may not be just giving money, even giving a toy to a person who needs it or a book is an act of giving too! 

A small act of giving could mean everything to a person. Giving not only makes the other person happy but also makes us happy. As said,' make others happy, and you will be satisfied the same way give and give, and you will feel better.

                                                                       ***
Do we have this life entirely for ourselves? Are we given this life just so we can enjoy and live happily? Well, we are absolutely nothing alone. One cannot be anything alone at all. Mahatma Gandhi alone did not defeat the British. Mother Teresa alone did not help the people. No one has ever accomplished anything alone because it is simply not possible. As brave and fascinating as doing something alone sounds, it isn't. We are all connected; we are all one. We say Unity in Diversity, but do we mean it from our hearts?

We may differ in colour, race, background, education, age, and height, but we are still the same. We are just one soul. 

So why do we believe that all our actions must be for ourselves? Can't it be for others? Will that do us any harm? 
To check, let us just list out what could happen. 

DEED: LOSS
I gave a child my pencil: I had another one
I helped someone tie their laces: No loss
I donated money to charity: I earned some more
Meeting my sick friend: No loss
Gave food to a homeless: Spent little money
Helped someone study: No loss
Complimenting someone and appreciating them: No loss
Sat with someone and listened to them: No loss

These are a few examples of deeds of giving. I may have lost money, pencils and a few more little things, but all these deeds made me happier and were defiantly worth it. These deeds may have taken out some of my time, but they all make me happier. 

What we do for ourselves dies with us, but what we do for others lives on forever. 

Rishona Chopra

Grade VII

Gyanshree School

A memorable moment - Rishona Chopra

 

Sometimes, all we need is just to talk to someone, all alone, telling them about everyone and everything. And I need that time every day. I absolutely love it when I have interesting long conversations with my mother. It is when I can reflect and listen to how my mother's day went. 

With no doubt, my favourite time of the day is when I have a long talk with my mother. We discuss many things, from how the day went to the people who irritated us. Often we find ourselves fighting with each other and then, the next minute, laughing and enjoying ourselves. 

I absolutely love and cherish this time; there is so much to say and tell that you just can't stop. While on some rare days, there is nothing to say, but sitting together makes me so happy. No matter where we are, we always have this time with each other, whether before sleeping or during the day during our morning walk. This is definitely the best time of the day for me. 

We had a long deep conversation a few days ago. We both sat on the floor with support from the bed. We talked about how people irritate us and complained about our personal issues. It was something so enriching for me and yet so enjoyable. I genuinely wished that time would never end. 

There are a few lines from a song that I would like to quote:

"For all the places I have been, I'm no place without you
 If I could fly, then I would know
 What life looks like from up above and down below."

This song is written by a father to his daughter; the song means to say that the little moments are the big ones. The father has been to many places, but what matters is where our family is. 

These moments I have with my mother are priceless and hold quite a meaning in my heart. 

Rishona Chopra
Grade VII
Gyanshree School

What is peer pressure and how can we deal with it? - Rishona Chopra

Peer pressure is the pressure we face from our peers to do something. It indirectly or directly affects us. Often we find ourselves pretending to fit in the crowd, so we start doing things and becoming people we are not. We lose our own identity just to make 'friends'. But friends who force you to do something or friends who you cannot be yourself around aren't really friends, are they?

Each of us has our own identity, which we are given for a reason because we all are unique, we put on a different persona, and it affects no one but us.  

Being with the right company matters a lot. One ripe apple kept with ten other rotten apples will soon rot too. It is better to be alone than with bad friends. 

Dealing with peer pressure, though, is quite a challenge. Often people try to bully us by telling us that we are 'not cool' and 'boring'. But we must remember that the right path is often alone, but being alone doesn't mean we must be lonely. Ignoring people like that is the best way. We need to have a calm and composed mind that knows what is right and wrong. We do what we do, and pressuring someone needs to be corrected. 

When we start ignoring all of this, people start bothering us because peer pressure that makes you do bad things is just to trouble you or force you towards the wrong path. 

While dealing with peer pressure, we might think, "everyone is doing this", or "what could be wrong with this?" but something correct is not what the majority does. People around us may TRY to have a strong influence on us but we have to be that one person who stands on the right path, whether alone or not. Their TRY must be a left a try only and be in vain. 

Because of peer pressure, we start feeling insecure about our own selves and doubting ourselves. All our choices and decisions seem to be made by others and their opinions, but it is OUR life, OUR choices, and they cannot be changed. People may give us good advice that we should always lend an ear to, but then again, there has to be a straight line between right and wrong, people you trust and don't. 

We may need friends at this age, even if that means pretending to do things they don't. It feels terrible when you have no one to sit with you, talk to you and a person you can share your thoughts with, but it's hard to find someone like that, with who you can be yourself ( apart from your parents, of course)!

Sometimes, I am in the impact of my peers. I know what they might be doing is wrong, but I just pretend to do what they do just so I can get along with them, but then you have to remember that you have higher goals in life. You have higher aspirations than pretending or changing yourself to make friends. 

Instead of finding company outside, we can be our own friends! No one knows us better than we do, and no one ever can! 

Rishona Chopra
Grade VII
Gyanshree School

The darkest hour of the day - Vani Pandey

It was the 31st of October and the darkest hour of the day. My parents were out, and I was alone at home. It wasn't the first time I had been like this. This was about the hundredth time I had been all alone. I wasn't afraid, for all I could think was how to paint the wall in my room. It was huge, and it was a giant project for me. I was all blank for inspiration. 

" Hmm... What about a giant rainbow and a few of my original made characters in it? Or... What about a beautiful seascape? 

That was my mind, all messed up and out of place. Suddenly, I heard a whistle. Maybe it was the wind, or was it, someone? It came from the dark and blank lobby. Did I dare to go there? Well, no. I stayed where I was. And then went to see whether there was a wind blowing. There was a slight breeze, but it couldn't be the wind whistle. But I made up my mind and got back to work. Then again, I heard a whistle. But this time, it was more of a faint cry. My body got cold for a second. It was 11 at night, and a muffled cry was haunting me. I got hold of all the confidence I had and walked into the lobby. I switched on the light, and all I could see was the living room, well set and no one. As soon as I was returning to my room, I heard a whistle and a cry at the same time again! But this time, it came from the abandoned room in the corner. I, in fact, no one had been in there for a long while. We used it as a storeroom for our old things.

I entered and followed the cry. It was coming from a cardboard box. It said- 'Old toys'. I opened it and found a doll. And then, I remembered that it was a haunted doll my brother got me on Halloween. I saw that the button, somehow, got switched on, and it was making all that noise. I switched it off and closed the door. And by then, my parents had come back. The best part was that it was all over, but I still didn't understand how the doll's button got switched on. But as it is said- " Some things should be left as a mystery."

Vani Pandey Class- 8th:C Gyanshree School Noida

Alone But Not Lonely - Reveda Bhatt

"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger
Stand a little taller.
Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone
What doesn't kill you makes a fighter
Footsteps even lighter
Doesn't mean I'm over 'cause you're gone."
-That was Kelly Clarkson.

Finding me alone somewhere makes you think that I'm lonely.
See, you got me all wrong there.
That was my "me-time"-not thinking about the past, not living in the present and not
worrying about the future; just letting time leave me behind for a while.
Drop it.

Coming back, I think once you discover the way to your inner self, it automatically comes to
you and then, you have a true friend and a true mate who truly exists but is truly invisible or
maybe just too timid to come out. May call it timid because your inner self is afraid that it
may lose its trueness in this superficial world on coming out. So, the deeper it is, the better
it is.

These six lines each carry a meaning distinct from the other.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
-Indeed, an incident made me.

Stand a little taller.
-Well, now, I do because even death couldn’t put me down.

Doesn't mean I'm lonely when I'm alone.
-There is me I carry in myself.

What doesn't kill you makes a fighter.
-My injuries made me that.

Footsteps are even lighter.
-Knowing I have to leave behind what, once, I cherished.

Doesn't mean I'm over 'cause you're gone.
-You, being there, are just a superficial part of my superficial existence, as in I’m happy, really happy when you’re around, as I’m a social animal and the thought of you leaving hurts for a while, but then I just don’t feel it anymore again maybe because I’m a social animal. 
So, maybe I’m like so interestingly self-sufficient that I just don’t need anyone else to be the reason for my smile because that place is already reserved by me and those in my heart.

Conclusion-
Never think I'm lonely when I'm alone,
I was on the turn on the road where the streetlights shone,
Now, I am moving on into the endless darkness,
Not Lonely, but alone.

Reveda Bhatt

Grade IX

The Aryan School, Dehradun

Inspiration: Stronger - Kelly Clarkson https://youtu.be/Xn676-fLq7I

I am unique - Rishona Chopra

Before you read, this is not written by me, but by a girl (unknown) who wants to tell me about her life.

Dear Diary,

Yes. Today was tough, not the best, I was made fun of at school, but I got all A's on my English Test, so that's a good thing. I got the highest score in SSC but not a total score; I got two questions wrong. I don't know why but usually, the things that troubled me to seem to stay in my head and affect me a lot. I might be short; I don't know why. I like to cuddle with my mother, I don't know why. I want to spend my time with books, I don't know why. I am different, but I am unique. What matters is that my heart is beautiful. If I study too much,  people call me a nerd. If I don't, they call me a fool. I can never stand up to one's expectations, but I can always stand up to my dreams and expectations. I am not perfect. I am satisfied with who I am.

You might be thinking, why am I talking about such sentimental things, but these thoughts perhaps refresh your mind. Maybe I am exaggerating a bit, but I am just sharing some of myself with you. Yes, you find it useless now. You may shut the book and keep it aside.

It's easy to say all these words, but these simple words have a deeper and more difficult meaning to them. They don't always make you happy. We all feel the urge to stand up to our teachers, parents and friends' expectations but are we living our life for them? If someone calls me nerdy, will I stop studying and enjoying my life? Of course, I feel like changing to become friends with them but why when I am unhappy?

I just don't know how to express this happiness of mine. Happiness? How on Earth can I be happy? Well, I am so glad because I am different. I am unique just the way I am!

We all seek answers to these questions we can never know about, like" Why am I different? Why has God made me like this?" All this is just fate, and fate is always good. Being a little alone is always good because it helps you know more about yourself. No matter if anyone is there for you, you are always there for yourself. Ask yourself a few questions about yourself:
What is your favourite hobby?
Where do you love to spend your time?
Who is your best friend?
Who does you like spending time with?
If you took time to think about these questions, perhaps you don't know a part of yourself. We spend so much time thinking about others that we forget that there is much more to explore in ourselves. There is a part of us we don't know; how many of us know our ambition in life? Yes, maybe a doctor, an author, or even a good human, but can you answer this in a second? You don't have to be a narcissist but perhaps a bit more self-confident about yourself.
The best time you can ever spend with someone is with yourself. This made me feel better... Good Night! (somebody)