"All people have equal value" - Nishan Karki

                                 

Reflection from Sunday School

 

All lives have equal value. And so you say, 'Why do poor children die when other children don't? Why do some people have enough nutrition or reasonable toilets and other people don't?' So those basic needs that, through innovation, actually it's very affordable to bring them...to everyone.

~Bill Gates

Everyone in the world possesses many values. We, people, are the most intelligent beings created by God. God created us as social beings who can communicate, think, walk, eat, play and work by ourselves. God has provided us with many qualities like humanity, loyalty, kindness, honesty, compassion etc. We can look out for ourselves, do our work independently and do many more things. These qualities that we possess, make us unique, unlike animals and other creatures. They may possess some qualities, but not as many as we possess. Despite differences in region, birthplace, class, financial position, gender, age, caste, language and custom, people have equal values.

We may be rich, middle class or poor, but the value we possess are the same. We should use and show our values at the right time, place and situation. I have an example for this context- "There is a homeless guy, sitting on the side of a street. Two men were walking down the street, one poor and one wealthy. Despite being a wealthy man, he is rude and hard-hearted, unlike the poor, who is kind and generous. The rich man did not give attention to the homeless and walked away. But the poor man, in an instant, saw him and decided to help him. He went to a nearby shop and bought some food. He gave him food and a little money and spent time with him. The homeless guy thanked him. His eyes were all filled with tears."

This example shows that the poor guy has shown his value as a person and helped the homeless guy with some food and money. Thus we should use our values at the right time, place and situation. We should not hesitate to help someone in distress and difficulties because even a small help can change someone's life.

I believe that all lives have equal value. That all men and women are created equal. That everyone belongs. That everyone has rights, and everyone has the right to flourish. I believe that when people who are bound by the rules have no role in shaping the rules, moral blind spots become law, and the powerless bear the burden. ... I believe that entrenched social norms that shift society’s benefits to the powerful and its burdens to the powerless not only hurt the people pushed out but also always hurt the whole.

~Melinda Gates

 

Nishan Karki

Pestalozzi Children's Village, India

Being Human - Anvesha Rana

We are all human by birth, but that does not make a difference until we choose to be human. God has gifted us with the power of speech, the ability to harness raw materials and turn them into resources, the power to help other living entities and the capacity to develop a world of acceptance, but we have only taken the better out of our birth given right, never considering it to be a boon but an obvious fact. We never are grateful for being human simply because we don’t think we are human.

In this fast-paced world where everyone seems to be struggling for something, we have forgotten what being human means. We only cater to our needs, worry about our goals, focus on our problems, and only look at good things for us. As we forget to be human, we fail to be empathetic, compassionate and helpful; we might say that being independent is the need of the hour and that one should always look out for themselves, but then what is the difference between the predators and us out in the wild which only kill the weak and gullible to rule over, what will the world be if the innocent are further pressed down and walked upon.

Humanity comes to a still, and we forget our virtues as this world nurtures us into selfish and greedy individuals. It teaches us to bite the hand that feeds us and to not help but heap upon the frail ones. The sight of being human vanishes more every day, and although we have seen enough cruelty, we have also witnessed a few instances where love was present, where humanity was finally caught. Even if the bad is growing ever more and it feels that cruel people are stronger out there, never forget that only a little bit of humanity can extinguish a lot of evil deeds. Only a little bit of love can transform millions of hearts. The good is always more substantial than the bad; our positivity is so contagious that it can kill any negativity. 

Being human means not to profit out of someone’s weaknesses,

It means not to have eyes that see gain but that feel the pain,

It means to help without expectations and to love without getting it back, 

It means to be selfless and give more, more and more

When someone leaves a seat on the bus for an old lady or man, 

I understand what it is to be a human, 

When someone goes out of their way to help, 

I know what it is to be a human, 

When a child selflessly gives away their lunch to a friend who has none, 

I know what it is to be a human, 

When a teacher empathizes with a kid who has suffered a loss, 

I know what it is to be a human. 

Being a human is the greatest asset, 

We are human for a purpose and reason, 

Let us not trample upon the ones who hurt us, 

Forget and forgive is to be a human, 

To give more and expect less is to be a human, 

To offer a hand to others and walk together is to be a human,

To listen to the heart rather than the mind is to be a human,

We all are human by birth, but we must embrace it by nature.

Anvesha Rana

Grade 11 

Gyanshree School

Responsibility - Rishona Chopra

Responsibility is taking ownership of one's actions. It is to accept your mistake to help around and work hard. Responsibility is accepting that you are the cause and the solution to the problem. When we take responsibility, we should take it with total commitment and honesty. 

At my earlier school, we did an activity, in fact, not an activity but a daily exercise. Every day, after lunch, we had to clean the class. We got duties of dusting, sweeping and mopping. Whoever finished their duty would get to play outside. This taught us responsibility; my favourite task was to mop the floor. If you try it once, you'll realize it's fun to mop the floor, unlike sweeping. Even cleaning the bathroom is a cool duty, well, only if it's a small one!

Every relationship with friends or family brings a sense of duty and responsibility. Each family member has a duty, a responsibility to fulfil. For example, a child has the duty to help with chores, study and work hard; likewise, other family members must fulfil their jobs. A little compromise from everybody always results in something great or, in this example - A happy family. An important part is responsible for our actions. We all make mistakes and some wrongdoings, and instead of covering them up with thousands of lies, we could make it easy with one truth and take responsibility for our actions.

Sometimes we are insecure about handing over responsibility to others. We seek to keep responsibility for ourselves. Check if you hesitate to pass on duties to other people. Even I feel the same. I feel hesitation in giving responsibility to others. The only thought that helps me improve is, "What if other people start feeling the same hesitation? Won't I feel bad?"

Giving responsibilities can only be done with a bridge of trust and confidence. If you trust the person and feel confident about yourself, this bridge can be crossed.

Rishona Chopra
Grade VI
Gyanshree School

Sudha Murty - Rishona Chopra

Sudha Murty was born in 1950 in Shiggaon in north Karnataka. She has written nine novels, four technical books, three travelogues, one short story collection, and two non-fiction pieces, including How I Taught My Grandmother to Read and Other Stories. 

Other books by her are - Grandma's Bag Of Stories, The Magic Of The Lost Temple, Grandparents Bag Of Stories, The Upside Down King, Gopi Diaries, The Man From The Egg, How The Sea Became Salty, How The Mango Got Its Magic, The Sage with two horns, The Magic Drum and many more.

Wise and Otherwise, initially published in English, is now available in several Indian languages—Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Gujarati, Oriya, Bengali and Kashmiri.

Wise and Otherwise is a book about heartwarming stories with a touch of reality. This book gives a clear account of her work and approach to it. An accomplished storyteller in Kannada, Sudha Murty wrote for the first time in English to inaugurate a fortnightly column in the New Sunday Express. She focused on her experiences, travels, and encounters with ordinary people with extraordinary minds.

From stories of honesty to humbleness, from humanity to rudeness. About a boy's honesty despite such poverty. Greediness despite richness. The opposites meet, and the harsh truth is shown. This book encounters real-life stories that leave a profound mark on our minds.

Rishona Chopra
Grade VI
Gyanshree School

Responsibility - Rishona Chopra

Responsibility is vital in a classroom, not only for students but for teachers too. Responsibility is taking ownership of one's actions. It is to accept your mistake, help around and work hard. Responsibility assumes that you are the cause and the solution to the problem. When we take responsibility, we should take it with total commitment and honesty. We shouldn't have a responsibility to others but to ourselves too.

At my earlier school, we did an activity, not a movement but a daily exercise. Every day, after lunch, we had to clean the class. We got duties of dusting, sweeping and mopping. Whoever finished their commitment would get to play outside. This taught us responsibility; my favourite task was to mop the floor. If you try it once, you'll realize it's fun to mop the floor, unlike sweeping. Even cleaning the bathroom is an excellent duty, well, only if it's a small one!

An important part is responsible for our actions. We all make mistakes and some wrongdoings, and instead of covering them up with thousands of lies, we should make it easy with one truth and take responsibility for our actions.

Rishona Chopra
Grade VI
Gyanshree School

The Ultimate Strength Of Human Beings - Oshi Singh

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Newton's third law of physics. Simply put, a good deed done by a good human will eventually return to them. Similarly, an evil act done by anyone will return to him or her. The simple rule of karma is what goes around comes around. Take Ravan from the Ramayana, for example. One wrong decision and we all know how it ended.

In a world as small yet as big as ours, it isn't easy to find people who are always honest and know the importance of Integrity. We all know what these words mean, but most don't practice them. Maybe that is why the world is the way it is. The questions might arise:  

Where exactly can you find Integrity? Why are they so important? Are they even different? Why should you be honest? Just keep reading because I promise you will surely learn something new by the end of this article. 

I like to believe Integrity lies within, waiting for itself to be found. Although Integrity and honesty are not qualities we have had since birth, we tend to develop them on our journey of life. Those lucky to have the proper upbringing create this early in life, but those who are taught to do things that aren't always morally right usually develop it a little late in life after being deceived or maybe by just finding the right company. You all must think that it is just about upbringing, but there's more to it. It isn't always about upbringing but also about practising it. Some people were on the right path but changed to the wrong one after being deceived or for various other reasons.

Practising these pleasurable qualities is what we lack because many of us are too afraid to speak the truth and wonder why we should get in trouble by telling the truth when dishonesty is shouting to save us. The moment we do this, we lose our honesty and Integrity because Integrity and honesty are qualities that go hand in hand. If you are honest, you sooner or later gain Integrity. There is also a misconception among people that honesty and Integrity mean the same, but that's not true. Honesty means telling the truth to people around us and ourselves, no matter the cost. Integrity means constantly staying on the right path by making the right decisions, like being honest. 

According to Socrates ( Greek Philosopher )

"A MAN WHO LIES TO HIMSELF HAS AN ENEMY LIVING WITHIN."

And this is not a person; it is his conscience not guiding him the right and wrong. Even though honesty is essential. We aren't always honest, are we? At some point, we all lie. But there are some exceptional cases when lying isn't bad. Yes, lying can also be good. When you lie you don't hurt someone's feelings. These are white lies. These are lies told with good intentions. 

Even though honesty and Integrity are qualities that require a lot of courage. Being honest doesn't mean things will turn out the way you hoped. People might believe you are lying, and they might not trust you, but sooner or later, the whole story will unravel itself, and people will know the truth. So if you are honest, you will get what you deserve, maybe not immediately, but it's a matter of time until you get it and when you do, your heart will know it. 

Oshi Singh

VIII D 

Gyanshree School 

The Value Of Integrity - Anvesha Rana

Reading Chapter 18, The Art Of Focus
Honesty Wins
Human Quality: Integrity

Honesty is a value, but integrity is practice.

We can be honest without having integrity, but we can never have integrity without being completely honest. Being truthful to others is honesty and being truthful to yourself is integrity. A lot of people are honest, but hardly a handful possesses integrity. Honesty is visible to others, but integrity is the amount of transparency between the world and us. 

Trust is a vital factor for integrity. If we have confidence and belief in ourselves, we can only do what we deem right, but if we don't trust our instincts, we may end up being wrong. Faith in oneself should be the maximum, and it should be such that even if we are wrong for the entire world, we will still do what we think is right. 

The king gave seeds to everyone for planting, and the one who grew the best plant would be rewarded, but no one had the ingenuity to arrive with an empty pot. None of the people trusted themselves because the prospect of the award made them blind to any sign of failure. Still, only the young boy was truthful, confident, honest and humble enough to accept his defeat and admit that the plant hadn't grown even though he had tried his best. 

We all need to be like the boy. We need to be transparent enough in this world of opaque people, learn to absorb the rays of happiness and hope and let them penetrate through to others, and be solace to others in times of hardship. 

Anvesha Rana, 

Grade 10-B, 

Gyanshree School 

Academic Honesty - Khushi Badgeri

Academic honesty means doing all school work with great interest and not cheating in studies. 

It helps students to be honest with teachers and their friends. A great academic student will always be regular to school, be obedient and studious, which encourages them to be a good study planner. It also teaches students to value their teachers, school property, and friends. It encourages students to have the courage to admit their mistakes and learn to accept them. It will help the student to be a responsible student. 

A great Academic student will learn to value time. Academic honesty helps a student to grow and achieve their goals in life.

Name: Khushi Badgeri

Grade: 3A 

Billabong high international school Thane

Honesty @ My Good School - Podcast

My Good School Season 2, Episode 3
“I am Anvesha, and I am Simar, and we will be hosts for the event!” Yes, you guessed it! Anvesha and Simar are back as hosts in the My Good School podcast. And this time, they will be discussing an extraordinary topic - Honesty. 

“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom”. Honesty, by definition, is always speaking the truth, but what does it mean to you? Is it good, or occasionally can it be wrong? Have you been in a situation where being honest was the only way out? 

My Good School celebrates Honesty and has developed a podcast made and produced by our interns!

Please tune in to listen to Anvesha and Simar discuss their thoughts on honesty with special guests Angad Singh Bedi and Arav Agarwal.

Comment below and let us know if you liked the podcast. If you want to be part of similar podcasts, join us. We hope to meet you again when we return with a podcast on Hope next month.

Please find out more about My Good School: www.GoodSchools.in

Listen to our podcasts on www.DilJeeto.com

Honesty - Arav Agarwal

Honesty for me means being authentic and being who I am.

Whenever I feel that I should not tell the truth, I just ask myself, do I want to live peacefully or in fear. If we say a lie, we feel regret, and then our minds cannot live peacefully. Being honest has helped me get many opportunities for my growth because of my teachers, coaches, friends, and parents' trust and confidence in me. I also get a good feeling and calmness in my mind by being honest.

I have listened to many stories on honesty since my childhood and many parents' experiences where being honest has helped them in life. Even my experience of being open and getting appreciation from my teachers and parents has made me more confident and courageous to always be truthful and honest in life.

So, we should always keep in mind that practising honesty will take us ahead in the future. By being honest, we are only being true to ourselves.

Name: Arav Agarwal
Grade: 5C
Billabong High International School, Thane

Honesty - Khushi Badgeri

Honesty, for me, means to be truthful, authentic and genuine to yourself and to others. It's like the foundation base of any relationship. 

Being honest makes us feel mature and responsible person. Let me share a minor incident. 

While playing with my friends in our living room, I accidentally broke a photo frame. I did not know what to do. Seeing the broken frame pieces on the floor, all my friends disappeared. I quietly cleaned all the mess and quietly went to my bed with tears in my eyes. That photo frame was my mom's favourite piece. I felt very guilty. When my mom returned home from the office in the evening, she noticed something was missing from the corner table. But she didn't say a word. After dinner, I quietly went to her and confessed to her what had happened and said sorry. She looked at me and gave me a tight hug, and said she appreciated me for being honest and taking responsibility for the mistake. I promised her that henceforth I would be more careful. 

Admitting my mistake and getting forgiveness gave me internal satisfaction and pride, to be honest with myself.

So, my friends, I realized that it takes a little courage to be honest, and admit to our mistakes, knowingly or unknowingly. 

There is a saying, "Honesty is the best policy." Just believe it.

Khushi Badgeri

Grade: 2A

Billabong High International School, Thane

Honesty - Avni Karmarkar

The Honest Boy
Once, there was an impoverished boy named Paul. He lived with his family. His parents worked hard to raise their son. Paul was a very good boy and always spoke the truth. His parents taught him that "Honesty is the best policy!"

One day, the King visited Paul's small village, and all the villagers came out to greet the King. The King was giving away cookies and candy. Paul and the villagers crowded near the King's carriage to try to get some gifts from the King. Finally, the King got to Paul and gave him a box full of cookies and candy. Paul was so excited that he immediately rushed home to share the candy with his family.

When Paul returned home, he noticed a beautiful ring among all the candy. He thought to himself that this ring could make him rich. And he and his family no longer had to worry about having enough food to eat. After thinking about what to do all day, Paul decided to return the ring to the King.

Paul went to the palace and returned the King's ring. The King was very thankful to Paul and said to him, "Son, this is my favourite ring! You are a sincere boy, and I want to reward you with lots and lots of gold coins!" When Paul's parents learned about his honesty, they became delighted.

When Paul came home, his parents hugged him. Paul was a wealthy boy from that day, and his family never went hungry again. 

Name: Avni Karmarkar
Grade: 5C
Billabong High International School, Thane

Honesty - Rishona Chopra

Courage, Bravery, we all must have heard these terms; a question might come to our mind: What is the most significant act of courage? The answer could be: Climbing Everest? Being a soldier? Well, it is actually none of those...it is honesty.

Honesty is being truthful not to anyone but to ourselves. We deceive ourselves when we lie to others and think that we have fooled them. We can lie to others but not to ourselves. The trust that one builds on the other is because we will be honest with them. We often lie to fit in the society, but that is not needed; we should be who we are. 

You might be surprised to hear, but I figured out it wasn't needed even though I lied to fit into society. I don't play video games and don't know a thing about them, but all my friends lied that I knew how to when I had no idea! If I say that I don't know about it, they make fun of me, but that does not matter. What matters is what I think of myself. I believe that video games harm our creativity, and I know things that I should know and that I am a good person, so I don't have to lie and don't have to tell the truth either!

You would have often heard people say that they don't get into trouble when they do something wrong and tell the truth, but I think that's not how it works. Like in stories, it says that we did a bad thing, said the fact and got chocolate, but those are not practical. We should always be honest, but not necessary to help us get out of trouble. We still might face the consequence, so we should not be honest, thinking it will get us out of trouble. Accept your mistake and improve.

Rishona Chopra
Grade VI
Gyanshree School

Honesty - Aria Gupta

If there is some devastating news for a person you know, and you don’t tell them, they will find out sooner or later. So, there is no point in lying about it. If you are lying about a mistake you made, your parents will definitely be angrier, for they will be angry about the error you made and how you lied. So, if there is no point in lying, why lie? This is because there is a voice inside us that tells us if we are honest, we will get into a whole lot of trouble, but it’s actually the opposite, our parents would be proud that we are honest, though they might try to hide it. So always understand that parents are secretly proud of us when we are honest. So be honest and true and never lie. 

Aria Gupta

IV-F

Gyanshree School

I think of honesty?

The first person that comes to my mind when I think of honesty? 

The My Good School Life Skills Program students have given some short answers. 

You will love to join the Reading Sessions every Sunday hosted by Sunita Mehta, our Life Skills Program Ambassador 

#JoyOfLearning only at our OPEN SCHOOL for schools and individuals.

Honesty- Aanya Kumar

Today we read about Honesty. We should all be honest and have integrity towards our parents, teachers, friends, siblings and all those around us. We should not lie about anything. My parents have never scolded me for anything that I have done by mistake and confessed about the same, honestly. Instead, they have always encouraged me to speak the truth.

A Chinese emperor did not have a child. He decided to call all the children of his area to his palace. He gave each of them a boiled seed which meant that it could never grow. He gave all the children a year. All the children had grown beautiful flowers, but one boy had nothing but an empty pot. One year passed by, but the situation remained the same. The emperor examined the pots and asked the boy about what had happened. The boy said he had taken care of it, but nothing happened. The emperor then disclosed the truth about the seed. The boy was made the heir of the emperor. 

This is an ideal example where Honesty was rewarded by great appreciation. All dare to lie but not to be honest.

Aanya Kumar

Gyanshree School

Grade 5

Sharing what Honesty means to me

Our interns have given some short answers given by our Joy Of Learning Ambassador - Sunita Mehta:

The first name that comes to mind when I think of honesty is God. Any other word for honesty is uprightness. I am honest about myself. I tend to take the easier way out when I have no idea what I am doing.

Rishona Chopra

Grade V

Gyanshree School

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

When I think of honesty, the first name that comes to mind is my parents.

Another word for honesty is integrity.

I am honest about the work I do and my feelings.

I tend to take the easier route when confused about what to do. 

Arav Agarwal

Grade V

Billabong High International School Thane

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

The first name that comes to mind when I think of honesty is my Grandfather.

Another word for honesty is ethics. I am honest about my studies. I tend to take the easier way out when I get lost.

 

Varad Sadvilkar

Billabong High International School Thane, 

Grade-5A

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

1. The first person that comes to mind when I think of honesty is mom                         

2. Another word for honesty is truth          

3. I am honest about myself                    

4. I tend to take the easier way out when I am stuck

Chahna Gandhi 

The Doon Girls School

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

An answer by one of our teachers:

1. The first person that comes to my mind when I think of honesty is my husband. 2. Another word for honesty could be courage. Honest people are naturally courageous. It takes a lot of courage to always remain truthful and not get lured by the benefits of telling a lie. 3. I am honest about myself in most situations. I try to stay honest in expressing myself to make lasting relationships. 4. I tend to take the easier way out when I have to do something that I do not wish to or when I have to be neutral in my tracks. 

Nibbrati Rathore

Teacher at Gyanshree School

Honesty - Anvesha Rana

"Integrity is telling ourselves the truth, and Honesty is telling the truth to others."

Honesty is probably one of those values we have talked about since childhood. Our parents and teachers often remind us to be honest. There may also be many situations through which we all have demonstrated honesty, but in the long term, challenging situations might suppress us to dishonesty. These are the circumstances that test our character, even if hope keeps us going, one has to be realistic and absolutely honest. Just because it is challenging does not mean taking an easier route. 

Some of the ordinary men and women who have displayed extraordinary honesty are Lal Bahadur Shastri, Abraham Lincoln, Bobby Jones and Ivan Fernandez Anaya. They did not let the society determine their choices but took their decisions as per their own judgements. Their choices exemplified them and inspired others to take on similar steps. 

Another instance of honesty are the Nghah Lou Dawr shops, this word literally means Shops Without Shopkeepers. At the Nghah Lou Dawr shops there are no shopkeepers, the only things present are the goods along with a rate list and deposit box. The customers take whatever items they have to buy, calculate the amount and leave the money in a deposit box. For many years these shops have worked upon the virtue of honesty, trust and faith and continue to do so. It is tough to discover a place blossoming with belief in a world filled with duplicity and dishonesty. 

We all need to be honest before we have integrity for there can be honesty without virtue, but no integrity without honesty. Honesty is one of the core values required in any person, it shapes us into a better human being. Honesty makes others believe in us so that we can also put our faith in them because of honesty we have friends, we have brothers and we have sisters. Without honesty there is no one for us and we are no one for them. 

If you want to be trusted, be honest. 

Anvesha Rana

Grade 10-B

Gyanshree School 

Honesty - Sunita Mehta

My Good School presents Joy Of Reading. The community reading program helps inspire you by reading and reflecting, sharing examples of where children and adults in real life are using values and is very useful to stimulate discussion and philosophical debate.

On Sunday mornings at 11.00 AM, you can join us for live reading sessions. Best you attend with a copy of the book and experience the Joy of Reading. Post the session; the readers may want to reflect and share real-life experiences. Our blog www.JoyOfLearningDiaries.com helps them express themselves in writing, audio, video, graphic, poetry, or how they experience the joy of learning. #JoyOfLearning

Friendship - Vinisha Choudhary

Friendship is one of the most precious gifts of life. It is a relationship between people. It is the purest and divine relationship among all other relations. Friends support you in life, not only in the happy times but also in your hard times. 

True friendship is what gives us reason to stay firmer and happy in life. Many people don't have a family, but they have family friends to them. In a good friendship honesty and loyalty plays a very important role. Having a best friend in life is a blessing that doubles your joy and divides your pain. Friends never leave up in bad times. 

We learn how to understand people and trust others. A real friend will always motivate you and cheer for you. When we make friends on the first day of school, we become delighted, but when we all get far from our friends, we miss them a lot. Whether they made fun of us and whether they helped us in our bad times.

TRUE FRIENDS ARE NEVER APART, MAYBE IN DISTANCE BUT NEVER IN HEART 

Vinisha Choudhary

Class: 11th Science

The Fabindia School