The antidote for the Retirement Disease - Rishona Chopra

When people retire, they initially struggle. Letting go of the tight work schedules, being used to doing much work, and suddenly no work at all is rather hard. It's somewhat like going back to school after a month of holidays. It's the least exciting day as all you want to do is just relax more. But here, in the case of retirement, all you want to do is just work more. Keep yourself busy with some work or the other. At this point, most start feeling rather anxious. And you can't blame them; Their whole routine has been changed!

Image by Freepik

Gone are the days when they worked day and night, now all they can do is do some chores here and relax. Being used to having meetings and calls all day, it is hard to cope with the fact that now your phone is no longer filled with a hundred unread messages and missed calls. That is in fact why I don't prefer to use the word "disease" for this. It's simply a phase of life like any other. The antidote for this retirement "disease" is "Purpose". Having a purpose means having a new goal to achieve and that means keeping busy and getting rid of the Retirement Disease. And something that happens after retirement is that you can just do things for yourself. Yes, we always feel the need to show to others what we did and do but that's when we are free to do anything for our own happiness. Everyone already has a purpose and we just need to find it. Anything of interest that appeals to you and seems to give you joy can be called your true calling or rather a purpose that keeps your mind energized. Rishona Chopra Grade VII Gyanshree School

Do it for yourself - Rishona Chopra

PC. VectorStock

Often, we find ourselves doing things to please someone else. To get appreciation. We all are like that, even I. It makes me feel happy when one appreciates me. But there is one more thing to the appreciation - the pressure. 

When one appreciates you, you feel burdened to always do well, be an achiever and keep striving but when you fall in that cycle, you lose the joy of doing the task in the very first place. You now don't do it for self-pleasure but to please someone else.

When we do that, the task eventually becomes a burden and all happiness is replaced by fear and nervousness. Whatever we do, we should be doing it just for ourselves. Not for seeking prestige and glory. 

Why are we here in this world? What is our purpose? To do our part in the world and be kind. That is our purpose. And the key to fulfilling that purpose is to be happy and content with ourselves. To do all our tasks for mere joy and happiness.

I write because it gives me joy. I read because it takes me to another world. I play the piano because it makes my heart soar with happiness. If I did all these things for someone else then it wouldn't give me the same joy that it gave me before.

There are two meanings that come out when we say “ Do it for yourself”. One is that we do something because it gives us happiness. Because we love that task. The second is to help out someone else yet enjoy the task and not lose the joy in doing it.

Helping out someone is fantastic but everything we must do must be done with passion and happiness. If no joy, the beauty of the work itself disappears.

When you eat the food at a restaurant and when you eat something homemade, there is a humongous difference! The food at home is made with love and you can feel that while eating the food.  The joy and passion in work are shown similarly no matter how it may look or be.

When we say "Joy of learning" the keyword isn't "Learning", it is "Joy". We learn for our own joy and happiness. 

As said, live your life for you, not for anyone else.

Rishona Chopra

Grade VII

Gyanshree School

Allegory - A Tapestry of Guru Nanak’s Travels

Guru Nanak, an embodiment of Oneness, is a revolutionary spiritual teacher. Born in 1469, he traversed vast geographies for over two decades to visit congregational sites of diverse faiths with a noble interest in seeking and imparting universal fellowship.

“Allegory - A Tapestry of Guru Nanak’s Travels”, a 24-episode docuseries, sequentially explores Guru Nanak’s life events to unfurl the deep imports of his messages.

Filmed at over 150 multifaith sites in 9 countries, the docuseries is available in English, Punjabi (Gurmukhi), Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi (Shahmukhi).

Opening on Sunday, the 7th of January 2024, we will screen one documentary every fortnight at My Good School. Join us as a student/teacher of a GSA Members School or even as an individual. You can sign up from www.SchoolEducation.com.

My Takeaway from the session with Amardeep Singh at Sunday School - Arfa Khan

Photo from Lost Heritage Productions website

We had a lovely meet and greet with Mr Amardeep Singh in the session on December 24. It was very informative, and we learned a lot from him. Following are my takeaways:

• Listen to articulate; listening first lets you organise your thoughts and speak fluently.
• If your dreams will be easy, walk away from them. Dreams are meant to have challenges, and we must endeavour to achieve them.
• Prepare yourself before chasing your dream; take the first step, and the energy will automatically shape the next ten.
• Ensure you are so good at your work that you’re too hard to ignore.
• Don’t follow your passion; create it.
• Don’t chase recognition; if you pursue recognition, you exercise self-gratification. If your work is good, recognition will automatically follow.
• There’s no true friendship other than you and yourself; you will accompany yourself through your most challenging times.

It was an extraordinary session with so much to take back. Thank you, Sir, for giving us your time!

Arfa Khan 8-A

Ahlcon Public school

Importance of Taking Risk ! And many more - Sunbeam School Lahartara

Reflections from the Sunday School

Importance Of Taking Risks

Taking risks is important because it builds our knowledge. Taking risks is something that we all have to do in our lives. Sometimes, taking risks is essential; it builds our confidence and makes us better than if we never took them. Because it brings a good change and helps us learn. Taking risks is a core element of human life. Failure and mistakes are common when taking risks. We should not be afraid because we will realise instead and become successful men eventually.

"Great Success Always Comes at the Risk of Enormous Failure". Winston Churchill

Divyanshu Agarwal- IX D

Experiential Insights from the point of view of Guru Nanak Dev Ji

Practice self-service to humanity and treat everyone equally. Incorporate daily meditation and prayer into our routine, as Guru Nanak did.

"SEWA" engages in voluntary services to help those in need. For the past several decades, societies worldwide have examined the concept of equality, debating bias in the workplace, social arenas at home, and religion. According to Guru Nanak, life's purpose is to become a truthful being and enlighten others.

"Dwell in peace of the house of your own being, and the message of death will not be able to touch you."  

Shubhangi Kashyap - VIII B

Tata'sTata Stories

My good school is a place to learn good things and morals. For me, it is always exciting to attend the sessions of good schools. Tata Stories inspire me to do something unique in life. It gives me the passion to carry forward any work with sustainability and longevity. Like Sandeep sir said, age is just a number, and we should dream big and achieve big.

Samriddhi Banerjee- IVB

A dream is not something you see when you sleep; a dream doesn't let you sleep. Dreams, the nocturnal symphony of the mind, transport us to realms unknown. As we surrender to the embrace of sleep, the subconscious weaves tapestries of imagination and emotion. In this ethereal dance, the boundaries of reality blur, and the mind becomes a canvas for the surreal and fantastical. Dreams are the silent storytellers, narrating tales that defy logic and gravity, where the mundane transforms into the extraordinary. Each night, we embark on odysseys of the mind, encountering phantoms of the past and visions of the future.

Aryan Kumar - VII A

What Is Age! And many more - Sunbeam School & Hostel Lahartara

Image from the RoundSquare.Org website 

WHAT IS AGE!
My life is still valuable even if I cannot help others. I can explore new hobbies, enjoy moments with family, and learn exciting things. Being kind to myself matters. I can find joy in little things and create happiness within and for others. My worth isn't just about helping others but embracing who I am.
- Anmol Kashyap VIII B 

Oneness In Diversity

1. Age is just a number. If you dare to do work, which means that even if you are 80 years old and sitting at home, which makes you feel bored and want to do something, then age does not matter.

2. "What is my life if I am no longer useful to others?". This means we should always help others if we can do that and relieve our lives in others with compassion.

3. Anyone who stops learning is old, while one who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in your life is to keep your mind young.

- Mridul Maheshwari IX-D

In the 21st century, religion is not just a path to follow; it is an agenda to cause trouble for the world. In the 15th century, Guru Nanak Ji travelled half of Asia and gave his own philosophy of oneness in diversity. He talked to Muslims, Christians and every religion, and still, after the gap of six centuries, the Muslims of Afghanistan remember and respect his ideology.  

- Shaurya Chaturvedi VIII-B

To maintain a tricky balance.

Money is not bigger than life, and it's an opportunity to create has no money; it's an opportunity to make meaning. The worst invention is money.

The barter system was the best as it exchanged love.

So we should maintain a balance between our work life and our personal life.

Power should not be a thing to curse but to cure others.

Keep trying many things as we don't know the emergence of anything in life.

Because our exceptions have no bounds.

-By Animesh Kashyap Class VIII-B

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Listening comes before speaking.

By listening to others, we gain a deeper understanding of their perspective and discover the best way to deliver the message we need our audience to hear. Guru Nanak says that deep listening opens sensitivity and gives us knowledge. Doing this will allow us to consciously shape our destiny, a fundamental human capacity. It is not a small thing. It is a state in which we exist in a creative polarity with our own infinite self and God.

-  Pranvi Chandra - IX D

PURVEYORS OF HOPE

A WHOLE STACK OF MEMORIES NEVER EQUALS LITTLE HOPE.

HOPE ENDS FEAR IN YOUR HEART, AND WHEN WE DO THE BAD THINGS, THEY SOMETIMES BECOME UNBEARABLE UNTIL HOPE MAKES THEM DISAPPEAR IT IS THE ONE THING THAT KEEPS US GOING WHEN TIMES GET TOUGH AND ROUGH. IT IS SOMETHING WE NEED TO FOCUS ON, AND WHEN WE DO BAD THINGS, THEY SOMETIMES BECOME UNBEARABLE. HOPE MAKES THEM DISAPPEAR, AND WHEN WE DO BAD THINGS, THEY SOMETIMES BECOME UNBEARABLE UNTIL HOPE MAKES THEM DISAPPEAR.

A GOOD TEACHER CAN INSPIRE HOPE, IGNITE THE IMAGINATION, AND STILL A HOPE OF LEARNING.
VAIBHAV JAISWAL (9D) 

Reflections for today's meeting - Tenzin Chonzom

Sunday School 24th December 2024

We watched a video of an American woman who is 92 years old and an advocator of social justice, an incredible woman who encouraged me and taught me that it's never too late to start something.

•⁠  ⁠Having an extraordinary meeting with Amardeep sir was the most significant opportunity I had; with the help of his advice, a lot of things struct my mind

The following are:

 1.⁠ ⁠Not to follow a passion; create your passion.

 2.⁠ ⁠Never chase recognition (you'll not achieve anything). Create your content.

 3.⁠ ⁠Keep trying many things because we don't know the emergence.

 4.⁠ ⁠Everything in life is a means to an end, and there will be a chance to excel.

 5.⁠ ⁠Religion is a subset of legacy.

 6.⁠ ⁠Dreams are supposed to be filled with challenges and obstacles.

 7.⁠ ⁠Learning is feet for every individual.

Amardeep sir, In his documentary, The Tapestry of Guru Nanak:

I highly appreciate his hard work of 30 years and self-discovery. His interest in going to every risky area shows his passion and bravery.

My takeaway from this meeting is that he motivated me through all situations 🙏.

Tenzin Chonzom (Girl) from 9th grade 
Pestalozzi Children's Village India