Dark arts: Out in the open

The practicing of dark arts or black magic is fast blending into a grey area. In countries like Indonesia and Malaysia, it is now affiliated with cultural attributes.

This or any other kind of magic is drawn with the intent to summon the dark forces or to cause misfortune and destruction of the enemy.

Despite the practice being illegal and forbidden in many religions, including Islam, attempts are made to legitimize its standing in society. Using the power of suggestion, non threatening terms like sorcery and magic are replaced to soften the practices by blurring the boundaries with grey.

Muslim countries like Yemen, Malaysia, Indonesia and many African countries are known to have little control over its sudden rise, practice, and business, and its growing notoriety, the government feels pressured into imposing harsher laws to control it.

The concept of Black magic and Dark arts has been of fascination since the earliest of times. It is human nature to be intrigued by the forbidden. Curiosity and attainment of power, jealousy, and hatred are also the motives behind its involvement. The romanticized perception transmitted through storytelling and media have also aided in its further acceptance where people are fooled about its rosy influences.

Frauds, con artists and even the authentic witchcraft practitioners have duped and lured people with their inviting advertisements present at every nook and cranny of streets all over the world where helpless; naïve customers with all sorts of desires or ill intentions are swindled.

 Many countries have varying laws and policies to curb black magic, voodoo and all sorts of witchcraft. Gulf countries are known to take pre-emptive actions, and severe penalties are imposed, including the death penalty. Countries like Bahrain are working actively where the government is determined with its new laws to uproot the evil from their country with stiff fines and even deportation.

Although some human rights activists are against the harsh penalties, the question remains, should there be any matters of leniency in what beckons to the work of Satan?

Bad memory? Shame on you!

Our memory stores our life. What we learnt, cherish, recognize, hate, reject and a whole lot more. Without our memory, it is like starring a blank white document. Our brain is our internal memory bank and to keep it fit is as important as keeping our body trimmed.

We may feel the supremacy of having the most developed mind but news is that interestingly enough squirrels as well hold a phenomenal memory. They are faster and more adept to retain and retrieve information based on the places they hid for their food and nuts. The human mind stores millions of new data memory daily and enrich its account on a regular basis, that data is not always processed and coded into long term memory due to lack of retrieval and repetition. If only the new information that is stored within our mind is repeated five times daily periodically it becomes a part of our long term memory that is difficult to forget easily.

There are times when we easily forget what we have been told just two minutes back resulting in angered elders or frustrated colleagues. Reason is that it such information has not been registered and results in absentmindedness, stress also proves to overload our minds with forgetfulness.

For those who excuse this by stating that it is due to age are only fooling themselves, because it is not the age that results in bad memory, it is only due to keeping it unfit.

Lack of retrieving memory, dulls a person leaving them uninspired dependent on their reminders and leave them grey and dreary. A sharp mind that keeps its memory fit reflects a sharper focus, lit eyes and opens up imagination for creative possibilities.

So what are the fun ways to keep yourself sharp, swift and fun? RELY LESS ON COMPUTERS! Play imaginative games as the memory tends to develop with images and not with words. If you need to purchase a few items from the store, build the confidence by chucking away that list and either make pneumonic or make an association between the items to be purchased.

A healthy lifestyle and good food also results with a sharp mind. Remember eating healthy results in healthy building blocks for your mind and eating junk makes terrible and weak components for the grey matter. Eat healthy, stay fit, use memory more, play more imaginative games and see your creativity rise. Remember data only becomes knowledge when you know how to use it!

Are You a Snooze? Tips for a Great Conversation

Ever heard of the phrase time flies when you are having fun? It may not always be so with friends; an acquaintance, good writing or a well scripted film can be equally engaging. So what is it that draws your attention towards such hypnotism that holds on to one’s attention leaving no room for distraction to seep through? The answer could be varying for many, but almost always a good story teller achieves all that.

So what are the qualities a good conversationalist possesses? First and foremost what needs to be understood is that listening is more important than talking.

“I wish I could sell my tongue for a thousand ears” –Rumi

By becoming a good listener you already have the attention of the person being engaged in the conversation. They begin to relax and open up which is the basic ground work for a meaningful and layered conversation to follow. People tend to delve into their deeper self and bring about an introspective narrative, adding richness with their subtle nuances. So let people speak. Do not be eager to hog away their spotlight. Put your ego on hold, know your timings. Often realizing when and where to contribute can make you a great intelligent listener and that alone is one of the finest qualities a conversationalist can ever develop.

When it is your time to speak, make sure you speak clearly and are audible. Now that doesn't mean that your  are overwhelmingly assertive and hammering each word onto the listener, that is as straining as reading each word in capital letters with a hard and imposing font set in bold. A clear, meaningful expressive and soft voice can draw one in just the same.

Remember that it may not always be what you have to say that matters at times just the way you say things can be enough. A little drama never did much damage. Avoid a mundane, monotonous drone and speak with a natural expressive earnestness. Even though if you may not have the best story at hand or the most interesting content to share, but your spontaneity or animated speech can be equally fascinating.

Learn to captivate the audience by relating and humanizing your thoughts. It is easier to place your-self in an impressive position by placing oneself on a higher moral ground but such a person although be rational and politically correct may not always keep the good mood going. Try not to be right all the time. The brain being the strongest muscle may hold enough logic but at times it should give some allowance to the heart. Tell a story from your heart and let it steer a talk through its own personality.

When you meet someone new, try to avoid negative topics. Do not be a bore by whining, we all are fighting battles up at our own front. Nobody wants to hear more problems. Your boss, your job and your annoying family issues are best if they are solved at your own sweet time. Do not be a mood spoiler by nagging or complaining about life being unfair, even if it has done you no good, tough. Learn to deal with it.

Last but not the least above everything do not be boring. Avoid tech terms when talking to someone who doesn't understand the technicality of your field. Let go off a subject when it begins to lose the interest of the person being spoken to.

All in all, a little pause adds to the listener’s anticipation. Add a bit of color, illustrate your talks with interesting analogies and cast a spell as you go along. Happy chatting!

What is ADHD/ADD?

ADHD/ ADD

Children have volumes of energy, what happens when you just can’t seem to control them AT ALL! Many mothers, adults, guardians are unaware that if a child is not listening or unable to be controlled it really may not be the child`s problem at all!

Many exasperated guardians, parents and teachers resort to yelling, screaming and even hitting their children who they think are being disobedient. Sadly, only if they knew that certain children as young as 4 year olds display signs of ADHD (Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) showing restlessness, talking nonstop and being unable to follow simple instructions, with limited attention span and focus.

It is diagnosed more in the boys than the girls on an average and its management requires a mixture of medical doses, behavior modifications, lifestyle changes and counseling.

Some more of its symptoms show restlessness, being easily distracted with showing lack of focus , switching from one activity to the other, getting easily bored, showing difficulty in  processing information and not seeming to listen when spoken to.

Some behavioral patterns may include fidgeting, squirming constantly in their seats or to be in constant motion, with little tolerance or patience for quiet tasks or activities. A lot of impulsivity and impatience is often observed from those who show more signs of ADHD. Some emotions are shown without restraint and may act without any regard for consequences.

Many parents think that their children show lack of respect when they can’t seem to communicate through with the ones who show these classic signs and symptoms and continue to punish and show harshness instilling feelings of guilt and worthlessness within.

It is to note that despite showing difficult signs due to their condition, the management to such a chronic psychological disorder is achievable with adults adapting control over their impulses with given treatments.

It is to note that parents should be careful to observe such signs within their child as kids as young as 4 years of age may show the above mentioned symptoms to the disorder and if nipped in the bud could be saved from a lot of undeserved harshness , criticism and blame for a condition it has no control over.

Awareness and its treatment should be discussed in detail for parents who are concerned for their young ones as a proper specialist and counselor could give the treatment for its management.  

You may want to watch out, before you decide on losing your temper on a child who may not be necessarily disobedient. Being informed is the first step towards being a responsible and wise parent.