Points to Ponder:
The key question to keep asking is, Are you spending your time on the right things? Because time is all you have. – Randy Pausch
Story line: It was summer of 1991. We were returning from vacation from Pacific Northwest. Traffic had come to a stand still on the Highway 505. After a while, traffic started moving very slowly and we reached the location of the traffic jam. Horrific accident, worst I have witnessed in my life; I still shiver thinking about it. Cars were slowing down or had completely stopped to witness the terrible human tragedy. After passing the scene, people seemed stunned silent in their cars and traffic was moving way below the speed limit. But after about 20 minutes cars gradually started picking up speed and very soon it was back to “let the old ways roll.” Many cars started speeding way above the speed limit. Since that day, I have carefully witnessed the movement of the cars while crossing accidents on the road. Unfortunately the behavior I witnessed on that fateful day in 1991 continues to repeat.
During this Pandemic, I think often about this experience. In the beginning months of Covid, there was overwhelming load of information circulating amongst well-meaning friends and social networks about; human connections, respect for nature, environment, love for all living beings, “essential workers”, simpler life, prevention focus and more. I can go on and on about the reflections and realizations that made us think and act deeper. People seemed to recognize that “The things that matter most should not be put at the mercy of the things that matter least.” This event brought many people closer, made environment cleaner and raised prevention awareness.
Reflection: However as the Pandemic shows the sign of subsiding, my mind keeps drifting to that day in 1991.
As the old saying goes, “Things that come to you come at a time when you need them the most to go to the next level”. Few days ago, I remembered a gift I had received a decade ago from a friend from Costa Rica. It was the book called: The Last Lecture by Professor Randy Pausch. Randy was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had few months to live. He delivered his “Last Lecture” titled “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” in September 2007. The Last Lecture talk series was based on the theme “What wisdom would you try to impart to the world if you knew it was your last chance?”
The book is worth reading not only to reflect on what world went through in past 18 months but also to shape bright wonderful future for us. Next month happens to be the 13th anniversary of Randy Pausch’s last day on earth. (July 25, 2008).
The shorter video on the top of this article covers some key messages from his book. For people interested in learning further, below is the link to his full lecture.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo&feature=youtu.be
“It’s not about how to achieve your dreams, it’s about how to lead your life…If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself, the dreams will come to you.”
Recycle, Reuse, Reduce.
Posted by: Save our Planet | July 14, 2016 at 08:28 PM
Don't let this Benchmarks get to our management.
Soon they will replace us all, last of the survivors, with Cambodian kids.
Posted by: Wortied | July 14, 2016 at 10:05 PM
We experience it in Pulp industry in Indonesia (or anywhere else). Pulp production produces good and poor quality pulp (off grade). Our Norwagian Pulp mill manager announce there's no off grade in my Mill. Off grade has its uses like using for brown papers, Cartons, paper bags, etc. It has a price.
Posted by: Suresh Shah | July 15, 2016 at 02:41 AM
Make Cambodia Great Again initiative? 😂
Posted by: Rajan | July 15, 2016 at 07:14 AM
Imagination, Visualization and Creativity are skills that are all different and some children are allowed to learn them, some learn them on their own and some it is just part of their DNA.
Imagination is the faculty or action of forming new ideas, or images or concepts of external objects not present to the senses. Imagination and dreaming can coincide to help people feel something they want to do. Visualization is the formation of mental visual images or actually sting pictures in your mind of what you are want to do, say or build. Some people have a hard time visualizing, some have a difficult time visualizing in color or more than two dimensionally but kids allowed, taught and encourage learn to take what they imagine and put it in mental pictures in three dimensions and /or put it on paper or express it through art. Many adults have lost that skill. Creativity is the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations, etc.; originality, progressiveness, or imagination. Many children and some adults are creative but many are taught to "stay within the lines" or "don't imagine things you can't, shouldn't or don't have the ability to do. Children in the right environments learn all three more easily than adults mostly because they have learned that they "can't."
Posted by: Lonnie Hurst | July 15, 2016 at 07:19 AM
For you every encounter is a learning experience.
Thanks for continuing to share your experiences.
Posted by: Jason | July 15, 2016 at 07:51 AM
Anand - I applaud your creativity along with that of these kids. I may have seen a similar scene several times on a trip to India- but I could never have "seen" it in the way you have, much less described it in this way.
Fun can be had without high tech fancy gadgets. Its great to see that these kids actually are outdoors- and looking around at the surroundings-( vs. a screen) and creating - without parental interference :)
I second the sentiments from @ Jason
Posted by: Madhuri | July 15, 2016 at 09:21 AM
This is such a great reminder/lesson… we spoil our kids when we don’t need to and we ruin their natural imaginative powers.
Take care
Posted by: BHSC | July 15, 2016 at 10:15 AM
I noticed this photo among a set that you shared among a group of friends. I was very impressed but didn't mention it to you. So how nice to see the photo given a spotlight in FridayReflections!
I am reminded of an adage I once heard about parenting, which is attributed to Dear Abby (Abigail van Buren, real name Pauline Phillips):
“If you want your children to turn out well, spend twice as much time with them, and half as much money.”
Posted by: Levi's | July 15, 2016 at 04:01 PM
Pardon me but the model in above picture seems two wheel drive.
Still a great idea and superb reflection. Thanks
Posted by: Auto Fan since childhoodh | July 15, 2016 at 05:04 PM
Today, or so it appears to me, time for children is too structured (art, gymnastics, sports, dance, scouts, music, etc. ) and although some of this is needed, there needs to be time for kids to just learn how to entertain themselves doing things like: playing in the creek, climbing trees, breaking glass bottles in an illegal dump, knocking down bees' nests, building tunnels with hay bales in the barn, riding your bike to the fishing hole. As Levi posted above, all these things can be accomplished with little or no money. When I was a kid, when we went fishing, we each bought a can of soda and a big of chips for $.25 to take along with us for the 4+ mile ride.
Posted by: Mark Dennen | July 16, 2016 at 04:30 AM