I want to study abroad. What should I do?

My Odometer, My life!

A friend sent this to a friend who sent it to me! The story of my life is captured in these words!

We set out on life's journey hoping, wishing, and fairly confident that the road ahead will be smooth. We wish for smooth sailing, but life's best lessons are learned on unpaved roads. It builds courage, resilience, perseverance in us. It tests our faith and reaffirms our faith. The fork in the road is always about choices: take the easy road or take the road that is right and tall. May you be blessed to walk on unpaved roads!

Some people try to turn back their odometers.

Not me, I want people to know why I look this way.

I've traveled a long way and some of the roads weren't paved!

Views on Larry Summers

Haven't read it as yet? Read it. A fascinating article titled, "Academic Inquisitors, in one of the few truly intelligent newspapers left on Planet Earth: the Wall Street Journal dated October 16, 2007.

Remember Larry Summers? Oh, yes. Remember the beating got? Oh, yes.

Regardless of whether you agree with Summers or not, the way academia has behaved and continues to behave over a statement that he made tells more about academia than it does about Larry Summers. That is the simple truth of it all.

Assume for a moment that Larry Summers was\is dead wrong. That his opinion about why women do not enter or succeed in the sciences or his opinion about the genetic preponderance that leads to disenchantment of women with the sciences is all hog wash.

Assume Larry Summers said something that was embarrassing to "intellectuals" all over the world. Now what? Do you remember ever saying something stupid? Do you remember doing something that was embarrassing? Do you remember when the words just did not come out right? Do you remember being misunderstood? Now what?

We in academia  guard academic freedom as our birth right. Larry Summers also has academic freedom to air controversial views. We in academia are trained (or at least we think we are) to ask controversial questions, hold controversial views, and take controversial positions. As a community of individuals who value academic freedom, would we not have the curiosity to engage in a dialog about the views aired by Larry Summers and held secretly by many men and women? What are we afraid of? An honest discussion?

Alcoholism: The Next Scandal to hit Academia

For those who are well-versed with the inner workings of academia, it is easy to guess what the next scandal to hit academia will be.

For those of you who don't know, it will be about alcohol on campus and how many educational institutions do an inadequate job of monitoring the safety and well-being of our students.

Judicial systems are out of date, penalties are slow in coming and weak in implementation, and meeting the enrollment figures is often more important than holding our students accountable. Retaining a student is important to campuses where enrollment is an issue and hence stringent policies on alcohol are unwelcome in these institutions.

Further, some campuses are keen that their campus data should not reveal that alcoholism as a problem or an issue. Most parents don't know to ask for this data (a federal mandate, by the way) and for those that do campuses want to make sure that everything looks good.

So if you are a parent dropping off your kid at a university or college, ask about their judicial policies and procedures. Talk to other students on campus. And at least take a look at the data, even if some institutions prefer you never look at that data. 

US News and World Report - what its ranking REALLY means

In many ways, the rankings of US News and World Report no longer hold the prestige and sterling reputation it once did? Why? Because almost every college receives some ranking or the other by some group or the other. It is difficult to find an institution today that is has not received some ranking or the other. As a parent or a future student, such rankings boldly highlighted on college websites,give us a warm and fuzzy feeling. Of course, we say to ourselves, if this institution is ranked, by God it must be a good institution. Buyer Beware! Nothing could be further from the truth.

Recent rankings of US News and World Report identify institutions that would surprise even the faculty and students at these institutions. The education offered under the title of "world-class education" is neither world-class nor is it a strong education. No wonder employers complain that many of the graduates of today cannot write, lack critical thinking skills, and our poor problem-solvers. More important, at some of these institutions, exposing students to global issues and cultural understanding is anathema. Not only do these institutions not offer global programs, they actively work behind the scenes to discourage students from pursuing global opportunities. The Spellings report is telling in that the issues identified as roadblocks to preparing a highly educated global workforce have not changed in the last decade or so. So we must get beyond rankings. We must look closely at the criteria behind such rankings. Would the authors of the US News and World Report study send their kids to institutions that they rank as top 25 or top 50. I am quite confident that they would not. So look before you leap.

Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy - worth Reading

 

Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy Donald B. Kraybill, Steven M. Nolt, David L. Weaver-Zercher ISBN: 978-0-7879-9761

 

 

An Excerpt of the Description of the Book http://www.josseybass.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0787997617.html):

On Monday morning, October 2, 2006, a gunman entered a one-room Amish school in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania. In front of twenty-five horrified pupils, thirty-two-year-old Charles Roberts ordered the boys and the teacher to leave. After tying the legs of the ten remaining girls, Roberts prepared to shoot them execution with an automatic rifle and four hundred rounds of ammunition that he brought for the task. The oldest hostage, a thirteen-year-old, begged Roberts to "shoot me first and let the little ones go." Refusing her offer, he opened fire on all of them, killing five and leaving the others critically wounded. He then shot himself as police stormed the building. His motivation? "I'm angry at God for taking my little daughter," he told the children before the massacre.

The story captured the attention of broadcast and print media in the United States and around the world. By Tuesday morning some fifty television crews had clogged the small village of Nickel Mines, staying for five days until the killer and the killed were buried. The blood was barely dry on the schoolhouse floor when Amish parents brought words of forgiveness to the family of the one who had slain their children.

The outside world was incredulous that such forgiveness could be offered so quickly for such a heinous crime. Of the hundreds of media queries that the authors received about the shooting, questions about forgiveness rose to the top. Forgiveness, in fact, eclipsed the tragic story, trumping the violence and arresting the world's attention.

Within a week of the murders, Amish forgiveness was a central theme in more than 2,400 news stories around the world. The Washington Post, The New York Times, USA Today, Newsweek, NBC Nightly News, CBS Morning News, Larry King Live, Fox News, Oprah, and dozens of other media outlets heralded the forgiving Amish. From the Khaleej Times (United Arab Emirates) to Australian television, international media were opining on Amish forgiveness. Three weeks after the shooting, "Amish forgiveness" had appeared in 2,900 news stories worldwide and on 534,000 web sites.

Fresh from the funerals where they had buried their own children, grieving Amish families accounted for half of the seventy-five people who attended the killer's burial. Roberts' widow was deeply moved by their presence as Amish families greeted her and her three children. The forgiveness went beyond talk and graveside presence: the Amish also supported a fund for the shooter's family.

AMISH GRACE explores the many questions this story raises about the religious beliefs and habits that led the Amish to forgive so quickly. It looks at the ties between forgiveness and membership in a cloistered communal society and ask if Amish practices parallel or diverge from other religious and secular notions of forgiveness. It will also address the matter of why forgiveness became news. "All the religions teach it," mused an observer, "but no one does it like the Amish." Regardless of the cultural seedbed that nourished this story, the surprising act of Amish forgiveness begs for a deeper exploration. How could the Amish do this? What did this act mean to them? And how might their witness prove useful to the rest of us?

My sister recently forwarded the writings of Chitra Jha, a life coach doing great work in India. I connected with Chitra and we have been exchanging some wonderful, thought-provoking emails. She blogs at http://mylife-mysuccess.blogspot.comShe is challenging me to grow and stretch! Here is a sample of Chitra's writing:

Many of us have been taught to believe that we are valued for what we do, not just for who we are. Doing' is important, but to keep life in balance, we also need time to just be.
Henry David Thoreau expressed this so well in Walden Pond: "There were times when I could not afford to sacrifice the bloom of the present moment to any work, whether of the head or hand. Sometimes, on a summer morning, I sat in my sunny doorway from sunrise till noon, rapt in a revery, amidst the pines and hickories and sumacs, in undisturbed solitude and stillness, while the birds sang around or flitted noiseless through the house, until by the sun falling in at my west window, or the noise of some traveller's wagon on the distant highway, I was reminded of the lapse of time. I grew in those seasons like corn in the night, and they were far better than any work of the hands would have been."

Between Blackberry's, cell phones, traffic jams, soccer games, and Lists, our lives get lost. Our time is destroyed and our purpose clouded and diminished. May you pause to enjoy life.

The Great Indian Poet, Kalidasa

Wikipedia states that the great poet Kalidasa was to the Indian literature what Shakespeare was to the Western literature. Famous for his work called Shakuntala, an epic story about a maiden who falls in love with a King, the name Kalidas or Kalidasa is synonymous with beauty, intellect, and superior intellect. He wrote in Sanskrit, a language that has existed for more than three million years - an extremely challenging language to learn. Kalida wrote many inspiring poems, one of which is listed below. The challenge, as always, is to honor the present, the moment called now - and Kalidasa, who lived somewhere around 1 BC captures it beautifully in his poem. Some challenges are indeed timeless!

Salutation to the Dawn

Look to this day!
For it is life, the very life of life.
In its brief course
Lie all the verities and realities of your existence:
The bliss of growth;
The glory of action;
The splendor of achievement;
For yesterday is but a dream,
And tomorrow is only a vision;
But today, well lived, makes every yesterday
a dream of happiness,
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.

- Attributed to Kalidasa

www.beliefnet.com

The Road Ahead is Shorter than the Path Left Behind

I was recently sharing with a friend that at my age (old enough - let's put it this way!), the road ahead is shorter than the path left behind. "What do you mean?" he asked. Well, hopefully, I won't live as long as the years that are behind me. Statistically, it is a small probability. Realistically, I am hoping for zero probability that I will live as many years as my age reflects. So what about it, he asks.

What this means is that each day from this moment onwards is precious - very precious. The illusion of immortality that comes with youth is now replaced with an acute awareness of mortality, a genuine acceptance of my mortality, but even more important, a certain joyousness one feels with knowing, accepting, and living one's life as mortal human beings. The fact is death may knock on my door today, tomorrow, or years down the road. Some may consider this morbid. I look at it as an opportunity and reminder to live my life the way I want to live; to be joyous; to be generous; and to have a deep connection with one's spiritual side; and to know life's important truth: This, too, shall pass.

The Concept of Karma

A fundamental premise of Eastern philosophy is that our Karma, or the cause and effect of our actions, is a way or a tool by which we shape our current journey of life and all other journeys to follow.  There is no escape from this simple, yet powerful and guiding, rule of life. Christianity and all other religions, in one form or another, preach the same concept: What you sow you will reap.

Unfortunately, the concept of Karma, is widely misunderstood. It is often considered a fatalistic view of life. In other words, some interpret Karma to mean that each of us comes to this earth with a pre-written script based on actions from our previous lives and therefore we have no say in what happens in our life. This is a serious misconception. Karma is a very action-oriented concept. Far from being fatalistic, it encourages us to understand that all our actions have consequences not only in this life, but that the "rewards" of our actions or the "punishment" for our evil doing, will follow us for subsequent lives. It prods us to think, on a moment by moment basis, who we are and what we stand for. It encourages us to think before we act. It reminds us that a score is being kept, even if we cannot see it on the football field of our lives. Karma is a means to fulfilling your life's purpose with courage and a way to freedom from the circle of life and death.

The Magic of Grace

Elaine St. James wrote, "There is a self expansive aspect of gratitude. Very possibly it is a little know law of Nature: the more gratitude you have, the more you have to be grateful for." At at time when the economy is reeling, cost of living is sky rocketing, and people are struggling to pay their mortgages, it is hard to think or practice gratitude. This is particularly true for so many single mothers working multiple jobs to put bread on the table. Yet history has repeatedly shown that if there is one common characteristic that binds all survivors and winners, it is this: they see the lessons hidden in their circumstances, learn their  lessons, and remain insanely optimistic that no matter how deep and large the hole they are in, they will come out. They believe they have wings that will take them to where they want to be. They live and breathe optimism, and remain eternally grateful. They find grace even where no one else can see grace in their circumstances. Inevitably, they win life's important battles. Gratitude is a remarkable thing to own.

What Shall I Complain About?

What Shall I Complain About My Life?

When nearly half the human race lives on less than the cheapest Starbucks coffee (two dollars)

What Shall I Complain About My Life?

When my brothers and sisters in Africa die without a 10-cent malaria pill

What Shall I Complain About My Life?

When millions of children go to bed hungry in this great country of ours

What Shall I Complain About My Life?

When nearly half a million people are bonded slaves in today's world!

What Shall I Complain About My Life?

When fifty million pray they wont fall ill for if they do they have nowhere to go.

What Shall I Complain About?

When there are more than one million homeless children (Try coming up with one million names!)

I could go on. I have a long list of things that are so terribly wrong with the world. So much sorrow and grief in this world. So many who need so little and yet don't have it. They work all their lives for a meal, for a home, for a pair of shoes - but can't get it. Life is just outside their reach. And yet they go on - hopeful of another new day; hopeful that human kindness is just around the corner.

I thought long and hard.

I looked at the problem different ways.

I analyzed it.

I reflected on it and stood upside down to get a different perspective on it.

But the answer is always the same - I am blessed. So blessed. I am bathed in grace.

I shall only cherish one emotion above all others in my life - and that is gratitude.

For if a moment should slip away without gratitude in my heart, understand dear Lord, that it is my old age - not my intent to disregard grace. Just to remember and embrace grace is itself grace.

Thank you, God.

Uma Gupta writes about Sticky ideas from Chip Heath

Chip Heath is a Professor in the Stanford Graduate School of Business and he asks leaders to think about the "sticky" index of their important messages. In short, Professor Heath challenges leaders to think about who will remember what about their IMPORTANT messages? What did you remember? Were you inspired when you heard the message? And, did you change your behavior based on what you heard? People should understand, remember, and be inspired. Sounds easy, doesn't it? He gives Kennedy's call to a nation to put a man on the moon as a great example. Not all messages are important, but the important messages - well read Chip Heath before you deliver your important message to your stakeholders or to your teenager! Uma Gupta

Uma Gupta writes about Sticky ideas from Chip Heath

Chip Heath is a Professor in the Stanford Graduate School of Business and he asks leaders to think about the "sticky" index of their important messages. In short, Professor Heath challenges leaders to think about who will remember what about their IMPORTANT messages? What did you remember? Were you inspired when you heard the message? And, did you change your behavior based on what you heard? People should understand, remember, and be inspired. Sounds easy, doesn't it? He gives Kennedy's call to a nation to put a man on the moon as a great example. Not all messages are important, but the important messages - well read Chip Heath before you deliver your important message to your stakeholders or to your teenager! Uma Gupta

We are what we believe!

We all face challenges in our lives. But the road to happiness, through twists and curve, detours and dips, is based on our ability to persevere. Persevere, at all costs. Believe in yourself. Know that no storm lasts forever. I lean on the works of the great Dalai Lama for inspiration. He never fails me!

The deep root of failure in our lives is to think, 'Oh how useless and powerless I am.' It is essential to think strongly and forcefully, 'I can do it,' without boasting or fretting.

Dalai Lama

Uma Gupta's Upcoming Book on

Shift Your Perspective: Shift Your Life

Excerpt: We are not born with a self-help manual in our heads or hands. In fact, we tell ourselves that may be others need help, but we won't, or we don't. When life is good and our plans match with the events and happenings in our life, self-help is the furthest thing from our mind. We may even talk in hushed tones about a friend who is undergoing therapy or under psychiatric care. We don't brag about being a member of "Alcohol Anonymous" or any other self-help group. Some of us may even bury our self-help book in a magazine in a public place so that others don't read the title of the book. No explanations are needed when you are reading Stephen King, but when you are reading a book called, "Ask and it is Given!" - well, that could raise some eyebrows. Needing help is often equated with weakness in many cultures. After all, the American adventurer did not carry a self-help book on his horseback when marching into the wild, unknown Western frontier. Our environment teaches us and even actively encourages us to figure out everything life throws at us on our own. "Get over it!" or "Quit mopping!" or "That was a long time ago!" or "Move on!" are all messages meant to be encouraging and soothing or sometimes these are messages intended to give a much-needed kick in the behind!" Still, the subtle message is about taking the hard knocks, pulling oneself together, and to keep going. But if this were entirely true there would be no spiritual leaders, no psychiatrists or psychologists, no counselors, no focused groups, and no self-help books. Today, the reason why self-help is such a thriving industry is because the taboo is starting to wear off. It is okay to say, "I need help!" It is okay to say, "I feel stuck!" or "I am lonely!" or "God, I just need another perspective!" It is okay to be human, it is okay to be vulnerable, it is okay to ask for help, and it is okay to share your life's perspectives with others if it can assist them in their life's journey. It is all okay. In the process of asking for help we become better equipped to give help.

Excerpt from an upcoming book by Uma Gupta on Shift Your Perspective: Shift Your Life.

Uma Gupta writes about living life

Life is about lessons: some good, some bad. But it is always about lessons; obvious lessons and not-so-obvious lessons. We don't set out on life's journey with the purpose of life's lessons. Most of us don't. We believe that by the time we are adults we know all the important stuff, we have learned all the important lessons, and in fact, we genuinely believe we have mastered most of what we need to know in order to lead a good and happy life. And then life trips us and we realize we don't know much. In fact, we know very little. And then the real quest begins.

The beginning of a journey, writes Uma Gupta

So I did not set out to write a self-help book. Who am I to write a self-help book when I myself was soul searching? Who am I to reach out to others when I myself needed to reach deep into my soul? But in retrospect, the best time to write a book is when you are soul-searching. In our moments of great pause and deep reflection is when we are able to assist ourselves and hopefully share our findings with others. Why? Because it is the best time, the perfect opportunity, to ask the right questions. Not that you embark consciously on this journey with the intent of asking the right questions. You are simply in search of the right answers. When you are searching for answers, finding the right answer always starts with asking the right questions. And that wisdom will come only when the answers don't make sense. And asking the right questions in one's own quest for peace, understanding, happiness, and contentment is inevitably the most challenging and daunting of all tasks.

I started to write this book, or this journal, for my own self. For my soul. For my own sake. For my own sanity. For my own rejuvenation. I needed words to reaffirm my faith in myself and to once again believe in the goodness of people. I needed words, written words, so that I could see in black and white what I had intuitively known all my life: that the greatest triumphs in our lives almost always begins with a single, persistent, unwavering thought. And for me that thought has always been that I was put on this earth for a purpose far greater than my own good. I am a good human being capable of accomplishing of whatever I set to do. The key is to be confident, sure, and passionate about the purpose of my life that is far more expansive than my own good and what is it that I truly wish to accomplish. That belief was put to the test in an unexpected way and out of that pain came this book and this journey. They say that those who cause us the greatest pain are the greatest teachers. Indeed.

Author: Uma Gupta

Shift Your Perspective: The Power of Thoughts

Different types of thoughts create different types of activity in the brain. This is a scientifically proven fact, writes Uma Gupta. This is widely discussed in the spiritual literature also that the thoughts of today sow the seeds for tomorrow. Yet, all of us, writes Uma Gupta, fall into the rut of "same thoughts" "same solutions" "same approaches." Driven by comfort derived from what we know, and what we think we know, we are rarely willing to challenge our thoughts. Yet, the only way to embark on new journeys is to challenge our own thinking. Believe in the impossible and eventually the brain will accept the impossible as possible, writes Uma Gupta.

Uma Gupta writes about She is ME

George Sheehan said, "I have found my hero and he is me." Well, forgive George! "I have found my hero and she is me!" Ok. Humor apart, how often do we view ourselves as heroes? Many of us don't even think of ourselves as normal, let alone as heroes, writes Uma Gupta. We don't like the way we look. We don't like the way our hair sits or does not sit on our heads! We don't like our bodies. We don't like this and we don't like that. We think of ourselves as ordinary and so we behave in ordinary ways. Only ordinary things arrive in our gift packages because we expect only O. So we must move from O to H. Oh! See, simple as that. So what does it mean to be a hero? Next posting.

Uma Gupta writes about why edginess can be good

Uma Gupta has been writing about the importance of shifting perspectives if we are to live creative lives. There are five dimensions to shifting perspectives, writes Uma in her upcoming book.

• Problems
• Solutions
• Ourselves
• World
• Assumptions

The most important and defining step is our ability to define the problem and to shift your perspectives about the problem; shift your perspective by going to the edge. In other words, edginess is an essential ingredient for the birth of creativity and innovation. But what is edginess? Edginess is the willingness and ability to discard all previous notions of your understanding about the problem, and going to the edges of the problem. At the edges, writes Uma Gupta, lies the boundaries of the problem and it is near the boundaries that you will find a more accurate description and "feel" for the problem. Edginess is not for the faint-hearted, and edginess is certainly not for those who are afraid.

PS: All material copyrighted for my upcoming book. Please contact me for details.

Uma Gupta writes that leadership is about purpose

I am sure you have met people like this. You take one look at them and you on they are on a mission. They are purposeful. They are not distracted. Obstacles do not worry them or deter them. Criticism is irrelevant to them. They know where they are going and they know, not just believe, they know they will get there. Uma Gupta writes that while many of us dream about leading a purposeful life, there are only a handful that know what they want out of life and go after it with passion. The great thing that adversity and setbacks bring to leaders is a refocus on their purpose; a re-commitment to their purpose. Uma Gupta writes that in spite of all the heartaches and frustrations that setbacks bring, they are also the source of the gift of renewal of one's purpose in life.

Uma Gupta writes about need for interdisciplinary thinking

Interdisciplinary thinking: In a day and time when high-tech programs, like biotechnology, e-commerce, genetics, and information technology are highly sought after, there is a growing need for those who can apply technology to different disciplines. We need leaders with inter-disciplinary thinking, i.e the ability to interface and interconnect different disciplines. Uma Gupta and her leadership team did just that. The Center for Organic and Sustainable Agriculture integrates cutting edge technologies like biotechnology and information technology with organic farming in a university setting.

My Life, My Odometer!

Uma Gupta writes..

A friend sent this to a friend who sent it to me! The story of my life is captured in these words!

We set out on life's journey hoping, wishing, and fairly confident that the road ahead will be smooth. We wish for smooth sailing, but life's best lessons are learned on unpaved roads. It builds courage, resilience, perseverance in us. It tests our faith and reaffirms our faith. The fork in the road is always about choices: take the easy road or take the road that is right and tall. May you be blessed to walk on unpaved roads!

Some people try to turn back their odometers.

Not me, I want people to know why I look this way.

I've traveled a long way and some of the roads weren't paved!

Uma Gupta writes - What we did to Larry Summers says more about us than about him!

A fascinating article titled, "Academic Inquisitors, in one of the few truly intelligent newspapers left on Planet Earth: the Wall Street Journal dated October 16, 2007. It is worth reading.

Remember Larry Summers? Oh, yes. Remember the beating got? Oh, yes.

Regardless of whether you agree with Summers or not, the way academia has behaved and continues to behave over a statement that he made tells more about academia than it does about Larry Summers. That is the simple truth of it all.

US News&World Report - what the rankings REALLY mean

In many ways, the rankings of US News and World Report no longer hold the prestige and sterling reputation it once did? Why? Because almost every college receives some ranking or the other by some group or the other. It is difficult to find an institution today that is has not received some ranking or the other. As a parent or a future student, such rankings boldly highlighted on college websites,give us a warm and fuzzy feeling. Of course, we say to ourselves, if this institution is ranked, by God it must be a good institution. Buyer Beware! Nothing could be further from the truth.

Recent rankings of US News and World Report identify institutions that would surprise even the faculty and students at these institutions. The education offered under the title of "world-class education" is neither world-class nor is it a strong education. No wonder employers complain that many of the graduates of today cannot write, lack critical thinking skills, and are poor problem-solvers. More important, at some of these institutions, exposing students to global issues and cultural understanding is anathema. Not only do these institutions not offer global programs, they actively work behind the scenes to discourage students from pursuing global opportunities. The Spellings report is telling in that the issues identified as roadblocks to preparing a highly educated global workforce have not changed in the last decade or so. So we must get beyond rankings. We must look closely at the criteria behind such rankings. Would the authors of the US News and World Report study send their kids to institutions that they rank as top 25 or top 50. I am quite confident that they would not. So look before you leap.