Loud Thinking

Archive for July, 2013

“The fact that you are even here, alive, on this planet is a
mathematical miracle, and you should not spend the time that
you have being busy being miserable.”

— Philip DeFranco

“The only people who see the whole picture, are the ones who step outside the frame.

To Stay Stress Free, Mind Your Own Business.

It is not your business to love me, it is mine.
-Byron Katie

One of Byron Katie’s teachings is that in order to stay stress free, we need to stay in our own business. She recognizes that there are only three types of businesses in this universe:
Other’s Business
God’s Business
My Business
Katie observes that most of the stress that we create in our mind is due to mentally doing other people’s business.

Example thoughts of being in “Other’s business”
You need to get a job
I want you to be happy
You should be on time
You need to take better care of yourself
John does not listen to me
Julie did not smile at me
My husband should love me more
My children do not care for me enough
My employer should appreciate me
My mother should understand me
People should be kinder to me
You will see that in all the above examples, the person thinking these thoughts is linking her well being to something someone else should do and should not do, which obviously is not in her control. It is thus the other person’s business to do or not do what they need to do, not ours.

Example thoughts of being in “God’s business”
I’m worried about the possible earthquake in california
I fear that the river will get flooded next year
I fear that that the world will end in 2012
When will it rain this season?
When will I die?

By Byron Katie’s definition, anything that cannot be done by us or others is God’s business. You will see that the circumstances in the thoughts above are outside the control of human beings and is thus God’s business.

If we do not waste our energy in minding other people’s business or God’s business, we can be much more focused on minding our own business, and thus be relatively stress free.

Examples of staying in “My business”
Loving myself
Taking care of my health
Maintaining peace in my mind
Doing what is right for my heart
Giving my 100% in whatever I take up
Taking full responsibility for my life without resorting to blame
Thus the next time we feel stress, the best thing to do is to take a look at whose business we are being in. Chances are that we are doing other’s business or God’s business. We can then laugh at it, let go, and get back to our own business – which is really doing the right thing for ourselves, instead of dwelling on external circumstances that we have no control over and becoming miserable.

Byron Katie

Never waste your time trying to explain who you are to people who are committed to misunderstanding you.

Not the gun boat diplomacy but the drone attack strategy..!

Since, the US is not heeding to the protests of the Pakistani government against the drone attacks; and it had the audacity to launch another drone attack exactly on the occasion of the departure of the PM, on his visit to China; it is high time that Pakistani government must shift gears from the mere verbal protests to some tangible political and diplomatic assertive actions.

It is all the more necessary, in view of the NEW policy of use of the drones by the US, as a weapon of brow beating the new Pakistani government, by launching drone attacks at specific timings.

Now, there should be no doubt that Pakistan is being subjected to not to the gun boat diplomacy, but drone attack strategy.

Not the gun boat diplomacy but the drone attack strategy..!

Since, the US is not heeding to the protests of the Pakistani government against the drone attacks; and it had the audacity to launch another drone attack exactly on the occasion of the departure of the PM, on his visit to China; it is high time that Pakistani government must shift gears from the mere verbal protests to some tangible political and diplomatic assertive actions.

It is all the more necessary, in view of the NEW policy of use of the drones by the US, as a weapon of brow beating the new Pakistani government, by launching drone attacks at specific timings.

Now, there should be no doubt that Pakistan is being subjected to not to the gun boat diplomacy, but drone attack strategy.

May be this article of 12 February, 2013 is still relevant today for the PCB..!

How to Bounce Back in the Remaining Cricket Matches Against South Africa .

In this regard, the PCB may consider as below, a recipe for winning the remaining matches against South Africa.

1. Positive Attitude.

Defensive minds are neither creative nor cooperative. Until and unless we only focus on nothing short of winning (and consider a DRAW as a DEFEAT) no planning and preparation, will give us the desired results.

2. Planning.

The team management in particular and players in general must be told that PLANS never fail, rather we fail to PLAN. And for planning, the first and foremost thing is the mind set, totally focused on goal achievement. In order to achieve the impossible, it is precisely imperative, to think the unthinkable.

3. Video Analysis.

All concerned must sit and watch strengths and weaknesses of South African as well as, Pakistani players. This will not only help in overcoming our weaknesses, but will also help in field settings, determining bowling line and length, knowing weakness of opponent players, against fast and spin bowling etc.

4. Infusion of Motivation.

Since, cricket is a mind game, a motivation specialist (NOT psychiatrist) must be attached with the team, and given the task to convert our players, from being simply dynamic persons to a DYNAMITE personality, so that every player must perform, to his peak ability. In my opinion, the best person in the country, for this job is Ms Andleeb Abbas.

5. Team Selection.

(a) The success of any project depends on the right selection of it’s team members. The enemy of the BEST is often the GOOD. In fact, now it is said that the only difference between winning and losing organizations is the quality of it’s people, which includes their character, belief, habits, personal motivation and abilities.

(b) We should not only select players on merit or past performances but, one or two batsmen and bowlers from domestic circuit should also be selected by just anticipating, that given a chance, they can be stars overnight with their sheer fearlessness and big game temperament. Just like as a shrewd jeweler, we should pick a diamond from the rubbles.

(c) Similarly, our wicket keepers on show till now have been just average players. We must find some really outstanding wicket keeper, for which the legend Mr. Wasim Bari should be assigned the task, to find out the person who can be categorized as find of the tour.

6.Team Management.

The team management must be told that business as usual, will not deliver in this most tough series. They should know that management is doing things right. Leadership is doing the right things. Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; Leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.

Out of box solutions for bringing back the glory to Pakistan

After sixty six years, Pakistan is a more fragmented society than our forefathers could have ever imagined.

The schism is so intense that if immediate corrective steps are not taken, God forbid, this country may see even more turbulent times.

Writing on the wall is clear for all to read. The decadence of Pakistani society, in every sphere of life, be it political, economical, educational, industrial, agricultural, religious, law and order or any other segment worth naming, is abysmal, to say the least.

Hardly, any day passes without reports of suicides committed by the poor due to the economic hardships. Children are dying in NOT in dozens but in scores, due to the Measles out break and strangely enough, no soul has moved and not even a single person has been held accountable.

May be, we have one last chance to stem the rot, to unite the people and to give them a prescription, to rise again and build the nation from the ashes, because for the overwhelming majority, a time is coming that they will be forced to think “no life no nation”.

All stakeholders must wake up, as the nation is moving towards destruction; our survival is directly linked with the existence of our nationhood. Nationhood means “The state or quality of having a status as separate and independent nation”.

Hence, for all the Pakistanis, failure is NOT an option. But success is also not automatically guaranteed, as well.

In this regard, I would like to suggest that, let us formulate a new social contract (specially designed for the 95 percent have-nots; specially, NOT like the budget planned for 2013-14 which failed to tax the super rich on one pretext or the other) for the common people of Pakistan, who always pay 100 percent bills and taxes and never default on their bank loans. Let us make a new Pakistan, which is redesigned to practically cater to the needs of the exploited masses.

Changes must be made in the constitution to block corrupt land owners and power hungry charlatans from contesting the elections. The election system should also be changed, so that the whole country directly votes for a President or a PM.

However, before the voting, the candidates of all the political parties for this post, must notify a list of their MPA’s, MNA’s and Senators, who will be automatically considered elected, according to the percentage of votes cast, in favour of the main candidate, for the top post of the country.

The decision for Pakistan’s charter of development for building dams and mega projects for the next fifty years, should also be finalised, on which later on, no politics should be allowed. In other words, the entire representatives of the nation should decide NOW, where they would like to see Pakistan, in each and every field of life, after 5×10 = 50 years. The development goals must be clearly defined for 10 five year plans.

In order to decentralise and empower maximum number of people, to enjoy the fruits of self rule, we should convert every division of Pakistan into a province. This will also work as a panacea for the eradication of linguistic and any other type of frictions; and doubts about hegemony of people, of certain big areas, over the people of other smaller areas.

In fact, it will work wonders, in the speedy development and unity of Pakistan and kill instantly, any secessionist or separatist activities currently prevailing in some parts of the country.

NA SAMGHOO GAY TOU MIT JAOO GAY AY PAKISTAN WALOO
TUMHARI DAASTAAN TAAK NA HOO GI DAASTANOON MEIN

Mr. Prime Minister, just for your information, I am reproducing below my six questions to the then finance minister of Pakistan, Mr Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, which remained un-replied till date, but are an eye opener, that how Pakistan was plundered by the past government.

1. Pakistan is repaying $7.6 billion to the IMF. Did we receive exactly this much amount or the total sum was less than this figure?

2. How much amount of interest Pakistan will be paying over the principle sum of this loan of $7.6 billion from the IMF? Or the IMF will be charging interest on the whole sanctioned amount of $11.3billion?

3. Did Pakistan pay and what was the total bill for the travelling, boarding and lodging of IMF delegation’s recent visit to UAE, for discussions with our economic team?

4. Besides the interest, how much service, handler’s commission and or other charges were deducted by the IMF, on its loan of $7.6 billion to Pakistan?

V.V. Important question.

5. How much service charges or penalty was charged by the IMF to Pakistan, for not utilising or obtaining the remaining $3.7 billion amount, from the originally sanctioned loan amount of $11.3 billion; because Pakistan got only $7.6 billion from IMF?

6. When will Pakistan get its overdue payment of $800 million from the Etisalat Telecom?

http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-13-23752-Mr-PM!-There-are-three-options-to-avoid-IMF-loan

http://images.thenews.com.pk/27-06-2013/ethenews/t-23752.htm

Mr prime minister, every student of economics knows that never to use good money to chase bad money. Hence, there is no logic in seeking fresh loan to repay the old loan. This is a sure shot recipe for disaster, just like treating a cancer patient with fake medicines. IMF should be clearly told that Pakistan was well within its rights, to have asked for the write off, of the remaining unpaid amount of their loan. However, what we are seeking is just a moratorium.

Pakistan cannot afford to pay IMF’s remaining loan, over the peril of its economic demise.In this regard, you may also order the Foreign Office to contact all the 49 Nato governments, to extend moral and financial support to Pakistan, so that we are also able to strongly look after their interests, in providing all the necessary facilities for their troops in Afghanistan. The USA and the Nato should also be reminded that Pakistan is not charging a single penny for their military over flights, for which they offered more than $20 billion to Turkey, during the last Iraq war.

As such, Pakistan’s whole hearted cooperation in the WOT deserves matching reciprocal response in the shape of using their influence in IMF to facilitate Pakistan by way of at least 20 years moratorium in the IMF loan repayments.

Link:-

http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-13-23752-Mr-PM!-There-are-three-options-to-avoid-IMF-loan

http://images.thenews.com.pk/27-06-2013/ethenews/t-23752.htm