A new perspective of vulnerability

I always thought being vulnerable was being open or susceptible to harm or injury. However I came across this lecture on TED by Brene Brown who is a researcher who studies human connection which gave a complete different view to the definition of Vulnerability. In fact she felt people who connected well with others believed that what made them vulnerable made them beautiful. I am still trying to come to terms with this concept and have watched the video below many times to try and grasp it further. But to be honest I have still not been able to understand it completely. But what I believe she is trying to say in simple language is that by trying to block (avoid) what may hurt us we close up other aspects of ourselves which deprive us of joy, creativity, love and belonging. If anyone can shed some light or has another opinion  on this I would very much love to hear it.

The Scrounger

Actually the title of this post should have been “The well off scrounger”.  Even though it is a good Oxymoron I  somehow felt that it would give the plot away.

My perception of a scrounger has always been of someone who is not so well off having to borrow stuff from other people. Stuff he has no intention of returning. But the person I am writing about is completely opposite of this description. He is young, a professional who has a good career with great prospects and is definitely more than well off. In fact he can be categorized as rich. Even though he is a man of means this guy never pays. For instance if someone is hosting a group of friends for drinks or tea he would order a pack of cigarettes saying that he would pay later and conveniently forget about it. It is the same when it comes to going on outings with friends. He will say he will pay his share on a lter day and conveniently forget about it. Even when reminded after many months he will quite thickly say I will pay later.

This gentleman belongs to a profession where there are lots of fees which have to be paid to others and I was told whenever he pays his dues he always keeps a small portion of the money back. For instance if he has to pay 10,700/- he will pay the 10,000 but never the 700.

It is the same if  he sees a pack of cigarettes. He will help himself to it till it is over. Without even thinking about the owner of the pack. The best thing is he does not smoke. At least when he has to buy his own.

These are not one off random events which I am writing about but something I have observed over a span of nearly ten years. What is happening as a result of this is that people are slowly but surely moving him out of their circles. Guess that is understandable. What is most interesting is apparently that his mom is just like him at least when it comes to paying back her fees. 

It was only when I heard this tit bit of information I realized that scrounging too is hereditary. 

Good Bye Hard Copy

I love books. Good old fashioned books. I love having them around me. And I love seeing all of my books lined up in the shelves. Believe it or not it gives me a sense of comfort.

Sadly things have begun to change.

It seems that I have been abandoning my trusty hard copies in favor of the more convenient soft copy.

In fact the last couple of hard copy books I read have been left half way on my bed side stool; on my desk or in my carvehicle; never to be picked up and continued with again.

I always read books on my phone. But now that I got an Android Phone and the fact that Kindle app works so beautifully on it has made reading on my phone an absolute blissful experience.

I find this far more convenient. Especially when it comes to the ease of keeping up with the story line and reading in the night without glasses and lights.

Also the kindle App has opened up a wide array of reading resources which cannot be found anywhere else. I have discovered that there are many authors who write only for kindle. Giving me access to some amazing reading material for just a couple of dollars. Sometimes as little as two or three.

I realized that I was truly converted when I was reading the hard copy of Dan Brown’s inferno and was wishing I had it with me on my phone so I could access it every time I had a few minutes to spare.

It was then that I made a promise to myself from here on now I will always chose the soft copy – if its available - over the hard copy on all future reading materials which I plan to purchase.

Some might call it Betrayal.  I just call it convenience.

Another Amazing Sri Lankan – Shanaka Fernando founder of Lentil as anything

Some people dream whilst others go about and make their dreams come true. 

Sadly I don’t belong to the latter but I am glad to have come across this story which really warms my heart. What makes me even more proud is that this is done by a Sri Lankan. Amazingly someone I came into contact with during my misspent youth.

Lentil as anything is a vegetarian restaurant in Australia. But what makes it special than any other such enterprise is the fact that it might be the only restaurant in the world where there is no price list and they don’t insist that you settle the bill once the meal is over.  In fact one can pay whatever they feel like or even choose not to do so at all.

What a beautiful Idea!

What makes it more beautiful is that the model is still working and the restaurant is still functioning many years after they opened their doors.

It seems people at large are much nicer and have more good in them than we give them credit for.

Kudos to you Shanka Fernando! For having the courage to do something different that actually makes a difference.