The Advantages and disadvantages of being young

"His best companion, innocence and health. And his besh riches ignorance and wealth. How happy he who crowns in shades like these. a youth of labour with an age of ease, " said Oliver Goldsmith. This but vividly sums up what youth is all about. it is indeed sad, that this stage in our lives comes but only once, for what precedes it is childhood, which is spent in play and fun and what folows is aold age and misery.Thus in a sense this is the prime of our lives.

Youth is indeed " Age of ease " for they are mentally and physically in the pink of health. their minds are fresh and hence more receptive to new ideas and thourhts. Physically too they have matured with all faculty functioning optimally. it is, therefore, hte right age,for them ot choose their future career, by selecting a specific course of study. This is why we find most competitive examinations targeting youth. Their physical attributes and adaptability to their new envoirnment, make them ideal for recruitment to the defence services.

The innocence and the ignorance are but a blessing, for they suffer from no prejudice or doubts and thus their approach to life is positive and optimistic. This makes them highly enthusiastic and daring. Thus in time of an emergency, their enthusiasm can carry the day for them.

The youth of today are however not a happy lot, for despite their endowments, their peers and parents expect too much from them. This makes them stretch beyond their capacity, htat at times lead to psychological disturbance and frustration. They have at times also been accused of using their heart, rather than brains, to decide on important matters concerning them. This makes them vulnerable to get easily misguded. Their inexperince and lack of worldyl widom maker them a novice, when it comes to performing especially demanding work tha tcalls fjor sepcialisation. 

Not with standing these disadvantages, one still longs for one's youth to come back,for the wealth of youth is priceless indeed. We are reminded of William Shakespeare when he said " All the world a stage, and all men and women mere players: They have their exit and entrances: and one man in his time plays many parts. " It is unfortunate, however, that in this play of life the part of youth has bout no retake. We must, therefore, live the part truly and sincerely.

Tradition is an Obstacle to Progress

"Theirs not to make reply,

Theirs not to reason why,

Theirs but to do and die," 

Said Lord Tennyson about the noble tradition of discipline in the patriotic fighting forces across the world. The word tradition, however means, unwritten beliefs and customs handed down from generation to generation, which binds us to our forefathers and makes us distinct from one another. In fact some of the finest moments in our lives are, when we uphold the traditions of our family, clan our country. Men have laid down their lives upholding noble traditions and have become immortal and great.

Such is the noble role and significance of tradition in our lives, that it can never become an obstacle in progress. It lays down guidelines for simple and even complex decision- making and leaves us free to utilize our time more effectively. Take for example the complex decision of marriage. if therie is a tradition of marriage within the same or related clan, then the decision is far easier and easily acceptable. its advantages are well seen in the indian society, where there is a tradition of arranged marriages. This has proved to be more successful than love marriages in the west, with fewer cases of divorce and broken homes. it also has a lot of emotional and ornamental value, which is praticsed very proudl by our armed forces. Some of these traditions have ben passed down from the british army, take for example the pulling of jeeep by fellow officers on the retirement of a senior officer, or the ceremonial parade, flag hoisting etc. these are all fine traditions that should be maintaned at all cost.

Tradition in fact is a stimulant to progress. We don not have to worry about how to do mundane or even very important things, as there is a set cutom or procedure to do it. in fact it is a scientific approach to lilife, where the final outcome is assured, without having to experiment. We are emotionally and physiologically at peace, which enables us to focus our complete energy for advancement and progress of self as well as the societ at large.

The tradition of holding the flag high in the face of adversary, has made many small men immortal and great. These men did not think twice, before laying down their lives upholding this tradition. Their act bravery, has at times changed the course of battle and even history.

not all traditons are good. There is need for rethinking and weeding ourt some traditons like untouchability,child mariages and dowry etc, which have no plade in the modern society. We are today more de udated and enlightened to diffrentiate betwwn good and bad. it should be our endeavour to promote good and weed out the bad tradition, in keeping with the times.

Following tradition, therefore, guides our lives and saves us from the many pitfalls and dangers. it is a virtue, which helps us lead a happy and progressive life.

Which in Your opinion is more important a healthy body or a healthy mind.

Man is the only creature in the entire universe blessed with a body and a mind. It is this, which makes him the crown of creation. While a healthy body is necessary, but in the absence of a healthy mind, he is no longer a human being, but is more akin to an animal. Thus in my opinion a healthy mind is more important than a healthy body. This is but echoed by William Shakespeare when he said , " For sweetest things turn sourest by their deeds, lilies that fester smell far worse than weeds".

Not only does it make us a proper human being, but also enables us to differentiate between what is good or bad, virtuous and evil. so significant is its contribution, that without it we cannot lead a happy life.

While the body is subject to ageing the mind is not. Thus a healthy person may with  passage of time, grow old with age. Ont he other hand, the mental faculty of a person not only increases with age, but he becomes more mature,wiser and experienced. people come to him for advixe and guidance.

Unlike the body it is unaffected by fatigue and overwork, on the contrary the more we use the more perfect it becomes. it enables us to imbibe knowledge, which we can use for our own betterment, or for the welfare of the society. For as we all know " Knowledge is Power". this power if used judiciously, can make us advance in our life. it is, therefore, not uncommon to find people of a trail constitution, managing the destiny of their countries. They hold away over millions of otherwise well-bodied people.

Thus we can also to a great extent influence the life of people around us. At times so powerful is the impact, that we had Mahatma Gandhi who despite this frail constitution le the entire country to wage a war for independence. His unique approach of using the weapon of non-violence and truth shook the mighty British empire. They were in mortal fear of this frail, semi clad fakir as they called him and had to at last concede independence. Similarly we had Helen Keller, though being mute and dumb since birth, she led a normal life.This was by sheer dint of her will power endowed to her by healthy mind. Thus she became a source of inspiration for even able bodied men and women. It is hence evident, that a healthy mind, can more than make up for a frail or even a challenged body.

So all pervading is its impact on our lives, that it moulds our personality by making us more humane, loving, compassionate and caring. Thus endearing our to the people and the society. A healthy body on the other hand is of no use, if it lacks a good personality, This is so for people remember us by our deeds and not as to how we looked.

This reminds us of what John Ruskin said, " Remember that the most beautiful things are the most useless, Peacocks and lilies for instance." Thus a healthy mind is not only more important, but an essential prerequisite for us to lead a normal happy life.

Teenagers Today are more worldly wise then their parents

Agreeing with this statement would amount to casting aspersions on the wisdom of parents, to which all teenagers looked up to. The teenagers knowledge maybe significantly more on a particular subject, but with respect to being worldly wise, they are far behind their parents. This is for parents have knowledge blended with years of experience. This makes them more worldly wise then the teenagers, who are on the threshold of life.

Years of experiencing the many ups and downs of life make parents a better judge of human character and nature. They can therefore judge people more accurately and are not waved by superficial factors. On the other hand teenagers are swayed by superficial factors. On the other hand teenagers are swayed by superficial, irrelevant factors which may just be a facade and far away from reality.

The information explosion in the print and electronic media, may give more information to teenagers. This however cannot make them more worldly wise then their parents. For their knowledge obtained from such sources are primarily confined to what they have seen, heard or read. The parents on the other hand can better use this knowledge, blending it with their personal experiences in life. it is because of this we find teenagers looking up to their parents for advice, in important decisions relating to their work or career.

Moreover teenagers being young are more enthusiastic and optimistic by nature, This i for they have seen the brigliter side of life only, being protected from its harsh realities by their parents. They are therefore prone to taking decisions in a haste. Parents on the othe4r hand, being seasoned and cautious, make more rational decisions, for they take a balanced view of things they know the virtue of patience and tolerance, and are there fer in a better position to evaluate options more logically and practically, before arriving at a firm decision, There advise is thus more practically, before arriving at a firm decision. There advise is thus more practical and useful.

Besides being optimistic and rash, the teenagers have a tendency to follow the dictates of the heart, rather then their mind. They are easily moved by superficial considerations like colour, looks or aesthetic appeal. on the other hand parents take decisions on merit, with sound time tested logic, using their mind. They are therefore less prone to error. it is because of this we find successful teenagers like models, actors etc. seeing the advise of parents, in matters concerning their career or future. on the other hand, we have numerous instances of teenagers ruining their lives, in the misconception of being more worldly wise then their parents.

Thus teenagers even to day are not more worldly wise than their parents. They lack experience, and wisdom which comes with age. These attributes are possessed by the parents in ample measure. Teenagers therefore must make proper use of this invaluable resources to enrich their lives.

Cigarette Smoking in Public Places should be banned

it is common knowledge that smoking cigarettes is injurious to health. It harms the smoker,and also endangers the lives of others around him, through passive smoking. Do we have this right to harm others, and ourselves by our irresponsible behaviour? definitely not. Therefore, in all propriety smoking cigarettes in public places should be banned altogether.

Cigarette smoking is a gift of modern times and has become fashionable nowdays. many psychologists have done detailed statistical studies, to investigate why people smoke? Their findings are indeed shocking. The reasons given by smokers indicate, that  it is habit forming, increases concentration, helps in killing time and to be in fashion.

These are but purely psychological reasons without any concrete benefit. ON the other hand, specific medical studies have confirmed a direct linkage between nicotine, that is present in tobacco and the high incidence of heart attack and cancer in smokers and even passive smokers.these are dreadful diseases and at times prove fatal. the fortunate few, who manage to survive have to quit smoking and have to adopt a very strict and somber lifestyle if they want to live. we thus have no moral right to smoke, for smoking exposes us and the innocent public to the vagaries of this scourge. someone rightly said, " You smoke we choke ".

Smoking in public places is also an infringement on the fundamental right of our fellow citizens, for it violates their right to live. our protagonist may argue, that banning smoking would violate the fundamental right of the individual. this is untrue, as no one has the right to endanger his own life, what to talk of others around him.

it is this realisation, that has forced many advanced countries like USA and UK to ban smoking in public. The immediate fallout of this has been, a drastic fall in the incidence of cases of heart attack, which is reported to have reduced by 30 to 40 percent. there is therefore no reason as to why, the same should not be done in India.

The consequences of smoking are indeed very grave and hence there is an immediate need to ban smoking in public. The public opinion should be built in this favour and if required , the lawmakers of the country should enact laws, whereby smoking in public places is effectively banned.