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Self Improvement Texts

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by jayasala42, Jul 6, 2019.

  1. jayasala42

    jayasala42 IL Hall of Fame

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    I am always skeptical about 'self-help' or self improvement.
    I used to wonder if we are looking for self help through the writings of others, it may be 'help' and not 'self help'.Do those texts really help to attain self improvement?

    Today self improvement is a multimillion industry.The book 'Self-help' written by Samuel Smile in 1859 paved the way for this industry.Today's self improvement is digital.There are TV shows, seminars and blogs by self-improvements Gurus.Babas and swamijis who were giving religious discourses now have turned into self-improvement masters.
    Too much proximity breeds contempt.Come Deepavali,we are tired of too many sweets.
    Definitely initially these texts inspire us.But
    can reading
    them motivate everyone to the desired level and
    bring about massive changes for the betterment
    in the society? A million dollar question!
    The impact is maximum on the first read, but
    almost vanishes in seconds. The ‘so high’ a
    surge in dopamine results in an
    inevitable crash.
    The truth is when we care too much about these
    self-improvement techniques,our confidence in ourselves
    shrinks and one starts feeling insignificant.
    (This is what psychologists say.)
    If others’ opinions matter more to one, then he is owned by them, and is never free to think
    The enlivening atmosphere gives place to tension, and unpleasantness.The Economic Law of
    Diminishing marginal Utility fits well here.The techniques never enter
    the head or heart .It just stops just like ’like’ button ,
    ceremoniously followed by’delete’ from the mind.
    Considering the huge presence of these self improvement
    texts , by now there would have been lot of refinements and improvements in the general behavior of people stated to
    have been inspired by such texts.There are no
    super humans and enlightened Buddhas.In the contrary,confidence
    has been shattered,suicide trends have increased,many
    rapes, acid throws and atrocities have surged resulting in
    grave crimes and murders.I don't say that it is because of self development techniques but in spite of them.The mass psychology pervades
    and clouds the class psychology too.Self help advices and
    behaviour patterns do not seem to integrate.
    There is a Tamil proverb” kattik koduththa saadhamum, sollik koduththa vaarththaiyum
    eththanai naalukku varum”
    ( How long can the packed lunch and imparted
    advice last?)
    My mother used to say this soon after advising us.
    But the self-help industry always has a solution.
    If you scoff at the law of attraction or cringe at
    positive self-talk, the self-help industry has built
    a genre for you as well: The anti-self-help self-help.
    This is a self-help genre designed for people who dislike self-help.
    The anti-self-improvement self-improvement writers
    writers suggest
    alternative approach to its traditional methods, including:
    Be negative, accept you’ll always be
    mediocre, .
    For over a century, self-help has meant self-improvement. Perhaps this time around,
    self-help should mean self-acceptance..
    Recently I read a quote from one such author .
    “The desire for more positive experience is itself
    a negative experience. And, paradoxically, the acceptance of one’s
    negative experience is itself a positive experience.”
    It took a few minutes to understand what he said;ie.be contented
    with what you achieve.
    See, how self improvement has turned just topsy-turvy from
    exceptional to mediocre to just 'to accept',even if it is failure.
    Is it not the preaching in Gita too?( Striving your best and not expecting the results?)
    Vathsala Jayaraman-M 170
     
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  2. HariLakhera

    HariLakhera Platinum IL'ite

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    Most of these writers are consultants also. We used to have them on regular basis. On closer scrutiny it was found that most of them were high ranking managers with good educational background who were good in networking but not good at managing. The cliche was if you fail to deliver yourself, become a consultant. Their net working skills got them good business as consultants.
    There is however no harm in seeking help for self improvement from whatever source it comes. Improvement is a continuous process and has no thus far and no further.
     
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  3. Amulet

    Amulet IL Hall of Fame

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    Hahaha... Nice essay, Jaya. @jayasala42

    Now and then I look at the facebook page for asinine aphorisms for a laugh..-- that is the quickie self-help site. Link ==> Asinine Aphorisms

    There is also the site for absurd platitudes that people copy-paste to add ooommph to their social media interactions. That site is hilarious too: Internet Committee to Remove Absurd Platitudes
     
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  4. jayasala42

    jayasala42 IL Hall of Fame

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    Thank you Hari Sir for your nice response. Improvement is a continuous process.That has to be realized by oneself after a period.Continuous goading may not help. Reading such texts may become a habit without having any real impact.
    Jayasala 42
     
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  5. jayasala42

    jayasala42 IL Hall of Fame

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    Thank you Amulat madam for referring to two interesting websites.We have plenty of 'quotes' to inspire us.Academically, I agree, they are useful ,to make your essay presentable.During college days, we used to get more marks if we quote from similar works ( even from other languages). We used to throng the library to do extensive reading just to get top mark in an essay or to answer a five mark question on ERC( explain with reference to Context)There was absolutely not even an iota of 'self improvement 'in it. Every essay will have at least three quotes within brackets citing the author.Now I feel ashamed for the motiveless action of mine with a single objective of topping the class.When I rewind and look back, I feel that I should not have wasted my precious hrs.

    jayasala 42
     
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  6. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

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    :hello:Quite true. Highly intelligent but unproductive in lab or invariably sent as head of training department where the hey can deliver to their heart’s content from podium for hours on end. They used to speak about how to bring improvement accurate basic and scientific research and commercialisation of it and present a souvenir to every one in the audience of training school.

    2. I have not seen even an iota of improvement among the staff from my division except that they boast of lovely free lunch and siesta.

    3. Bharat mhatha in her collective wisdom selected two of my contemporaries likely to be superannuated in a few months for management training in Australia. After two months of training one landed mumbai and the other in New Delhi.

    The Mumbai officer upon landing received by me taken to office and delivered a speech of benefits of training to my division staff and very next day my administrative man arranged for his farewell party.

    He got improvement and progress arranged for his son and daughter in Australia! That is self improvement in and after training in foreign land at tax payers expense.

    4. I agree with madam Sister @jayasala42 too that self improvement books are hocus pocus and any improvement should come within self.

    Regards.

    God’s world there is no training division and He helps those who help themselves.
     
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  7. Viswamitra

    Viswamitra IL Hall of Fame

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    Dear Smt Jayasala:

    I couldn't agree more about self-improvement can never be taught to anyone unless it comes from within. At best, one can relate to what resonates from reading materials but the implementation for driving self-improvement should come from within.

    Spiritual, emotional and psychological health of our mind determines how much improvement one could make. How much our mind was affected by the past experiences, what kind of fear exist in our mind and how our mind reacts to an outside experience (face, resist, accept, withdraw, deny, etc.). Self-improvement by definition is where one has reached from the past dispositions in a measurable manner.

    There can be influence from self-improvement lessons but inheritance is not feasible as each personality as formed by the mind is different. There is no one solution fits all self-improvement technique. It has to be customized for each person's requirement for which one needs to understand how his/her mind works.
     
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