MyVoice: Views of our readers 1st August 2021

It's okay not to be okay

When you're high on emotion

And you're losing your focus

And you feel too exhausted to pray

Don't get lost in the moment

Or give up when you're closest

All you need is somebody to say

It's okay not to be okay.

These wonderful lines are from a song by Marshmello and Demi Lovato. It is one of my favourite songs, and it never fails to lift my spirits. With the high aspirations that we and those around us have set for us, bouts of disappointments and rejections sometimes engulf us. And, we feel as if all is over.

I am a great fan of podcasts and often listen to interviews of great leaders. Recently, in one such talk that I enjoyed listening to, the speaker beautifully explained that when we fall, we fall in the front and automatically cover a certain distance – no matter how insignificant it might look. So do not be afraid of failures - simply get up, dust yourself and move ahead. These lines have left a very profound impact on me.

We are often encouraged to aspire big but seldom taught how to handle failures. Times are tough, and the changing work dynamics coupled with the many challenges that this pandemic has thrown our way has caught many of us off guard. But it has also taught us that being resilient and not losing focus is the way to live. So it is okay not to be okay, and it is okay to fail. But, what is not okay is to give up trying and to stop dreaming. Learning from our failures should not be any less celebrated than success. Let our failures not define us but refine us on this journey called life.

— Neha Hassija, Hyderabad

Democracy and dirty politics

Gone are the days when healthy discussions were held in Parliament about matters confronting the people or the state as a whole. Eminent personalities were found seated in the House then. Politics has become very dirty now and tickets are given on the basis of caste, money and muscle power by political parties. Pandemonium, disruption and adjournments have become the order of the day.

Bills are rushed in the House sans any discussion. This is rather a sorry state of affairs that happen in a big democratic country. People are slowly losing faith in our parliamentary democratic process. Government and the opposition blaming each other for the for disruptions has come to stay. Pegasus snooping is the subject matter for the ongoing disruptions. The government on its part never gives in. So too the opposition. BJP did the same when UPA was at the helm of affairs. Now UPA is repeating it.

Two weeks of House proceedings have gone a waste in this three-week monsoon session slated. The apex court should take cognisance of the matter and do something to run the House in order since waste of taxpayers money is against the people and the state. People expect that the House proceedings must be more constructive and productive. Politicians also should end the parliament disruptions and turn to participative democracy.

— Sravana Ramachandran, Chennai.

Sports, a viable career option today

With the recent success of Indian athletes at the Tokyo Olympics, it is evident that India with a large young population could perform much better if we could invest and create world-class training facilities. At present, our schools (both government and private) don't even have basic facilities to encourage children to take up sports.

At times, even the available physical education period (PET) or sports class is snatched away to complete other subject's pending classes. Traditionally Indian parents are known to pressuraise their children to join IITs, other engineering colleges. This madness of pressurizing children to take up engineering should end. There is an urgent need for a radical change in the mindsets of our parents, that sports can also be a viable career option. This shall happen only if our elected state governments and the centre, allocate considerable Budget in creating world-class training facilities, coaches, infrastructure right from the school level.

— Sri Harsha Gajjarapu, Mandapeta