Memories!!!

A recent study, on how the brain stores memories, reported the discovery of a drug that could boost memories. This drug evidently would help you hang on to memories longer and be able to picture them more clearly. This would be the most powerful discovery for Alzheimer's patients and their families. There is nothing worse than witnessing a person loose his identity and have no significance of his life whatsoever. If you think of it, what would life really be without memories. We base our future on our past and without any recollection, the future would seem like nothing but a dark alley where you are lost.

People with memory problems are like erasable slates. Every time someone tells them a story from their past, they get the feeling of having had a life. But, as soon as that story ends, the slate is wiped off and their life becomes dull again. A life is always measured by the experiences you have and the memories you make from them. Whether it is making relationships with people or having various experiences, you completely rely on your memory of these events to make your life full. Imagine what it would be like to not remember any of this. It would be like being born anew everyday. You may look 80, but would be like an infant who has had no life before that. It is ironic that you would feel that your life is starting when in actuality, it is coming to an end.

And it is twice as tough for the family. To not be able to laugh thinking about happy times, not be able to recollect the events and look over milestones with satisfaction, is so disheartening. These are the things that hold a family together and give every person a sense of belonging. And to be a family member of someone who has lost his memory, is like loosing parts of your life with that.

To these people, a memory-boosting drug would be nothing short of a miracle drug. But what about people who have had rough childhoods or difficult lives? They already spend their lives in constant fear of the circumstances that terrorized them. Would they want those disturbing memories to be boosted? I don't think so. People go through such different things in life and it is difficult to know if they would want to recollect events and be reminded of their past. There are so many memories, that, for so many people, bring back pain and tears. It would be so much more easier, if these events were completely wiped off the slate of their life. For such people, it would only be cruel to have these memories reinforced with more clarity.

And unfortunately, there is no drug that would enhance the joyful parts of your memory selectively, while eliminating the hurtful ones. The new memory boosting drug, yet to receive its patent, might want to add these desirable features before they launch and commercialize it. That way, it could cater to a larger group of patients and truly give them a cure from their pain and ailment. Until then, we should realize that the world is not perfect and so is not the health care industry. There are going to be some unsolved mysteries at every point of time and that is what will present a challenge for researchers to look for more!

http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/post.cfm?id=memories-are-made-of-this-drugs-to-2011-06-03

I am happy!!!

When the world around you is falling apart, when everything and everyone moves at such a fast pace when there are so many dangers in this high-speed life, what does one do to stay calm?

I read an article a few days back, where the author said that she was thankful that she could find peace in shopping. A very weird comment, when there are so many more important things in life that need your attention. But, when I got down to thinking about it, I realized that all of us have our own sanctum. There could be various options to choose from and some of the choices could be pretty surprising.

When the Osamas and the Gaddafis are spreading around terror and violence, when you see no value for human life, you are bound to retrospect life as a journey altogether and really think about how enjoyable the journey is. When you have to think about the usual worries an adult life brings, you have to find ways to maintain your sanity. There are so many things that could take a toll on you, sometimes it is health, other times it is money, maybe sometimes safety. No matter what it is, the human brain does find things to think about and they are not always pleasant thoughts. To think of it, that is the precise reason, why children are so happy and childhood is the best time for most of the people. Children don't worry about the ugly face of life, they are so absorbed in finding things that make life interesting and that please them from within.

The world is a strange place, there are so many things that bother me, the economical inequality, broken families, scary diseases, and just sheer bad luck sometimes. If I started thinking about all those things, I don't think I would ever be able to smile. It is so disheartening to see life being unfair on so many people and it makes you think what did you do to deserve better. That is when you find a reason to be happy, because life is not fair, but it sure is beautiful if you have the time and peace to find the beauty.

I am glad that raindrops on the window make me happy, the fragrance of water drops hitting the sun-parched ground for the first time stimulate my senses. I am thankful that when I come home from a not-so-good day at work, I can look at my garden and find pleasure in the dancing flowers. I am very ecstatic that listening to my nephew's squeals and laughter fill my life with joy. It is these little things in life that make the dreaded journey worth the troubles. I think, a lot depends on how you handle your mind when faced with scary situations.

I look at homeless people, terminally ill children and many other troubled souls. It always surprised me to see that look of satisfaction and pleasure in their eyes. Life had not dealt them a fair hand, then what made them grateful for everything? It was from them I learnt that life does not have to be good by itself, you make it beautiful or ugly.

If it was not for these little changes in life, what would it be, but an endeavor where you live to work and earn. I have heard a lot of women say they shop when they are down. It is like therapy for them. Some people say movies take them away from their life and makes them happy. Some find pleasure in pets and revel in the oh-so-warm and fuzzy feeling within them. No matter what it is, it is for you to decide where you find peace and stick to it. Whatever makes you feel good is the one thing worth hanging on to, since that is what will help you through tougher tides. When it is asked of people to pause to smell the roses, I would say find a different flower to smell everyday. There are so many things that can evoke the happy thought process, they are just waiting to be found by you.

I am happy that I am still capable of finding happiness and survive the tough blows. Because it is only in those moments of peace and satisfaction, when I find all the solutions to your worries. It is then that you can help spread the cheer and do your bit to make this world a better and beautiful place. I can't think of what the cynical people must do to make this life worthwhile. And as people say, life really is very short to be able to take in the wonders and blunders of the world. Soak it all in and retain the wonders, the blunders will automatically find a way to fizzle out of memory.

America's Dilemma

Have you ever been the Class Monitor? Do you remember how much responsibility it entailed to contain the antics and to set an example for others to follow? At the same time, there were some who wouldn't completely agree with your actions and be conflicted by your decisions. Now, multiply that numerous times and think of a global monitor. That is where America has put itself into.

Everybody in this world has the question "Why does the American Government want to interfere with everybody's business?". And not just the rest of the world, American citizens themselves sometimes can't understand why their growth and development are put at risk to help some country out of a crisis. When I was part of the rest of the world, I could only think of one thing as to what made America want to mend everything world over. But now that I am around American people, I understand many things better. First, when the world says 'America' and disapproves of its decisions, it should be remembered that the American people are not always a part of it. Second, if they take a decision, there is a reason behind it; not that everybody would agree to the rationale.

It is so disheartening to know that America has lost so many young soldiers in the various deployments, and which to a certain extent, could have been avoided. Not that the countries that America was at war with, lost any less of their population. With these experiences and the outcry of the citizens against the involvement of America in any other wars kept the Government at bay from risking any more lives. But it didn't last long and now we see America at war again with Libya. Now if we look at how America got involved here, it is interesting that the actions were more out of peer pressure than from self-will.

What has happened is, the 'Allies' long back, were touted to take on disturbed nations and mend their ways. Over the years, as America gained power, it was the one major member of the Allies, that assumed the role of the self-appointed monitor. Now that they have done this for years and received contempt for it from different nations, they are trying to keep their hands clean off any more trouble. But what happens, when nations in crisis still look towards America for help? How are they to deny help to these nations in need, when they took on that responsibility years ago? Now they are in a fix, if they agree to help these nations, onlookers feel the interference unnecessary and if they don't, they get the tag of being 'insensitive' to the needs of the lesser developed countries. So what does a country like America do? Everybody is waiting for you to make a mistake and to lash out with a string of accusations. This is the toughest position to be in. And you have to think about your countrymen too.

And in a time, where America is witnessing one of its worst economic crisis, how would it justify to use the funds for anything else but for its own development? It is very easy to criticize each step of those in authority, but it is equally difficult to be in their shoes and understand why certain decisions are being made. There are numerous considerations and it is humanly impossible to make everyone happy. So you pick the best choice, according to you which honestly, might not be the right choice, according to many others.

Even with the recent situation in Libya, America refrained from getting involved for a long time, but what were they supposed to do, when the Libyan opposition leaders and the common man appealed to them for help? How long can you turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to injustice, more so when you have earned a reputation of being a champion for the needy? I don't support the decision of bombing Libya, but I can see why America was compelled to do so. I can also see why some American people are against it. But what I can't understand is how most of the American citizens approve of these steps, even when they know that this could cost them a lot with respect to their development. I do not understand how and why 60% of the American population* would want to put a strange land and its citizens ahead of their own needs? It could be defined as an act of selflessness, where they are supporting humanitarian causes by overlooking the consequences. People think America doesn't care, but I have seen and heard the people here and I know they are effected by trouble in any country. And they have always shown their solidarity by sending in troops, rescue teams, paramedics and everything else possible. The problem is when the very thin line between concern and interference starts to vanish. That is what bothers the rest of the world. What should be done in this case; whether or not to continue extending help which might be perceived as interference? Maybe that is the 'dilemma' of all American people, to take pride in being the global monitor, or to give up the title, ignore global issues and look into its own development alone!!!

*http://www.worldnewsco.com/4922/poll-results-most-americans-support-military-action-in-libya/