The Toy Gun

I found this toy at a friend’s house. It is a toy gun. When you pull the trigger, it makes a wheel spin and the lights turn on. There is also a whistle at the end of the barrel of the gun. I’m sure that the person who designed this toy thought he was quite clever in incorporating so many wonderful elements into a single device. What he failed to realize is how absurd it is to have a child point of barrel of a gun in his mouth — even if it is a toy gun! Children learn a lot about life from the way they play. If a child gets samskaras from putting a gun like this in his mouth again and again, it cannot be a good thing.

Without a doubt, a toy like this would be banned in the United States; however, India has not yet come to a level of sophistication in its monitoring of toys for children. Nonetheless, these are things that come in time, and as India is developing in so many ways, I’m sure that such monitoring will soon evolve.

Most Indian students and parents might not realize it, but there is a special area of design which is dedicated to toy design. ln fact, the National Institute of Design (NID) has a special program for design of toys. It might be a good idea for other colleges and institutes to focus more on this area – and include an element on design for safety in their syllabi as well.

6 ways to develop situation-reaction skills

Ajit Yadav asks on Facebook: “How to develop situation reaction skills?”

Here’s are a few of my thoughts–just a quick reaction

1. Always be prepared before you go into that particular situation. If it’s a debate, an interview, or a discussion, be sure to do your homework. Know what the topics are that are going to be discussed to be sure you read extensively about that before you go in. This will give you extra ammunition which will be at your beck and call the moment you needed. You won’t need to be searching your mind and thinking deeply about those thoughts instead you will be simply deciding which type of ammo to use.

2. Be sure you are in the  present while the activity is going on. In sure your mind is completely focused on the activity at hand, and make sure you are not distracted by anything else. You can also try techniques such as sitting on the edge of your chair, sitting completely erect, and looking into the eyes of others.

Block out any thoughts about things that are happening in your life otherwise. For instance if you had some emotionally disturbing event that occurred in the morning or the day before, or something is going to happen after the event that might be very concerning, do your best to compartmentalize those thoughts. Make a deal with yourself that for this period of time, you will not think about those things. And that after the event is over you will get those things your full attention. The last thing you want to happen is while you are in the middle of an event that demands your complete attention, something external pops up and disturbs you.

3. Anticipate what others are going to say or do. In the same way that a batsman anticipates how the bowler is going to throw a ball,  be thinking about how others are going to speak or act. Even if they do or say something that was not exactly what you expected, still it will take you less time to change your response or strategy at that very moment.

4. Be in excellent physical and mental shape. Stretch before the activity, drink plenty of water, and take some deep breaths to get your brain fully oxygenated. This will enable your body and mind to function at their peak physiologically.

5. Frequently put yourself in the situation that you want to perform well in. If you keep doing something again and again, you will gain expertise in that area eventually. However it might take a very long time. Malcolm Gladwell, the popular writer and thinker, claims that it takes 10,000 hrs. to gain expertise in the particular domain. Howard Gardner mirrors his sentiments, saying that it takes 10 years to attain mastery  in a discipline. Either way you need to become engaged in that activity extensively if you want to be good at it.

6. Involve yourself in situations that favor your natural strengths. For instance Sachin Tendulkar became excellent at cricket (his response time as a batsman is probably the highest in the world) not only because he immersed himself in cricket and spent so much time batting, but also because of his natural ability for the sport. The same can be said of the best entrepreneurs, software programmers, lawyers, and army personnel. for this, referred back to my work on multiple intelligences and multiple natures. these categories referred to qualities within an individual, especially related to their inbuilt abilities and tendencies. It is my belief that when you focus on your natural strengths, that you stand the best chance of succeeding. Of course, you can improve your skills (i.e., build on your natural strengths), but only to the degree that those underlying abilities will permit.