DEAR PRESSURE

Linnea Coe, aged 15, living in Spokane,US, owner of the blog LIFE IN THE WORLD is a fantastic thinker and fabulous writer. I am amazed at the depth and clarity of her thinking, wonderful writing skill using simple words to effectively convey her thoughts. Here she is writing an interesting letter to pressure which all of us face in our daily life. At first it appears that she is going all out to praise pressure but in the end she gives an interesting twist by challenging pressure using God as a shield.

I am thrilled to reproduce her marvelous letter.


Dear Pressure,

Since you seem to have a lot of time to intrude on my life, I thought I'd drop you a line on how it's going. Then you don't have to work so hard to try to be sneaky about whatever it is you plan to do next.

I'd like to say that you are everywhere. I see you in the hallways, outside in the parking lot, in the cafeteria, in my classes, on the sidewalk, and even in my own house. You are not very subtle. Sometimes you come forcefully, and other times you are quite gentle. Either way, you are very powerful. It's not hard to see. I have many friends who have gotten pregnant because of you. Others, who have gotten drunk or smoked some weed or stolen something from a local store. No matter where I go, you are there too. Pressure here. Pressure there. See Pressure talk. See Pressure lie. See Pressure run. No one escapes you, do they? But through all my observations, I noticed that you take a most common form of people. You could be a girl next door. Or a group of teenage boys that were standing outside the school. You could be a teacher or a student. You could be anything! But, luckily, you are easy to identify. You leave your signature. The cigarette butt on the corner, the empty bottle in the trash, the pill case sitting in the bottom of her bag. You are like a famous villain. And you can't be stopped. Because we humans have Free Will. And Free Will is your biggest ally. You are strong, Pressure. And we don't often win a fight against you. We will give in and try that beer. Or go a little farther in that physical relationship. Or do some of those drugs. And we will fall because of it. Congratulations.

But you must consider something into your calculations; you have an enemy. You have a weakness. Encouragement. A form of yourself, come to think of it. Encouragement is the voice of reason in unreasonable times. Or the voice of wisdom in a stupid situation. She holds us back when you want to pull us in. She has many forms too. She could be a parent. Or a best friend. Or a pastor. Or a neighbor. Then again, so could you, but in that case, it wouldn't be much or a friend or a parent or a pastor. That is your cage. You are limited to those of weak will and mind. Those are the easiest for you to conquer. The most unstable.

And something else you seem to have forgotten is that the most unconquerable people are those who are backed by Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior. He is the Strong Tower. The Impenetrable Fortress. The Solid Rock. The Wall. And unfortunately for you, I'm on one side while you are on the other. You want to get to me, you have to go through HIM. And in that exciting endeavor, I wish you good luck. Cause you are going to need it.

Sincerely, Linnea

Please click here to visit LINNEA COE'S BLOG LIFE IN THE WORLD and check it out yourself.I am sure you will like her instantaneously.

ATHAM PROCESSION,THRIPUNITHURA-PART THREE

Kerala is a small state in India but it has deep rooted culture and traditions.Variety is the hall mark.People living in different parts of the state and belonging to different communities dress differently and very colorfully.Here are some photos for your viewing pleasure.

PASSING TIME

Sometimes I would like to loiter around and watch things around me. Simply walking with absolutely no purpose other than to see what is happening. Perhaps I am wasting time or blissfully idling away my time. But then there are ever so many things I notice doing this deliberate act of wasting my time. Besides such an idle activity calms my nerves, clears my head and I feel rejuvenated at the end of the walk.

There was a time when I considered all idle activity as unproductive and waste of time. Whenever I spent my time without doing useful work, I felt very guilty about it. I will still be surprised if I see youngsters wasting their time doing nothing. I am changed now. May be age is a factor.

ON VISITING A GRAVEYARD

When we enter a graveyard the abounding peace, all pervading calmness and the unusual quietness strikes us forcibly. There is no commotion, struggle, dissension, discord, enmity, ego clashes, domination, anger, competition etc. The entire place is an oasis of silence except perhaps for the chirping of some birds or the distant roar of vehicles.

Another striking feature is that some graves are well maintained and others are not. Perhaps this may be due to the fact that some relations care for their departed ones more than others.

Some of us would like to think that death is only for other people and not for us. We want to believe that we will live for ever. Some of us are overcome with remorse,regret and guilty feeling at the thought that when the person was alive we did not appreciate them enough or do enough for them and now it is too late.

Here are some photos to remind us of the fact that WE ARE DUST AND TO DUST WE SHALL RETURN. WE CAME WITH NOTHING AND WE WILL GO WITH NOTHING. THIS WORLDLY LIFE IS TEMPORARY. WE HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF OUR SOUL WHICH IS INDESTRUCTIBLE AND HAS AN ETERNAL LIFFE.