Gerald D'Cunha

  “The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; and, the willingness to learn is a choice.” Brian Herbert   “I am like this only”… Well, we all are ‘like this onlys’… There is a deep-rooted nature in all of us. You may be a born-extrovert, while I may be a born-introvert. So, this innate nature, I believe, is what makes us say - ‘I am like this only’… Shy people, I know, will, always, remain shy. Their basic nature gets formed in their mothers’ wombs. So, when they realize what they are born with, it becomes easier for them to work around it… I said, ‘to work around it’… I never said, ‘to do away with it.’ For, I firmly believe, that, while the social skills can be learnt and acquired, they can’t be replaced by completely uprooting our innate nature… Susan Cain describes this inner plight of my type of shy souls like this: “Introverts may have (acquired) strong social skills and (learnt) to enjoy parties and business meetings; but, after...

  “How a person wins and loses is much more important than how much a person wins and loses.” Tom Krause   O ne of the things I dreaded, when I was in school, was when I was called to the Headmaster’s/Principal’s office on any complaint from my teachers. The thing, that I dreaded the most, was when my parents were called to school! Both, my father and mother had not been to school like they wanted their sons to… They were simple folks. About my relationship with them – well, I was their favourite… They, always, believed, that I was the good sheep in their pack and wouldn’t let them down. Maybe, this was the reason, why I was most scared to tell them, that the Headmaster/Principal wanted to see them! Did my parents, always, try to inculcate good values in me? Well, which parents wouldn’t? I don’t think, we learn to imbibe good values in life, because our parents, teachers and mentors try to inculcate them in us. I think, we learn to imbibe them, when we learn to...