Warrier's blog

AAARRRRGGHH!!!" by Rosemary Counter I was reading the six page article "AAARRRRGGHH!!!" by Rosemary Counter, published in Reader's Digest India (July 2026) that explores the psychological and physical mechanisms of aggravation*. It details how everyday frustrations push individuals from mild irritation to full-blown rage, and how introspection can help manage these reactions. In psychology, aggravation and anger are complex emotional states characterized by frustration, irritation, and the impulse to attack or defend. Exploring the psychological roots of aggravation and learning evidence-based management tools are detailed in the Psychology Today Basics of Anger. Aggravation typically surfaces when your goals are blocked, boundaries are crossed, or self-esteem is threatened. Understanding how and why these emotional responses occur can help you better manage them. Here are the core concepts and methods associated with aggravation : Hidden Triggers : Aggravation ...

Random Reading : In praise of rituals Meaning of life - The Economic Times https://share.google/iMOpjXo5Wmu1DCU3y Synopsis Rituals turn fear into hope. An example is when there comes a time when a deep question arises - with whom will I share my life? At such a juncture, dating becomes an important modern ritual. By definition, a ritual is an established, structured sequence of actions or behaviors often prescribed by religion, tradition, or social custom. These practices are repeated in a set, precise manner to mark significant life events, foster social unity, or create moments of mindful reflection and stress relief. In this article, Prithwis Datta elucidates the context and significance of traditional rituals and explains how new rituals evolve. Knowingly or unknowingly, many of us become part of some rituals or perform rituals which are not traditionally recognised as rituals. This writer classifies daily good morning messages, dating, weekly group video calls etc under ritual...

Random reading : Why should we not believe in God? https://share.google/BNYXrzLw5cl7OfBEB Hasmukh Adhia is a former finance secretary. The question he has raised here is worth pondering over. Perhaps an analysis with inputs about : Benefits of not believing/believing, Losses of not believing/believing may bring clarity. The content of this article can double up as such an analysis. I cannot further elaborate the existence of otherwise of a power centre receiving, processing and responding to our prayers. It's easier to believe that there's something supernatural in everything we consider natural. A friend used to quote an imaginary conversation between a man and God : Man : "My friends are not sure about your existence. Please give me a couple of tricks with which I can convince them." God : "Ok. Try this. Ask one of them to stop breathing till you ask to restart. Or Let one of them create a flower or a seed without using any of the things which are already th...

Random thoughts : Expressing Emotions While discussing how people express their feelings, one criticism was that people like me ration our smiles and suppress our real emotions. Fair observation indeed. My thoughts went back to sometime during last Century when I was watching a chat in an informal group of friends where Surya Krishnamurthy was present. One of them asked Murthy : "Murthy, why you look always grim and serious?" Murthy explained : "You are right. But how can one be happy when people around are unhappy?" That triggered a discussion on happiness. I too agree, a grim face makes people around also gloomy and serious. Psychology Today gives the following helpful guidance : Expressing emotions helps relieve stress, deepens relationships, and prevents the mental and physical tolls of bottling things up. Experts suggest framing feelings with "I feel..." statements rather than "You make me feel..." to communicate honestly without sparking...

Welcome To Warrier's Friends' COLLAGE, July, 2026 : Part II Good Morning A Random Reading : Voltaire Last week, one day, I was skipping through the pages of "Candide and Other Selected Writings" by Voltaire (2022 edition, Rupa). Read the short story "An Adventure in India" again. The advantages of bailing out one's writing as story are many. One can mix fiction, satire and reality in a pre-decided proportion. Synopsis : Voltaire's short story "An Adventure in India" (often included in his short romances) is a philosophical tale where the Greek philosopher Pythagoras travels to India. He converses with locals, witnesses religious fanaticism, and experiences the deep wisdom and contradictions of ancient Hindu traditions. Here is how the main events unfold in this classic Enlightenment satire: The Journey: Pythagoras travels to India on a quest for ultimate wisdom, meeting local Brahmins (scholars/priests) to learn about ancient s...

World Without Money* M G Warrier The thought of a world without money has fascinated me since my childhood days. Of course the reason for hating money those days was that I didn’t have money and my friends and neighbors enjoyed making me jealous by showing off the money power they possessed before me and others in my position. Take my own case, now. I have completed a somewhat successful career in a bank, have a bank account and have last year gained the status of a senior citizen. Still, I feel, the fellow who invented money and his followers who made it currency have done more harm than that unlucky wise man who invented atom bomb. Of course, now the reasons for my hatred towards money are more mature than jealousy. For a moment, imagine, man gets out of the clutches of money, or there is no money in the world. All symbols from $ to the one recently figured out for Rupee vanishes, everything else remaining the same. Yes, science and technology, all results of research so far, li...