MindVerse: nurturing souls through words

I was born in India, in a very humble, middle class joint family of doctors who knew nothing beyond the noble profession of medicine, and you could totally imagine this, given the fact that there were very few white collared jobs present in India during 1980s. So as an obedient and bright daughter, I finished my bachelors in medicine & surgery (MBBS), but by that time the bug of Psychology, mental health and complexities and mysteries of human mind had bitten me hard! So I worked for some time as a resident doctor in Psychiatry, where I realized that mental health stigma is rampant and awareness is scarce. I was always moved by the plight of these patients and their families, not just by the disease itself but by the prejudices and discrimination against them in the society. Therefore to do something about this, I made up my mind to pursue MD Psychiatry as that was the only way I was aware of, at that time to make me eligible to help those who are affected. To accompli...

According to the great philosopher  Aristotle  "Happiness is the meaning and purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence".  Well, if our whole lives revolve around happiness, then why is it a hard nut to crack!  You know, if I had asked the question 'what happiness really is' a few years back to my parents or my teachers, they would have laughed at me or get worried that something is really wrong with me! But today scientists and philosophers alike are busy finding the real meaning of happiness, and we still haven't got a solid answer as it is such a subjective concept. For example, something which gives me happiness might not bring joy to you and vice versa! Probably due to this vagueness and complexity, happiness and its meaning has intrigued me as well as many others like me.   Generally we relate ‘happiness’ to things like Money, Power, Pleasure, and Expensive gifts or Vacations. At least that’s what we have been told righ...