I read recently Times article entitled, ‘Angelina Jolie and the superfast generation
Nothing happens quickly enough for us anymore‘.

It was suggested that,

‘Barack Obama stands out like a welcome beacon of zen. This week in an overheard aside to David Cameron he confided that “the most important thing you need to do is have big chunks of time during the day when all you’re doing is thinking”. Without that, he said, “you lose the big picture”.

and

In his essay Is Google Making us Stupid?, Nicholas Carr observes that he now seems less able to engage himself deeply in long, complicated narratives or arguments. “Once I was a scuba diver in the sea of words. Now I zip along the surface like a guy on a jet ski,” he says. It’s so obviously true. Anyone who doubts that our attention spans are dwindling is seriously…oh, who cares? I sometimes find myself talking to two-year-olds and having to stop myself saying: “Yes, yes, but what’s your point?”

The general gist of the article is the suggestion that the world has become to fast.
I too suffer from the syndrome as I often declare to my staff, ‘hurry-up. What is taking so long!?’
Therefore, I’m not setting a good example.

What I found helped and again ironically I do not make time for it is Yoga.
On what I like to call my Spanish episode (August 2006) I had lost patience. I also blame the fact that it was also a very hot day that day.

Anyway, upon returning to London I attended a couple of Kundalini Yoga sessions. I found that it was almost as if someone had pressed my ‘reset’ button.

The Times article is interesting in that it exposes what we suffer from. However, does it suggests few solutions.
Here are some that I have managed to research. I call it strategies for focus…

1. Dedicate time to think
2. Establish set times to perform particular activities
3. Consider Yoga
4. If you do a lot of report writing, then try a creative writing exercise - It helps to become more creative
5. Before you sleep think of 3 good things that happened or made you happy
6. Don’t use a computer/laptop or watch TV for up to 2-3 hours before retiring to bed (easier said than done!)

The latter tip I picked up from Snatam Kaur’s blog site.

The article is definitely worth a read to help us realise that to obtain quality of life, we all have to try harder.

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Some of you may know that myself and SACA help to organise the annual Birmingham to London Charity.
Here is an update of what happened on Sunday 27th Jan 2008…

Much loved actor and current King of the Jungle Christopher Biggins took time out of his busy schedule to meet fundraisers, including 96 year old Fauja Singh, after they completed the annual Birmingham to London bike ride in aid of CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA.

The presentation took place on Sunday 27 January at the Wyke Green Golf Club, Isleworth, where the star was presented with a cheque for £25,368.44 from SACA, the organisers behind the event.

SACA also took the opportunity to announce that, further to the success of last year’s event, they have nominated CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA to be the beneficiary of the event for a second year running.  Deputy CEO of CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA Peter Reynolds said “We are honoured to be the nominated charity for a second year. It is a privilege to be associated with SACA again and we look forward to another successful event”.

Over 250 cyclists covered over 130 miles in July last year, enduring unseasonably adverse weather conditions throughout. Fauja Singh (aged 96), who currently holds eight different UK, European and world running records in the men over 90 age category, ran in a relay, with a team of ten other runners, along the same route as the cyclists, to show their support for the riders

Biggins beat eleven celebrities to be crowned King of the Jungle in November last year, on ITV’s Primetime show ‘I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here’. Talking from the event he said “Well the bush tucker trials really pale into insignificance compared to the lengths these wonderful supporters have gone to in order to raise vital funds for a wonderful cause.  The money raised will be used to fight the UK’s most common childhood cancer and is much needed, so all I can say is a huge thank you”.

Esther Lay, from SACA said “We’re delighting to able to donate £25,000 to such a worthy cause.  I would like to thank each and every rider, whose dedication and support has resulted in a fantastic contribution to CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA and look forward to working with them again in 2008”.

The Annual Birmingham to London Charity Bike Ride is one of the most challenging rides organized in the UK.  The event has been held each year since 1989, when a group of 14 aspiring youths decided to establish a challenge that could help both local and national children’s charities. They considered a number of sporting events that would test both their determination and personal fitness. They also considered the key element of working as a team and supporting each other.

Each year SACA choose a children’s charity to benefit from the event.  CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA is the sole beneficiary of the 2007 event.  To date the ride has raised over £135,000 for children’s charities.

CHILDREN with LEUKAEMIA is Britain’s leading national charity dedicated exclusively to the conquest of childhood leukaemia through pioneering research, new treatment and support of leukaemic children and their families.

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In the High street near my office a new Tatto parlour has opened up. I must first say that I am anti this form of self decorative activity from both a moral and health perspective.

What was surprising was that not only have a noticed an increase in this type of shop but I was also astounded by the seated queue inside the shop.

The expression, ‘BEAUTY IS ONLY SKIN DEEP’ came to mind The proverb has been traced back to ‘A Wife’ (c.1613) by Thomas Overbury (1581-1613).” From the “Random House Dictionary of Popular Proverbs and Sayings” by Gregory Y. Titelman (Random House, New York, 1996).- “What you don’t see is hidden under the skin and it may be more important than physical beauty.

Another related expression is, BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER - This proverb appear to have come from the English dramatist John Lyly, who wrote in ‘Euphues in England’ (1580).

We may spend time on our physical being but how much do we dedicate to our inner beauty or spiritual existence?

Interestingly, after researching this area I discovered that some Health coaches suggest that fitness training alone is not enough, people need to also de-stress. I’m not suggesting that becoming spiritual is just another tick box. One fitness piece of advice suggested that everyone has 4 basic health needs:  Physical, Mental, Emotional and Spiritual.

Emotional development is an interesting area, especially in the context of respecting each other and ensuring that we do not degrade others. Bad mouthing never helped anyone.
Statistics have shown that people who have strong religious beliefs and convictions are less likely to have health problems in the other 3 facets of their health.  In addition, it has been suggested that commitment to prayer is helpful and can fight off potential illness and depression.

As I said before, becoming spiritual should not be seen as an add-on or a simple health supplement. We cannot and should not perform any tests on our religious beliefs – It does not work like that. I remember a few years ago a BBC documentary divided a group of patients and families up into two groups. One group prayed for the wellbeing of their patients and the other did not. You cannot test God !

Commitment to prayer and meditation has the potential to make us a better physical person but also remembering God. Our existence in this world is really only temporary, therefore we should aim to be fair to each other.
Hey! We leave it all behind anyway, only our soul is what we need to value and enrich.

The aim should be to merge with God through the guidelines given to us.

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Last Thursday, the 22^nd Feb to be precise I attended my hospital booking for surgery. Over the last couple of years I had discovered a strange lump growing and although back in Dec �06 a biopsy had been performed and revealed it to be a harmless collection of dead cells, in January �07 it was suggested that it should be removed. Therefore, 22^nd Feb was the day for the surgery.

The surgery scheduled was described as a �day surgery�, meaning that either an am or pm session would be booked and performed. My set time was am.
I arrived prompt at 7.30am. After 10minutes I was guided past a row of empty beds and asked to change into the provided reverse tie-up garment. At this stage my nerves were going. The last time I had undergone a general anesthetic was when at the age of 6. Somehow I had got Sulphur poisoning � a story for another time! I guess it was the very thought of being injected, put to sleep and then having surgery performed.
The nursing staff, anaesthetists and doctors were outstanding. They all came to see me to explain the process and put my senses at ease.

When it was all was over I was released at 2.40pm the same day. The impact did require some time to help me recover but I could not help thinking of the power of giving.

Interesting, on Sunday 25^th February, I watched glimpses of the Heaven and Earth TV show, on BBC 1. They featured Lent � This is a Christian practice - traditionally forty days (The forty day period is symbolic of the forty days spent by Jesus in the wilderness and possibly the forty hours he spent entombed) in Lent are marked by fasting, both from foods and festivities, and by other acts of penance (the desire to be forgiven). Instead of holding back an activity, it was suggested on the programme that to �give� is another way of performing Lent.

Sikhs do not partake in fasts or rituals. I did feel that the power of giving or self-less service is something that is both deep and important. One of the core beliefs of Sikhism is to engage in selfless service (Sewa) and help build a loving community life; to be a contributor to society whenever possible; (Wand kay shakna)

Everyday the NHS staff perform a service. Since 1997, the UK Government has offered to treble funding by 2008. Today there are now 32,000 more doctors and 85,000 more nurses, and overall there are over 300,000 more staff working in the NHS. They have to face a wide range of challenges � still monetary and emotional. As a patient you hope for the best and they try their best to give it to you.

I wondered what a great place the world would be if we all tried to give rather than take.
The NHS is a great institution that is under a national strain but we should be proud of it and aim to defend its presence.
It is only when we take that we release how much others give from within everyday. A more voluntary, supportive perspective may be a good way for us to give.

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