Gently Down The Stream

Navigating the Literary Labyrinth

Pandora's Box, are you optimistic about hope

Interesting Facts / Mythology

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Pandora’s box, are you optimistic about hope?

The name Pandora’s box itself exudes antiquity, as well as an enigma. People often use it figuratively to refer to something bizarre or messy. As you probably know, this box is some kind of unexpected struggle, but how hope got imprisoned in it? The literal meaning of Pandora’s Box In modern times Pandora’s box means “Any source of significant and unexpected troubles.” or “A gift which seems valuable but which in reality is a curse”.Opening Pandora’s Box means, opening a can of worms. The mythology behind Pandora’s Box In one of the classic Greek mythology, Zeus, the king of Gods,...

Nuclear Detonation

Interesting Facts / Philosophy

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What prompted Robert Oppenheimer to quote Gita

Robert Oppenheimer was the principal architect of the world’s first nuclear weapon and headed the Manhattan Project during the second world war. As he watched the first atomic explosion, he was moved to quote from Gita. Bhagavad Gita-” the song of the lord.” Bhagavad Gita, a small section of Hindu Epic, Mahabharata presents a tussle between two contrary moral positions-Krishna’s emphasis on doing one’s duty on one side and Arjuna’s focus on avoiding bad consequences.  This debate occurs on the eve of the great war, and the doubt about the righteousness of what they are doing is bothering Arjuna, the...

The Vinegar Tasters

Interesting Facts / Philosophy

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Vinegar Tasters, how beliefs shape attitudes

When it comes to attitudes, people generally have different approaches to life. Some are cheerful, some optimistic, few are perennially pessimistic, others have a default complaining mode, some rational and others emotional. The best way forward You can’t claim one approach to be preferable over the other since many factors like culture, environment, and beliefs influence a person’s outlook on their life.A perfect example to show how even the wisest men stand divided on figuring out the essence of life is depicted in the Chinese allegorical painting “Vinegar Tasters”. Vinegar Tasters-The timeless meaning Have a close look at the picture...

Tar baby folk tale

fables and sayings

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Possible implications of folk tales

Any folklore may look like straightforward storytelling, but most of the time, its implications are diverse. The implications I have drawn are, of course, just a partial list. Keeping the past alive. Folk tales across various cultures were created, keeping in mind the prevailing traditions, religious beliefs and sociopolitical situations. The best way to pass on the traditions over many generations is to create stories based on it. It is a time tested strategy widely used before the technological breakthroughs. Don’t throw me in the briar patch. Have you ever come across these two expressions in English,” Don’t throw me...

behavioural science / cognitive dissonance / fables and sayings

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Cognitive dissonance in sour grapes

People generally use the saying “Sour grapes “ as a disdain expression to point out disapprovingly of those opportunities that slipped through their fingers or to mention the unfulfilled goals and dreams. While their mind may be reeling under unpleasantness and envy, outwardly people balance their behaviour in a manner that reduces their inner turmoil. A peek into the Aesop’s fable. Not intending to narrate the whole story of Fox and grapes here, but in a nutshell, once the fox realised that the mouth-watering “sweet” grapes were not quite attainable, he gives up his efforts, muttering “sour grapes “ and...