Modern life is full of challenges, such as daily demands, deadlines, hassles and frustrations. Whenever the threat of any challenge outweighs one's perception of her/his ability to manage that threat, it can be an onset of Stress. I find it interesting that William Shakespear had offered a perfect strategy to manage the Stress - in his famous play "Hamlet". In this play, Hamlet makes a powerful statement: "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." In this one sentence, Shakespear teaches us that if we change our thoughts about a potentially threatening situation, we should be able to not only cope with the stress, but also lower our stress significantly. By now it's a well-established fact in Psychology that thinking positively, and transforming the threat into a potntial opportunity, empowers us to protect ourselves from the harmful side-effects of Stress.....and William Shakespear knew this fact more than 400 years ago. That's amazing!

More Quotes by Deodatta V. Shenai-Khatkhate

Sharing a strange experience from my student years at Manchester, England, during late 1970's. I had just arrived in England from India, and was searching for an accommodation, basically a room to rent. I always used to call the English landlords by phnoe first, to ensure that a room was available, and then visit those addresses, located miles away, by taking the bus or a train. Upon my arrival, I was always told that either there was no room at all or that the room was just rented. After a dozen or so such frustrating experiences, it became clear to me that the room was always available - but those English landlords and landladies were reluctant to rent it to someone like me, an Indian or a non-white person. Interestingly, the room was always available to my voice on the phone, because my voice could not reveal either my skin color, or my race, or my national origin. The mystery was thus dispelled, and yet that realization was surely a rude awakening to the true color of English society. It was my first encounter with prejudice and discrimination, and the most shocking moment that shatters one's innocence completely - especially after coming from a noble culture and the best upbringing that takes pride in Equality. I shall always remain thankful to England for the best education that I received during my M.S. and Ph.D., as much as for such exposure to the dark side of the real world. Years later, after coming to America, I realized that America is a whole new wonderful world that welcomes all, and treats everyone with respect and dignity they deserve. God Bless America!