Focus by Sarvessh Senthamarai Kannan

 Focus by Sarvessh Senthamarai Kannan

In today's world, it can be difficult to stay focused. Phones, video games, social media,

notifications, and even our own thoughts can easily distract us. However, focus is an important

skill that can help us succeed in school, sports, hobbies, and everyday life. Being able to

concentrate on one task allows us to do our best work and make better decisions.

Focus means giving your attention to something without allowing distractions to take over. For

example, when a student focuses while studying, they are more likely to understand and

remember what they learn. In sports, focus can help an athlete pay attention to their technique,

react quickly, and stay calm during an important moment. Even simple activities, such as

reading a book or having a conversation, require focus.

One of the biggest benefits of focus is that it helps us accomplish goals. Large goals can

sometimes seem difficult, but focusing on one small step at a time can make them easier.

Instead of thinking about everything that needs to be done, a person can concentrate on what

they need to do right now. This can make challenging tasks feel more manageable.

Focus also takes practice. It is normal for our attention to wander, especially when something is

difficult or boring. One way to improve focus is to remove distractions. Putting away a phone,

finding a quiet place, and organizing your workspace can make it easier to concentrate. Taking

short breaks can also help your brain recharge before returning to a task.

Another important part of focus is learning how to control your thoughts. Sometimes, worrying

about the future or thinking about something that already happened can make it hard to

concentrate. When this happens, taking a moment to breathe and bring your attention back to

the task can help. The more often you practice doing this, the easier it can become.

Focus does not mean working nonstop. Rest, sleep, exercise, and time spent doing things you

enjoy are also important. A tired or overwhelmed mind can have a harder time concentrating.

Finding a healthy balance between work and rest can help you stay focused for longer periods

of time.

Ultimately, focus is a skill that anyone can improve. It helps us learn, solve problems, reach our

goals, and perform at our best. Distractions will always exist, but we can choose where to put

our attention. By practicing focus one step at a time, we can become more productive,

confident, and prepared to handle challenges.

Handling Pressure by Sarvessh Senthamarai Kannan

 Handling Pressure by Sarvessh Senthamarai Kannan

Pressure is a normal part of life. Everyone experiences it at some point, whether it comes from

school, sports, friendships, family, or personal goals. Students may feel pressure to get good

grades, perform well in a game, make their parents proud, or fit in with their friends. A little

pressure can sometimes motivate us to work harder, but too much pressure can make us feel

stressed, worried, or overwhelmed. Learning how to handle pressure can help us stay calm,

focused, and confident when things become difficult.

One of the most important ways to handle pressure is to focus on what you can control. There

are many things in life that are outside of our control. For example, during a test, you cannot

control which questions will appear. During a sports competition, you cannot control how well

your opponent performs. Instead of worrying about things you cannot change, focus on your

preparation, effort, attitude, and decisions. Asking yourself, “What can I do right now?” can help

turn worry into action.

Another useful strategy is to break large problems into smaller steps. When you have several

assignments due, an important test coming up, or a big competition, thinking about everything at

once can make the pressure feel much greater. Instead, make a simple plan. Start with the most

important task and work on it for a certain amount of time. Once you finish, move on to the next

step. Completing smaller tasks can make a difficult situation feel more manageable and can

give you a sense of progress.

Preparation is also one of the best ways to reduce pressure. When you know that something

important is coming, preparing ahead of time can help you feel more confident. Studying a little

each day is usually less stressful than trying to learn everything the night before. In sports,

practicing skills repeatedly can make you feel more comfortable during a real competition.

Preparation does not guarantee that everything will go perfectly, but it helps you know that you

have done what you can.

It is also important to take care of yourself when you are under pressure. When people become

busy or stressed, they sometimes forget about basic things like getting enough sleep, eating

regular meals, drinking water, and taking breaks. These things can have a big effect on how

well you think and perform. Even a short break can give your mind time to reset. Taking a few

slow breaths, stretching, walking around, or simply stepping away from your work for a few

minutes can help you return with a clearer mind.

Your mindset can also change the way you experience pressure. Instead of telling yourself, “I

am going to mess this up,” try replacing that thought with something more helpful, such as, “I

have prepared for this, and I will do my best.” This does not mean pretending that everything will

be perfect. It means reminding yourself that one mistake or bad result does not define you.

Everyone makes mistakes, and mistakes can teach you what to improve next time.

Talking to someone you trust can also make pressure easier to handle. If you are feeling

overwhelmed, you can talk to a parent, teacher, coach, friend, or another trusted person. They

may be able to give you advice, help you make a plan, or simply listen. Sometimes we make our

problems feel bigger because we keep them to ourselves. Sharing what you are dealing with

can help you see the situation from a different perspective.

Pressure can be especially challenging when we compare ourselves to other people. You might

see someone getting a better grade, running a faster time, winning more games, or

accomplishing something before you do. It is easy to think that you need to match them

immediately. However, everyone develops at a different pace. Instead of constantly comparing

yourself with others, compare yourself with who you were yesterday. Ask yourself, “What have I

improved?” and “What can I work on next?” Progress is more important than being perfect.

It is also helpful to remember that being nervous does not mean you are unprepared. Before an

important test, presentation, or competition, you may feel your heart beating faster or your

thoughts racing. These feelings are normal. Rather than seeing nervousness as a sign that

something will go wrong, think of it as your body preparing you to focus. Take a breath, slow

down, and concentrate on the first thing you need to do.

Most importantly, remember that pressure does not determine your worth. A single test grade,

game, competition, or mistake does not decide how successful or talented you are. What

matters is how you respond to challenges and what you learn from them. Sometimes things will

not go the way you hoped, even when you prepare and work hard. When that happens, give

yourself a chance to learn, improve, and try again.

Handling pressure is a skill that gets stronger with practice. The next time you feel

overwhelmed, take a moment to breathe, focus on what you can control, break the problem into

smaller steps, and remind yourself that you do not have to be perfect. Pressure may always be

a part of life, but it does not have to control you. By staying prepared, keeping a positive

mindset, and asking for help when you need it, you can face challenging situations with greater

confidence and calmness.

Defects of Pampering by Sarvessh Senthamarai Kannan

 Defects of Pampering by Sarvessh Senthamarai Kannan

Parents naturally want to shield their children from discomfort, but over-

pampering ultimately weakens a child’s ability to thrive in the real world. While

showing love and affection is foundational for healthy emotional development,

modern child psychologists increasingly warn against indulgent or permissive

parenting because constantly rescuing children from minor struggles, catering to

every whim, and eliminating everyday chores inadvertently delays the

development of essential life skills. When parental affection crosses the line into

over-indulgence, children miss out on the vital psychological training required for

adulthood, a pattern that severely stunts their independence and leaves them

paralyzed later in life by simple tasks like organizing time, managing personal

responsibilities, and making basic decisions. Furthermore, extensive pediatric

research indicates that permissive parenting often fosters a deep entitlement

mentality, giving children an unrealistic "me first" perspective where they grow up

expecting special treatment and automatic rewards from society without putting

in any actual effort or experiencing the value of hard work. This artificial

cushioning also erodes fragile emotional resilience; because life is fundamentally

full of inevitable rejection, criticism, and failure, a child whose every cry or

frustration is immediately bought off with material gifts, digital distractions, or

superficial comfort never builds the emotional muscles needed to handle

disappointment, leading to skyrocketing anxiety levels during their teenage and

college years. Paradoxically, this level of pampering lowers genuine self-worth,

because true confidence is earned by overcoming obstacles, and when parents

routinely step in to complete every difficult task, rewrite every essay, or fight

every battle, they send a silent, damaging message that the child is simply not

capable or competent enough to handle life on their own. Experts emphasize that

there is a strict, critical distinction between supporting a child and enabling them,

meaning that while healthy, authoritative parenting allows natural consequences

to serve as teaching moments, enabling behavior actively protects children from

reality by doing things like rushing to school to drop off forgotten homework,

micro-managing their schedules, or stepping in to resolve every minor peer

disagreement instead of teaching them conflict resolution. Ultimately, clinical data

proves that setting firm boundaries and learning to say "no" without guilt helps

children feel more secure, guiding them to develop significantly higher levels of

empathy, emotional self-regulation, and frustration tolerance that will serve them

well in future careers and relationships. Instead of curating a completely

frictionless world that leaves children highly spoiled, anxious, and unprepared for

adulthood, parents who assign age-appropriate chores, enforce household rules,

and allow children to navigate their own minor setbacks give them a gift far more

valuable than temporary comfort: character, resilience, and genuine lifelong

independence.

A pirate’s guide to parenting styles. (2023, May 17). Cleveland Clinic.

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/parenting-styles

ContentKeeper content filtering. (2025). Cnbc.Com.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/02/ive-studied-over-200-kids-signs-youve-raised-a-

highly-spoiled-one-and-how-parents-can-undo-it.html

All Because of A Eckels and a Butterfly: A Turn of Events by Sarvessh Senthamarai Kannan

 All Because of A Eckels and a Butterfly: A Turn of Events by Sarvessh Senthamarai Kannan

Internal distress in a function that can influence the action of a person. In the 1952

dystopian short story by Ray Bradbury, hunter and time-traveler Eckels along with the Time

Safari Company venture into the past for big-shot dinosaur hunting. However, the seemingly

small careless action of smooshing a butterfly 60 million years ago exponentially increases over

time and causes catastrophic and deviating changes to important political events in the future.

The consequences to this action is expressed through Bradbury’s utilization of crafting

techniques like foreshadowing, along with the symbolic development of thunder to simulate the

theme of the dangers of human interference with the limits of nature.

In the short story “A Sound of Thunder,” the author’s craft focus is foreshadowing that

the future has changed. This is evident when Eckels accidentally steps off the track in the future

and smooshes a brightly colored butterfly. Killing this butterfly means all its future generation

will be destroyed, resulting in the alteration of major future events. This event is also known as

the Butterfly Effect, a proven theory that explains how a seemingly insignificant change can

cause unpredictable changes in a complex system. This is shown when the narrator states,

“Outside this room, away from this man seated at this desk which are both not quite the same

desk.” This indicates that Eckels’s deviating actions with nature have caused a big change in the

events of future human generations and family trees. To make matters worse, Eckels and the

group have exceeded nature’s limit through artificial humanoid interactions. This unplanned

occurrence has changed the future and Bradbury’s words “...quite not the same” exemplify a way

of foreshadowing this event.

In a similar occurrence of consequences due to time travel, the consequences

exponentially increase over time and end up altering another major event. The alphabet. This is

evident in the story when an office sign on the wall has drastically changed with words never

seen before. Bradbury masterfully uses the craft of foreshadowing to indicate this in the short

story when he explains, “But the immediate thing was the sign painted on the office wall, the

same sign he had read earlier today on first entering. Somehow, the sign had changed.” This

example makes clear that though Eckels only killed a butterfly and its future generations

thousands of years ago, gradually over time the affected generations exponentially increase and

cause huge differences in major events of time. This part is clearly demonstrated with

Bradbury’s foreshadowing of the sign with different alphabets. Because of the author's usage of

such strong foreshadowing, the text is able to clearly reveal that a small mistake due to human

interference with nature’s limit alters the future drastically. To fully put into context, even a clear

staple in time, the alphabet has changed because of a chain reaction triggered by Eckel’s

carelessness and false interference. Ultimately, this is proof of how the author's strong use of

foreshadowing can fully illuminate how the future in the dystopian story has changed because of

a chain reaction triggered by carelessness and false interactions with a higher power.

Similarly, in “A Sound of Thunder,” thunder is symbolized as a higher power that is

specifically used to indicate the consequence of the act of exceeding nature’s limit through time

travel. This is beautifully illustrated through the author's symbolism for the “sound of thunder”

when Travis gets annoyed at Eckel’s future disrupting actions and lifts his rifle to brutally

murder him when “a sound of thunder” roars through the atmosphere(Bradbury 1). This

significantly important moment occurs when in the present of the short story it explains, “He

heard Travis breathe loudly. He heard Travis lift his rifle, click the safety catch , and raise the

weapon, there was a sound of thunder” (Bradbury 8). This makes clear that thunder is

metaphorically shown to perceive that it is a higher power that has been shown as punishing

Eckels for exceeding nature’s limit through time travel and for his deviating careless actions of

smooshing the butterfly. This act of symbolism from the author carefully reveals that Eckels’s

mistake of accidentally altering the future has caused him to trigger the thunder, a godly higher

power that is punishing him for testing nature’s limit. Overall, the author's use of symbolism

towards the thunder brightly illuminates the light bulb of the consequences due to Eckels’s

careless actions of altering the future due to killing a small butterfly that metaphorically holds

the safe to major future events like the alphabet. Furthermore, the symbolism of the thunder is

the key to understanding the consequences of Eckels’s actions.

In light of this analysis, the theme of the dangers of human interference with nature's

limit is clearly evident in “A Sound of Thunder,” which is thoughtfully crafted through the

author's use of foreshadowing and the symbolism of the higher force of thunder. The reader

witnesses these literary devices driving the theme when Eckels, a big-shot hunter, time travels

through the Time Safari Company and accidentally alters the future in a sequence of dependent

domino-effects by smooshing a butterfly that metaphorically held the safe to important future

events. This is known today as the butterfly effect. The story reveals that accidental and artificial

changes in nature can trigger a series of deviating and destructive events. The dystopian story

urges the message that humanity must approach power and technology with caution because

even the most trivial human choices carry unforeseen and catastrophic consequences.

Works Cited

Bradbury, Ray. “A Sound of Thunder.” Ploughshares, vol. 46, no. 3, 28 June 1952, pp.

243–254, https://doi.org/10.1353/plo.2020.0131.

Rauch, Allison. “Butterfly Effect | Mechanics.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 Sept. 2024,

www.britannica.com/science/butterfly-effect.

What Makes Someone Talented? By: Nandita Kamalakannan

 What Makes Someone Talented? By: Nandita Kamalakannan

When we see someone who is really good at something, we often call them “talented.”

A great violinist? Talented.

An amazing artist? Talented.

A fast runner? Talented.

Someone who can write complicated computer programs? Talented.

But what does being talented actually mean?

Are talented people simply born with abilities that the rest of us don't have? Or is talent

something we can develop?

I think it is a little of both.

Some people may naturally find certain things easier. Someone might have a good sense of

rhythm and pick up music quickly. Another person might be naturally athletic. Someone else

might understand numbers or computers without much explanation.

But natural ability is only the beginning.

Imagine two people who are both naturally good at playing violin. One practices regularly, learns

from mistakes, and keeps challenging herself. The other rarely practices because she assumes

talent is enough.

A year later, who will be better?

Probably the person who kept practicing.

The same thing happens in running. You might have natural speed, but if you never train, you

probably won't reach your potential. An artist may have a great imagination, but still needs to

practice drawing. A programmer may understand computers quickly, but still has to spend hours

debugging when something doesn't work.

Maybe talent gets you started, but effort determines how far you go.

There is another side to talent that we don't talk about enough: being willing to be bad at

something first.

When we try something new, we usually aren't very good at it.

That can be uncomfortable.

We might compare ourselves to someone who has been doing it for years and think, “I'll never be

that good.”

But everyone starts somewhere.

The person who plays a beautiful violin solo once had trouble playing the notes correctly.

The fast runner once struggled to finish a mile.

The talented artist once drew pictures that didn't look the way they wanted.

The programmer once stared at an error message with absolutely no idea what it meant.

The difference is that they kept going.

I also think talent isn't always about being the best.

Sometimes talent is curiosity.

Sometimes it is creativity.

Sometimes it is the ability to see a problem differently from everyone else.

And sometimes the most important talent is simply the willingness to keep learning.

We live in a world where people often show their best moments. On social media, we see

amazing artwork, impressive performances, athletic achievements, and incredible projects.

What we don't see are the thousands of attempts that came before them.

So the next time you see someone who seems incredibly talented, don't just think, “They are

lucky. They were born with it.”

Think about everything you can't see.

The practice.

The mistakes.

The frustration.

The time they spent learning.

Talent may give someone a head start, but it doesn't guarantee the finish.

In the end, maybe the most talented person isn't the one who starts out the best.

Maybe it's the person who is willing to keep getting better.

Chess: A Game of Choices by Nandan Kamalakannan

 Chess: A Game of Choices by Nandan Kamalakannan 

At first, chess looks like a simple game. There is a board, 32 pieces, and two players sitting

across from each other.

But after you start playing, you realize something: chess is really a game of choices.

Every turn gives you several possibilities. You can move a piece forward, attack your opponent,

defend one of your pieces, or sometimes do nothing at all.

The difficult part isn't knowing how the pieces move. The difficult part is deciding which move

is the right one.

And there usually isn't just one obvious answer.

You might see a move that looks perfect, only to discover a few turns later that you made a

mistake. Maybe you were so focused on attacking that you forgot to protect your own king.

Chess teaches you to think ahead.

Before making a move, you have to ask yourself, “What will happen next?”

Then you have to ask, “What will my opponent do?”

And sometimes you have to think even further.

That is one of the things I like about chess. It reminds me that our choices can have

consequences that we don't see immediately.

This happens outside chess too.

You might decide to procrastinate on homework because you would rather play games or watch

videos. It feels like a good decision at that moment.

Then suddenly it's 10:30 at night and you still have homework to finish.

One small choice created a much bigger problem later.

Chess also teaches you that you can't always choose the easiest move.

Sometimes you have to make a difficult decision now because it will help you later. You might

sacrifice a piece to gain an advantage. You might give up something that seems valuable because

you have a better plan.

Life can be like that too.

Not every good decision feels good immediately.

Another thing chess teaches is that you will make mistakes.

Everyone does.

Even great chess players sometimes make terrible moves. The important thing is what happens

afterward. You can stare at the board and wish you had made a different move, but you can't go

backward.

You have to look at what happened, learn from it, and make your next move.

I think that is one of the biggest lessons chess can teach us.

We don't get to restart every decision we make. We can't undo every mistake. But we can always

make another choice.

Maybe that's why chess is more than just a board game.

It teaches patience. It teaches us to think ahead. It teaches us to accept mistakes. Most

importantly, it teaches us that every move matters, but no single move has to define the entire

game.

The next time you sit down at a chessboard, don't just think about winning.

Think about your choices.

Because whether you're playing chess or making decisions in real life, sometimes the most

important question isn't:

“What can I do?”

It's:

“What should I do next?”

Yesterday's Treasures by Sarvessh Kannan

Yesterday's Treasures by Sarvessh Kannan

 The Magic of Old Technology

There was a time when a family evening meant gathering around the

television with a stack of DVDs or, for some of us, even earlier—cassette tapes.

These weren’t just objects; they were part of our daily rhythm. Sliding a DVD into

the player, or flipping a cassette to the other side, carried its own little sense of

ceremony. It slowed life down just enough for us to savor the moment. A DVD

collection on the shelf was like a library of personal treasures. We remembered

where each movie came from, who gave it to us, or which store we hunted

through to find it. The same was true of cassettes: each tape carried songs that

often marked seasons of our lives—music for long car rides, quiet evenings, or

celebrations with friends.

These technologies may not have been “perfect.” Discs could get

scratched. Cassettes sometimes needed a pencil to wind them back in. But in

those small imperfections, there was a kind of magic. They made us slow down,

pay attention, and treat our entertainment with care.

Today, with the world at our fingertips—streaming movies in an instant,

music on demand—it’s easy, convenient, and remarkable in its own way. Yet,

many of us still feel that those older days had something more personal,

something more real. They remind us of a simpler time, when joy could be found

in a single cassette or a family movie night.

The magic of old technology isn’t really gone. It lives on in our memories, and

every time we come across an old tape or disc, it feels like meeting an old friend again.

The Net That Caught the World

Just when families were still cheering the marvel of the television—gathering in living

rooms to watch programs on a glowing screen—a new and even greater wonder quietly

began to take shape. By the late 1900s, the world was introduced to something called

the Internet, and life would never be quite the same again.

With the click of a button, shelves once lined with heavy dictionaries, encyclopedias,

and thick phone books began to gather dust. What once required hours of searching in

a library or flipping through page after page could suddenly be found in seconds on a

glowing monitor. The world’s knowledge seemed to leap from paper into a vast invisible

web, available to anyone with a connection.

It wasn’t just about information, though. The Internet changed how people spoke to one

another. Letters that once took days or weeks to arrive were replaced with instant

messages and emails. Phone calls, once carefully timed to avoid long-distance charges,

gave way to video chats where you could see a loved one’s face across the ocean. For

the first time, the world truly felt small—neighbors across continents, connected by

invisible threads.

Of course, the old ways had their charm: the weight of a dictionary in your lap, the smell

of newsprint, the anticipation of hearing the mailman’s footsteps. But the Internet swept

across the globe with such speed and usefulness that it was impossible not to marvel at

it. Immediately it became one of the greatest inventions to ever revolutionize the way we

went about our lives.It became the net that caught the world—drawing us all closer,

changing how we live, learn, and remember.

Thompson, C. (2023, October 30). The empowering style of cassette tapes. Medium.

https://clivethompson.medium.com/the-empowering-style-of-cassette-tapes-

e3a620590d42

Marshall Jon Fisher, & A. Michael Noll. (2016). Television. In Encyclopædia Britannica.

https://www.britannica.com/technology/television-technology