Are you a Master or Slave?

Life Lesson Topic: Are you a Master or Slave?

Description:

Human beings are naturally emotional.  We all pass through positive and negative emotions in our life.  We pass through so called negative emotions like blaming others, rude behaviour, getting upset over petty things, impatience, angry, anxiety, worry etc. and positive emotions like love, feeling good, happiness, patience, adjustment, strength etc. Each and every event in our life present us situations that come up with a test – Are you a Master or Slave to a particular situation?  Some times we become slaves to our emotions and other times we become master of the emotions.

Intent:

To motivate students for preparation to be a Master of his emotions

To motivate students to acquire positive emotions like love,

gratitude, happiness etc.

To help the student to be aware of the negative emotions

To enable him deal with others negative emotions 

Questions:

• Have you ever seen any one in your family or friends circle as Master of a situation in his life? When? Can you share?
• Many times in our lives when we face trying situations we stumble and succumb to a situation and thus become a slave to an emotion. How to handle such situations?
• When does one become a master and a slave?

Life Lesson:

In emotional intelligence, there is a life lesson. Giver of an emotion has got no choice whereas receiver has choice.  Here giver is one who speaks angry words or insults us in many ways.  Receiver is you.  It is your freedom to accept or not to accept what giver has given you through his scolding or insult.  Giver never decides and Receiver always decides.  Are you a giver or a receiver? Again are you a Slave or a Master?

Situations:

 (Following situations are given as clues for students to think and explore from their lives)

• A cricket match was going on.  A fielder missed an important catch.  When many fielders scolded him for the lapse, the captain approached the fielder with poise. The captain cheered him and patted him on the back and encouraged him, ‘Don’t bother you will be a great player’!  Afterwards that fielder played a remarkable game.  Who is the master?

• Priya was an IX std student.  She loved to watch Chutti TV (a children channel).  On a particular day, some guests were coming to Priya’s house.  As soon as Priya reached home from school, she started changing the TV channel and immersed in the program.  Priya’s mother called her again and again.  Priya did not respond.  Priya’s mother came from the kitchen and scolded Priya.  Priya got furious and threw the remote on the floor and closed the door.  Was Priya master or slave?

  

• Arun and Karthik were friends.  When they were playing tennis they got into quarrel on the issue of scores. Karthik claimed that he scored higher points. Arun got angry and slapped Karthik.  Who is the master?

• One day Asha went to her college late.  Usually she would sit in the front row but when she reached it was filled.  She did not like to sit alone in the last row so she called her friend Priya who was sitting in the front row. Priya was busy talking with her friends. She was waiting for a long time but she never turned up.  Professor arrived and class started.  Asha got angry and her mind started to fuming, ‘how many ways she had helped her, see how she behaves now!’  Hereafter I should not talk to her.  Now her mind asked her, ‘Do you want to be a Master or a Slave now?  If you want to be a Master, move on with Priya normally.  If you want to be a Slave you can get angry and stop talking with her’. Then she decided to be a Master of the situation.  When Priya came and asked sorry, she smiled and moved with her cordially.

• One day Kala’s elder sister Krithika got angry with Kala for not listening to her words.  When her friend Malathy came to their house, Krithika started blaming Kala.  Kala got upset and stopped talking with Krithika.  However, Kala tried she was not able to talk to Krithika and one week  passed.  Kala decided to be a Master of the situation.  She now started helping her sister Krithika.

 Activity: Role plays idea:

1. Kumar is senior computer programmer and very proficient. He is also friendly and helpful to his juniors. Ganesh, a junior colleague wanted to clear some doubt in programming and requested Kumar’s help.  Kumar asked him to come to his house on Sunday at 10 am.  Ganesh is living 10 km away from Kumar’s house.  Ganesh traveled by bus in rush and reached Kumar’s house only to find the door is locked.  Ganesh called Kumar’s mobile several times but received no answer.

2. If teacher scold you or your parent scold you or your friend scold you.       

What you do?  Will you also shout back? Or feel sad?

3. If your wants are not met you get upset and deny food

Students can devise role plays depicting a situation where one can raise oneself as Master of himself.