Marcus Aurelius writes in his Meditations five signs of a weak mind: "Surrendering control to external circumstances; complaining and playing the victim; seeking external validation and obsessing over others' opinions; letting uncontrolled emotions dictate actions; and resisting the present moment and avoiding duty."

For me, the intriguing question is how to develop a strong mind.

The other day, I had a seasonal flu attack. To offset its malaise, I decided to watch a movie and selected Reporting Live. The movie relates the turbulent journey the two journalists venture on to unravel the truth. The two characters, after facing ineluctable trials and tribulations – though they stagger for a while – succeed in unearthing the truth. But very few moments later, they are murdered in a plotted road accident.

To evade facing or speaking the truth is the cause of all mental and physical ills. To bury the truth nine feet deep under the weight of compromises is tantamount to burying one's own existence. It stifles the soul; it clips the wings of........

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