I’m not impeccable
I’m not perfect
I have my demons
I have my quirks
I have my fantasies
I have my fetishes
I’m not weird
I’m not absurd
I have my fears
I have my insecurities
I have my doubts
I have my disbeliefs
I’m not impeccable
I’m not perfect
But I’m me
The ‘as-is’ me
I don’t wanna lead
You shouldn’t follow me
Coz you should be YOU
And let me just BE!
Geography, Biology and Chemistry have all taught us that each location, species and / or substance/particle has its own properties. A hilly region in the Himalayas will have different soil quality while the hills in the Sahyadri or the Malnad will have different properties. The deserts of Sahara and Thar will behave differently. The tropical climate is different than that from the Arctic and the Antarctica. A monkey won’t do what a dog does and vice versa. Horse won’t do what an elephant does and vice versa. They won’t cross-breed either amongst different species. Chemical substances have their respective properties and will change behaviour when mixed with others and that too with different results when mixed in different proportions.
Our cultural history has taught us about ‘Ram-Rajya’. One of the highlights about that was the birth/introduction of caste system. While the intent and interpretations have changed over the generations, the basic idea was to have people with certain skill sets do certain jobs. Maybe History teaches us that the implementation was poor and that we need to learn.
Why then do we try and generalize everything? Why then do we want to standardize everything? Why then do we want to urbanize, digitize and / or mechanize everything in the name of development?
We’ve messed up our socio-economic systems by trying and imposing one currency as the global currency (official or not). We’re also messing up with the education system by accepting some standards as the best for all. We’re messing up with competition by giving very high regards to certain awards than the others. e.g., Why should Indian cinema vie so hard for the Academy Awards? Not just vying for awards, we set those as benchmarks. Story-telling is unique to every culture and should not try and ape one another.
Can Humans (Sapiens) do whatever they want? I guess we’ve sort of answered that question to a great extent? It’s time we paid attention to “Should we do all that we’ve tried and succeeded?” When and where do we draw the line and say ok – we can do that but we shouldn’t.
The time has come to bring in a new order. With lessons from the History, why not attempt something like Ram-Rajya 2.0? I’m using this name as a reference. It can be called anything.
The idea is to not make every city like any other city in the country or world. We should not try and convert every town and village into a tiered city. Progress by infrastructure and construction ALONE is only cosmetic We must progress at the grass-root level. Equip people with education and let THEM decide. What skills do they want to acquire and explore?
We should try with one state as a pilot. We could look at one of the not-so-developed state. We have quite a few.
We do what is appropriate for that land by the people who are “skilled” and “willed” to carry out that activity from anywhere in the country. We either eliminate currency dominance there and bring in something local or do away with currency altogether and figure out a new way of carrying out trade of goods / services and arts.
Now that we know that as ‘Sapiens’, anyone CAN do anything, let’s give the ‘willingness’ a chance. Every individual is free to choose what he/she wants to do in any location. depending on not just his/her skills but his/her will. Over a period of time, we can have some states specialising in certain activities and others in other.
Why do we have to have a ‘leader’ based democracy? Isn’t it time to upgrade our thought process? Why can’t we have a system that is truly for the people, of the people and by the people. There needs to be no elected representatives. There needs to be specific jobs with specific targets. Anyone with the skill and will should compete and earn that position. Not by mere elections. Like any corporate job, why can’t we have appraisal systems? Prove your mettle in smaller societies.
I don’t have all the answers or solutions. But I think more than answers, we just need to ask the right questions. Maybe collectively, we can come up with some interesting alternate answers.
The real challenge is NOT in Blending in.
Blending OUT of our original-selves is what hurts us the most.
So many living creatures on this planet. All of them breathing, eating, defecating, procreating and suddenly one day, cease to exist. Each one of us rises from a part of this planet. We consume what is already a part of this planet. We make that a part of us and eventually perish and become a part of the planet all over again. The cycle continues.
Then, what sets us humans apart? Maybe the power of discretion and freewill. The sensory organs are given to every creature albeit with adaptive differences.
But essentially, we are just formless energies that assume some shape. Anything and everything beyond that is the perception of sensory organs at play. As is said in the Hindu culture, ‘Sab Maya hai’ – translated as ‘It’s all an illusion’.
Then we add the layers of emotions and feelings. These are self-upgrading software programs that get hardcoded into us by the society using certain tools.
Earlier, these programs came with certain user manuals. But the software updates are now far outpacing the updates to the user-manual and most of them are deemed outdated. They are deemed outdated because the newer updates are merely cosmetic and not touching the basic architectural design of the software.
Hence, we are expected to learn and evolve on our own and the only societal tool we are left with is the “Moral compass”. And what’s worst? it’s not calibrated. Each one looks at the world through his own.
Just like an operating system needs minimum hardware requirements, do we upgrade our hardware to accommodate the new patches and updates? Or will our hardware burn with these constant OTA* updates? Are they even really necessary? Manual or auto? What would happen if we pause, redesign the architecture before anymore upgrades? Can the software be re-programmed?
Maybe it’s time to reboot. Before the system “hangs” …
*OTA – Over the Air – Automatic updates that the society/peer pressure ‘push’es.
Once upon a time
There was a smart kid on the block
Strong, yet agile
Displaying a warm and welcoming culture
The kid would mis-behave
Every once in a way
But would always shelter the fragile
And thwart off any evil vulture
People grew fond of the kid
Guardians and others alike
The kid was quite well fed
As it grew financially and otherwise
The kid had an attitude of his own
Often envied by the neighbours
Who would always earn his daily bread
With charming ways that would surprise
Like any adolescent youth
This kid too had its share of troubles
But eventually grew
To be a promising fine icon
Someone, somewhere took the kid for granted
Guardians, society or both
Soon became a monster with the power it drew
Hapless, unsuspecting victims – he would strike on
None seemed to know
How to discipline this obese overgrown monster
Who was now bursting at the seams
Completely out of control, whether self or remote
Bewildered at the problems
He often brings home
Most dreams converted to screams
Evokes strong mixed feelings, that one can’t easily emote
One hopes that there is still hope
And that a miracle will dawn some day
For a kid that promising and with a bright smile
Cannot be abandoned with a bleak future
Each one needs to share the burden
Of undoing the wrong, one step at a time
Preventing the kid from growing senile
And act like a responsible mentor or teacher
These are the 10 evil heads of the modern day Urban man.
This Dussehra – May you be able to burn these to ashes today and reclaim the lost glory & May you find happiness and peace within.
With best wishes and with you in the above attempt – SriShyStuti.
Work is defined as ‘an activity involving mental and/or physical effort done to achieve a result’.
Life is defined as ‘the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death.’
Balance in noun form is defined as ‘an even distribution of weight enabling someone or something to remain upright and steady’ OR ‘a situation in which different elements are equal or in the correct proportions.’
Balance in verb form is defined as ‘put (something) in a steady position so that it does not fall.’
What happens when you try to put these together aka ‘Work-Life Balance’?
For most, it is chaos. And Chaos is defined as complete disorder and confusion.
Why is it so?
In earlier ages, only LIFE existed and has evolved as defined.
The only ‘result’ living things wanted to achieve was to feed themselves so they can continue ‘living’. And if that was a result oriented physical/mental activity, it can be termed as work. However, that WORK was for them. And time of the day or day of the week did not matter. That result of feeding oneself (including immediate family) had to be achieved.
When ‘society’ was first formed and there was an added layer of obligation for the stronger to support the weak, is when it was first looked at as ‘work’. When you do it for yourself, it’s just not ‘Work’ but the minute the result is achieved for others, the chemical composition within undergoes a change. However, one would still do it because society was looked at as an extended family in that era. Be it feeding or protecting.
However, in modern times, for majority of the population, ‘work’ is done strictly for others. We engage in mental and physical activity to achieve results for others. And here is where the very need for balance comes into play.
Now is when ‘how many hours in a day’ and ‘how many days of a week should I work for others’ matters. We have gone way beyond the realm of survival/existence into the realm of luxury and comfort. We choose to trade our effort and time in exchange of supposed comfort.
And the conflict arises when we attempt to do it our way.
Obviously the one who pays us to achieve their results is focused on results and is least bothered about the coveted ‘balance’ we are chasing.
Is that wrong? Can we be judgmental about that? If we try to address this superficial question, we will only end up complicating life beyond repair, which probably is the case already.
However, all hope is not lost. It’s a matter of looking within and answering the right questions.
No right answers, but answering the right questions – And that ‘to each – his own’.
Happy Discovering!
Earth Rotates
Time never stops Rivers flow, clouds float
Wind whistles through treetops
Life is a cycle
From birth to death
For every living creature
It’s all in the breath
Nature prescribes and operates
in a cyclical journey
Yet, We struggle to ‘Settle’
and celebrate our tourney
While Time does not wait
Nature evolves with restraint
Goes about completing its task
Without a complaint
We continue to raise obstacles
in the name of progress
Showcasing greed in excess
just for an exotic address
When Nature finds alternatives
we label it Nature’s fury
passing judgements
like an obnoxious jury
Oh! What a circus we are
Enchanted only by the sights
Indulging in Perceptions of pleasure
under the razzmatazz of shimmering lights
Having drifted this far away
in a self-created boogie-trap
It’s only a brief vacation
when we enjoy mother nature’s lap
Should there be a role reversal
where we go back to our roots
Step out of the race
and hang up our boots
Lest we jeopardise
our existence and our future
For we cannot win
this one-upmanship with Nature
“Manage Change or Change will manage you!”
I’ve never quite understood this statement.
The word “Manage” means either ‘to make do with’ or ‘survive’ in one of its avatars – like “we managed to weather the storm”
OR
In the other avatar it can also mean ‘govern’ or ‘oversee’ – like “I manage a process or a team”.
In both cases, the end result is maintaining ‘Status-Quo’. If that is the case, ‘Manage’ and ‘Change’ is an oxymoron and cannot be used together.
When you say ‘Manage change’, what does it really mean?
Does it mean you just survived change OR
Are you overseeing the change?
If you are overseeing the change, do you NOT change yourself?
Where you change yourself along, referring to it as “managing change” is incorrect.
It only means you either
a) ‘Bring’ or ‘Lead’ the change yourself OR
b) Be ‘led’ into change.
Instead of sugar-coating the phrase, it’s time we ACKNOWLEDGE it as it is:
“Take Responsibility and Bring in the Change” OR “Be brave enough to Accept Change”.
This is NOT an attempt to define Corporate Culture. It’s an attempt to reflect upon what it has become.
Birth, Life, Survival and Death are four ‘natural’ acts and pillars of the eco-system in our planet.
Anything and everything else is built on as a layer for aesthetic value.
Society is a fabric that was introduced much later in the scheme of things. The original purpose unknown, but the overwhelming fact is that we are still self-weaving it and continuing to add layers.
Each individual comes with certain inherent qualities and naturally builds on to that individuality.
Where there is life, survival skills exist by default. And therein lays the seed of conflict.
Some seem to gain clarity early in life, either because they have privileged access to certain information and tools or because they seem to assume the role of a ‘Guide’ for the rest of mankind.
In that attempt, they set to achieve and use the others as resources in fulfilling their dreams.
Because the other set of people are yet in the seeking stage, assume to find purpose in helping and chasing someone else’s dreams.
When some of the dreams are achieved, there is celebration and an example is set for others to see and experience. Meanwhile, society continues to create complex structures to supposedly strengthen and fuel this model. This model works fine till the time there is a distinct clarity between, who the achiever is and who the resources are; who the leader is and who the followers are.
Current education system is designed to produce mass followers. However, there have been some rebellious breakthroughs and there are all sorts of streams that also allow some to be trained as leaders. Yet again there are achievers and non-achievers and many that fall in between. Here is where the lines start to blur and the seed of conflict gets watered. The self-weaving fabric of society gets into self-destruct mode at some point here.
People who set to achieve their dreams, cross the line and give birth to fake identities calling it corporations, which are meant to outlive them. I’m not being judgemental about this behaviour. That’s another topic of conversation though. However, in such a situation and a non-living entity, the ‘follower’ category of people, begin to assume the roles of a leader in a bloated setting for continuity and longevity regardless of the corporation’s health.
In this environment, when incompetence is accidentally given an opportunity and fails, the results are disastrous with ripple effects.
Competition accelerates such occurrences and once it goes beyond logic, control and comprehension levels, this very behavior is easily then brushed under the carpet termed, ‘Corporate Culture’.
It’s a well-established fact that we humans are not born (read manufactured) with user manuals.
Obviously, there was a market opportunity right there. So, for eons now, people have been trying to create user manuals; Right from the epics to the Self-Help genre on the book-shelves and now to pocket-sized suggestions. A-la “7 habits of successful people”; “6 things that millionaires do”; “10 Tips for effective parenting”; “3 magic steps to a healthy living”; 5 tricks for a flat stomach and many such.
But I guess we forgot that every individual is a different model and make and that the user manuals can’t be applicable to all. When you try and change the settings based on these manuals, you’ll either find it working in patches, have ‘error’ messages or a complete system malfunction. After all, ‘To each, his own’!
Self-Help OR Parenting, Life is meant to be ‘lived’ and ‘learnt’ through experience alone.
We can’t learn to swim by staying dry. We’ve got to jump in the water and get wet.
These books and lists only act as a ‘floating device’; Ideal to take a breather during a long swim.
But we have to kick and push to move ahead. We must encourage our kids to do that too.
We have to encourage them to jump, actually push if necessary.
Over-protecting and over-policing the kids in the name of disciplining and not letting them explore LIFE their way – both, at home and at school is only like having screen protectors or fancy cases to our gadgets without focusing on the actual hardware maintenance and performance efficiency.
I’ve overheard or at times been directly asked at work too, if we’re running a school with so many rules and disciplinary policies and micro-management. The root cause can be seen in the parenting styles as a community / country.
Nothing is moved or achieved with simple requests. Things are heard only when it is amplified with drama to the highest level. Be it a kid asking for a toy/food; labourer/ employee demands OR the overall political scenario.
Here’s what’s worked with me, both at home (for myself and as a parent) and at work (as an employee and as a boss). *
Discipline, Perseverance and Patience were some important virtues I had to re-visit in a new ‘Avatar’ or with “New Packaging”. In a mad-rush to attain multi-tasking, the ‘Task’ is ignored and the focus shifts on ability to handle multiplicity – often with compromised or delayed results.
Now, once I’m done with a task, I ask myself if this is my best output for the given task (personal OR professional).
If in the given situation and circumstances, the answer is yes and I am convinced, then I don’t bother about the world.
If I am not convinced about it being the best output, then I keep practicing to ensure I give my best and nothing less.
If it’s not an Eco-system that I enjoy, I don’t stay a victim for too long.
I take responsibility of MY life and put in efforts to change it. It’s that simple!
At work, I encourage my team to do the following on a daily basis:
Try to ‘find an issue’ (Not create but FIND an issue) in the process and ‘kill the issue’.
If they are unable to find one for more than two consecutive days, they are not doing a good job. If they are unable to solve it, they’re obviously expected to escalate. This simple thought process with random checks works wonders.
In a tweaked version, this idea works for kids too. I’ve encouraged my kid to explore something new every day and share it. If I don’t find anything for a few consecutive days, only then do I intervene for course correction. But yet again once done, I let go with random checks.
Explore, Experience, Enrich!
Go ahead and JUMP. Swim ON!
*Disclaimer: Do check your model for compatibility
Sriks (Who else?) 