Making sense of the world.
Posts tagged Issues
Tiger in the Woods
Dec 28th
As the curtain drops down on 2009, the tigers of the world find themselves in deep waters. The four-footed ones are in danger of losing more than just their stripes. And a two-footed one risks losing his reputation and substantial earnings. It may be a while before this tiger gets out of the woods.
Both high performing animals preside right on top of the food chain, in the jungles and on the golf course. Great performance, yet facing a bleak future. What got left out of the equation? My guess is character. Lack of it leads to eventual self destruction and hurting others. Like the physical law of gravity, the spiritual law of integrity operates inexorably. Violation can only bring grief to oneself and others. A consequence of the interconnectedness of life as we know it.
And lest we point fingers, for each one who gets caught by his texting habit, there must be dozens who stay hidden and get away. Or think they do. Well, think again. It’s only a matter of time.
India is riding a high performance economy. From a high-growth rate in population and poverty, there is now something of a switch to growing middle class prosperity and consumerism. There are also those who identify another reality: a high-growth rate in corruption. Will a country packed with gurus and religious traditions go over the deep end, or will it develop the character to enable it to soar into the sky?
The answer lies ahead in the decade that follows.
Performance plus character has always been the winning equation.
Wishing you a happy new year filled with great performance and high integrity.
The Economics of Begging
Oct 22nd
© Francois Etienne Du Plessis | Dreamstime.com
Anyone visiting or even passing through Mumbai city is a potential client. The huge network of the ‘begging’ franchise spreads wide across the world, it may well be the largest commercial chain of entrepreneurs there is.
Beggars, for all they know, provide a much needed service to the cosmopolitan society. Some may disagree but if we tweak the prevailing perspective on this subject just a little, we will realize what the act of ‘giving’ offers to some. It provides vindication and a sense of belonging to the social paradigm. However, this may be a spit & shine solution to a much deeper conundrum.
Giving alms to the poor has been completely redefined in the modern world. It is no longer the occupation of the weak or underprivileged. There may even be a corporate hierarchy in some begging outfits. A team leader to manage the foot soldiers. A manager coordinating multiple teams and even a director of operations overseeing the macro functions of the group.
You Know Jack!
Oct 20th
© Joe Tyson | Dreamstime.com
“Change can be a good thing if you have a plan” says Jack to himself. He is thinking out loud as he always does on Saturday afternoons. He looks outside his window at all the people walking by. He sees the pace, but no purpose. “What is the meaning of all this? Where is everybody going?”
In the heat of the day, he gets up to leave the room and realizes he is forgetting something. It is purpose – once so evident in his eyes but now replaced by longing. A deep longing for a life he only sees in his dreams, far from the real world.
“One fine day” he reassures himself “it’ll all work out.” He steps out under the sun and blames it on the weather. It’s always something. Something that he has but doesn’t need or needs but doesn’t have. ¬He feels quiet remorse for the life he never had – for the choices that were made for him. Not realizing that these choices made him the man he is.
He struggles from within underneath a putrid frustration, one that he is familiar with. There is too much at stake. He can’t afford to lose all this. Everything he has worked so hard to accomplish. Deep down he know these are just hollow shells of glory from an empty past alluding towards a pointless future.
His reason for waking up day after day in this futile existence is hope – that which no man can rob him of. Hope is his muse and his song. It carries him to places he’s never been.
“Change can be a good thing if you have a plan” says Jack to himself. He is thinking out loud as he always does on Saturday afternoons. He looks outside his window at all the people walking by. He sees the pace, but no purpose. “What is the meaning of all this? Where is everybody going?”
In the heat of the day, he gets up to leave the room and realizes he is forgetting something. It is purpose – once so evident in his eyes but now replaced by longing. A deep longing for a life he only sees in his dreams, far from the real world.
“One fine day” he reassures himself “it’ll all work out.” He steps out under the sun and blames it on the weather. It’s always something. Something that he has but doesn’t need or needs but doesn’t have. ¬He feels quiet remorse for the life he never had – for the choices that were made for him. Not realizing that these choices made him the man he is.
He struggles from within underneath a putrid frustration, one that he is familiar with. There is too much at stake. He can’t afford to lose all this. Everything he has worked so hard to accomplish. Deep down he know these are just hollow shells of glory from an empty past alluding towards a pointless future.
His reason for waking up day after day in this futile existence is hope – that which no man can rob him of. Hope is his muse and his song. It carries him to places he’s never been.