Tag: awakened youth

The power of “Quiet”!

~ PA ~ Leave a comment

Paradoxical as it may seem, amidst the growing chaos and noise the only real hope and sanity comes from the island of “quiet”. Join me here as we try to explore the gifted confines of quietness and appreciate how and why empowerment that comes from the stable of Quietness is more often – the most pivot one and has the ability to lead and effect change and order like nothing else that humanity has ever known! So here we go!

Before we understand how and why, “Quiet” hods formidable power, we must understand what do the unquiet spaces around us look like and what they really are! It is the magnitude, depth and the extreme difference between the Quiet and the Unquiet that directly creates the contrasting effect which makes us choose one over the other depending on what drives us and who we are!

Our routines have always, well almost always have been of getting something done- whether that’s a task at hand or whether it’s about achievement something that we have set out for – for that limited period of time! This simple and singular approach to loving our lives- results us getting into the famed Tunneled approach to life- wherein we start to shut off and ignore everything and anything that doesn’t seem to serve our purpose of movement in the direction of the task or act that we are all set out to accomplish! Well, so far there is nothing right or wrong about this space- each one to his own- as I always keep saying- the last thing you need is a prejudiced coach- which I am not! So even as people keep chipping away and racing ahead- what actually happens is that- people get drawn and consumed by the noise and sounds created around and within them- which are nothing more but the consequence of their own set pieces of priorities, solutions and challenges- at times convergent and many times divergent! It is from these ever increasing divergence of daily lives that people often end up creating more and more noise and sound with each passing moment and end up loosing and forgetting everything about what’s beyond the obvious and often hidden in plain sight!

The times that we live in, are cluttered with islands of noise and sound- few of these are our own creation and many other that surround us at all times are but echo chambers which we end up building and developing either by the element of “likeness” or by the “eclectic groups” that we create as we go by our busy lives- next important aspect to note is that as the multiplicity of these islands goes on increasing in space and time- even at an individual level we are all but drowned in an ever increasing maze of noise and chaos- at times this helps when the resonance is to do with the element of creativity and innovation, but in majority of the cases the whole space gets just drowned into one never ending space of noise and sound- at times the sounds of today and the bedrock of eternal noise for times ahead!

What is even more baffling is that humanity seems to have taken a strange liking to this whole phenomenon of begin heard to, speaking up and creating an impact- irrespective whether true depth and merit of content and context exists or not! In fact societies are increasingly even the rarer occurrence of calm and lack of chatter or noise as unwarranted regression and then are compelled to rake up something or the other just to ensure that there is that noise going around at all times regardless whether that is warranted or not and whether it makes sense or not! So why have we walked to this point? so much ahead that even when a part of our own thinking ability tries to indicate the contrary, we end creating the all too familiar patterns of noise and sound through our self driven compelling approach. What is this all about? What does it speak about societies and about us as Individuals and is there are way around this? Is there anything more powerful to vaporize this automated self consuming behaviour?

Well, to put it simply, globally societies have always been defined with regards to their opulence or success as a factor of how much noise and sound is being created within and around them! This fundamental flaw has ended up eroding any sense of contextual or content sanity that societies would have earlier had – through their traditional disposition, culture and arts! There were times and pauses in history when, no news was a great thing- for that meant- all’s well and no one is getting killed or no one is planing anything radical! Over a period of time, the never ending need (at times regulated, at times self- mandated) to be present in the news, discussions and even to feature within gossip has been made the norm- a social barometer of acceptance- so if you or your idea or your business has not been of late discussed at the eclectic circles and has had no mentions – whether the right or wrong (who really cares!) it meant that you have not yet arrived at the scene and you are yet to be recognized as a true entity! This kind of unforgiving societal bias and social compulsion is what has been at the foundation of the noise and sound laden society that we live by! This singular factor has contributed more than anything else to the tons of electronic garbage and media madness that plays out day in and day out across mediums and across channels endlessly irrespective whether any of that crap makes sense or not and this is the whole reason why this approach has now started to take a toll on the very people who devised this game and now even they are feeling the ice like grip of what I call as “failing fatigue” – the moment wherein you have no longer the power to either manage direct or sustain the nonsense that you had let loose and which is now all geared up to come back at you like a boomerang to extract it’s due!

No matter how hard or difficult it may seem to escape from the space around noise and sound, the fact remains that, perhaps this is the easiest of the things to do and the only way to do that is to tap into your internal power of “Quiet”. Once you have tapped into this small and calm island within yourself-trust me it holds unimaginable power to steer you clear away form all and any noise and sound that you may ever want to- irrespective whether you have been the person who has created it or whether you have the person who has played a role in amplifying it! You must be now wondering what makes “quiet” so effective and such a deadly force to reckon with!

Unlike everything else, “Quiet” needs no audience- for it, by itself is the audience and the artist! Once you know this bit and you have accepted this, your life is rest assured immune to the onslaught of any and all noise and sound that you can ever imagine coming your way! This is that space from where”Quiet” gets its power- that power comes from the deepest confines of who you really are- at times you are aware of and many times you simply are unaware or refuse to accept or acknowledge! The power of “Quiet” comes from the tranquil of the construct that each one of us is as uniquely as we must be and are- when we either decide not to accept or decide to challenge that island of calmness, is when we go about in the world- refusing to stay or remain “Quiet” and create enough Sound and Noise all along the way to such an extent that by the time we realize how far wasted all of that has been- even the largest of islands of “Quiet” becomes hopeless and helpless in front of you!

If you are even left in the slightest of doubts as yet, practice the pause and like the wise Himalayan masters often say- Feel your breadth- for once you have done that at least once- you will for once come to learn- how much of all the sound and noise around you has been worthwhile and if anything at all was ever! “Quietness” or “Quiet” is perhaps the the only virtue that takes you as close as possible to the universal energies that one must tap into or can tap into and once you have been to that place- no amount of attention/ inattention, sound, noise, appreciation or criticism can ever make you feel any way the way your “Quietness” makes you feel! At bliss with yourself- attuned to what matters and ignorant of all that one must be!

I will leave you here, with these thoughts- time for you to connect with your “Quietness” and disconnect with all that sound and noise! The only humans who ever made a difference to humanity have always been the ones’ who have been connected with others through themselves!

Ciao for now, will be back soon with another article until, then Stay safe and stay wise! Stay Quiet!

The virus is not the problem.

~ PA ~ 3 Comments

Many a times, intellectual hallucination and unwarranted cerebral diarrhea leads to aggravating problems rather than solving them and when you try to use the method of applying “collective wisdom” of “empowered group of self proclaimed experts” who have not solved the current problem but something else earlier- we get served what we deserve- More Chaos! This short piece is about understanding how humanity has this unique ability to end up screwing up simple things and create complex problems which tend to become an altogether different problem from the original one! So join me in unraveling stupidity, dumbness and over-rated “specialists” who seem to have answers for all problems that get created while trying to solve the original problem, which remains unresolved!

When the coronavirus problem began, the least I was expecting was a scientific and rational response to meet the challenge and deal with it, but as I look back, what I realized is that more and more people (who are especially in-charge of devising strategies to deal with the situation) have been more dumb and stupid than what their so-called qualifications and experience suggested! Consider this to begin with- The fact that was established way early into this episode of the virus onslaught was that it is contagious and it spreads from people to people when they are in close proximity- within 2 meters of each other- great! so now we know what to avoid- than why the hell do we need to lock down cities, nations and ruin the whole economy of the nations? If there is scientific evidence on how the virus transmission occurs- the common-sense led approach would suggest- have protection, maintain the required distance- whether 2 metres or 20 metres and that’s about- Let the world be what it is! Why do you need to lock down- take way livelihoods- create economic anarchy and destroy a working society? Effective, sustained and persuasive communication in all possible languages and across mediums reinforcing the need of social distancing would have done the needful! Don’t believe me- well , your choice- so can you explain why even after the lock down has been enforced why in few countries the cases keep rising? Well, the answer is simple – Humanity is all about being social and if you ask people not to do something, they will end up doing exactly that- albeit in way that you can’t find out easily! Hence if the messaging would have started with the moral high ground of what one should “Do” rather than “Don’t Do”, things would have been better accepted and hence implementation would have been far more meaningful and so would have the been the results!

Now, if you were to ask the “Coronovirus” what it feels like today, after unleashing mayhem and wrecking the global economy, this is what the Virus would have told you, “You know what, I am simple virus- I hopped onto humans (accidentally or intentionally- you find out!) and found it fun to be here, anyways not many youngsters welcome me that well- so I hardly get noticed- but the oldies do hate me- hence they show their dislike to me by getting sick- and well- that is dangerous for me- because than even I can’t survive- if I they suffer so do I! I never wanted to be within humans any case- I was having fun in the animal kingdom for so many million years! I don’t know how I landed up here! Why is everyone blaming me for economic collapse, I am no banker- I a am a Virus- I may make people sick!,I have nothing to do with economics! You mishandle and misunderstand on how to treat me- how can you blame me for that?! I never asked you to shut down cities and lock everyone in their houses- If people manage their immune system well- by eating well and have personal hygiene- there is nothing that me or any of my cousins can do anything nasty with any of you!

A lot of the problems of the world that we are facing today even as we battle the pandemic is really not about the illness, neither it is about when the vaccine will be available or not, it is far more simpler and I have kept on saying this over and over again! Common-sense deficient decision making is not only ridiculous and foolish it is outright dangerous and fatal! Unfortunately the irony of our times is our so-called experts have all the answers for this pandemic- as if they got killed or survived the last one caused by this virus! The real sane experts on the other hand have been suggesting incremental steps to experiment and deduce in a calibrated manner on- the-go, so that we learn and know what works and what does not in a measured way, rather than creating the global melodrama of the Big bad Lock Down and as if once the Lock Down is lifted we will have the birds singing and spring will be back! This myopic, risk averse and dumb thinking by group of so-called experts has put such a severe strain on all other sections of society that nations will sooner or later feel the shortage of healthcare workers, law enforcement officers and all those who are involved to maintain sanity as fatigue would simple overwhelm them, because they are humans first and no Human being in the entire history of mankind has never won a battle with no definite deadline in sight! If and when societal fatigue sets in, it will rob societies off the very building blocks that define who they are and thereby make each step towards recovery even more harder and difficult, something that will even take time to convince people that everything is safe now! So you may ask me now- If the Virus is not the problem than what is the problem?, and people are dying- so the virus must be real?

Well sure, the virus is real and people are dying for sure- but what is that the people are dying off? Are they really dying only because of the Virus or is the Virus creating biochemical challenges within their bodies which have become fragile because of existing illnesses that is causing the deaths? What are the facts around this? what is the real picture?How many got treatment late? How many were misdiagnose? How many were accidentally killed during experimental treatment? We may know some answers and some we may never know! But this is where the crux of the matter is- Science says that there has to be evidence, predictability, repeatability for things to play out exactly the same way for same set of conditions- well does it work with a virus – the answer is yes and no- yes if the virus is the same and no if the virus – which is a living microbe- mutates! The Influenza virus- cousin of our Coronavirus visits most of us every year- in one form or the other, not all of us die, we struggle and recover- our struggle is proportional to our immune system’s response and wisdom of the healthcare providers! When one of these two factors break down- we have a problem which actually can put us at considerable risk and this is exactly what is being played out in case of the Coronavirus too!

The real problem is the way we are handling the problem- the real problem is “The Problem Definition”. If the Coronavirus has given all the scientific evidence of how that poor little things wants to move from one human to the other, we just need to avoid and break that path- the answer is social distancing- personal hygiene- that’s about it! Personal Hygiene is a private matter-one may say he has brushed his teeth and would not have been doing so for last whole week- you can’t help someone who has a psychopathic mind! Likewise social distancing, like I said earlier it has a lot to do with common-sense- why would you allow a stranger to stand close to you within 2 metres- why? I mean Virus or no Virus- why would you normally also be comfortable with having some stranger sneaking up so close to me, forget about that person coughing, sneezing or even breathing into you face? I mean why? If you say well, that never happens, you manage a high level of personal hygiene, you eat well, you don’t mix with strangers and random people- well than that’s great! so where’s the problem? You just blocked all entry points to the Virus! So what has the Heaven sent lock- down got to do with any of this? Why should you be penalized from taking a walk in the park, walking you dog, picking up your grocery, going for that long drive? Why?

When this pandemic shit is over in a few weeks from now, as the world sits back and thinks about it and as stories will be told to kids who are now under 10-12 year old- they will laugh their hearts out and say it on you face- How come were you grown ups so dumb? Why did you do what you did? Was it really needed? and trust me none of the “so-called” hyper anxious- doomsday centric- “specialist” will have an answer for the virus- well by that time it would have changed itself to be our friendly neighborhood virus which will be kept under check by popping a pill and not Locking ourselves down!

This current pandemic has more to do with the problem of mishandling a crisis and making a bad situation worse more than anything else! t’s a text book example of all that one should not do, during a crisis like this! When problem definitions fail, right questions are not asked and knee jerk- copy-cat solutions are adopted without understanding the contextual realities of life, we set ourselves to a bigger secondary disaster- which at times can outweigh the benefits, making the cure wore than the disease and leaving the original problem unresolved! History is replete with examples when great wars have been won and lost because the challenges were misread or misunderstood, political fortunes and businesses have been created and destroyed all because of incorrect assessment of the gravity of the contextual settings! The problem is not always the “problem”, the problem sometimes is the “way that a problem is perceived and defined” which ends up becoming a bigger disaster than the real challenge at hand! What could have been done, you may want to ask?

Well, simple and straight- social distancing, access to personal hygiene and keeping away risk groups from social arena! That’s about it, three steps implemented well, you have won more than half of the battle! No need for intrusive surveillance, lock downs, travel restrictions and unwarranted narratives! The real challenge with this overly simple solution is that “so called specialists” thrive on making a complex problem even more complicated to earn their brownie points and plain spoken truth gets discounted for unscientific gossip! Until this fixated fashion that “complex problems can only be solved by complex solutions” is not thrown away for good, humanity will keep on suffering from one or the other reason! Simplicity, Plain speak and Common-sense based approaches are the arch enemies of the “so called, know it all, specialists” and that is the real threat, more dangerous than the virus and these threats ensure humanity keeps getting hits by shit in one form or the other from time to time, just to have their inflated hollow egos well oiled!

I leave you with my thoughts here, grab a coffee, take a walk by yourself or walk your dog , eat well, stay fit and rest assured no matter what the “expert” says trust your common sense! Animals have survived with the virus for millions of years and humans have dealt with more nasty visitors coming from mother earth to us than the one we have now with us! So stay calm, and stay wise!

Ciao for now, will be back soon with another piece, until then keep that gray matter ticking and learn it well- Simplicity Works and that’s the way of nature!

The UV(Unique Value) challenge ahead.

~ PA ~ 3 Comments

As work places the world over begin to come back to life and kick start the much awaited and needed meaningful life cycle for each one of us-few things would have changed already or will rapidly transform in the first 90 days, as operations begin to gather speed, this piece is about exploring on such facet and what to expect and how to manage what is likely to come your way! So let’s roll ahead…

Before we try to ponder on how things may impact us going ahead, it will make a lot good to understand , what really happened as activities were halted globally in a planned/less planned or unplanned way!Since we are dealing with only facet of the human aspect we will try to limit our observations around that one central piece and move ahead.

Humans by and large end up either ending up in the space of being employment generators or employment receivers and then we have the small segment of businesses consultants/ Individuals who are both generators and receivers unto themselves. As activities came to a halt, multiple things would have dawned at all levels! In some cases the real face of human value systems/ belief systems and Individual priorities would have far superseded the collective cause of managing a workforce or a team at a small office or vice-versa. This break in continuity, at one end would have manifested through massive layoffs/ unemployment that has been written all across the world; Ever since this unplanned halt in routine came into the picture! So what has happened here- Well one  may argue that the business viability was cut short and since there were no mechanisms to cushion the offset of losses (which seem to be astronomical) there was no other way but to close the shutters and let go off people– well ok- hold this thought for a minute and we will address that later as we move ahead.

Another scenario that too has played around the world has been the overarching concept of “We are in this Together” (Even as I hate this thought -as much as I can because it simply defies any rationale sense!). In this space, people have not been impacted that bad, governments, agencies, employers and everyone that you can think of, have come ahead and collaborated to ensure that people aren’t left to the elements and are being ensured that they have a wage and a lifestyle that they can still as yet hang out to- albeit by a slender thread and as soon as things are better, the turnaround will be rapid and directed! Well this scenario for obvious reasons seems to be the best way ahead- why not- it talks about higher societal virtues , duty of care and for ensuring everyone has indeed, had a fair chance to fight this time through and move ahead. Now that we have seen both extremes of the spectrum above, let’s amylase what people are actually doing in this time that has been available to them!

People being who they are would have used this time available for themselves either to waste it and let it rot as usually they do while being busy to slog like slave for making someone else rich or they would have put it to some good use or wise use depending upon the cognitive abilities, opportunities and the immediate flexibility of the societies in which they thrive! Broadly speaking we have two sets of people around the world right now in a lock down/isolation whatever you want to call that- The firsts set is working as diligently they normally would have – striving to balance the challenges of working from wherever they are in whatever conditions they are and making a point to see how best they can add value and keep contributing in their way to ensure the business that are working with or for remains afloat as much as possible! The second set has basically turned this whole episode into a endless meaninglessness vacation which doesn’t seem to end (Unlike the hotel property- you don’t have a pre-set check out date) so these folks who believe in the maxim- “Anyways everything is going to get tougher so while we have this time, why not binge and indulge into personal indulgences and give a damn to what tomorrow ushers in!”. Finally we  have a smaller segment of interesting people (irrespective whether they are the employers/employees or consultants/Individual businesses) who have used this time to realign their life priorities/ work definitions/aspirations/belief systems even as they have continued to work and contribute to what they have been doing! Knowing the facts about where the world is rocking around for now, now you may want to know how all of this will get played out as things begin to open up! Well let’s read on and remember the previous line for that has a big secret within it!

As the world comes out of the shadows, thanks to automation (AI) and some good serving of Common-Sense there will be rapid and quick realignment of businesses and individuals- Those who have been toiling through this phase will come up with fast decisions translating into large scale visible actions, whether it is reallocation of staff to other facilities of a large conglomerate, whether it is about training, re-training,  or whether it is about adding anew product and rolling it off within weeks, you think of a scenarios and probably you will see an example playing out- especially where the businessmen and the employees have been working through this tough phase diligently one day at a time and have had a road map for the future irrespective of testing times and uncertainties! These in some cases will also lead to decent amounts of lay-offs but what will be unique to this phase is the fact that Quality of the people getting laid-off will have a story to tell. In all probability this will have many people from the second set who were on that un-ending vacation and didn’t care for the world- well, as the law of reciprocal karma; the world will also care less for them  and that’s what will get played out in the end!

The rare collection of individuals  (whether employers/employees/consultants) who would have spent this time for thorough introspection and realignment of themselves to their cause using the Unique Value that they intrinsically hold; will be the eventual trail blazers and will play a vital role in setting up the next benchmarks of quality and process development across businesses! It will be this small segment which would have analysed and seen how each other member on the team has been functioning/ not functioning where the disconnects have been and where the strengths are and what can be corrected and what must be weeded out immediately to safeguard the business! This may look like a simple task that any manager would have anyways done- but what is different here is that for the first time perhaps in a long long time- there is no space for personal biases for being played out through those intense team meetings and “one on ones” within the confines of office meeting rooms -because whether teams and individuals have worked or not would have been captured through  a documented trail of emails, messages from collaborators and clients alike which are more telling and in-the- face to sum up quite a lot then any findings from over a 100 internal meetings  that one would have participated in! It is also in this segment that one will also see many wise people alter the course of their calling to something different, bigger and better then what they have been currently doing and this mutual separation from the routine will enable to open up new vistas and opportunities from human thinking, innovation and commerce to be built around that space!

So what is that will create that differentiation which will make or break an opportunity for an Individual? Well the answer is UV – The Unique Value that Individuals would have been able to demonstrate as they worked through challenging times and ensured that their tasks and jobs are delivered as they had been promised and the objectives were realized in the face of extraordinary challenges! It will be these UV’s when applied by businesses, teams and Individuals alike that newer avenues with far greater depth, clarity and purpose will begin to emerge from existing businesses to provide an opportunity to build new systems and businesses! 

These UV’s, will enable organisations become healthier by being leaner, directed focused and purpose driven, knowing well now that they do really have a duty of car, hence instead of boasting about an employee strength of 1000, organisations will change the narrative to a family strength of 100 which would imply an employees strength of 250! Likewise Individuals who would have found their zen by being flexible would possibly want it to stay that way so that their creative outcomes remain unique and well appreciated- this then would also work in favor of the businesses!

So, before I sign off, think well for the remaining “ME” time that you have at hand and be honest in knowing what you are doing with that- because your future will depend on the singular pivot of what you have done with this “ME’ time and what you learnt during this period!

I will leave you here for now, grab a drink and think and reflect so that you can face tomorrow all suited up, one you have realized the Unique Value that you have within and what you to offer as a giver and receiver!

Ciao for now, will be back soon with another piece!

Staying sane through insane times!

~ PA ~ Leave a comment

Humanity, never disappoints! The moment you go to bed thinking all is fine with the world- No one is threatening anyone with a war, growth stories are being written around the nations- few true, few fictional ; the next morning, you wake up  to your living nightmare in the form of the news of a pandemic and worldwide economic melt down! Well, this article is more about trying to isolate the real problem from the apparent one (the perceived one) and try to ensure we stay sane and don’t get done by our own dumbness by keeping the reason and behavior blaming the virus aside for some time (unless of course you have tested positive!).

One of the ever perplexing issues with the human mind has been that, it always tries to rush into finding solutions to a challenge that is been put to it!- It simply wants to get that task done and relax! Well, this part is normal; the fun begins it, when it starts to operate the way it has been conditioned to operate by the person who is the owner of this wonder-machine- that is you! Going by the “Who the majority of us actually are!”(Irrespective what our social media handles projects who we want to be or we want to be perceived to be); The way we have programmed ourselves to think; by wanting to be or being at times, fast- quick- rational- irrational- impulsive- brash- well, these and many more decision types come in all colors and hues of the personality that we hold;  which again is another byproduct of the way we have conditioned our thinking! Well- wait- read this sentence again- don’t get confused- but that is a fact! More often then not our actions driven through our thought processes are nothing but an extension of our personality statements which have been conditioned by our brain- based on what we have fed into it as experiences- memories- shades of pleasantness, fear, disgust, avoidance and affection etc. etc! So how do we tame and learn to debug a mind that has the potential to run away with it’s own unfound areas of fear and gross disregard- which can actually make you history in no time!

To begin with, you can try a simple technique- Whenever you are presented with a scenario- try to evaluate and ascertain- what is expected out of you!– Whether you need to do something- if yes, are you supposed to lead someone or follow someone or be doing it all alone, what are options available- which is the one that offers the least harm to you (read risk mitigation) and finally going ahead with the chosen step! The irony here is- this kind of level headed and process oriented thinking needs space, peace and time to arrive at wise decisions- and normally when push comes to shove- normally we end up making bad quality decisions – which are a result of why we tend to be where we are in our lives! Many a times- the best decision is about doing nothing and just letting things be the way are- “There’s never a point trying to fix something that’s not broken!”

Another important thing to remember is to do a PRA (Personal Risk Assessment) whenever you are hit by uncertain situations- whether at home or at work- or in general wherever you are on the map of the world- doing whatever you choose to pursue! This PRA technique has to be simple and operational. This is something that you will have to design for yourself!- As I keep saying each one of us- is fundamentally a different being- we may be similar and aligned to common goals of larger good to humanity in many ways- but the way we can engage and contribute is a value of the Intrinsic ability that we have within us by virtue of many things that go on to make who we are! This ability to come up with a correct, consistent and accurate PRA on an ongoing basis for the small events and large unforeseen events largely determines how we ride the waves and ensure that our ship holds good in stormy weather and calm seas with equal ease! The ability to come up with a refined and good quality PRA, again loops back to how well our cognitive and thinking ability has evolved and what kind of sensible and critical data points we have shared with it to ensure the outputs that we get are actionable sane and safe enough!

Finally, using common-sense along with the supply of intelligence that you may have- is the last line of defence that you have in times of extreme pressure- like the one that we are facing right now!– At a time when the media seems to be in an overdrive- and everything around you seems to be sending out signals of things around failing and falling- It is your generous use of intelligence and common-sense alone which will help you stay away from unnecessary hysteria, melodrama and ensure you do not end up being victim or a contributor to mass hysteria (which more often then not is completely useless, unverified, unproven and unfound!). Make it a practice- to always weigh what you get as an information input- weigh it against the source from where it comes- weigh it for credibility- authority and validity-and finally do check if it really, genuinely makes a difference in your life! Even as we have the virus outbreak across all the nations unfolding- if you happen to be one of those astronauts right now aboard the International Space Station- it will do humanity a lot good if you remained focused on your experiments up there- 440 kms above us- rather then trying to dole out sympathetic verses or worrying about things- on which you have literally no control! The trick then is to control and manage what you can and ignore and leave out, what does not impact you and certainly what remains beyond your effective control!

I leave you with these thoughts for you to think and come up with your own little nuggets of wisdom and value, so that you ensure your safety and sanity and thereby ensure the mental health of others around you!

Ciao for now! Grab your drink, stay sane and stay safe!

 

 

The simple truth about religion!

~ PA ~ Leave a comment

Among the few eternal questions that humankind has been asking through recorded history; one of the most important one has been “What is religion?” and “Who has given it to whom?” Well before you begin to jump to conclusion- well no, I am certainly not claiming to be an authority- or providing you a definitive answer to all your religion driven pain- this is about sharing a few observations, thoughts – to the limitation of this being a blog (which I am sure many of you would have also experienced) and trying to make sense within the fog of uncertainty and ambiguity!

No matter which belief system you decide to choose and follow, the beginnings are all mysterious- with some answers being found- while others still shrouded in a cloak of the unexplained! Few belief systems have symbolism, while few do not have. Some believe in the practicing to the written down guidelines by the rule- yet others offer relaxation to ensure the that the belief system is amicable to the individual and is something that becomes a natural part of the self.

But the topic is not this, the question is what happens when we have a belief system or a religion? Well one way of looking towards it through human evolution through the eons- Religions or Belief systems- have over a period of time developed and evolved to ensure that the evolving human intellect is harnessed for the larger and greater good of the individual and the community around! As human beings made progress from being hunters, nomads and civilizations came into being (at times with large kingdoms and empires that stretched far and wide), belief systems set rituals, beliefs and practices that brought in a common thread to ensure a common identity of conformity. A conformity towards expected behaviors, values and ideologies!

As long as these laid down belief systems were practiced within the confines of the kingdoms and empires and left untouched virtually for long periods of time they have flourished and become richer in expression in the form of hymns, verses, texts, manuscripts, theological masterpieces and philosophical renderings. These have in many cases added value to the religious belief systems and in few cases- has added to regressive mentions which tried to confine communities into sub-divisions using one or the other aspects of the societal structures of those times!

Everything is fine till this point; however as societies became more permanent in nature and as instances of expansionist greed and hunger for power and control began sometimes through invasion of gypsy warriors and at times by planned expansion (which could have been for some forceful need to migrate from original lands- read fearing persecution) the fabric of faith and the followers of faith began to undergo a metamorphosis and a change that worked for and against each faith and belief system across the world!

The real challenge studying Human beings is that – As humans, we are perhaps the most logic driven yet one of the most irrational beings at the same time! I mean you will never see a wild animal attack it prey if its not hungry! You will never see any animal for that matter attack (unless it feel provoked and threatened or gets confused about Your intentions!) The reason for this logic and irrational paradox within our personalities resides and rides upon our higher evolved emotional attributes – read- pride, ego, jealousy and fear! Ignorance when added to any of these attributes casts a spell that only swells with time and ultimately blinds out all rational thinking and creates a mind which has its own thinking like a runaway carriage and goes on into a self-destruct mode- not ever realizing what it is unleashing in the ensuing journey and at what cost- whatever that is being pursued is being achieved!

Over eons as faiths evolved and belief systems evolved- they have not been handed down from one generation to the next- the way they should have- that is without any flavoring of what the previous generation though and how they adapted it to suit their needs of the bygone times! In certain cases this evolution of faith and belief systems has worked well- because it has simplified understanding and follower-ship in the present times. However in some cases additional layers of ambiguity and thoughts which create animosity and rift have got planted (which at some point in time in history would have been appropriate for safeguarding the follower-ship of a particular faith in a geographical region under prevailing political scenarios then) but as these did not get dropped off – they tend to raise their ugly heads and whip a deadly cocktail of justifying inhuman acts across the present times- which really serves no one- not the faith – neither the followers and certainly not Humanity in general!

So you may ask what is the way ahead? Well, as I said in the beginning I am not an authority, nor do I claim I have the power! but what I can share with you is a few simple and human things that we all can do to ensure we individually contribute to make our immediate neighborhoods better- and once we have done that- we have better communities, societies, nations and a better world!

Always remember as a cardinal principle-

1)Religion, Faith or a Belief system is a Private matter and always allow it to be that!

2)Respect other’s faith or belief systems, so that they respect your faith and leave it at that!

3) If all questions had the answers- they would have been already answered- if there are few questions that are yet unanswered- there must be a reason for that too- leave tings at that!

4) While choosing over the right thing to do or doing a thing the right way- always choose a path which serves the greater good of humanity- if even one human is harmed by any chord that is being touched under the garb of altering or furthering belief systems or faith- that is not the right path!

5) Finally always remember- all the authentic , ancient texts, manuscripts have always preached and cherished the feeling of togetherness through affection, love and fostering humanity as the greatest service to the supreme power that you believe through the Belief system of faith that you choose and there is no second to this principle- Hold this belief and approach ahead- you will find the world is a better place than what some make it to be by telling you what suits them!

It is perhaps the greatest and the most simplest truth of life- that in the metered seconds of life that each one of us has- if we spend bickering and wasting about tings that really don’t matter – What is that we have achieved and What is the story and legacy that we want to leave behind? Think about this when you have your next coffee! Trust me on one thing- If you follow a belief system or a faith- and you do believe in something- it really doesn’t serve your Supreme Lord- when you go about discussing, fighting, bickering about things that really don’t count! If you are indeed spiritual or someone who holds a belief system dearly- all actions must align to take you closer and further towards that celestial journey- This is what all texts and manuscripts across all faiths and belief systems speak about in one voice! The Greatest service to the Supreme Power is serving Humanity!

I leave you with these sublime thoughts for the week ahead, stay clam, stay wise and remember to always act in a way that makes your presence equally celebrated as is your faith- no matter what faith that you have chosen to follow! Stay Blessed!

Deciphering the Hate rhetoric!

~ PA ~ Leave a comment

Whether we agree or not, we see an ever increasing instance of hate and negative emotions at play around us;more then ever before and ironically these are “allowed to be ok”! When we genuinely come across “normal good behavior” (which by itself is a rarity!) we start to doubt intentions of people! This piece is about trying to see what causes this anomaly and how can we deal with it- should we join the bandwagon of hate or should we be doubting every person around us!

Human brain is simply brilliant- ask any psychiatrist, psychologist and have a chat with that young neurosurgeon who just got a chance to open up and see one! All of them(irrespective of their approach of study) will agree to one thing- this is one machine that evolution has been absolutely brilliant at- so much so that even decades after the first time the brain was surgically opened up- it still keeps throwing surprises – when it heals and when it ends up having a mind of it’s own!

The human brain, like any machine provides an output proportional to the input. You feed it with garbage- garbage will flow out; feed it with stimulating and complex challenges, it will throw out ingenious solutions and provide answers (almost always) either by itself or by collaborating with other working brains (read progressive and purpose driven team work!). Now the million dollar question- If the brain is so evolved and able to take wise decisions- what in the world is wrong with it- when you actually see people, leaders alike using negative emotions and “hate” in particular as a rhetoric to address and reach out to masses or communities! What’s going wrong here? The answer lies in the hard wiring of our brains!

Through evolution, the brain has developed ensuring that as species we survive- the onslaught of nature, wild animals and eventually are able to ensure individual succession through battling and protecting oneself from other tribes and clans- it was and is the master control- to ensure the survival of the fittest all through evolutionary history of human species- and evolution never stops- its an ongoing phenomenon- which is on even now as I type this and you read this and will go on long after you and I do not exist! The earlier battles were simple and more of an survival instinct- with time as societies evolved, safety and security was more or less settled, the brain started to navigate the nuances of living with more and more number of people like never before and that’s where societal structures and rules began to came into play- this order was necessary to ensure channeling of human resources happened optimally through division of labor or other structures that a society would have had. At this point of inflection- as human greed began to take seed more then ever before- the brain started to learn the traits that today display all the negative elements and more importantly of societal level and community level hate mongering!

This hate and despise rhetoric when carefully deciphered originates form nothing else but “insecurity”. That feeling of being inferior to someone or something- ideologically, financially (which limits the access to perceived comforts) and a touch of attention seeking disorder – a blend of all this leads to that vitriolic “hate” rhetoric. Insecurities- at individual level and society or community level can further originate from a number of socio-economic or political reasons- it could be neglect of a section of a society for a long time- depriving them of certain societal benefits because of who they are or what they are; there can be a hundred reasons why certain actions would have been taken towards specific segments of society/communities across the world- not all of them would be right and neither all of them would be wrong! It is in this grey space that all unfulfilled and half-served promises stay on like eternal ghosts and demons which go on to infect the most vulnerable sections of the modern days societies at both individual and community level!

At times, when long deprived sections of societies seem to develop and contribute in an increasing manner and seem to have better control and better solutions for the larger good, vested interests tend to come out to play and distort the trajectory under the garb that the majority and puritanical fabric of a said society is under threat (sounds familiar- well it should- no matter where you are on the world map now- this is exactly what is being played out and irrespective which side you are and who’s right and whos’ wrong (this is a mind-game that tricks individual brains into believing one thing and later as a collective society ends up doing exactly the opposite!) I will share a case in point here- Individually every brain (unless you are a clinically certified psychopath) knows that arson, abuse, violence (physical and otherwise) is unbecoming of being human being (keep aside all other values systems and belief systems for a moment- they are not even needed at this stage)- next you add another half a dozen brains- add a layer of a value system or belief that “because of “x”, “y” is not available and to achieve “y” we must enact “z”- That’s about it- it is this small aorta of collective hallucination and distortion in the thinking cycle that is needed to lead to a full blown crisis of captivated and manipulated thinking process that will undermine every ounce of common-sense, ethics and individualistic values systems of mutual care for ages to come- just one figment of collective distorted thinking- all that is needed to let all hell break loose- now with a population of over 7.5 Billion, coupled with an ever increasing insecurity at play- internationally, within nations, within regions of a nation and within cities and societies within a region- Now you know why “hate and despise” is so easy! and readily available for serving hot and cold all the time!

Science has ample evidence that the right to uphold value systems and beliefs which service the larger and greater good and difficult to come up with and even more difficult to sustain in an ever changing dynamic world wherein even friendships between nations seem to flirtatious at their best! Alongside this , you have the quick service restaurants that serve hate and vitriolic rhetoric by the dozen and on order, 24 hours a day! No wonder that when genuinely good humans walk by- we either end up awarding them after they are dead or award them the highest peace time awards and technically make them redundant so that they are as ineffective as the awards been given to them!

More importantly for the average person on the street, the world over the dilemma to trust, invest and hold the hands of a stranger seems to just become more complicated because of these varied and paradoxical hues that modern days societies preset themselves as! The ensuing result- No commitment for any relationship- within the family or elsewhere- modern day societies are turning into more and more individualistic silos hidden away within a fragile shell – add a little pressure of insecurity and each element within the shell will crack and stand up for himself/herself- there is no more “WE” and the “I” although looks good;, seldom stands a chance of defending or defeating anything worthwhile! So how do we manage this? Can we?

Well to be very honest, societies where hate/despise is served by so-called leaders of the society- God alone can help! The only other way to turn around such deeply flawed societies is a comprehensive revolution and well – history knows, revolutions are filled with sweat and blood- apparent or real! The cost of a revolution is evaluated by the benefit that will ensue once the dust settles- if there is no great incentive- then societies stagnate and implode within; too weak and too starved to even voice out anything- forget about addressing the world! But there is hope and the hope comes from the ingenuity of the brain itself- as like minded brains connect and interact and as they grow in number through education and progress of the said society-the more accommodating and human thinking gets ground- fewer will be the oddities that relish on hate and hence eventually they will get weeded out by Thought- The power of Human Thought- seeded by right education that embraces the over arching principle of being human and fostering care and affection for fellow humans is the only answer that societies can give to the underlying demons of hate despise which at times are apparent and other times lie in the wait to capture the weak links and bring havoc to our otherwise serene thinking!

I leave you with these thought, grab your coffee and seek the sane part of you and see how trusting you are and how others feel around you- that my friend is the first step to ensure and spread the warmth in the society which will dispel the ghosts of hate and despise- One enlightened mind and One warm soul at a time is all that it takes! Until next time ciao!

Overcoming corporate slavery.

~ PA ~ 3 Comments

Irrespective of whether you agree to the aspect of “corporate slavery” or not doesn’t matter, because that argument is equal to not believing in the existence of the Sun because at night you can’t see it! This piece is about accepting the problems around,understanding how far reaching and deeply impacting the consequences are and what can we possibly do about it (as individuals- because according to capitalists theories they would want this to go on forever and ever!)

As students’ complete graduation or post-graduation; their aspirations are about getting a “good job”, decent salaries (to pay of liabilities accumulated by virtue of trying to get educated to that level) and race ahead to reach the top of the corporate pyramid to impact businesses, industries and policies- well there’s absolutely nothing wrong with any of these aspirations- perfectly legal and sane. The only challenge is in the deception of the term “good job” this deception almost always turns fatal and catches up with these young aspirants sometimes sooner then later. Global indicators (if you access some readily available data online from valid sources) indicate that the so called mid-life crisis (which I simply see as manifestation of the “good job” syndrome) is happening pretty earlier (around late 20s’ to early 30s’ unlike the earlier times (when it used to actually begin to hit around mid 30s’ to early 40s’)

Now to the million dollar question, “How do we negate or at the best manage this to at least have realistic mid-life crisis years which correspond to real mid-life years of a human being rather then reflecting mid-life for some other animal species! The root of the problem is in the belief and value systems that societies the world over have. The fundamental premise that the entire effort of studying and gaining wisdom (remember wisdom is different from knowledge- knowledge makes you intelligent, wisdom makes you wise- these are two entirely different things!). Essentially these need to compliment each other and an imbalance in these impacts our life quality on an ongoing basis as that reflects the decisions that we end up taking!

The fact remains that education; has a lot to do with helping build understanding about the world around you. When education is used as a tool to fetch you a job, crack an exam to get a job or get a “certification” to establish societal legitimacy about your grey matter- things start to go wrong! Flip the pages of history, you will find that among the many reasons why companies collapsed, political parties withered away, businesses houses went bankrupt- these simply happened because you had “qualified” and “highly paid” people managing and leading teams which at times had “wise” people (whom they did not listen to, well in time- to avoid the melt down) or had “idiots” who accelerated the demise of these corporations! This,my friend is the ugly face and impact of “corporate slavery- the modern day replacement of slaves working fields or plantations- now working out of glass walled air conditioned prisons”

Corporate slavery starts innocently; things like utopian value and mission statements of organisations , a few weird statements could mean or sound like these -“we never loose”, “we never delay”, “We are champions” or even better, “we have no competition”, “the competition is me”. These look as innocent and senseless as they are but when you have dumb wits who are told to act on them and they go about acting with limited number of people to deliver and have targets (which are not targets but manifestations of greed- yes one of those cardinal sins) that’s how the slavery starts. Greed (corporate greed) is deceptive, all the comforts tend to blind the mind and make people do what they do- the result- a meaningless job profile ( no personal development to tell to yourself or your kids) and preparing ground for the mid-life criss even before you have lived a quarter of your life time on the planet!

A simple test to know whether you are actually a victim or engaged in “corporate slavery”- Try and see if you get a “yes” for the following questions (and yes don’t connect your designation, career growth and money that you make when you try to answer):

  1. Has your experience enriched you as a person and developed and shaped your personality positively
  2. From your experience have you been able to suggest and create (original ideas) ideas that could add value that lasts after you leave the place or the earth (which ever happens first)
  3. Has your experience been different with each day rather then being predictable routine that resonates with months/ seasons’/ business cycles’
  4. Do you have a story to tell yourself or others that your life has been fulfilling

Well, if you answered “yes” great, you are one of the few lucky ones’ who has possibly escaped “corporate slavery” and has been contributing to ensure others are also free of those dreaded shackles- In that case you would be that corporate icon with whom everyone wants to work with!

So what do you do if you are not sure and are possibly stuck with this- well the good news is- it’s never too;ate to course correct as long as you are alive, the bad news- it takes effort- directed effort to get into this space of being a rebel and saying no to slavery like the good old days!

Unlike the real world problems- corporate slavery is very easy to predict and a good start would be by being able to apply your mind to the job profile (that has been shared with you)- If it’s a well articulated one, you know what exactly is expected and you can very well come to a conclusion whether you are signing up for a job or a term as a corporate slave! This is the point where you negotiate to your advantage (knowing what your aspirations from life are (about which you need to have clarity) or simply walk away and don’t engage any further. In other scenarios wherein you are already working and overnight some maniac has been handed over the reins to marshal the company, well this is where you, “practice the pause”, take a moment, stay away- gauge the benefits against the foreseeable problems and take a call. In life you must walk away- no matter what the initial pain or uncertainty- in the long run- it will pay off- but for this to happen you need to have a string internal beacon which is able to keep you honed on to the per-determined aspirations of your life at all times! Lastly, wherein organisations do not have a job profile and any formal structure- well you need to use your wisdom and navigate to know “How much is Enough” and you need to be aware when to say “Enough is Enough” and walk away!

Slavery of the mind or any kind, by it’s very intrinsic meaning of the word is about being bound to something to someone. Human beings are not hard wired to being bound- we have been wanderers, travelers and warriors and that’s something that we aspire for deep within- no, not all of us can be in the defense forces, or cabin crews or hippies; but what we can do and what each one of us can do is to set our aspirations and value systems to a notch that let’s us navigate with a considerable degree of freedom in what we choose to do and practice for passion or for monetary gains– N matter what it is and this notch will always blink red and let you know when your space is being invaded- the you have a choice to course correct- either by limiting your space, defending and fighting for it or simply walking away!

Leaving you with thoughts, for a wonderful weekend ahead, remember -A free mind and a energized soul can enjoy weekends through the week even as you work- as long as you are not enslaved! It’s not about passion it is about space to grow, express and wisdom to apply and share!

Grab that coffee and liberate yourself! Will catch up soon with another piece, keep writing in to me at parimal.aluri@simplifylives.com and suggest what else you would like me to pen about and yes, we are available for tailor-made meaningful training’s and workshops to empower individuals and organisations as always!

And the future belongs to…

~ PA ~ Leave a comment

No this is not a prophetical piece; but rather based on observations, readings, conversations and engagement with people whose opinions matter (and are taken into account for good or bad reasons) and go into shaping the fate of over 95% of humankind!

Irrespective of who you are , how rich or poor you are, where you are and what your likes and dislikes are, what kind of biases and challenges that you face, irrespective of everything and almost any statistical data point that you can think of or will ever be presented with- one thing and the only thing that will ensure you have a future (a future of your choice) will only and only depend on the factor of skill and competence that you imbibe intrinsically and apply it to your advantage!

So is this really this simple? Well, yes it is. Don’t get fooled by the chaos of multiple inputs and triggers that you are being bombarded day in and day out- whether it is an evaluation of a career choice that you are considering, the next move, or something as simple as what you want to cook tonight for dinner or where your next vacation should be- all of these and answers to any questions that you will ever have will always loop back to a singular granularity of “Who you are” and “What is that U want to do with what U have”. Extend this principle a little further, ” What U do, with what U have,the way U do it, to get what U want; will only be possible by what U have and Who U are”. No book, no motivational speaker will ever tell you this (for obvious reasons), it is not only about your aspirations, rather it is about the quality of your aspirations and this quality driven aspirational thinking only comes from your unique way of thinking- it comes from your strong Individuality about who U are – Always!

The above two paragraphs- read them over and over as many times as you want to – for here lies the secret to the future – future that impacts each one of us. The future of mankind will only be records of people who were able to make the difference by doing things differently- read “uniquely”- doing both the routine- already established mundane things in a new way and the new breed of innovators and scientists who will devise ingenuous ways of doing something new in a very unique manner- which will go on to impact each one of us to alter the way we live about our lives.

The reason why this is important, well in the race to carve out a niche and come up with something new- every day, month and year the race will test the limits of human imagination and science application to help wired ideas come to life!

The future will belong to those who are able to decipher the times using unique ways through their intrinsic personalities (Who they are and What they have to offer!) The future will largely resemble the bygone great age of renaissance that Europe and America had witnessed, albeit it will be with a twist of the new age tools and methods that will accelerate frontiers of art and science like never before.

If you are anywhere a kid now, or a young professional (still with your intellect intact) this possibly is the best time to be around- to soak in important nuggets of crucial information and data that’s floating around the information universe and see which of these elements can provide you with necessary tools to unleash the next big enabler for your generation and for subsequent generations– This you will be able to do only if you know intrinsically what is that you have to offer and how you want to go about it! That sense of purpose of creating something that is owned by you and created by you has to be fierce enough to withstand competing ideas and also leans enough for easy adoption and scalability!

The future will not belong to diligent workers, smart workers or people who charm the board rooms or say “yes” and “no” with assertion or respite, nothing of all this will matter anymore in the next ten years from now. The only things that matter will be what value can you create and what is the value that you bring to the table– This will be a function of who you are and on a very larger way a function of being educated (good schooling and higher education with emphasis on research- no matter what field you choose to be in). This alone my friends will be the secret to enjoy control and impact control in the societies of the future, your individual contributions that will only flow if you are empowered enough to believe in Who you are, What you have to offer and possibly know How you want to go about it (of course there is space to build on this last aspect as you go figuring out pathways in your life), but having said this, the future belongs only and only to those Who are Individuals with A Purpose- A purpose that rises from within and which aims to collaborate and create value for the larger good”

I leave you with your thoughts here, and hope you get some time to plot your journey and know where exactly you stand. Perhaps this is the moment to re-calibrate and re-draw your plans for the time ahead!

Will be back soon with another article that helps us take our fascinating journey further!

When Talent Deficit becomes a curse!

~ PA ~ Leave a comment

Well the last time we discussed about leadership, but the fact remains that to lead “someone or something” it needs to have intrinsic talent within itself to begin with! This article takes a look at a few shades and manifestations of talent deficit and how it impacts all of us- in one way or the other- whether we realise it or not!

I firmly believe in the principle of something what I call as “Where’s your river?” If you closely analyse about “human intelligence dysfunction” it has a lot to do with the crucial touch points during the formative years of one’s life (the place of birth, how many cities changed, in case of a country like India- what kind of regional nuances have been picked up and have been let go off etc.). Everything that everyone becomes is nothing more but a function of distillation of the experiences that one has been able to hold on to during their formative years– if you argue that you are still forming- well- no issues- keep going- you are a masterpiece in the works! ( Well I guess each one of us- that may be the reason why we are unique!) Now coming back to the fundamental aspect of all this- “The River”- well needless to say- every society will draw it’s best and worst from the very foundations that it stands upon!

Once you have observed enough and understood this simple engaging truth- you will begin to relate to all types of dysfunctions that you see around with greater ease, pace and more importantly learn to make peace with what the world (your world) offers you and you are left with only one choice- to do whatever best you can do- with what you have- improvise upon what you have- or keep sulking and cursing your fate for the time that you exist- it’s all about the choices that you are ready to make- whether to look up into the dark skies and seek stars for navigation or search for pits and dirt in the bright daylight that shines around you as you keep apace with the cycle of clarity and ambiguity as you seek to move ahead!

Now think about a school where teachers’ are complaining about brat students’- change the lens and see the parents’ complaining about dumb teachers’, dive a bit deeper and see the disconnect increase further as you reach college and universities- wherein the growing disconnect manifests into dangerous things- below average research, below average development of research values, below average future for able minds and stunted future for a society as research is stifled and truncated briskly- all of this because of the intrinsic challenges that arise from being part of a system that is constantly depleted of its ability to rejuvenate or innovate!

As these dysfunctions transcend into more serious areas of the society- jobs in firms, power positions in government, politics- nothing but chaos is unleashed and the depletion and complete destruction of the fragile fabric that enables a society to be proactive and intuition driven is simply ripped away!

Talent deficit is an end-product of a very complex societal dysfunction (some of which we touched in the paras above- albeit in a slightly different way) and the effects are far reaching- that is how regions, states, nations get labelled in the circles of business and politics- largely defined by the crispness or the blatant absence of meaningful minds that know when to solve an issue and when to avoid it and when to ignore it!

The greatest myth that people tend to pursue with talent development (based on it’s perceived absence or presence) is that it can be developed beyond the limits of the immediate societal contexts (socio- eco-political). Talent at any level- whether that’s a kindergarten kid that you are evaluating or a CEO level hire- is always a function of the society that it is coming from- values, beliefs, attitudes, aspirations, opportunities and all that goes into creating that individualistic identity. No one ever fished out a whale out of a bucket of water and no one ever landed on the moon by wishful thinking- that is the essence and underlying fundamental problem of not experiencing talent enough as we would want to.

The ways and means to resolve this and solve this- well that would be an apt topic for another write up- but until then spend some time and do reflect to see how you have experienced talent deficit around you- are you also one with it or are you the one who has suffered because of it!

Finally, before I leave you a little unsettled to figure out your thoughts- if you still are wondering what this write up was all about- try trusting your doctor or engineer who does not want to show you their academic credentials- and then think about someone like that to run or ruin nation!

Will be back soon with another piece- and possibly with some solutions to manage your nightmarish talent deficit!

The story of dissent.

~ PA ~ Leave a comment

What better time then now, to discuss this! Dissent- the very essence of democratic societies the world over- wherein each individual has the the given right to lawfully express his/her opinion without fear and without any unwarranted angst being directed towards them for having expressed what they have! Well of course if you do not live in a democratic society, this may not make sense at all- because even the thought of dissent in those clamped down absurd places is enough to put you into existential crisis and in grave danger.

To begin with, why does dissent happen- why do people go against an idea- reasons could be many- some right- some not so right. But when the majority (who can influence, direct or dictate) the way of living of a society go ahead with something important (irrespective whether it is a wise decision or not) not inclusion of all constituents of the society is the first step where the seeds for dissent get sown! Irrespective of what the constituents of a society are- from the point of view of their economic status or religious beliefs, non-inclusion never helped anyone and all societies that have played across this line have eventually found that out sooner or later either through easy ways or difficult times!

The next thing that shapes dissent post non-inclusion is the method of communication adopted to drive the idea- the way it is done- seems so innocent at the first impression- but this aspect when not dealt appropriately can look a great idea absolutely stupid and a very dangerous step look divine! Governments/Rulers across the world have known this for long and have used it to their calculated advantage or unforeseen disadvantage with equal measure to stir up societies and nations to go with an idea that the rulers of the day thought was wise- when the society they governed thought otherwise!

The earlier two paragraphs have told you how dissent stems- irrespective what the idea is- now is the real thing- there are and always will be different manifestations of dissent as a direct response to the idea- the more an idea deviates from core foundation values of a human society- liberty and equal opportunity irrespective of economic and religious disposition- the more direct and stronger will be the reaction! It is an these junctions which I term as “Inflection Points” that the fate of nations and societies gets decided.

As long as there is hope form the core pillars of the society (whether they be media, judiciary, thinkers, luminaries from creative fields) these protests and dissents are able to largely confirm to the universal principles of lawful and peaceful dissent and protest. More interestingly, the more apolitical these protests are , the more powerful they seem to get- they simply do not allow the shades of grey- that come in with political affiliations to snatch away the focus from the core areas of concern to some other political point (which is a very likely event and that is what the state would like to see happen- deflection and implosion of the dissent on it’s own!)

Now the question what happens- beyond this- well friends- to be honest- no one wants things to go beyond the holy “Point of Inflection” for every time that a society or a nation has traversed ahead, it has jeopardized the very fabric of the society under consideration and put it under grave threats both intrinsic and external. That’s a place where none of us must venture or even dream of to be in! Societies where youth are a major force to be reckoned with- are fragile and sensitive- they are “baby adults”- who want to be heard to- explained to and listened to- when they have something to contribute for the larger good of the society.

It’s about time that the world awakens and makes way and mends it’s business in the larger interest of the society, nation and world order in general. People in power can and will always cloak a problem to suit their objectives- there is nothing right and wrong in this- this is politics. But it gets dangerous once it starts to rip off the fabric of societies and begins to take away unique identities that represent these societies and nations by their coercive and arrogant approaches. So what do we do?

The answer to this is being honest- being honest on all sides of a square table (I have mentioned a square table for a reason- because circular tables do not yield anything in these set ups and in fact end up making matters worse!). Societies need to make peace with learnings to tread along a path that is just under the point of inflection- but keep asserting lawfully as allowed to make their voice heard- there will be eventuality be respite-sooner or later and history is replete with multiple examples wherein the deadly cocktail of power and ego has finished off political personalities, parties and ideologies right from their very foundation, as they say Time is the greatest master of us all, as along as we allow Time to take it’s time!

A dissent that’s true is like coal burning underground stays alive for ages- until the objective is achieved- only if it assures the larger good of the society. Oppression like a sledge hammer keeps hitting as long as it is given an external political environment- the day pillars of democracy stand up for what is right for the society- the sledge hammer of oppression will cease to operate!

Until next time- keep speaking- wisely, softly and firmly and stay lawful whichever side of an idea you are, no matter what the provocation! Someone said this, “An Idea whose time has arrived cannot be stopped”, likewise ” A society that is awake can never be destroyed- Stay alive, keep speaking and stay lawful”.

Signing off, until next time- stay safe, stay calm and keep your voice- soft and firm!