Thursday, June 12, 2008

No answers....

Pondering....
When you're leading a corporate life, the goal of the bigger entity is to obviously make money. And, most of the smaller entities (read employees, partners etc) have their own vested interests (either financial or otherwise) and are likely to attempt to get everything to be aligned with their own interests. Damn the bigger entity. There is no real bigger entity, many a time. So, people don't respect something that does not 'exist'. Efficiency and effectiveness, under such circumstances, is like reaching for the stars. There are just too many things outside your control, difficult to perceive or understand, difficult to direct etc. The only vision is to make money. If one wants to do something noble and awesome in order to improve the bigger entity, one can only attempt and hope that the rest of the system falls in place gradually if not immediately. What's more, trying to be ideal and perfect does not always have a positive impact on the organization. It is like adding milk to water. And sometimes, the milk spills. Doesn't make the fluid any better. Just moves from being colourless to whiteish in colour.

But when one pursues a goal that's non-financial or let's say spiritually-oriented (as opposed to companies existing to make a profit), the story is different. What you does touches people directly...it is not about material benefits that don't deliver in the long run or brainwashing people to buy things they don't really need. (There are exceptions though....e.g: pharmaceuticals, construction etc). The bigger entity itself is milk...not water. Adding milk to milk is good. You find it worthwhile to be a part of such an entity. Increases the quantity of milk, at least. Even if there's a little bit of water in such an entity, it fortunately does not do much damage to the liquid as a whole. And it's much easier to prevent the water from being added to the milk than converting water into milk. So, isn't it better for people wishing to do something good, to stay away from corporates and join social organizations that aim to make a difference to people's lives rather than just increase the creation and distribution of money? On a related note, was life during barter better? :-)

PS: I haven't attempted to refine this post. I think I could have written it much better....but I am not in a mood to take the rawness out of it. Also, there's more material that needs to be added to this post...some points that I've left untouched. If you can relate to the gist of what I am saying, I am sure you'll add a comment... ;-)

20 comments:

Jackfruit said...

"The only vision is to make money" .. is it so? Money is just one of the important things and many respected spiritual gurus rightly profess that a days job done well is spiritual enough.

"isn't it better for people wishing to do something good, to stay away from corporates and join social organizations "
what is someone want to write good code :)?

Nimmy said...

good questions...JF...
i guess you can look at it in different ways...but i am thinking of things that make life more enjoyable, meaningful and help improve the world we live in....does owning better cars necessarily help towards that end or does it actually add to the pollution, traffic and social gaps? anybody's guess. if we write fantastic code to be used in a new car, will we be as happy as we would be if we teach kids in a slum? should we think of such things or simply take up what comes to us and do a fantastic job of it and not bother about the rest of the world's machinery? i also know of people who look for meaning in their work and do find it....in such cases, it boils down to what you value as an individual...and how you balance it with your own interests and goals...

experience tells me that more than 90 percent of the organizations definitely have only financial goals....even if they say they want to be the no.1 company...it means, they want to make the most amount of money.....in other cases, they want fame and popularity amongst customers which can also be ultimately linked to revenue...very few companies have other goals and even if they have listed down something on those lines, it is often lip-service and nothing more....end of the day, the CEO is more worried about his salary and share-holder wealth (including himself) and anyway, he is measured in terms of the revenue, profit, cash flow etc and punished when he doesn't deliver on these counts....

i dont deny that you can be happy doing a regular job that has no spiritual orientation...but it depends on how much we think about it and how much it affects us and what brings us satisfaction as individuals...

Anonymous said...

Under oath - recently in public testimony I was asked whether I was paid to be there. I work for a non profit, one I believe in. I was quoted as saying "yes but the mostly pay me in warm fuzzy feelings" because no! A "regular" job wouldn't make me happy even with its benefits.

Nimmy said...

dawn...wow :-)....nice way of putting it...."pay me in warm fuzzy feelings".....i guess that's so good for the heart and spirit provided the rest of the pay is enough to cater to one's fundamental physical needs...and it really depends on whether you are a Thinking or Feeling kinda person (re. the INTJ analysis)...
hey, but wont you please inspire us further by sharing your full story - what you do and who you are :-) please??? :-)

Jackfruit said...

"i dont deny that you can be happy doing a regular job that has no spiritual orientation" ... but I believe that regular job has a spiritual orientation.

"they want fame and popularity amongst customers ..." anybody who does his job with excellence becomes popular and famous.. even social workers.

" it depends ....... and what brings us satisfaction as individuals..." well I agree here. :)

I respect all social workers but there are may who choose that path because that is "less on stress".

And if all good men/women go for social work. Either you die due to a bad civil/automobile engineer or make social workers do every other job.

ps: I dont disrespect social work. But I hugely respect any man who does a honest days work(no mater he gets payed for it or not). Also I missed to say that it was a nice blog :D:D

Anonymous said...

I am an environmental advocate/lobbyist. The money, barely makes ends meet but to be honest though I've done other work, I've never wanted to do anything else. I sit in endless hearings listening to officials talk without understanding issues they voted on...yesterday. Funny that nimmy brought the "INJT" component in - I just blogged about Myers Briggs :-)

Nimmy said...

Jackfruit....I love this debate...I love the opposite view you are bringing into this....but I do have some counter thoughts and fresh questions in response to your comments...let's please continue this discussion till one (or both) of us gets fed up. ;-) hehe.

you said "i think a regular job is spiritual..". nice. i like that. it definitely is a sound argument....i hope you've heard about the story of three people who were building a temple - one said he was laying a brick, another said he was building a place of worship and the third said he was building a place where people would come to find peace of mind. perfect so far. i agree with your view there. that's, HONESTLY, the way in which i have all along been trying to see my own work...i have been trying to see how my work will help someone or society at large, ultimately. but my argument here is that one seems to not be able to achieve the goal at the end of the day...let's take the same example of the story of the temple....i find that the cement i am getting is of bad quality, i find that the others would rather do a rushed job of it and run elsewhere, i feel there are some people who do not let you build - they try to prevent you from doing your work for their own benefit, i see that the person who is getting the temple built is getting it built so he can finally make some money and lead a relaxed life at the cost of cheating devotees...etc. now, please dont get me wrong....i am not claiming to be some saint...just that sometimes i feel there seems to be no meaning in the lives we all lead...but yes, when i get extremely creative with a presentation and present it really well and manage to get my work done, i do feel happy at the level of my soul...that is perhaps what you are referring to as spirituality....fine...but is life about doing things right or doing the right things??
let me take another example...a slightly different one....most actors are not respected...they may have a fan following but then their jobs are not exactly seen as noble jobs....but there are some passionate actors who feel completly satisfied because through their movies they may make people think/laugh/act upon something etc. there may be other things they could do but they continue to be actors perhaps because that is what they are best at...there's probably nothing else they can do better in life....take sportspersons....some of them eat, drink, think, sleep and breathe their game....wow...how inspiring that is....they are happy in what they do....they feel spiritual (how right you are)....that is what they are born to do...and they cant even think of anything else to do....even i have felt that way in some of the things i have attempted to do...or am doing at present....but there is this nagging doubt as to whether i can do something more liberating and fulfilling and something that utilizes my full potential for the benefit of not just myself or a corporate entity that wants to make money but for the benefit of people who REALLY need it....it is a well known fact that almost all of us use very little of our god-given potential....and many of us don't even know or follow our "natural" purpose....i dont know if you will agree with me on this one....


re your comment on fame and popularity...perfect...if it comes as a result of the great work you're doing, i have nothing to say....i am talking of entities that go in search of fame...for its own sake or for the subsequent financial benefits it may bring....

re your comment on social work being less stressfull, mmmm, i have a different view here....Mother Theresa slept very little and ate very little...many social workers give up the luxuries of life and live with the minimum of materialistic facilities, in remote areas...they take great risks and expose themselves to epidemics (socially oriented doctors)...etc

re your example of bad civil and automotive engineers being a danger....smart point...it takes me back to the example of actors and sportspersons...if that's what they feel they have been born to do...so be it...i have no objections....i hope the world lets them do it...and does not make life miserable for such genuine talents... ;-)

keep the discussion going JF....i love it... :-)

Nimmy said...

dawn: thank you...! :-) i think what you're doing is perhaps what the world needs most at this point of time...!!! that's one of the things that can delay the destruction of the world....the rate at which we are growing and getting more and more "modern" !! good luck to you... :-)
i somehow couldn't recall that this thing is called MB...hurriedly referred to it as INTJ after one of the MB profiles :D LoL!!
PS: your comments don't link to your blog :(

Anonymous said...

Bummer - I thought I'd linked - if it doesn't work this time, carnalzen.com

JF- Not everyone's "calling" is a job in social work. True enlightenment comes from choosing happiness in your choices :-)

Nimmy said...

dawn: goody! saw your blog, finally. i love the way you write! :-) and needless to say, i look forward to staying connected and learning from your musings...loved your tagline about wanting a balance between earthly delights and spiritual enlightenment...some people have such a wonderful way of putting things ;)

Anjali Koli said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Nimmy said...

hey angeli da
:-) this is really useful and inspiring....these people you link to are exemplary....goes a long way to show we can choose to listen to our soul and respond to our calling (and, btw, "everyone's calling is diff" is spot on... i am just hoping that we are listening hard and responding to our calling). for example, i will not, in my wildest of dreams, suggest that tiger woods take up something other than golf....but of course, he can choose to help others with the money he is making like the chap you're referring to here... :-)

i love your determination to travel...inspires me to march outwards as well which i rarely do(can go with my doggy, if not anyone else...but he may chew me up if he gets into a violent mood)...

ya, thinking about the answers definitely provides the ignition for the movement... ;-)

Anjali Koli said...

Nims I love this thing going on here. So here I go....

There is no single path one can call best, to do good. Everyones calling is different. So without talking much I am gonna link you up on few of my post on some very inspiring people I have met and known.

He has poured all his money into Aadiriyedath. He knows to work hard for a IT services company, to earn a fat pay check, live a simple life and give away the rest to the needy and is actively part of the activities at Aadiriyedath. If you are wondering if he is a CEO types, not yet but may reach there with his hard work in the future. He is still too young. Many think he is crazy.


Dr.Roopa and Dr. Devadasan served the tribals for 10yrs, currently Roopa teaches at Rishi Valley, blr. They plan to start a school soon.

Smita uses corporate power to get peace for her self.

Me just write some things that hope help someone, try to live a life that embodies my name, "Anjali: an offering". Beyond that sh...sh....

Recently visited the Vellore Golden temple and wondered what the founder achieved?

Think about it. Always look for answers as you normally do. That process is more worthwhile than the answers itself.

Anjali Koli said...

oh u already replied....I was fixing those links that din work...off to read wht u have to say...

Nimmy said...

the first link works fine - i went through the website! :) the second and third one, i realized are links to posts in your blog....as the links did not work, thought i must search your blog for these posts later....your blog itself seems to be temporarily down, so i gave up....should be up soon, i guess :-)

Anjali Koli said...

Now Nims...don't embarass me with that ....love for travel....bah...

Yes these days....I try to listen...try to act on the inner voice....u know wht ....I end up not wanting to do a lot of things ....that is not of use to anyone....bad...

I think blogger is slow today.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Nimmy! I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship :) I'm equally inspired by you!

Nimmy said...

Angeli: March ahead....listen all you can to that inner voice of yours!! :)

Dawn: I don't know what to say, really! :-)) Maybe "Thank you from the bottom of my heart for extending your friendship!! I'd love to be your friend!" sounds sensible enough? ;-) I am not so socially smart and end up wondering what to say! ;-) hehheee.....
And, well, I guess I just love to pass on any inkling of inspiration I happen to receive.. :)
Keep writing :)

sudha said...

The discussion was most interesting.Sorry to butt in.thought i'll leave some of my thoughts too.By working you can at least feel a certain contribution to society.When i was a housewife, the guilt gnawed at me.not doing anything.spirituality was all.then i realised maybe praying since i had time was maybe what i was contributing to others.i happened to hear the views of a top industrialist who said that profit for his company was easy but making money for his societal commitments was harder.i feel in todays world of selfishness,you & like minded people like you are a rarity &good for civisation.

Nimmy said...

Susy - Thank you so much for leaving a comment here (It is definitely nothing to apologize for :-)). Good to know you liked the conversation. And I agree with you....there are multiple ways in which we can derive spiritual satisfaction and lend a helping hand in the social sense...
and thanks so much for the kind words....but honestly, i am waiting to move from the thinking phase to action...though such thoughts (and conversations) are what will hopefully spur me on...