Belief

Buddha is quoted thus: "Don't believe everything you read". Abraham Lincoln also apparently warned people to not believe everything on the Internet. I don't know; Lincoln was the one quoted in that poster I saw on the Internet. 

Logically speaking, how could we anyway believe everything we read? Just when you had permanently concluded that laughter is good for health, some researchers come out of their isolated offices and tell you that your organs might get ruptured or displaced if you laugh too much. 

Just when you were sure that deep introspection is what might make you a better human being, some psychologists warn you about the side effects of deep thinking. Who wants to be a better human being but, at the same time, slightly insane? (Makes you wonder how they arrived at such a conclusion without thinking too much). 

Not a single so-called Universal truth is left untouched or unchallenged. There are many ways to use rational thoughts to either construct or destroy the same case. People, meanwhile, simply choose what they want to believe and ignore everything else. 

What next? We must simply wait for Mark Twain to tell us (via the Internet, of course) to start believing everything we read. That way, we'll take ourselves less seriously and life will be a lot more fun. 

To Believe or Not to Believe

Buddha is quoted thus: "Don't believe everything you read". Abraham Lincoln also apparently warned people to not believe everything on the Internet. I don't know; Lincoln was the one quoted in that poster I saw on the Internet. 

Logically speaking, how could we anyway believe everything we read? Just when you had permanently concluded that laughter is good for health, some researchers come out of their isolated offices and tell you that your organs might get ruptured or displaced if you laugh too much. 

Just when you were sure that deep introspection is what might make you a better human being, some psychologists warn you about the side effects of deep thinking. Who wants to be a better human being but, at the same time, slightly insane? (Makes you wonder how they arrived at such a conclusion without thinking too much). 

Not a single so-called Universal truth is left untouched or unchallenged. There are many ways to use rational thoughts to either construct or destroy the same case. People, meanwhile, simply choose what they want to believe and ignore everything else. 

What next? We must simply wait for Mark Twain to tell us (via the Internet, of course) to start believing everything we read. That way, we'll take ourselves less seriously and life will be a lot more fun. 

Mark Twain

Source: Uploaded by user via Chris on Pinterest

Why Life can be hell

The biggest mistake by most human beings: 'Listening half, understanding quarter, telling double'. 


Hat-Tip: Pravs World

One Truth

I'd never disagree with this, even if my life depended on it. :-) (And, if the person being subjected to such a phenomena also has a categorical view on what is right/wrong, nothing on Earth can possibly save the people associated with him/her!). 


When I looked up Born on Wikipedia, I found something amusing and interesting. He is supposed to have contributed significantly to the field of quantum mechanics. Now, whether he was able to discover the secrets of quantum mechanics because he did not believe in one single truth or vice versa is something we may never find out. ;-)


A supplementary caveat to this quote may, arguably, be that it should not matter as long as people keep their beliefs to themselves and do not try to manipulate others (directly or indirectly) to tow their line. So, if, for example, I believed that there is no God but made no attempts to brainwash or ridicule others (who believed that there is a God), I should not be considered an evil entity in society. But does my belief remain within me, in reality?


Not necessarily. Even if I made no conscious effort to change the mental make-up of others, if my belief is strong enough, it is likely to be reflected in my actions (if not via words of advice) and that may in turn influence someone to suddenly become a skeptic (sticking to the example above). Am I an evil entity in such a situation? 


I think not. After all, my genuine and embedded thoughts will naturally emerge via my actions, choices, behavior etc. What others are influenced by because of their self-motivated observations and introspective conclusions cannot be attributed to me. (A charismatic and inward looking leader or author may easily influence hundreds of people without even intending to)


What is, however, a deciding factor in concluding whether I am potentially an evil entity or not is whether, in spite of my strong convictions, I have the attitude and the ability to be open to listening to people who have opposite views and consider their views sincerely. The key point here is to not be casually dismissive of opinions different from one's own. The need is to be mature enough to understand that a different view is a result of different and deeply embedded experiences, contexts, mental abilities and so forth. I may not be convinced by an opposite view, ultimately, because of being married to my own thoughts or because of being unable to relate to foreign examples or values of the other party. But that is fine as long as I continue to be ready to listen to the same or a variation of the view in future and untiringly reconsider my views, inspect it from unexplored angles and see it from various distances. (Unfortunately, it is also, apparently, important to retain one's sanity during such situations ;-). While the nicer lot have to focus on not losing their own sanity, the, er, rowdy lot will have to focus on not driving the other person up the wall). 

In certain cases, it may be slightly simpler and involve letting go of a situation (by avoiding the exploration of alternative views till a more conducive situation comes up in the future) because you clearly see that the other person may never understand your point of view and accept the simultaneous existence of two views because of not having gone through an essential experience (that you, however, went through). 

More food for thought: 

RT @freedomsway: "Freedom from the desire for an answer is essential to the understanding of a problem." ~ Jiddu Krishnamurti

***************************************

No idea where I went with this post. :-) Whew. Let me know if I drove you up the wall, but for reasons different from those mentioned above. ;-)

Quotes

Here are four brilliant quotes that I came across recently and found to be thought-provoking. 


All cruelty springs from weakness. ~ Seneca


Notes: The next time you come across a person who seems to be cruel, see if you can possibly discover the weakness behind it...and address that!


============================================


There is one path for the fleer, many for the seeker. - Marathi proverb


Notes: Seek. Seek. Seek. Never ever give up.

============================================

Between what I think, 

What I want to say,

What I believe I’m saying,

What I say,

What you want to hear,

What you hear,

What you believe you understand,

What you want to understand,

And what you understood,

There are at least nine possibilities of misunderstanding.

- French Jurist Francois Garagnon




Notes: If we believe and understand this, we may trust more people around us.


============================================

Mixed

Some inspiration that I thought I would share:


Two great quotes that I came across today:


"Nothing is interesting if you're not interested." ~ Helen MacInness


Brilliant! Not something that many people understand or agree with, however true it is. I wish I'd known this quote a year ago. Could have probably used it to my advantage :-)


********************************************


This was in one of the responses, in Quora, to a question on God's invisibility: Read the full set of answers here, in case you're interested. 

The worst kind of leader is one who is despised and defied. 

Next is the one who is feared and obeyed.

Then the one loved and praised.

But the best kind of leader is the one whose existence is doubted,

who accomplishes all things, and the people say, "I have done it myself."

-- Tao Te Ching


***************************************************


Moving on to less philosophical things, here's a nice set of slides on Social Media Strategy by @zaana. She has done a great job of collating data and ideas on the topic, with some cool pictures too


http://www.slideshare.net/zaana/strategically-social-plan-engage-act 


**************************************************


Finally, I loved this article on the two flavors of passion for work - harmonious passion and obsessive passion. Via @gautamghosh


http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/08/why_your_passion_for_work_coul.html


In other words, I think it is all boils down to the philosophy of being engaged in work for inner happiness and yet being detached enough to pay attention to other dimensions of life. 

Facts

I found this interesting and thoughtful set of quotes on the significance of facts.

“If the facts don't fit the theory, change the facts.” -  Albert Einstein 


“Life does not consist mainly, or even largely, of facts and happenings. It consists mainly of the storm of thought that is forever flowing through one's head.” -  Mark Twain


“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you... we are in charge of our Attitudes.” -  Charles R. Swindoll 

 
“There are no eternal facts as there are no eternal truths” - Friedrich Nietzsche 


“If the dream is big enough the facts don't matter” -  Dexter Yager



“I am not one of those who in expressing opinions confine themselves to facts” -  Mark Twain


“In the wild struggle for existance, we want to have something that endures, and so we fill our minds with rubbish and facts, in the silly hope of keeping our place.” -  Oscar Wilde


“It must be remembered that the purpose of education is not to fill the minds of students with facts…it is to teach them to think.” -  Robert M. Hutchins


***********


Isn't it ironic that the most opinionated people are the ones that think they are armed with all the facts, A to Z? Sometimes, reading (and remembering) a lot leaves one with a fixed mindset rather than an open mind. 

Thoughtful Moments

A few of my own thoughtful twitter moments today 


How can love & forgiveness exist where there is a tendency to constantly observe, analyze, assume & judge?


Sharing is the Mother and Curiosity the Father of Serendipity. #inspired_moment


----------------------------------------------------------------------


An inspiring post by Sudhir Krishnan that I came across this morning (and this post happens to be somewhat related to my first thought)

Inspirations by Sudhir Krishnan

However noble your thoughts and actions, there will be some people who will not be pleased. Even Jesus and Buddha faced opposition. While one needs to take care not to deliberately hurt others, there is always the possibility of falling short of some people's expectations. As long as you have given your best, move on and do not blame yourself. Detach yourself from what is essentially the other person's karma.

Quote

The real genius of organizations is the informal, impromptu, often inspired ways that real people solve real problems in ways that formal processes can’t anticipate. When you’re competing on knowledge, the name of the game is improvisation, not rote standardization — John Seeley Brown


 Hat Tip to @Oscarberg 

I M Possible

Remembering two (twin) quotes by Jack Addington


"Man can do whatever he is able to conceive in his mind, receive in his consciousness, expect with assurance, and accept in actual experience"


“It's a law of the mind that which you can conceive of, believe in, and confidently expect for yourself, must necessarily become your experience.”

Know Thyself

Just been reading this fascinating research paper (thanks to Zephy for the pointer). 

Know Thyself and Become What You Are: A Eudaimonic Approach to Psychological Well-Being by Carol D. Ryff and Burton H. Singer.

The paper isn't really as intimidating and esoteric as you might imagine it to be at first (based on the Title). Once I started reading it, I was excited and wanted to read on till the end.   

The paper explores and studies various thought-leaders' writings on the highest human good which, according to the authors, Aristotle equated to happiness (activity of the soul in accordance with virtue). The authors go on to say virtue may be different for different people but Aristotle thought it was be the ability to be intermediate (moderated behaviour). Virtue, he stated, "is the state of character concerned with choice in which deliberate actions are taken to avoid excess or deficiency". (Nice....reminds me of Buddhist principles)

Extracts: 

"The excellence of the human being is thus going to be associated with growth towards some final realization of his or her true and best nature"

"For (Bertrand) Russell, happiness depended most importantly on 'zest', by which he meant having active interest and engagement in life, and by 'affection', by which he meant having meaningful bonds of love with significant others."

"Eudaimonic well-being is linked with better neuroendocrine regulation, better immune function, lower cardiovascular risk, better sleep and more adaptive neural circuitry" 

The authors find that the three key things in life that helps people be genuinely happy are Personal Growth, Purpose in life and Positive relations with significant others. The interesting thing is that women rate positive relations higher on the happiness scale while men replace that with autonomy. Two other contributors to the happiness recipe are, understandably, self-acceptance and environmental mastery.

Lots of food for thought in the paper!

Vivekananda Jayathi

“Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success, that is way great spiritual giants are produced.” - Swami Vivekananda


Not only spiritual giants, I might add! 


"We want that education, by which character is formed, strength of mind is increased, the intellect is expanded and by which one can stand on one's own feet" - Swami Vivekananda 

Happy National Youth Day! Swami Vivekananda (12 Jan 1863 - 4 July 1902)

Inspiration for the New Year

via Prashant 

The Art of Living

"The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation, his love and his religion. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he's doing both." - James A. Michener

The Power of Faith

"When you come to end of all the light you know and its time to step into the darkness of the unknown. Faith is knowing that one of two things shall happen. Either you will be given something solid to stand on, or you will be taught to fly."-Edward Teller.

Quote Quota

Here are two brilliant quotes that will probably give me enough motivation for many days to come.

No dream is ever too big. No step is ever too small. No question is ever too impertinent. No answer is ever the last word. Believe. Do. HT: @umairh (Especially love the bit about no answer being the last word)

The man with outward courage dares to die. The man with inward courage dares to live. - Lao Tzu HT: @masareus  - What a truly mind-blowing observation! BTW, can both courages co-exist?

Mo-you-ntain!

It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves. ~Edmund Hillary

A truly awesome quote. Best left as it is. 

The Arrival of Aha!

"Learning, creating strategy, and innovation are parts of a single long journey. The journey is iterative, interactive, and full of small steps. Nobody gets a big aha one day. Instead, there is searching; there are missteps, experiments, and doubt." - CK Prahalad

The Horse Has a Million Dollar Question

My faith in mankind is tottering big time. Quick, I need some strong support (Isn't it ironical that I am asking for support, uh?). This is a clear case of blasphemy. Shameful right down to the skeleton. My ex-colleague's profile - something he apparently shared when invited for a talk on KM by another organization - says he was 'instrumental' in my receiving the patent that was awarded to me (which has my name as the Inventor but is commercially owned by my ex-organization). Sigh. And what's the truth that the horse is duty-bound to reveal? A card on my desk says "Stand up for what is right". And so I will. Neigh! (That's the horse not just standing up but stomping around) Every single piece of my patent-related work was executed when I was reporting to another colleague - who deserves the credit for every bit of encouragement I got. See the amusing difference - when I thanked my actual mentor for the encouragement after I was awarded the patent, he stoutly refused to take the credit and said it was my "passion and hard work". Somebody said it once. And I've repeated it on many occasions. I'll have to say it again. It takes all sorts of people to make this world.


I normally shy away from washing dirty linen in public and talking about such issues but this incident really rattles me and wants me to cry out loud and demand that the world drop everything and tell me what is happening to it. This man who craves for credit that he doesn't deserve, fortunately, cannot say he created the framework, methodology and toolkit because the patent document will indicate otherwise but he can still say he was 'instrumental', because that may never be questioned. Instrumental, my foot. ROFL. :-) He had absolutely no clue what the whole thing was about until he asked me to make a presentation on it to his team. (What's more, inside sources tell me that he also- apparently - walked away with the prize money that my ex-organization allocates for patent holders) 


Interestingly enough, it was just a few hours ago that I was wondering whether I should introspect and blog about a piece of advice that I find coming my way occasionally. "Accept the world for what it is and adapt yourself to its nature". It may mean two things a) I live in my own idealistic world and prefer to imagine that the injustice, imperfections and not-so-nice anomalies of the world will rectify themselves b) I constantly give people the feeling that I want to change the world. I suspect it may be an unequal combination of the two. The first attitude, admittedly, contributes generously to happiness at times when thinking otherwise will surely, only, lead to depression. The second attitude is what might ultimately propel me to do my bit to restore some sanity and perhaps some playful insanity in the world. (I'm saying that with as much modesty as is available to me. I am sure each one of us can make the world a better place if we really want to. I don't claim that to be a trait or motive restricted to some people alone)


Meanwhile, in other related news, Paulo Coelho just sent out a tweet that seems to have come at the right time for me. "We shall choose our adversaries, not the other way around." A whole ton of food for thought. Should I waste my time and energy and take this thing head on and prove a point or two or just laugh it off, let this conscientious MBA from one of the top few B-Schools in India be the way he is while I focus on more worthy things in life? What do you think?


Note: This post is more or less a spontaneous outpour of thoughts and emotions exactly as they are. I may want to elaborate upon this later on. For now, this is how the story reads. 


**************
OK, here's more of the context and background. I started working on a KM toolkit long before I even knew that the person mentioned above existed. It was when I was a part of the central KM team and was an internal Knowledge Manager handling one of the largest business units. The head of the KM team was a different person at that time. I did not discuss the toolkit with anyone because at that time I considered it something more playful than something that would help me in consulting assignments and the like. I kept working at it whenever I was inspired enough and I think it finally evolved into something substantial and reached a logical end. But it remained just a simple PPT in my PC. This was in the year 2004 or so. 


I then moved to a new business unit as a consultant wherein my job was to come up with KM point solutions for a particular domain. I began to report to Mr.SK (a Utilities domain consultant) and he is the one who deserves full credit for supporting me and encouraging me to conceive a KM framework and methodology that could be used as a solution for customers setting out to formulate a KM strategy. It was during this period that it suddenly dawned upon me that I could get back to the toolkit and develop it further and use it along with the framework. Also, I was inspired by the upcoming APQC conference and decided to present it at the conference in the year 2006. That was in the middle of an assignment that I was carrying out for a Utilities major in UK and I was still reporting to Mr.SK. Once I came back, I decided to join an independent KM consulting team (not restricted to a particular domain) which was when I first started interacting with the person mentioned above. By then, I had already obtained Mr.SK's permission and approval to file a patent on the framework, methodology (already used during my consulting assignment) and toolkit. So, when I first met our 'friend', I had already completed my work and filed a patent as well. Now, for the life of me, I don't know how he could be instrumental in my receiving a patent on something he was introduced to only after I had filed the patent! The only potential confusion here is that the patent was finally granted by the US patent office earlier this year and I had quit the organization 2 years before the patent was declared as mine. Unfortunately, this person was/is in charge and thinks it means he deserves the credit.