Drawing Conclusions - Move series Jan 05 (archives)

From the Archives Jan 05- Drawing conclusions MOVE series

" I had often ben amazed at our propensity to arrive at totally wrong /exaggerated conclusions from any given set of facts/ observations. Have you ever seen a "rocking horse" ? I have no doubt that a vast majority of people would prefer to confuse it with progress while it just represents a motion.

One can cite a long list of such absurd inferences. Gandhi's loin cloth to his greatness, a religious man's shunning of motor vehicles for travel to his spirituality, Mani's discarding of symbols of his Hindu brahminic origins to his secular credentials, Indira's "garibi hatao" slogan to her landslide victory in the 70's, and the latest NDA slogan "India shining" slogan to their defeat in the elections.

Gandhi's loin cloth as his dandi march were both well thought of strategies to gain mass appeal, and had no bearing on his Mahathma status. As to the religious man & Mani, I feel no elaboration is necessary. Indira's slogan was rubbished by her own son with the famous admission that less than 15% of allocated funds actually reached the poor!!!. NDA lost in spite of "India shining" & today's UPA is lasting in spite of PM's impatience with the coalition ( and not because he has become an astute politician ably managing a coalition.)

Indeed, any assesment/conclusion is a highly complex affair; watching a child learning its first steps where it repeatedly fails and assessing it's performance as not "up to the mark" can only be grossly unfair.

When one is looking for a result from a good deed, one wants it quickly. But once you understand that life is eternal, and that ther are many life-times, the realization dawns that if you don't get it sooner, you will get it later. This is an essence of a quote attributed to Sri Sri Ravishanker.

Incidentally, Sri Ravishanker, I learn, was once a Rane employee. Now that he is out of the corporate world, he can afford the luxury of such a profound view. Alas, for ordinary folks like me this only offers a cold comfort at the best. In a world where everything from coffee to "nirvana" has to be instant to be relevant, the above piece is certain to be viewed as archaic.

Which brings me to the question..... how does one assess/judge/conclude? In every organization there are the star performers; a select group of 10~15% is given a preferential treatment, without the reciprocal need for being loyal - their ability providing an insurance -- and they are in demand everywhere. Then there is the majority in the category of "stayers & doers" - they know the organization well, are knowledgeable with regard to procedures -- who do not however seem to receive adequate motivation/recognition.

For the stars -- Ravishankars exist only to add to their social status. For the performers, the view appears to mock at them. Can someone spare a deeper thought for offering succour to them, or as Ravishankars would have it, they will have to look for "manna" to fall from the heavens every time they perceive a need......"

PS dt 12th Oct 09. There is a remarkably striking congruence of "thought" between then and today, with the only difference being that then the undercurrent was the perceived injustice in the corporate/ temporal world, and today it is in the spiritual/eternal world. The great wisdom dished out by gurus continue to sound hollow. The purpose therefore of the "jignyaasaa"?

Love Vichu