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Sometimes, its just the little things...

A colleague at my desk today morning

Thank you for that funny link you sent on Friday. I was rotten after hearing that I was fired that day and it helped lighten me up.

I was shocked. I hadn't known until then that the person had lost her job.

Not really known for being a patient guy, there would have been a countless other occasions when I have shouted or been rude to someone, not knowing what is going on with the other person.

I be damned.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

I obviously liked this blog from Dilbert author Scott Adams http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/china_is_doomed/

There is a practicality to an engineer's ideas because they build real stuff. They are generally rational and more focused on getting things done rather than on ideologies.

As Scott Adams puts it:

In other words, they value efficiency over feelings.

But what good is efficiency if there is no freedom? I mean, the Chinese can build all the cool stuff but what use is it if you cannot watch a YouTube video inside your designer house? Or your news is always censored? Or your blog is blocked if it has the word "Tiananmen"?

That is why I think the India model is the right approach. A really inefficient system but with the freedom of thought (for the most part).

A mixed economy with multi party politics resembles a diverse range of opinions where the fittest will eventually survive. See for e.g. How India overtook China in Auto exports.

The problem with centralized thinking is that a single entity cannot really think about every thing, because there are too many things happening.

I think its more akin to asexual reproduction.

A lack of sexual reproduction is relatively rare among multicellular organisms, for reasons that are not completely understood. Current hypotheses suggest that, while asexual reproduction may have short term benefits when rapid population growth is important or in stable environments, sexual reproduction offers a net advantage by allowing more rapid generation of genetic diversity, allowing adaptation to changing environments. -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asexual_reproduction

And evolution has shown us what wins.

"I dream. Therefore, I live."

In these days of high disposable incomes and limited responsibilities, the so called midlife crisis starts much earlier.

"What next?"

People start looking for goals in life. Most get lost in the routine of life like getting married, kids etc. all of which tends to give some sense of purpose in life.

"I need to work because I need to give them a better life."

Until when the kids grow up and the need for a real goal becomes even more important.

I remembered reading an interview with L&T co-founder Henning Holck-Larsen . He was more than 90 years old and even at that age, he was talking about dreams for his company. The interviewer was surprised and pointed out to him that he was dreaming at even at that age. Larsen then said something to the effect of "without dreams, you are already dead".

The other side is greener

I recently visited an ISKON temple here in Salt Lake City. As I was told, there were more firangs than Indians at the temple and it was an amusing experience.

The temple was founded by a White American (who is also the priest) and his wife following their experience in a Krishna temple in California. The Americans were intrigued by the paintings of the Krishna on the flute with dozens of gopikas and many cows around him. The priest was knowledgeable about each detail and answered to their questions gracefully. Then there were people sitting in an adjacent room singing "Hare Krishna" bhajan continously. There were also dance programs of Mohniyattam, Bharathanatiam etc by ABCD Indians which were patiently watched by the crowd of over 500.

There was a book store around and as I was browsing through some books, an American lady wearing a sari, who was manning (wommaning???) the store asked

"Where are you from?"

"Kerala in India."

"Oh. You may have been born in Kerala, but your ancestral birthplace is in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh"

"Huh?"

"Yes. Vrindavan is the cradle of human life".

"No. Thats in Africa, where the oldest fossils were found."

"The archeologists are wrong."

"Really?"

Of course, most of the people there might have been the jobless and trying to make a purposeful living. But they really think that its true.

Hindu mythology is probably the most complex and convoluted from all of them. So, its hard to understand why people not born into it become passionate about it.

Can't blame them. Steve Jobs visited India on a spiritual journey when he was young. So did the Beatles who stayed at an Ashram and spent their most productive days.

Maybe it is the rich culture that they find attractive. Maybe its the positive effect of chanting bhajans which indeed seems to relax the brain. Maybe people want to believe in rebirth :)

In anycase, their interest and respect for other traditions is to be appreciated!

Irony

I really liked this cartoon about a comparison of public image of Bush vs. Obama.

Bigotry and politics aside, it appears that people are more forgiving on mediocre people ("the bloke is trying his best") than on people who are good leaders and who deserve some support to implement their best ideas.

Maybe because we pity the bad ones and envy the good ones?

In search of meaning

It turns out, there isn't any.