Big Servings unlike Rwanda
Tonight I met this lovely woman from our Rwanda offices. She is fifty years old and looks thirty. She lived through the genocide in 1994 (in which 800,000 Tutsis were killed), hiding in a bush surrounded by maize fields for two weeks. She told me of a story that was shocking and at same time inspiring. In a small town near D.R. Congo, a bunch of Hutu soldiers stormed a school. They ask the Hutu kids to point out their classmates of Tutsi descent. The children refused to do so and the end result was that they were all slaughtered.
If this incident cannot put an end to violence in Africa, I don't know what can. I asked her as to how a continent so rich in tradition, such vibrant music, so very laid back people and so rich in natural resources can continue to indulge in such mindless violence. She said that she didn't know herself and thought for a while. Poverty she said was probably why more Africans carried axes than guitars. I nodded my head and let her eat her big servings of chicken and fruit in peace. There is really little point of reminding her of home, when she is in the land of Hot Cold water taps and carpeted hotel rooms.
Her answer might be valid, but not sufficient. Also at the root of the issue is the lack of advocacy. When so many images of the horrible holocaust in WWII still flood our media on a daily basis, don't we have a few columns to spare for Rwandans?
On a similar note, did you know that the maps many of us have seen from childhood are actually wrong? Africa is much larger than it appears on most maps. Here is a link that points out the fallacy.
Tonight I met this lovely woman from our Rwanda offices. She is fifty years old and looks thirty. She lived through the genocide in 1994 (in which 800,000 Tutsis were killed), hiding in a bush surrounded by maize fields for two weeks. She told me of a story that was shocking and at same time inspiring. In a small town near D.R. Congo, a bunch of Hutu soldiers stormed a school. They ask the Hutu kids to point out their classmates of Tutsi descent. The children refused to do so and the end result was that they were all slaughtered.
If this incident cannot put an end to violence in Africa, I don't know what can. I asked her as to how a continent so rich in tradition, such vibrant music, so very laid back people and so rich in natural resources can continue to indulge in such mindless violence. She said that she didn't know herself and thought for a while. Poverty she said was probably why more Africans carried axes than guitars. I nodded my head and let her eat her big servings of chicken and fruit in peace. There is really little point of reminding her of home, when she is in the land of Hot Cold water taps and carpeted hotel rooms.
Her answer might be valid, but not sufficient. Also at the root of the issue is the lack of advocacy. When so many images of the horrible holocaust in WWII still flood our media on a daily basis, don't we have a few columns to spare for Rwandans?
On a similar note, did you know that the maps many of us have seen from childhood are actually wrong? Africa is much larger than it appears on most maps. Here is a link that points out the fallacy.
Halloween
The spirits of the past are chased away.
All it takes is an army of monkeys to defeat immortality.
Fear of the unknown can be overcome by transferring events to the realm of the known.
Everything is maya, illusion. Including yourself.
A moment of clarity crawls up upon you like a snake and then oozes out of your every pore.
I knew all of this to be true yesterday. It was a good party.
The spirits of the past are chased away.
All it takes is an army of monkeys to defeat immortality.
Fear of the unknown can be overcome by transferring events to the realm of the known.
Everything is maya, illusion. Including yourself.
A moment of clarity crawls up upon you like a snake and then oozes out of your every pore.
I knew all of this to be true yesterday. It was a good party.
A note
Tiredness breeds comfort in familiarity. And then I hear somebody say, "I need a rest." I say,"What's the point?"
Tiredness breeds comfort in familiarity. And then I hear somebody say, "I need a rest." I say,"What's the point?"
Carpets, soccer balls, silk and smoke
What is common to the above four things? They are all manufactured in industries, the workforce of which is mainly children. Over 250 million children in the world (another statistic) are victims of child labor. 60 million of them are in Mother India alone. I am not advocating that one should stop cheering Ronaldo or not wear beautiful saris or light up to relax or even fly in time and space. Do all of the above. They are worthy things to aspire to and to stop desiring them is impractical.
What is practical is to realize that education is the most basic human right. As my friend pointed out today, most people in poor countries do not have social security or any safety nets. If they don't have education, then they grow with a complete paucity of skills, save for the job they have been rigorously undertaking since the age of six. Suppose Saddam Hussain bans carpets in Iraq. What would a child in the carpet industry do?
It is quite amazing that we focus so much attention to Kashmir and the like when there is all of this complete absence of basic human morals and mass murders of the living. I am ashamed to say that I grew up in India and by force of habit, on many occasions completely blocked out the condition of these children. Our era will be known for the Internet. It will also be known for compartmentalized thinking.
What is common to the above four things? They are all manufactured in industries, the workforce of which is mainly children. Over 250 million children in the world (another statistic) are victims of child labor. 60 million of them are in Mother India alone. I am not advocating that one should stop cheering Ronaldo or not wear beautiful saris or light up to relax or even fly in time and space. Do all of the above. They are worthy things to aspire to and to stop desiring them is impractical.
What is practical is to realize that education is the most basic human right. As my friend pointed out today, most people in poor countries do not have social security or any safety nets. If they don't have education, then they grow with a complete paucity of skills, save for the job they have been rigorously undertaking since the age of six. Suppose Saddam Hussain bans carpets in Iraq. What would a child in the carpet industry do?
It is quite amazing that we focus so much attention to Kashmir and the like when there is all of this complete absence of basic human morals and mass murders of the living. I am ashamed to say that I grew up in India and by force of habit, on many occasions completely blocked out the condition of these children. Our era will be known for the Internet. It will also be known for compartmentalized thinking.
The Olive tree
I was standing at a corner
In a thick book was trying to see
A dude comes up to me and says
I'm from Galilee
Hey there mister I say to him
As his beard flies in the sun
You dont need that number no more, he says
There's no need to call 911
Well in those days, life was tough
Buses polluting the air
People got better, he took in their ills
And they kept raising the fare.
Well, one last piece of bread he took
In that gesture of friendship, he was to him as to me
Then I really don't know how people in his land pass up a chance
And fight over an olive tree?
P.S. Good and true
I was standing at a corner
In a thick book was trying to see
A dude comes up to me and says
I'm from Galilee
Hey there mister I say to him
As his beard flies in the sun
You dont need that number no more, he says
There's no need to call 911
Well in those days, life was tough
Buses polluting the air
People got better, he took in their ills
And they kept raising the fare.
Well, one last piece of bread he took
In that gesture of friendship, he was to him as to me
Then I really don't know how people in his land pass up a chance
And fight over an olive tree?
P.S. Good and true
Throw away your MBA textbooks - New Method! (FREE)
Yesterday I went to Harlem, to play tennis. I had planned on going to one of those Gospel singing churches, but after four hours of tennis, God was with me and I carried His pain. As I was playing my friend, I noticed an excellent player serving alone to a nameless and faceless opponent on the court beside me. He didn't have anybody to play with and requested a match. I agreed feeling sure that I was sure to lose within 20 minutes, what with my second serve not reaching fast enough, even with the help of Fed Ex.
Sure enough he proved his superiority at the very outset and notched up the first two games. Then and there I decided to serve hard and volley fast. I was up 5-2 before you could say Fault and was two points from wrapping it up. It was then like a true Indian I began to feel I wasn't good enough to win. This guy was a professional. I began thinking of victory and lost 7-6 in a tiebreak that was characterized by the same mindset on my part. I began to think of the win and in the process forgot simple basics.
Now here is the MBA theory promised at the start.
Dear Sirs and Madams,
It has come to our attention that there are a number of organizations that are very focused on yearly goals and strategies. It is our immediate recommendation that such methodologies are immediately abandoned. In its place, every employee must be monitored strictly on the basis of the degree he or she faithfully follows processes. They must be trained to treat a day at work like the art of breathing and not as an endeavor to calculate the age at which one will die, or simply cease to live. It is hereby recommended that employees send goal statements to the recycling bin and direct their efforts towards keeping a note of their processes. This involves submitting the formulated document to their manager and team for immediate approval or resulting recommendations. Employee appraisal will focus on adherence to agreed upon procedures. In such as above manner, things will remain solid, even in the face of natural and man-made disasters.
One still has to bend down at take the ball at waist level. Even if it is match point.
Yesterday I went to Harlem, to play tennis. I had planned on going to one of those Gospel singing churches, but after four hours of tennis, God was with me and I carried His pain. As I was playing my friend, I noticed an excellent player serving alone to a nameless and faceless opponent on the court beside me. He didn't have anybody to play with and requested a match. I agreed feeling sure that I was sure to lose within 20 minutes, what with my second serve not reaching fast enough, even with the help of Fed Ex.
Sure enough he proved his superiority at the very outset and notched up the first two games. Then and there I decided to serve hard and volley fast. I was up 5-2 before you could say Fault and was two points from wrapping it up. It was then like a true Indian I began to feel I wasn't good enough to win. This guy was a professional. I began thinking of victory and lost 7-6 in a tiebreak that was characterized by the same mindset on my part. I began to think of the win and in the process forgot simple basics.
Now here is the MBA theory promised at the start.
Dear Sirs and Madams,
It has come to our attention that there are a number of organizations that are very focused on yearly goals and strategies. It is our immediate recommendation that such methodologies are immediately abandoned. In its place, every employee must be monitored strictly on the basis of the degree he or she faithfully follows processes. They must be trained to treat a day at work like the art of breathing and not as an endeavor to calculate the age at which one will die, or simply cease to live. It is hereby recommended that employees send goal statements to the recycling bin and direct their efforts towards keeping a note of their processes. This involves submitting the formulated document to their manager and team for immediate approval or resulting recommendations. Employee appraisal will focus on adherence to agreed upon procedures. In such as above manner, things will remain solid, even in the face of natural and man-made disasters.
One still has to bend down at take the ball at waist level. Even if it is match point.
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