Wednesday, May 28, 2008

ASK WHAT'S IT ALL FOR?

A corporate executive on holiday in a small Greek seacoast village was strolling by the docks and drinking in the local color. He complimented one fisherman on the quality of his catch.
“How long did it take you to get all those fish?” he wondered.
“Not very long,” answered the Greek. “An hour or two.”
“Then why didn’t you stay out longer to catch more?”
Shrugging, the Greek explained that his catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.
The executive asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”
I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a nap with my wife. In the evening, I go to the village to see my friends, dance a little, play the bouzouki, and sing songs. I have a full life.”
The executive said, “I have an MBA from Harvard. I can help you. You should start by fishing longer every day. You’ll catch extra fish that you can sell. With the revenue, you can buy a bigger boat. With the extra money the larger boat will bring you, you can buy a second boat and a third one, and so on, until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middleman, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can ship fish to markets all around the world. In time, you can then move to New York City to direct your huge enterprise.”
“How long would that take?” asked the Greek.
“Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years,” replied the executive.
“And after that?”
“When your business gets really big, you can sell stock and make millions!” exclaimed the executive with zeal.
“Millions? Really? And after that?”
“After that you’ll be able to retire, live in a small village near the coast, sleep late, play with your grandchildren, catch a few fish, take a nap with your wife, and spend your evenings singing, dancing, and playing the bouzouki with your friends.”

WHEN ONE EYE IS FIXED UPON YOUR DESTINATION, THERE IS ONLY ONE EYE LEFT WITH WHICH TO FIND THE WAY

A young boy traveled across Japan to the school of a famous martial artist. When he arrived at the dojo he was given an audience by the sensei.
“What do you wish from me?” the master asked.
“I wish to be your student and be the finest karateka in the land,” the boy replied. “How long must I study?”
“Ten years at least,” the master answered.
“Ten years is a long time,” said the boy. “What if I studied twice as hard as all your other students?”
“Twenty years,” replied the master.
“Twenty years! What if I practice day and night with all my effort?”
“Thirty years,” was the master’s reply.
“How is it that each time I say I will work harder, you tell me that it will take longer?” the boy asked.
“The answer is clear. When one eye is fixed upon your destination, there is only one eye left with which to find the Way.”

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX

You are driving along in your car on a wild, stormy night, it’s raining heavily, when suddenly you pass by a bus stop, and you see three people waiting for a bus:
An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.
An old friend who once saved your life.
The perfect partner you have been dreaming about.
Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing very well that there could only be one passenger in your car?
This is a dilemma that was once used as part of a job application.
You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus youshould save her first;
* or you could take the old friend because he once saved your life, and thiswould be the perfect chance to ! pay him back.
However, you may never be able to find your perfect mate again.
The candidate who was hired had no trouble coming up with his answer. Guess what was his answer?
He simply answered:
“I would give the car keys to my Old friend and let him take the lady to the hospital. I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the partner of my dreams.”
Sometimes, we gain more if we are able to give up our stubborn thought limitations. Never forget to “Think Outside the Box.”

INDIAN CULTURE

The term culture refers to a state of intellectual development or manners. The social and political forces that influence the growth of a human being is defined as culture.

Indian culture is rich and diverse and as a result unique in its very own way. Our manners, way of communicating with one another, etc are one of the important components of our culture. Even though we have accepted modern means of living, improved our lifestyle, our values and beliefs still remain unchanged. A person can change his way of clothing, way of eating and living but the rich values in a person always remains unchanged because they are deeply rooted within our hearts, mind, body and soul which we receive from our culture.

The culture of India can be best expressed as comprising the following

Humanity - The mildness of the Indians has continued till date, despite the aggressiveness of the Muslim conquerors and the reforming zeal of the British, the Portuguese and the Dutch. The Indians are noted for their humanness and calm nature without any harshness in their principles and ideals.

Tolerance - Gandhiji’s satyagraha principle or Ahimsa - freedom without taking a drop of blood, worked wonders and gave credit to India in the international arena. Swami Vivekananda in his famous Chicago Speech on the 11th of September, 1893 spoke of this.

Unity - India is a conglomeration of men and women of various castes and creed. It is a fusion of old traditional values and the modern principles, thus satisfying all the three generations in the present India. The Elite businessman and the common vendor on the road share the same news and worship the same deity .

Secularism - India is a secular coun country as stated in its Constitution. There is freedom of worship throughout the length and breadth of India without any breeches or violations of any other’s religious beliefs. The Hindus, The Muslims, The Christians, and The Sikhs in times of calamity and during festivities come openly together to share their thoughts despite their religious affinities. The catholicity of the Indian culture can be best understood by the fact that hundreds of Hindus visit the Velankanni shrine or the Nagore Dargah in Tamilnadu.

Closely knit Social system - The Indian Social System is mostly based on the Joint family System, but for some of the recently cropped nuclear families. The families are closely knit with Grandfathers, fathers, sons and grandsons sharing the same spirit, tradition and property.

Indian culture treats guests as god and serves them and takes care of them as if they are a part and parcel of the family itself. Even though we don’t have anything to eat, the guests are never left hungry and are always looked after by the members of the family. Elders and the respect for elders is a major component in Indian culture. Elders are the driving force for any family and hence the love and respect for elders comes from within and is not artificial. An individual takes blessings from his elders by touching their feet. Elders drill and pass on the Indian culture within us as we grow.

“Respect one another” is another lesson that is taught from the books of Indian culture. All people are alike and respecting one another is ones duty. In foreign countries the relation between the boss and the employee is like a master and slave and is purely monetary whereas in Indian culture the relation between the boss and the employee is more like homely relations unlike foreign countries.

Helpful nature is another striking feature in our Indian culture. Right from our early days of childhood we are taught to help one another in need of help and distress. If not monetary then at least in kind or non-monetary ways.

Indian culture tells us to multiply and distribute joy and happiness and share sadness and pain. It tells us that by all this we can develop co-operation and better living amongst ourselves and subsequently make this world a better place to live in.

Even though India is a country of various religions and caste our culture tells us just one thing 'phir bhi dil hai hidustani '.

OFFICE MANNERS

There are several office manners that need to be addressed in the higher education environment. If you want your office to be courteous and professional, the following items should be brought to the student workers' attention.
Manners and behaviors students should not exhibit:
Inappropriate Welcome
Failure to greet someone, weak or no handshake, failure to introduce that person to your supervisor if the situation calls for it
Poor Listening
Not paying attention to a student/employer/alumni who needs assistance, talking while they are speaking, asking a question just covered by the person
Poor Dress and Grooming
Sloppy appearance, gym or unclean clothing, revealing clothes. You should be clear as to what your expectations are concerning dress in your office. Do this at the beginning of the semester so there is no confusion.
Poor Telephone Behavior
Not returning calls, eating while on the phone, slamming the phone down, long hold times, load talking or belligerent tone, leaving the cell phone on, talking on the cell phone, etc.
Inconsiderate of Office Space
Leaving a mess out in office, leaving dirty coffee mugs in rooms, leaving stapler or copier empty after using the last of the staples or paper, leaving the copier jammed
Inappropriate Behavior while Working
Scratching, flossing teeth, yawning or coughing with mouth uncovered, playing with hair, putting on makeup, cleaning fingernails, etc.
Disregard of Others Time
Interrupting people at work, keeping people waiting, not showing up for your scheduled work time.
Snooping Reading others faxes, email, computer screen, or mail

THE OLD WOMAN

Imagine an old and gentle woman, near death, with both hands on a rusty musket, standing alone at the edge of a field in which every rock and rise are as familar to her as the ceiling cracks in the farmhouse crouching behind her. Imagine her eyes, barely able to see, trying to focus on the dust raised by a few so-called soldiers trudging across a nearby hill. Caught in conflict, driven to a final extreme, she waits unsteadily, frightened most by her own decision to do this, confused by the rumors that have drifted through her village for weeks, yet somehow ready to defend her land and her surviving grandchild with what is left of her life.
We - you and I - have put her there, for we continue to tolerate what is wrong and destructive to ourselves: what is greed, what is injustice, what is violence, too often resulting in war and famine and ragged flight. We foster these things, in fact, by not demanding their end.
Do we not care enough - or truly notice - that we are letting our lowest instincts succeed while our highest ones dangerously idle and slide, diminished so often by mere contentment and myopia? All the while these finer sides of our humanity insistently remind us that we ride this Earthome together and that we must take care of each other, no matter who, no matter where, no matter how, long before we force this aged woman to fire her gun.