Life Vs Death

It was a strange evening I have had so far. Being a administrator in a corporate company is a tough job though – I used to think like this at times. The earlier day I have had got a call from one of my subordinate so close to me asking for an off day. His father was not feeling well it seemed. I was always conscious of my duties and responsibilities in all ways. They often acted as masks one of which I have to wear at one time and another at in some other situation. This time the call was from him related to my duties as an administrator of my office. In a small authoritative voice I said “Please look into the matter that you arrive back soon within two days”

This day he called to my office and informed his friend, my another subordinate that his father is no more. When he informed me of this thing, the day looked so strange for me. What is all this duty consciousness, even without understanding this reality in life am I living the right way? Do I have to be really duty conscious when there is no certainty in life? What is it actually to live? What is it to be happy? Why I mean to be so strict as an officer but I struggle hard to reason myself as a man? Lot of questions arouse in my mind and made me silent for the day. That night grew up very long and my silence was broken with phone call of that another subordinate who received the call. It was clear that his voice is broken so as is his heart. I wanted him to join with me in the dinner. I got prepared myself to face him and the weariness he had thinking myself that the universal abundance will help in facing and answering him.

My silence was broken during that meet with his weeping eyes, rolling tears and broken voice.

He: Sir, what is it this life sir?

Me: Why do you get that question my friend now?

He: You know sir, he called today two times, first time right half an hour before the last call, he said his father is okay and they are moving to a bigger hospital. But within the next thirty minutes the whole scenario changed. And so what is it this life all, so uncertain.

Me: Uncertainty is universal principle don't you know that and now my question is whether do we have to really cry or shed tears for knowing this?

Theory Vs. Practical

Running a Corporate Entity is so tough nowadays especially with those who don't understand what is this business all about. After all why do we earn, is it not making a materialistic earning, it is all about earning a living. But no one understands living in itself is a movement which no knowledge can buy as it is with a printed paper called money. I can see a lot of youngsters are dumped to the society as professionals but who is not making a living. Even though they earn money their day to day life ends up with conflicts in everything – in relationships, in profession and everywhere. I often use to feel this is because the education been provided to them is merely for creating academics who are none other than money making machines. I cannot see a glimpse of humanity in that.

It was a time when I imposed the zen way of teaching practicality into life, to the job tasks in the team I am leading for my project. I always use to ask the people to experience and learn. It is one such event I asked my team members to prepare a practical feasibility report on what they are doing on their own. I always insisted to have a real genuine quest in any job they do. Only then one can be able to find out what exactly they are doing, where they are now and where they are supposed to go. That young boy one of my team member after my repeated meets about corrections in the report wanted to see me.

He : Sir, I want to ask you something.

Me: Yes, my friend. You are free to ask anything, if at all I have answers about it.

He : Sir, it is nothing personal. I just wanted to talk about the project. When we will get into real work sir?

Me: What, isnt it what you are doing is your real work?

He: No Sir, I meant we are actually wasting time to prepare report like this. Our project is all about to create an output and we have already heavy jobs to do. Is it necessary at all to do the report now, that too on our own? 

Me: Do you feel that preparation of this report is irrelevant? Is that not a part of your project? Don't you realize this will help you further develop your skillset?

He: No sir. I didn't said it as irrelevant. I feel it is not extremely necessary as we have acquired all our skillset while we are studying. We had two exams in our school. One is theory and another is practical. This report seems to be a theory for me. I am just wondering when would we get into practicals.

Good Vs. Bad

It was a hot steamy evening in the mid-july. Chennai has suffered the maximum heat in the past few months and it is the period the summer started declining. Still I can feel that it is hot. In front of that bakery I cannot resist it and my sweat glands were always active. I don't know really is there something called Global Warming or a Climatic Shift as scientists say. How could a climate shift. Ahh, anyway it is Nature, and she is unpredictable. But I was thinking as my father said about Chennai when he was young. A city with more trees less occupied buildings, necessary air-space everything. Wouldn't that be the reason people have felt about Chennai as Heaven those days and when for their need, when they occupied and destroyed almost what is called Nature, making the city more a Concrete Jungle, now the same feel the place as Hell. I was wondering is that the Climatic Shift or Human Thought Shift.

There was a visitor this time, a friend of mine from the South Tamilnadu. Being suffocated with a youngster boy smoking out there he started murmuring

Friend: Nowadays people especially youngsters don't know What is Good and What is Bad. (in a whispering tone) See this fellow is smoking like anything even without knowing the harms of it.

Me: Smoking seems to be a harm for you and not for him, I think so.

Friend: It is because now the society teaches what is not necessary.