Mindset

Courtesy : My Classmate Sanjay Mahajan from the IIMB 1985-87 Batch

An example of the Mindset/ Perception which requires to be changed :

As I was passing the elephants, I suddenly stopped,
confused by the fact that these huge creatures were
being held by only a small rope tied to their front
leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the
elephants could, at anytime, break away from the ropes
they were tied to but for some reason, they did not.

I saw a trainer near by and asked why these beautiful,
magnificent animals just stood there and made no
attempt to get away.

“Well,” he said, “when they are very young and much
smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at
that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up,
they are conditioned to believe they cannot break
away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so
they never try to break free.”

I was amazed. These animals could at any time break
free from their bonds but because they believed they
couldn’t, they were stuck right where they were.

It’s Called Mindset

Like the elephants, how many of us go through life
hanging onto a belief that we cannot do something,
simply because we failed at it once before?

IMPOSSIBLE IS POSSIBLE IF THE MINDSET AND PERCEPTION GET CHANGED WITH
PROPER MOTIVATION

Courtesy : My Classmate Sanjay Mahajan from the IIMB 1985-87 Batch

Have a Wonderful Week Ahead,

Cheers

Vijay Srinivasan
30 September 2007
Mumbai

The Senseless Murders at Virginia Tech

All of you might have seen the coverage of the murders at Virginia Tech. What kind of deranged mind can cause such calamity ?

Young students and professors died in this rampage by the South Korean student who was discovered to be of unstable mind nearly a year and a half ago. No action was taken by the University or Police, and look at the result. Combine a lousy insulted mind with free gun availability in the U.S., and there you go…..senseless grief is the result.

I look around the Eastern Educational Institutions - including the ones in India. We do not normally see security guards - they are there but you do not feel their presence. We do not see murderers amongst students. The Culture plays a large part, Parents play an even larger role. Societal value systems impinge on each and everyone, and religion does play a role. All these combine to form a safety net. Even if some lone ranger goes berserk because his beau has chosen somebody else at college, it has limited impact affecting two or three people. Nobody takes a gun and vents his frustrations by shooting innocent people and fellow students. Not that guns are not available - in a place like Delhi or Mumbai guns should be available, but the student community is mercifully not influenced by the same.

Movies corrupt, and the South Korean murderer was indeed affected by a filmy video. All in all, this episode and similar ones (mostly in the U.S. which seems to hold more or less exclusive rights to such incidents of rampage) cause untold grief to everyone affected and should lead to strict gun control laws and a ban of gun sale to students. It should also lead to airport style security checks and metal detectors at the entrance to all university buildings in the U.S.

Increasingly, U.S. has no choice but to carry out psycho-profiling of all candidates, and conduct annual mental health checks for all students.

Serious time for America to rethink, and for George W Bush to focus upon. U.S. universities are more important than the Iraqi (or Iranian) battlefields - they are important and critical not only to the United States of America, but to the entire world.

Best Regards

Vijay Srinivasan
23 April 2007
Mumbai

Sense of Purpose

I have been thinking about this topic for a couple of days.

Most people around seem to be carrying out their daily lives in a predetermined sequence of actions to earn their livelihood, raise their families, make some money, et al. How many people really execute their lives with a sense of purpose and mission ? Does life have a greater meaning, a goal, a serious sense of purpose, for most people ?

I think not even educated and professional folks seem to be having a comprehensive vision on what they wish to achieve in life. Recently I was reminded of this when I saw the question on future plans and vision in University application forms for my daughter’s admission. Universities seem to be wanting to find out which applicants have a higher sense of purpose in life, which one of them have really thought through what they wish to do with their lives, is there any role envisaged for a service to the society at large, etc., This set me thinking, as I was also searching for a meaning in life’s greater landscape.

I read an article in International Herald Tribune (”The Comfort of medical studies” by Daniel Klein - “IHT Daniel Klein” ) in which there was an interesting study mentioned - by S.K. Bhattacharya and H.K. Battacharya - and the quote from this article is as follows - “For too many unenlightened people, life has no meaning, no ever-present goal that gives them daily purpose. But for a person who wakes up every morning with an acute itch, what to do next is self-evident”. Please read the article which has no relation to the topic that I am now writing about, but I liked this quote out of context.

Having a sense of purpose is more critical than just feeling good. One may dress well, have the right kind of diet, work-out to maintain a trim figure, engage in social networking at parties, etc., but I think all of this and more are not the same as developing, focusing and maintaining a clear sense of direction and purpose in life. By doing so, I would not be surprised if one also feels good and achieves good health. Meaning appears to be more important than Form. Coming together they would be a potent combination for success and fulfillment in life. It also leads to happiness in whatever you set out to do in life.

One’s sense of purpose is very important to leverage and maximize one’s potential, creativity, and imagination. It helps to focus intensely at life’s problems and opportunities and helps one to make the right move forward. Think of the power of purpose ! If only you can align and focus your energies and passion going after the purpose in life !! You could achieve what an Einstein achieved in his life. Never defocus from your greater sense of purpose in life.

Have a wonderful weekend and week ahead, folks ! And write down your Statement of Purpose rightway, if you don’t have one as yet !!

Vijay Srinivasan
24 Feb 2007
Mumbai