Monthly Archive for August, 2008

Missing the sunset…

Believed 1 year, 6 months ago in My Life My Voice. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Four people whom I’ve worked closely with are going for an exchange programme tomorrow. And in these four, are two of the best friends I’ve ever made. Best to the degree that the closest I ever had, and the most honest I ever was. Interesting how life can be so fair and unfair at the same time… But I would like to look at this from their point of view :)

They’re leaving for Norway for the next ten months. They won’t be seeing their friends, family, relations, classmates, and colleagues for the next ten months. They’re being rudely plucked from their very-comfort zone, and thrown into a hostile and highly different society. Of course, thats all part of the ‘exchange experience’. But what might make it different is the situation back home, the kind of impression they were given about the post-programme influences, and the kind of treatment the former participants of this same programme were receiving.

Due to some reason, which I still am not very steady on myself, many of the former participants seemed to have a major attitude shift, which was termed as for the worse for the organisation. Personally, I didn’t find their personal attitudes pretty bad, but could find plenty a fault in their working principles. This year, the participants of yester year had created a pretty bad impression in the organisation, which led to hours of sermon on how to behave after the programme to the four who are going tomorrow.

Now, instead of them being excited about the programme, they are anxious about the post-programme reactions! And I would opine that this anxiety would definitely make things a bit more difficult for them.

Of course, I’m not finding fault with them or the organisation… Just random thoughts which came across…

However, the purpose of the post is more like to say a nice farewell to them! They’ll miss the sunset here in India, but let them have beautiful sunrises in Norway :) Fare thee well, dear amigos!

Challenges – conquering for the greater good

Believed 1 year, 6 months ago in My Life My Voice. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Dreams can often become challenging, but challenges are what we live for.

Travis White

Life is sometimes so challenging. Challenge after challenge after challenge. Its funny how one big challenge leads to so many more smaller challenges, and those smaller challenges into even more smaller challenges. And all these smaller, small and big challenges get together one fine day, and try to choke you…

Lets me first look at how challenges came to be. The classic definition for a challenge is a problem. Something that deserves a certain amount of attention, so that it can be solved. But then, problem is too negative. Not very inspiring. In this wannabe-positive-optimistic world, we rephrase the word to look better – after all, looking better might better the situation. So we call it an opportunity.

But then again opportunities are a dull way of looking at things. Very un-exciting. Not very macho. Not proper leadership material. So we add some masala into it, and make it sound all hot, sexy and brave. Challenge.

In other words, there arose a problem, which is actually an opportunity (since you’re a leader), which is actually a challenge (‘cos you have to take it up since you’re a leader).

But challenges are fun. That is, if you’re working on solving something you’re passionate about, challenges are fun. But what if you’re not? What if you’re doing something you’re not passionate about? Something you might be good at, but what you really dont want to do. Are they still fun? Or do they turn into fearsome obligations?

I believe it would be the latter, since I’ve been kinda tied up these days trying to manage things which I don’t want to do. But do I have an option? Nope!

But let me add a few more complications here. I’m obligated to do the stuff I don’t want to do, since I really DO want to maintain relationships with the people involved. If I refuse to do the things, or if I be really honest about it, I’ll lose my cordial relationships with a few very ‘wanted’ people. i.e. I really want to spend time with them, talk to them, and be associated with them. I agree that you cannot satisfy everyone in the world, but don’t you have to make certain compromises to keep in contact with people? And you have to keep doing that until you’re close enough to them to say that the work they’re asking me to do is monotonous and rather boring, and not up my alley.

So, challenges are something you have to do. Whether you like it or not. Your leadership skills, and ’substance’ (whatever that means) is being tested in a challenge. Whether you like it or not…

I’ve also noticed that challenges are also something that you really can’t do. For example, waking up early. Its almost impossible for me! So its a challenge. Its not that I don’t want to do it… Its just that I can’t… I simply cannot help it…

So if challenges are so big a challenge, then why challenge yourself and take up the challenge at all?

For the greater good…

To develop in life, to be a better individual, to conquer the world – they say…

If you look at it in a way, it does help me to attain some rather favourable qualities… Like being patient. And managing time better. But it also tires me out, and makes me hate what I do. A tough (‘challenging’) choice…

If you were expecting some sort of conclusion, a sort of ending, “this is what a challenge is”, “it is good!”, “it is bad!”, or “it is stupid!”, I’m very sorry, ‘cos I’m as clueless as you are. (If you weren’t as clueless as I am, then you would’ve stopped reading halfway right?)

So I’m leaving it very open… I’m undecided on this strange phenomenon of diction. I shall definitely try my best to find meaning for this weird connotation, but until I come up with something satisfactory, and intellectually-challenging, adios!

Creative Obstructions

Believed 1 year, 6 months ago in Attempted humour. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

    Its interesting to note how sometimes some things which should ‘flow’ are forced out of you… This post is inspired by the very many hours of ‘creative torture’, and more immediately, by this caricature drawn by one of my friends…

Creative obstructions

Creative obstructions

    So this here refers to one of our uniquely crafted magnum opus classes aimed at expanding our creativity in the writing spectrum. The professor handling this particular class is particularly particular about the various particularities in your writing, and dressing. She happens to be a strict disciplinarian when it comes to the matters of expanding your creative horizons, and wearing informals to college.

    What she insists on is that creativity should flow during a couple of predefined hours, from every single student in the class. The variables involved in this so called ‘creativity flow’ are -

  1. The student should be present in class (the student will have to be atleast 75% of the time, since attendance counts)
  2. Student should be awake

    3. But an adolescent student isn’t that simple! Nor is creativity! The actual variables involved are -

  3. The student should be present
  4. The student should be awake
  5. The student should not be sleepy
  6. The student should have had lunch/snacks atleast for the past 1 and a half hours
  7. The student should have the least minimum common sense (judged by the ability to distinguish a tree from a cell phone)
  8. The student should *know* to write
  9. The student should have a pen and paper / laptop

    10. So as you can see, a lot more variables are involved than initially hypothesized. This means that Ms Creativity’s assumption that creativity can flow at will (that too external will) is slightly over-calculated.

    I agree that with a deadline, and persistent effort, creative people can come up with creative ideas. You do not have to be all laid back to do something creative. However, trying to extract this level of creativity from overly dumb people, as in people who use trees to type text messages, and cell phones to create a fire, can be described as a futile, if not insane, venture.

    Even with her strict disciplinarian codes and aggressive outlooks, some people just cannot be creative on her command (“Be creative NOW!”) because : 1, they’re dumb; and 2, they just don’t want to.

    So how right is she in trying to force creativity out of half sleeping, dumb students attending the especially mundane classes of hers. I would describe it as creative torture. Torture in the name of creativity! Oh woe is this world! How its ethics and morals are being destroyed, and used in disgraceful manners! Torture, my dear, Torture, in the name of creativity!