A Question has many Faces

Every response reflects a perspective - and perspectives merge to craft the ideal solution.

A recent debate among final year students in a college featured a hot topic that is being discussed by most aspiring graduates - 'Where to work?' Or, rather, 'Whom to work for?'

It was not a choice between working in India or working abroad that caught their imaginations as much as that between working for a home-grown "Desi" company and working for an MNC. The craze for moving to greener pastures wasn't all that evident, at least in that particular group. After all, why would one want to move, when the taste of "Videsh" is brought right into one's own home town by the MNC's?

What was striking was the way the debate focussed on one's "Responsibility towards the Nation", while comparing the two work environments - nothing was discussed about the relative levels of professionalism or other cultural differences that could be inherent! It made one wonder if the MNC's have been absolutely successful in demolishing the cultural barriers that would have made them stand aloof, as aliens, perhaps. "Would you not serve your Nation better if you worked for your own Nationals rather than sweating it out for the Multi-Nationals, who are bound to take over the "Desi" firms one day or the other?" was the theme of the debate.

The verdict is not important here - the Question is! For, a verdict is just one view - but a question has the potential to let views from different perspectives pour in. It unleashes the capacity of the mind to delve to the depths in search of a solution - and every by-product of the process is an invention in itself!

What makes you Tick?

How important is it to have an 'Objective' in place? Does it really matter where we go, as long as we keep going? Can anyone, after all, be perfectly in control over one's own destiny? How sure can one ever be that one would reach one's destination as per plan? If it is true that man never disposes, is it necessary at all to have an 'Objective'?

Factors that we could claim to be in control over are minimal; 'Handful' may not be the right word - perhaps, is it 'Insignificant'? Or, even 'Non-existant'? It's difficult to conceive of a world where none of the creatures ever had any degree of control over whatever it did! So, let's not assume the absurd! Yes, we do have some control - just as a cruising liner would strain every nut and bolt in its mechanism to take the most obtuse of turns, so would we have to give that "Cent per cent" to effect a perceptible change in our destiny. To give it a fifty and expect, say, an eighty may not make perfect sense.

Given the validity of having a valid 'Objective' as the guiding star in our lives, to let life run loose and chase the mirage that never existed is not a winning strategy. Leaders are leaders, not because they chase what they think they want; they win because, they know what they want - and do what it takes! An Objective is much more than a mere guiding star - it's our Life Line!

Waves are Good

Waves have neither an origin nor an end. The shore is not their destination - it might just be one of their purposes. They give peace to the mind that is bogged down with stress. They are tireless in their journey that is marked by an apparent objective. They are personifications of the intangible energy. They drive and seem to be driven by themselves. They never talk, still, are always listened to. They never discriminate on age, gender or any other perceived differences. They never teach, but always drive a lesson home. They are the ultimate haven for the perplexed mind. Waves mean Freedom, Waves are Fun. Waves are good!