Life is
unfolded to us in phases. It throws at us a new challenge, a new set of
rules…..
And we are
expected to float in it. We are drifted to a new territory met by unknown
environment, trying to cope up with the flow.
Are we
trying to cope up to the give situation/ scenario?
Adaptability,
I think that’s what a human tendency has been right from Stone Age!!!
But there
comes a time when we analyze the situation, decide on certain game rules,
pre-requisites & react accordingly. We get over it & again are prepared
for the new challenge.
This is
inbuilt in us which we tend to follow right from cradle to grave.
First phase: Baby
Challenges
faced are; first walk, first word, responses to people around, acknowledging
them, reacting to the warmth & love.
The anger,
the tried & tested patience of mom running behind to do the needful, her efforts
in order for you to be better in anticipation of what she knows what her baby’s
going to face in the real world, to make her baby strong enough to be tolerant
to the world’s ways.
Second phase: School
New friends,
teachers, principal are new additions to your life.
Their new
set of rules of how you are supposed to behave with them, whom to be friendly,
whom do you respect. The value education imparted to us, the patriotic feeling
imbibed in us, all Indians are my brothers & sisters.
Third phase: College
Again a new
set of friends but different rules. Now all Indians are definitely not our
brothers & sisters, they become our crushes, girlfriends, boyfriends,
interests etc…!!!!
Other major
possibilities being bunking lectures, disrespecting teachers, abusive & foul
language, back stabbing, back bitching. Yet you have a group you hang out with,
yet you have your bestest of friends belonging to this phase as you have
experienced the bests & the worst, the highs & the lows of your life
with them.
You learn in
college that you can still co-operative & manage to live with all the
bitterness & the differences you might have amongst yourselves.
Fourth phase: Post Graduation
New rules
being strictness, responsible, formal; we are expected to be dynamic, be aware
of ourselves & the world, the politics, the general knowledge. You are
expected to know things important to you as well as things not important to
you. You have good friends; socialize promptly to expand your network with genuine
warmth, the bonding with friends, colleagues & mentors, professors.
Surviving
the tsunami of the need to be a post graduate with experience prior to having
any kind of experience! Trying to survive in the rat race in the age of
unemployment even after having spent lacs & lacs of Rupees in order to make
yourself worth the market rate or an attempt to be in a better position than
others!!!!! But to your astonishment, you realize that you are again competing
in another rat race of post graduates of, who can sugarcoat themselves (fake)
the most, in order to sell themselves. Trying to be perfect, not realizing that it’s
really worth being what you really are. You can make the most of yourself, similar
to how you made the most of yourself in all the phases you had in life. You
sailed through.
I still
haven’t understood why they ask your weaknesses in the interview, which will
never be respected by them. We are expected to be perfect, sans any fault by
default!! Also they expect us to have meaningful weaknesses if at all we have!!!
Fifth phase: Unbalanced worklife
Now that you
have steered clear from fourth phase. Congratulate yourself; celebrate a while
as you have passed a phase only to realize the nuances of the new phase.
Now the
rules unfold, nobody is your friend!!!! All
are just colleagues. If you try to bond too soon, it will be taken as you are
intruding in their territory, robbing them of their privacy. You would be
considered as a poky nose which in college life was mere genuine concern.
Here time
frame is really important & not the genuine feelings or concern. Revealing
any thoughts, feelings or experience would have to be validated with how much
time you have spent in the organization, your team. Your designation, power
would mean more than the mere thought or idea that might as well have that
power to make a change for better.
Is this rule
making the functioning of human life better or worse??
We have a
protocol for every phase, be it from birth to the maturity; the evolution model
known to mankind. Aren’t we trying to suppress all ourselves, including you;
reading it?
Rules are
meant for us as we created them, but today they are the core of our existence,
our way of life.
Though rules
are vital as otherwise the world would be a mess, lifestyle haywire. The mould
of our personality carved out of the action, reactions of the society is the
outcome of our social, psychological, sophisticated well being.
Though we
live in a world where perfection is minutely judged, aimed for, admired, and
appreciated; still we acknowledge the success of the most imperfect people. Isn’t it a paradox?
Mark
Zuckerberg – brought in the new way of life, Facebook.
Truth being
that he had copied the whole idea from his classmates!
But of
course, he built on to the idea, realized it, formulated it & created a big
wave.
Bill Gates –
drop out in academics went on to live his dream.
He once said
“A classmate of his college days now works in his company!”
Steve Jobs –
had many ups & downs in professional as well as personal life, ironically
was thrown out of his own business for the well being of the business. He went
on to create Dreamworks, Next & other goals to be chased. He was an
unconventional man, more of a gut.
Jack Welch –
a world renowned leader known for his astuteness, an eye for detail & extraordinary
ways of doing things.
Einstein –
was dyslexic; from being an imperfect ordinary man, went on to become the most
intellectual person on earth. The IQ is benchmarked to his, his brain being
mapped & studied!
Having known
all of these, yet we aim for perfection in our rules to be followed, being the
perfectly molded personality. But the truth for most of us being that the most
successful people are the ones who break the trail of monotony, break the
rules, innovate, follow their guts & heart.
A vision
might be it, luck you may call it, sheer madness as it might be termed in the
early stages. But is it really that? Or is it geniousness? The X-factor?
Perfection
to the core will be like a machine, delivering in right amount, at right time;
a robot also so as to exaggerate.
But isn’t
the human element in us on the verge of extinction?
As they say
‘the show must go on’, it will. But shouldn’t we have any game changers? Trend
changers? Embrace the imperfection, the change; break some rules if not many.
But only for better, not worse.
