Thursday, November 25, 2004

A life chasing dollar dreams

I now am studying in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. My brother is doing his MBA in Chennai, and my parents are in Coimbatore. Post engineering, I was in Bangalore, away from the family. You probably got where I’m heading: We are all separated, each one in different directions. The reason for the separation is obvious: chasing employment, dreams and greenbacks. Ofcourse, as most other things in life, all this has a cost – and a terrible one at that - degradation of the traditional family system.

Come to think of it, all this chasing greenbacks and stuff is ironical from the viewpoint of the concept of being in a family. Without making it drab, the point is whether we are doing justice to the very meaning of life. Ofcourse, self-proclaimed neo-Xers would argue that with the advent of technology and the like, miles have become meters. But then, speaking from the heart, there doesn’t seem to be any end for this chasing greenback. As children almost all of us would’ve thought that we want to get somewhere and get satisfied with that. But there is this thing called peer pressure that sets standards far more than what we thought existed. The end seems to be nowhere. There is no such thing as getting satisfied.

I remember the story of the one of the ex-presidents of Oracle India. He got his education from Harvard. That’s something. But then, delve into the circumstances he was in, his life was anything but rosy. Since he had a poor monetary backing, as every other guy from India studying in US is, he had to take up the part time employment, and he used to clean restrooms. You read that right! I suspect most of his life now is on an airplane hopping across destinations in some corner of the world in search of a prospective customer, or to streamline a strange-sounding business process. Needless to mention - his family life is in shambles.

This blog follows the article from the editor of JAM magazine, an IIMA passout: http://www.businessworldindia.com/mar2204/invogue02.asp

The following lines are noteworthy:
Status is like an onion comprising endless layers. No sooner do you crack one ring than you become obsessed with getting to the even-more-exclusive ring inside that one.

In a tiny crevice in their hearts, I think most MBAs know something is missing from their lives. The ugly question might rear its head - is making more money for X hedge fund or relaunching lemony detergent Y the reason I was put on Earth?
Although I qualify neither as a complete MBA or a manager, all this is some food for thought.The point that’s driven home – hard and fast – is whether we are all driven by the zest to make the 6-8 lac salaries, or are we really destined for somewhere – not anywhere? And, are making a meaningful life en route to glory?


6 Comments:

At Thursday, November 25, 2004 7:58:00 AM, Blogger Abhi said...

this is exactly the question im trying to avoid.that am i getting a better life or just a better career ? but i fear that even if i get the answer , its too hard to really turn around and do something different.

 
At Thursday, November 25, 2004 1:59:00 PM, Blogger Govar said...

True. Even after all this 'thoughts' and 'reflections', its really a tough thing to turn around. Lets see what life has in store. :) Only hope we can regulatte to some extent atleast...

 
At Thursday, November 25, 2004 6:59:00 PM, Blogger Jam said...

Govar dood,

Chillax macha, don't read too much into this earning money thing. My personal opinion is that all of us are pretty clear as regards what we want from our lives. At some point or the other, we all resign to the fact that fate, destiny or whatever bullshit rules our lives to such a large extent that we don't make any conscious choices any more. So just ride the wave and make sure you enjoy it while you do !!!

Cheers...........Jam

 
At Sunday, November 28, 2004 1:43:00 AM, Blogger Govar said...

That's exactly what I wanted to convey. Looking at comments, I guess I didnt articulate them properly. :) I left the issue dangling...

 
At Saturday, December 04, 2004 12:50:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

The question is: what do you really want to do? if one knows the answer then i think he/she wouldnt waste time doing anything else. Someone said this.. "if you dont know where you want to go, any road will take you there". That pretty much sums up what ordinary people end up doing.
There is no right answer to the basic question. Each one has to find out for himself/herself. To end, here is another lovely quote.. "the purpose of life is to live a life of purpose!"

 
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