Time, Food And Money

Food is what everybody has different amounts of,
but nobody can have more than they can have.

Money is what everybody has different amounts of,
but nobody can have enough of it.

Time is what everybody has the same amount of,
even so nobody seems to have enough of it.

NOTES
---------
1. Based on my friend Bigith's manager's time dictum.
2. Based on a childhood visit to a palace (Padmanabhapuram) , the guide's explanation of the king's charity policy.

Shoe People - Thinking Shoes

Putting the adage "judge a man by the shoes he wears" and the advertising slogans of shoe-brands, a few weeks ago, and turning the Thinking Hat theory on its head (literally), I hit upon this classification of people!

1) Reebok People - I am what I am
They accept things as they are and rarely try to think beyond the established boundaries.
Limitations are a fact of life and operating within those limits is natural for them. "We don't need to try too hard, things are what they are." Theirs is not to question why...

2) Adidas People - Impossible is nothing
They always think in an out-of-the-box fashion and always (sometimes irritatingly) stretch the defined limits. Why not? They are proponents of change, and try to argue and win people over to their side. "It just has to be done!" Theirs is not to question how...

3) Nike People - Just do it
If even faintly convinced by the answers to why and how, they give it their best shot. Eternal optimists, they are the agents of change and don't think or worry too much about the fruits of their efforts: if not success, at least wisdom. "Let's see how it goes. Then we'll take it from there."

Everybody needs three pairs! But which shoe do you wear the most? You need to think on your feet.

LOGICAL LEGAL DISCLAIMER: Trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Negative publicity is neither intended nor possible (no readers!) with this post.

Plan Hazy, Plan General

I have a plan. A plan for everything, no matter what. And, it's worthless.

There are just too many things that are out of control, too many unknowns. Shit will happen yes, but you cannot possibly know of what consistency!

So, realize that your plan is just a plan and not more important than what's actually happening around you. Realize that your Plan was just a figment of your imagination at an earlier point of time when you didn't know what was gonna happen. Plans are based on inaccurate estimates of an unknown future.

Plan Hazy, Plan General. Things will be ready when the time is ripe, and not sooner. Especially in creative endeavors, omni-plans more often than not will kill the goose.

A plan gives you a sense of importance and provides you an illusion of control. "No matter what happens, I know what to do"

Plans also give you something to put the blame on. "I failed because things didn't go according to plan." Re-read... "I failed" - that was probably the key and more true part of that statement. Things rarely, if ever, go according to plan. And if they do, then it is because you over-estimated and over-allocate something somewhere.

Time-bound plans based on sequential completion of minute tasks are the worst of all. There are people who plan like I will drink water at 10, pee at 12, drink again at 1230, pee again at 230 and so on... because they "know" that it takes 2 hours for that process. This is no way to live! You drink when you are thirsty and when you can, and pee when you wanna go and you can. Such micro-planning piles on the pressure unnecessarily and causes errors and unnecessary disappointment.

But still, people overplan - plan to a granularity that borders on the ridiculous. First A happens, then B happens, then C, then D... What exacerbates the situation is when you associate deadlines with each of them. (hmm.. interesting word...dead..line..) Isn't it enough that A,B,C,D.. happen? Why worry about the order in which they happen?

Take things as they come. Take stock and do what's possible. You can run but you can't hide from reality. You can track everything but you can't plan. Beware the OmniPlan! Beware even more the OmniMicroPlan!

- Thomas Jay Cubb
(Thanks to Grasshopper Madhu for raising the question: What should I do now? Nothing's going according to plan)

Insignificance

Here is a bitter pill to swallow:
"If not you, it's just another you."

Special Creatures
We are born and grow up thinking we are special. However, the blunt truth is that you were born out of an accidental collocation of random elements. Momma's blue-eyed boys keep hearing things like "you are so cute!", "that was superb" even when things were anything but! Hear something repeatedly enough and you start to believe, even the impossible.

The programming of self-belief is actually a survival tactic that is wired in to our genes; the world needs us to survive for otherwise there will be no world! :) If you were to confront the truth of your utter insignificance too early in life, you definitely would not survive for too long; the world needs its assholes. Of course, there is this possibility (very improbable, since most of us have to be average) that you, in fact, are very special and you need that self-belief to deliver your goods; the world needs your output (not you, I have to remind). It just increases the odds.

My Way Or...
We refuse to accept the randomness and illogicality of it all; we need to feel special. Realize that there might be no higher purpose, there might be no meaning, and there is nothing you can do about it, nobody even cares. So, we invent benevolent (someone who cares), anthropomorphic (someone like our special selves) gods and say that Ours is the One True Way. What we are really doing is worshiping ourselves (Our Selfs) to feel happiness and comfort.

..The HighWay
Hinduism, insofar as I know such things, is the only faith and embraces the concept and truth of insignificance. It accepts multiple faiths, even atheism :) There are many gods and you are free to worship the gods of your choice, and in the way that you choose to. Even the gods pray to other gods...

My interpretation of this - polytheistic tolerance is possible only if you accept the fact that what you believe in doesn't really change anything. Do what you need to, to feel happy and good about yourself, while you're here. You are insignificant in the universal scheme of things. The universe goes on with or without you.

Cubbism
Accept the truth and the reality of your insignificance. The sooner you do this, the sooner you will find happiness. Happiness is the absence of conflict.

End Pillow
So, your account was hacked, eh? At least, somebody thought you were important enough and that you had important secrets! The more plausible explanation is less comforting: that you were just one among the people the hacker chose in order to establish his significance! Hey, but he chose you, didn't he?

MMA2 Song

Song written about work, Hindi verse.
Sung to the tune of "Socha Hai" from Rock On

==================
M M A 2 (Hindi)
Dhamas Jekab
=================

(26) Yes Franck!

Rambouillet se aati callein
Franck farmaaye Haan kar daalein
Khoon paseena sahi.
Leavon ki hai bas to khwabein
Lambi hoti jaati raatein
Build hota kyon nahin

Museebaton se ham na darein
Kaarnamon se timesheet bharein
Baat banta hain yoon
Apne apne modules liye
Namumkin ko mumkin kiye
Sun hi lo kuch stereo

M M A 2 . . . Project ka naam hai
M M A 2 . . . Haan tujhe kaam hai
M M A 2 . . . Kiya nahin to karo abhi

Janvari ya farvari
Behte hai sab delivry
Khoon paseena nahin.
USB se gaane sun lo
MP3 ya WAV bhi chun lo
Bajta hai sab audio

M M A 2 . . . Conti ka jaan hai
M M A 2 . . . Mistral ka shaan hai
M M A 2 . . . Suna nahin to suno abhi

Sannata sunayi nahin deta
Aur kharabi dikhayi nahi deta
Neeche hai sab kabhi
M C I P Queue!

(bridge)

Rambouillet se aati callein
Franck farmaaye Haan kar daalein
Khoon paseena nahin.
USB se gaane sun lo
MP3 ya WAV bhi chun lo
Bajta hai sab audio

Museebaton se ham na darein
Kaarnamon se timesheet bharein
Baat banta hain yoon.
Aansoon hai behlana kyon
Euro behte aatein to
Sun hi lo kuch stereo

M M A 2 . . . Conti ka jaan hai
M M A 2 . . . Mistral ka shaan hai
M M A 2 . . . Suna nahin to suno abhi

(x 2)

================================================