Are There Times When You Feel Unhappy, Dissatisfied and Anxious With Yourself?

Are there times in your life when you feel unhappy with your not so high or even decent position in the society, little or minimal power in your possession and the small, shallow, and not so deep purse that you carry?

Are there times in your life when you feel dissatisfied with what you have achieved or rather failed to achieve and who you have eventually come to become?

Are there times in your life when your feel anxious about the fact that you don't have many years to live and something bad may happen and derail your life and what is going to happen with you and in your life in the future?

Did you answer "yes" to all the three questions above?

If yes, that means you are a normal person.

You could be that common man one would very often come across on the streets outside and most other public places.

So why do you feel unhappy, dissatisfied, and anxious at times?

And why does almost everyone feel unhappy, dissatisfied, and anxious at times?

The answer lies in the fact that you are living your life assuming, quite mistakenly, that you ought to have some purpose in life.



And when that purpose is not met or poorly met, you will tend to feel unhappy, dissatisfied and anxious.

When you fail to achieve the purpose that you think you were born to achieve in our life, you end up thinking that the very reason for you to live is no longer there.

Hence, the feeling of being unhappy, dissatisfied, and anxious.

Let us talk a little more about the purpose of life.

The question "what is the purpose of life" is not the right question.

The right questions are:

"Why should life have a purpose?".

“Why should anyone and more so the nature be bothered about someone's life having a purpose?”

All animals are born, live through their life and eventually die.

Nature does not care who is born, who is alive and who is dead.

One animal has made it look like as if he is an exception to the above rule.

And that animal is human being.

Humans think their life is special and it ought to have some purpose.

Nature does not think so at all.

For nature all life is same.

A human life is no different or special than the life of any other animal.

If all human beings were to die at this very instant, the universe and the cosmos will continue to exist.

If all living beings also were to die at this very instant, the universe and the cosmos will continue to exist.

Sun will shine tomorrow as it is doing it right now and as it did yesterday.

Rivers will flow tomorrow as they are doing it right now and as they did yesterday.

Wind will blow tomorrow as it is doing it right now and as it did yesterday.

We think too much about having a purpose in life.

That thought is the basic reason for being unhappy, dissatisfied and anxious.

The best bet is to keep on doing things without worrying about the grander things like purpose.

This is best explained by Bhagavad Geeta, the sacred, holy, and ancient Hindu text.

You focus on Karma (work and duties) in accordance with Dharma (morals and righteousness) and do not bother about the Phal (results or outcomes).

So, what is the Mantra one should follow?

Do not get trapped by and in the mirage of purpose.

Focus on doing the right things and doing the things right.

Just that much is what truly matters.

Live each day with complete and sole focus on Karma and Dharma.

Also live each day as if it were your last day in the world.

And most certainly, you will be right on that one day which will be your last day.

If you live with no greed for any grander purpose, you will not feel unhappy.

If you live with no greed for any grander purpose, you will not feel dissatisfied.

If you live with no greed for any grander purpose, you will not feel anxious.

Leave purpose behind.

Focus only on following Dharma and doing your Karma.

The rest is all Maya, simply an illusion.

What Happens When You Are Physically Attracted To Someone?

There are several occasions in your life when you get physically attracted to someone.

Someone of the opposite sex, obviously!

There are times when you meet this person only once.

She may be someone you happen to pass by or notice when you are in a market, mall, railway station, airport, bus stand, hospital, clinic, etc.

Or someone you happen to meet with or talk to while traveling, attending a training or conference, social function, etc.

Or someone you happen to catch a glimpse of quite fleetingly while driving through or traveling by a taxi or a cab.

You like her for certain reasons.

You like the twinkle in her eyes.

You like her smile and her teeth when she smiles.

You like her figure and enjoy that when she is passing across.

You like her dressing sense.

You like her body hugging clothes and imagine several things in your head.

You like her tight fitting clothes and imagine several things in your head.

You like her body revealing clothes and imagine several things in your head.

You imagine going to bed with her.

There are, however, times when you meet this person several times.

She could be your neighbour.

Or an office colleague.

Or a member of your team itself.

Or someone superior to you in the office.

Or someone who is your subordinate and who reports into you.

You get to know that she is not married so you also imagine that she could be open and ready for emotional and physical relation with you.

You get to know about her emotional and physical vulnerabilities and develop some feeling and compassion for her.

You go with her on work related trips so that you can be physically close to her.

You imagine making love to her while on such trips.

You like her voice and how she talks.

You wait every day to have a glimpse of her.

You stealthily view the contours of her body as much as you can and relish that a lot.

You try to have as many face to face interactions with her as you can.

You even think of her at times while making love with you wife.

You check her whatsapp profile frequently.

You check her and her friends facebook profile frequently.

You keep a track of her profiles on other social media channels.

You search for her pictures on google.

You download her pictures and keep looking at them.

You also edit and crop her picture.

You enhance and modify her picture to get some sort of vicarious physical pleasure.

You are tempted to do the above, again and again.

You are under some kind of intoxication!

You know it is more of physical and sexual attraction,

You know it is carnal.

You know it is a desire for physical contact that is driven by lust.

You know it is just some kind of infatuation.

You also know you got to be careful with this kind of thing.

And you also know clearly that you could get into trouble if you don't handle it properly.

So you exercise care and caution.

And make sure you keep things only in your mind!

How To Not Only Survive But Thrive While Working From Home?

On the face of it, working from home (WFH) looks to be quite appealing.

After all, WFH brings lot of good things to the table.

Such as:

• One can save lot of time and energy that is spent on commuting to the office and then back home as also other travel required for professional reasons
• One can transition from workspace to personal space almost instantaneously so anyone staying far away from their office is back home the very moment she shuts down the office laptop!
• One can spend more time at home and with their family, spouse and children and even pets
• One can stay away from office gossips and several unproductive activities that one may have to willy-nilly indulge in while at the office
• One can take care of certain simple and quick household chores at home during the work time which would have not been possible if one were working at the office
• One can find it easier to schedule meetings since meeting room availability is not an issue in the virtual world
• One can tend to feel more equal to others since the size of one's cubicle or cabin at the office becomes irrelevant and everyone is just a circle on the screen with some initials or an image! 

However, WFH comes with its own set of challenges and pitfalls too.

Here are some of the major ones:

• Lack of social and emotional connect with your colleagues
• Thin line between work time and personal time
• Blurring of work environment and personal space as personal space provides the physical aspect of work environment for performing work in the virtual mode
• Too much and very frequent disruption while working
• Strain on eyes due to excessive time spent in front of the laptop screen
• Adverse impact on physical well-being since
• The physical venue of every virtual meeting is the same every time - in front of the laptop!
• There is not much walking to do to reach the office cafeteria, one might as well be working just next to the dining table in one's home
• There is not much walking to do to reach the office washroom, one might as well be working just next to the washroom in one's home
• There is not much walking down the office corridors to visit a colleague's cubicle or cabin and of course no corridor conversations are possible!
• Adverse impact on mental well-being since
• The interactions with your colleagues become lesser
• The interactions, if and when they happen, typically tend to be highly work-centric
• The socializing done in virtual mode has severe limitations 

So how does one not only survive but thrive while working from home?



Here are some ideas and points that may be of great use:

• Develop empathy for your office colleagues:
• Expect to overhear a colleague's family and children on certain occasions while you are having a meeting with her
• Calibrate your management style, in case you manage people:
• Focus on deliverables and outcomes and not on hours
• Maintain close watch on who will do what and by when
• Invest time to understand the person behind the team member
• Keep the team motivated
• Exhibit patience:
• Take it easy when someone is late by a couple of minutes, occasionally, as virtual meeting may also overshoot beyond its planned end time
• It is easy to overshoot in virtual meetings because there is no one waiting outside the virtual room for the next meeting!
• Stay physically healthy:
• Get up and go away from your laptop once in a while as possible and move your body, stretch it a little bit and also relax your eyes
• Take care of your eyes and fingers since in the virtual world, your eyes and your fingers become the most important organs of your body to navigate your way through!
• Stay mentally healthy:
• Call the colleagues with whom you have good personal equations occasionally
• And as you do so avoid using the official channel, call on their personal number from your personal number
• Spend some time on yoga and meditation and mental relaxation exercises to stay calm, relaxed and focused
• Take leaves occasionally when you are totally away from your laptop, which is the gate to the office in the virtual world!
• Develop empathy for your family:
• Remember they need to do much more than the usual to take care of your needs as you are at home
• Don't forget that your family is not used to seeing you so much and in some sense you are barging upon their routine when you are working from home!

How Conferences, Conventions or Conclaves Get Organized in Reality?

Organizing any conference, convention or conclave involves several interesting facets.

There is much more to it than what the facade of the marketing messages that go out will make you think is the case.

The organizers typically serve the same dish on the same old, but cleaned yet again, plate.

Generally, the same standard phrase is used every time.

Attending this event is a great opportunity.

As if there is nothing better to do than attending that event.

Very funny.

And quite ridiculous.

The exact way in which the above is conveyed will be different though.

And that's a big relief.

You will also often hear other statements too.

• you will get a chance to showcase your work
• you will get to listen to the gurus
• you will get to learn from others
• you will enhance your professional network
• And blah, blah, blah and what not.

There are several facets that would, however, strike you bluntly and conspicuously, when you analyse the organization of the conferences, conventions or conclaves!

Here are some of the interesting facets which are admittedly quite concerning too.

Money Smells Good

The main objective of the organizers behind the event is to generate revenues. 

Whatever the subject be, cash is always king. 

That's right.

Bang on. 

Remember, organizing events is akin to doing business. 

The primary driver for organizations and bodies that organize events is to earn revenues.

It is an important part of their business model.

Even the not-for-profit organizations and bodies suffer from the same greed and are desperately interested in generating surplus funds.

The learning aspect is important but that's not the reason any event gets organized. 

The real hidden agenda is to make money.

Jury Knows Not Much

Getting jury in case the event requires that is done in an interesting manner.

Generally, those known to the members of the organizing committee are roped in.

Their appropriateness and competency are no big deal.

If they are even remotely related to the event's topic and are available, they are excellent choices.

The jury members would typically have good things to say related to their own learning and experience being a jury.

The real hidden agenda is to get the kick from seen as an expert by others irrespective of the level of expertise.

Lofty Folks Rule

The lofty folks are those key people who are generally the founder and co-founders and will be there in almost all events.

So how they can be missed out in a conference, convention or conclave?

They will have speaking slots and will talk some non-sense in the name of sharing gyan.

These self-styled gurus and loyalist-proclaimed gurus will share mundane and arcane ideas full of complete fluff and gas.

These people rule their little knitted world. 

The lofty folks talk about lofty ideas and lofty things.

The real hidden agenda is to feed their inflated egos and to feel on top of the world.

Loyal Stooges Dance

The core people in the organizing committee are long timers and loyalists of the key people who matter in the organization or body which is organizing the event. 

The core people in the affiliated bodies are "more loyal than the king" and will lie prostrate and dance as asked by the lofty folks. 

They will call the lofty folks in even those events where their presence is not really needed. 

Other than the lofty folks, the core people and some outsiders in such organisations, the overall participation in the events may be quite dismal.

The loyalists in the primary organization and affiliated bodies like chapters, etc. will be in complete awe of these self-styled and loyalist-proclaimed gurus.

The loyal stooges show that they are committed volunteers for a larger cause and next in line to join the lofty folks.

The real hidden agenda is that they want to use their visibility in external forums for getting recognised in their own organizations.

In addition, there are some of the loyal stooges who are like mercenaries.

These folks are typically trainers and consultants.

Their real hidden agenda is to showcase themselves as experts to the delegates and try to garner some more business subsequently.

Ring Master Controls Circus

The ring master is a special character who is in awe of the lofty folks.

He is the selected one, selected carefully based on his servility and loyalty to the lofty folks!

After all he gets his salary from them.

He seems to be the one who controls the circus.

He is the declared ringmaster but is the joker in the circus.

He does funny and stupid things.

He works in the background and gets many things done without much transparency.

He is also part of the loyal stooges’ group.

Any word from the lofty folks or loyal stooges is taken up by him without any communication or information.

He is driven by whimsical notions like we have the target to have one event every month.

However, he has a rudimentary approach to doing things.

While some events will be in conceptualization phase and some in execution phase he would conveniently forget (or rather lacks the competence to understand) that all this should happen as part of an overall plan.

The ring master is also the chief loyal stooge and is there to feel important and justify his existence in that organization or body.

His real hidden agenda is to serve his masters, the lofty folks, with complete loyalty and ensure continuity of his pay.

The Outsiders Observe

These people are misfits in that organization or body.

They join the organization or body based on genuine passion and love for the subject.

They participate in organizing events like conference, convention or conclave so that they can contribute in some manner.

But very quickly, they get disillusioned with the hypocrisy and hollowness of the lofty folks, the loyal stooges and the circus ring master.

The lofty folks have a hidden agenda.

The loyal stooges have a hidden agenda.

The circus ringmaster has a hidden agenda.

The jury members have a hidden agenda,

The body or organization conducting the conference, convention or conclave also a hidden agenda.

The outsider doesn't have any.

He simply watches.

And chuckles at what is going on around him.

He is amused at the circus he has become a part of.

Over time, he starts enjoying it.

Over time, he feels at ease with the lofty folks, loyal stooges and the ring master.

He gets to know soon that he is not part of organizing a small c - conference, convention or conclave.

He is a part of the big C - the Circus being run in the name of not only that conference, convention or conclave but also that body or organization itself!

And there are many more conferences, conventions or conclaves to come.

He knows circuses are meant to be observed with an amusing outlook.

And also enjoyed for its comedians and their comical acts!

The next conference, convention or conclave is not far away.

So better chuckle.

And have a great time.

The Curse of Long Service Awards in Lala Companies is but a Grim Reminder

Completing several years at a stretch while working with the same organization is generally viewed as a milestone of sorts by any employee.

Most, if not all, organizations recognize their employees for long association by giving out long service awards.

Award for completing 3 years, 5 years, 10 years, 15 years, 20 years and even more are quite common and popular in the corporate world.

However, from the standpoint of career growth, whether getting long service award is really an achievement or not is a matter of debate.

If you are working in a professional company, then there are high chances that this milestone will be an achievement too.

And if you have worked with a high degree of passion and diligence, you will see some career growth.

However, if you are working in a lala company, then the story is going to be entirely different.

An employee may have stayed very long in a lala company simply because she had no other option.

In several cases, an employee in such companies will end up becoming "unemployable".

And would not be competent enough to get another job outside in another organization.

In fact, the employee might have gotten herself into a cookie jar which is about to get empty.

She may now be the proverbial rat in the rat race with additional complications:

• She has crossed the point of no return in her career and her speed is so high that aborting take-off is no longer an option available to her
• She is also fast approaching the end of the runway of her career and she is rapidly running out on the length of the runway!
• She will eventually be reaching a position where she can't get anything outside and she can't leave, and hence, she is totally stuck.

So, she will gradually accumulate years.

First, she will get 3 years’ service completion award.

Then 5 years’ service completion award.

And then 10 years’ service completion award.

And then also some more.

This will go on and on till she retires, or the company shuts down or the lala company owners shunt her out unceremoniously.

Getting long service award in a lala company is nothing less than a grim reminder.

Grim reminder about the fact that:

• Your career is stuck and there is no scope for any further real professional growth
• You will need to tolerate the lala and his stooges for several more years to come
• You are now totally unemployable and need to hold on strongly to what you are doing
• You are in a precarious situation as far as attaining financial freedom is concerned
• You are going to live for some more time at the mercy of the lala and his stooges

That way, long service awards are like a curse.

The funny thing is, you need to react to them with forced happiness.

You might get into a meeting with the top lalas and his stooges where everyone congratulates you.

You say thanks for the wishes and all.

However, you are not happy.

Not at all.

You have no choice either.

You show you are happy.

You have no choice on that either.

And even if unwillingly, you have to become a part of the drama played out in the name of longevity and loyalty.

That’s the true hallmark of a lala company.

Longevity and loyalty only matter.

Drama around longevity and loyalty matter the most.

That’s a sad thing.

But that’s what it is.

Take it or leave it.

You collect the award even as you look at it not as an award.

It is nothing short of a curse.

The curse which is but a grim reminder.

You also realize you are stuck and you not getting out or going anywhere.

You gather yourself.

And you get ready and mentally prerpared for the next one.

For the next long service award.

For a bigger curse.

And a bigger grim reminder the next time. 

Big Bs You Should Avoid

How you carry yourself and how you conduct your affairs is an important attribute of your overall personality.

There are some personal traits that you should always avoid.

Interestingly, these attributes start with the same letter B!

These Big Bs are to be strictly avoided if you want people to like you.

Remember, on their own, no one would tolerate or accept these Big Bs.

Here is the list of the Big Bs you should avoid, always.

• Bulldoze
• Bully
• Bargain
• Blackmail
• Badger

And here is what they mean and what they indicate about your personal traits.

Bulldoze:

• clear (ground) or destroy (buildings, trees, etc.) with a bulldozer
• This is the tendency to not let others express their views and thoughts and impose your whims and fancies on them. 

Bully: 

• seek to harm, intimidate, or coerce someone perceived as vulnerable
• This is the tendency to try to dominate others and make them feel intimidated of you so that they fall in line and follow your instructions.

Bargain: 

• negotiate the terms and conditions of a transaction or an agreement between two or more parties as to what each party will do for the other
• This is the tendency to make someone follow your wish by offering them some temptations by evoking their weakness for something.

Blackmail: 

• the action of demanding payment or another benefit from someone in return for not revealing compromising or damaging information about them
• This is the tendency to force someone to follow your instructions by creating a situation where that person is left with no choice but to obey you.

Badger: 

• repeatedly ask (someone) to do something; pester
• This is the tendency to bug and bother someone by asking them the same thing again, and again and yet again.

Where Coterie Rules, Only Loyalty and Egos Matter, Not Competency and Merit

Many companies are infested with the coterie culture.

There is a small group of "yes sir" folks who are stooges of the top man.

They form a spider-web full of and stinking badly of secrecy, conspiracy, conceit and insecurity.

Spider-Web of Coterie Culture

These people share secretive interests and agendas, especially one that is exclusive of other people.

This set of idiotic dogs form an evil syndicate to propagate and promote one-upmanship in accordance with the directions of their master.

The master checks on the loyalty quotient by very often throwing the ball away, lifting the dirty ring finger and saying, "go, fetch". 

The stooges try like buffoons to outrun each other to get the ball back to their common master.

These selected stooges are trained to remain that way.

Some of them think they are too smart for their own boots.

But easily forget that a dog doesn't need a boot!

This inner circle of stooges carries huge egos and thinks of themselves as privileged lot.

It is quite ironical that the top man and stooges talk as if they are fair and genuine.

A little scratching of the top surface brings up the dirty insides of the inner circle.

The stooges send stupid and utterly non-sensical e-mails.

This coterie creates artificial reporting lines in the organization where only loyalty and egos matter.

Not competency and merit.

Not at all.

Nada.

They create roles and titles and designations and what not to perpetuate the system of idiocy they have put together in the circus they call company!

Professional management thrives in and creates a professional organization.

Similarly, professional organization promotes and creates a professional management.

They together create a professional culture.

But in a company infested with comical stooges, the first, unfortunate casualty is professionalism.

And out of the door goes professional culture.

What you get at the end is a Lala organization.

Irony is, this inner circle thrives by maintaining an air of exclusivity due to their closeness to the centre of power in the organization.

They, in a very sickening manner, regard themselves as elitist and defend their untenable and vulnerable position by being secretive.

They write stupid e-mails.

In such a company competency and merit means a zilch.

In such a company titles, designation and even roles means nothing.

They are simply adornments on the dirty walls of the organization.

They form a dirty circle, an evil group of people with shared agendas, interests and acquaintances.

This dirty inner circle pretends to be an exclusive group close to the centre of power in the organization, and is viewed elitist and secretive, in a completely evil sense.

These people are a part of the clique, a small close-knit group of egotists and loyalists who do not allow others to join them.

This set of people is merely a crowd linked by a common hidden evil agenda or interest.

It is more like a gang of imbeciles and evil retards who regularly associate together.

 

In reality, everyone knows they these people are like a pack of wild hyenas, who don't know how to really hunt but stay together to scavenge in a group.

They show as if they are part of the crew but are part of a tribal clan or a dirty club.

Sometimes they come across as a secret sect due to their unprofessional beliefs and actions which can be regarded as non-transparent, unfair and even dangerous.

These people are in the same camp and support the same top dog collectively.

The obnoxious cell comprising of the stooges in such companies is a small group forming a nucleus of unprofessional activity, typically a secret, subversive one.

These folks act like a caucus where they form a dirty group within an organization which meets independently in secret to discuss the trivia.

Caucus is supposed to discuss the strategy or tactics.

But the stooges are totally incompetent to discuss such things.

What they are good at, and very unfortunately, is spreading an air of exclusivity about themselves.

What they are also good at is spreading the message of their false sense of fake superiority in the organization.

And what they are also good at is creating a toxic and obnoxious environment in the circus which they proudly call as a company.

Essentially, these folks are toxic by nature.

They create a spider-web of toxicity.

And in the end, they create a toxic culture.

 

Untimely Death by Suicide of a Young and Talented Outsider

Just a few days ago, a young and talented actor in the Indian film industry died by suicide.

This untimely death is apparently a case of an outsider quitting the game of life after getting deeply hurt and frustrated by the dirty politics of the "insider club".

The Outsider versus the Insider Club

His death is not only untimely but also a wake-up call for every industry and every organization.

Every organization and every industry has its rules.

Unfortunaterly, most of the important rules that truly matter always remain unspoken and unwritten.

One of them happens to be the ill-treatment, subtle or otherwise, of the outsiders.

There is this "insider club" whose membership is strictly restricted to the previleged ones.

There is a secret pact between insiders, who are the high and the mighty and the well-connected in the game!

Those who are well-connected get access to exciting opportunities and offers from the other insiders in that organziation and also that industry.

The well-connected get their first work related break and subsequent chances also quite easily without much sweat and much effort.

Eventually, the insiders become self-appointed gatekeepers and very consciously and maliciously ererct a formidable barrier for the outsiders.

The way outsiders are treated by the insiders reeks of the insiders' blatant hyprocrisy, discrimination, shallowness and arrogance.

Some organizations are infected more with this kind of sick and toxic culture.

The head of such an organization and those in the "insider club" try to create the fake facade of the organization as one big happy family.

But beneath the shining facade there are deep cracks and gaping holes.

Ultimately, it’s each to their own.

And outsiders are under constant threat for their very survival.

When you work in such an organization you know your future is at the whim of the top dog there, the proverbial ringmaster of the circus that organization actually is.

Most outsiders keep on struggling but survive and stay alive.

Some outsiders are able to withstand the discrimination and humilation and are able to make a mark for themselves.

And that happens despite the fact that the sharks of the "insider club" in such an organization try their best to stop the outsiders from moving up the ladder.

Some of the outsiders not only survive and succeed but move very high up to become an insider.

And unfortunately, they end up joining the "insider club" and start doing the exact bad things they vehemently hated when they were not a part of it.

But, come what may, some outsiders never become insiders. 

They are simply shown around the inside, and howsoever talented and deserving they migt be, they are never offered a seat on the high table.

So somtimes, it is possible that an outsider might say, "enough is enough".

And they decide to "quit" the game of work they are engaged in, which is better.

Or at times, the game of life itself, which, from a philosophical, moral and ethical standpoint, is not really a good thing to do.

It hard to say whethere dying by choice through suicide is an act of strength or an act of weakness.

What is not hard to say is that the culture and work environment which led to that is certainly a sick and toxic one.

The person who has departed will never come back.

It is also true that those who were instrumental in creating a sick and toxic culture and work environment for the departed person will also not be there forever.

They will also need to depart one day.

And that day is not as far away as they think it might be.

It could be the next week.

Or the next day,

Or maybe the very next hour.

So they ought to be ready.

The famous English proverb "you reap what you sow " may or may not come true.

And the "insider club" may never get the punishment for their acts.

The departed may never get poettic justice for what happended to him and why he chose to depart the way he did or was perhaps forced to go that way.

However, those in the "insider club" will carry a stained conscience to their death-bed if that means anything.

There are many more "outsiders" out there who are struggling and still managing to survive.

God bless them and given them the stength and hope to carry on.

God bless the departed too, those outsiders who chose to quite.

May their soul rest in peace.

God bless those in the "insider club" also for they too shall pass.

And when the time comes, may their souls rest in peace too!

Some People Don’t Live Up To Their Own Word

Some people lie, plain and simple.

Some people lie more than the others.

Some people tell a white lie.

Some people sound vey genuine but are like wolves in the sheep’s clothing.

Some people make you think that there are still some gentlemen left in this world.

Some people give you a ray of hope that things are not all dark.

Some people make you want to believe in the goodness of human race.

Some people make you feel humanity is still alive and kicking, albeit it may be half-dead.

Some people are cunning to the core and lie without any feeling of fear and remorse.

Some people take you on the path where you believe things are all rosy and then it turns out that the roses are all gone leaving the thorns behind.

Some people are habitual liars and wily creatures.

Some people are well-versed in the dirty art of manipulation.

Some people give you their word and then then fail to live up to it.

Some people can sleep in night with a bad conscience.

Some people have misfortune befall them on account of their own evil acts.

Some people loose more than they save by lying.

Some people get into trouble as a result of their own bad “karma”.

Some people might be elated at their acting smart but in the end bring ruin upon themselves.

Some people cheat you without any feeling that what they are doing is wrong,

Some people get punished because they trouble others.

Some people deserve to be punished because they cheat others.

Some people make you lose your trust on the inherent and innate goodness of living beings.

Some people choose to embracer misery and despair by doing bad unto others.

Some people are simply bad.

Some people are crooks and do things which they should not do.

Some people do bad things and then simply must wait for bad things happen to them.

Some people get punished because they lie.

Some people tell a white lie.

Some people lie more than the others.

Some people lie, plain and simple.

Some people don't live up to their own word.

How Lala Companies Manage Things During a Crisis?

Lala companies are unique in a way that can make you sick, very sick.

During the times of a crisis, especially, their hollowness shines through clearly.

Though if one were attentive enough one can easily and clearly see their hollowness even during the normal times too.

In Lala companies., during any crisis, the hypocrisy and the hollowness are generally on a blatant display and in a much bigger way.

The effort is to stage-act the impression that the affairs are being managed in a seasoned and sensitive manner.

However, things happen in an absolute non-transparent manner.

There is a freeze on hiring but the communication around that is hazy and ambiguous.

The height of idiocy is such that hiring for open positions in a certain department are put on hold without consulting or informing the actual head of that department about the same.

Simply because, that head of department is a professional and not a part of the group of stooges in the company.

The ridiculous part is that the lala company is structured in a way that only the stooges get to know what is going on.

The stooges are insecure of their positions since they lack real competence, maturity and depth of thinking and can save themselves only by protecting their exclusive turf.

Hence true professionals in many senior positions in the company are kept in dark, and the silly stooges take decisions and run the company like a comedy show.

Things and communications are done or not done since the stooges do not know what needs to be done and what not.

For example, there is no communication related to the the yearly ritual of promotions and increments.

The fate of the yearly process related to promotions and increments is left to the imagination of the poor employees.

The employees are let to figure out and speculate on not only the above but many other things too.

After all, the employees have no where to go during the times of such a crisis.

So why bother?

In professional companies, on the other hand, there is a crystal clear and transparent communication on such matters and on related matters like job cuts, pay cuts, hike freeze or deferral, furloughs (mandatory leave without pay), etc.

The HR head in a Lala company is a pet dog of the top people and wags her tail when told to and as told to.

The key strategic  competency of the HR person at the helm is his ability to serve as a henchman.

This man is an anti-thesis of professionalism and strategic thinking.

He is an expert manipulator and extremely versed with the principles of hollowness and hypocrisy.

The top man and his stooges act as if they are the most brilliant managers the corporate world has ever seen.

They send out self-congratulatory messages mentioning their genius in anticipating the crisis and managing it better than the entire world!

They write condescending e-mails saying they did a great job.

They write silly e-mails highlighting simple tasks as significant accomplishments.

The mails written to all employees seem to excessively focus on enhancing personal connect and employee safety whereas another set of emails within a select group in the Lala company focus only on productivity of delivery and operations.

Why such a disconnect?

Looks like a general employee is assumed to be dumb whereas every employee these days has enough information at his disposal to see the chalk from the cheese.

Again duplicity and non-transparency are the key tools used to manage the affairs.

In professional companies, on the other hand, the e-mails written to all employees do focus on business continuity as much as they focus on personal connect and employee safety.

Professional companies treat their employee as equal partners in managing the crisis and hence assume that every employee knows business continuity is as important as employee safety if not more.

The Lala companies carry a condescending and patriarchal view that the top man and the stooges are the ones who are obliging others by taking care of them.

They fail to understand that this thought process reeks of hypocrisy and immaturity and professional companies treat their employees with maturity as equal partners in crisis management.

Alas, the Lala companies will never change.

The whole idea of creating an organization structure where loyalty and being a stooge is regarded as a core competency will never allow a Lala company to truly transform itself.

Once a Lala company and forever a Lala company.

One can only hope and pray that the Lala companies survive all and every crisis for a very simple reason.

The flaws and follies of the top man and his stooges should not impact the others.

The top dog and his pets can go to hell.

And they, in fact, deserve to go that way.

However, the employees in such companies deserve dignity and continuity of income.

They should not suffer.

The Manipulative Management

Another day.

Another e-mail.

Another nincompoop.

The same kind of crap and junk though.

Some companies believe in manipulation as the primary and the only tool of management.

They fail to realize that their manipulation is a direct and big give away though they would pretend it to be otherwise and think of their "cheap manipulation tactics" as a strategic act.

Act it is, but a completely silly one, and not strategic at all.

Other than these nincompoops who can see clearly but are in a denial mode, all others can see across and through their manipulation, just like one can clearly see across and through a piece of glass.

In the times of crisis and unprecedented situations, the real face of the leadership vacuum rears its ugly but true head.

You get to see who is in the coterie and who is not.

In the name of top management, many nonsensical things are taken up and taken ahead.

The nincompoops send mails one by one.

There is zero transparency and no prior information that is shared with anyone else outside the coterie before the chosen nincompoop sends the email.

The coterie is a like a secretive club of the insiders who all think highly of themselves though they are as lowly as anyone can ever be.

The crisis is used to make the nincompoops show their worth and importance.

It unfortunately ends up showing the other and opposite picture.

The flaws in the reporting structure also come out very clearly.

The communications provide detail of how great each of the nincompoop is.

And not only that but also how competent, efficient and energetic each one of them is.

It looks like, they are the ones who make not only the company but the entire country run.

The messaging is not only totally crass and silly but it smells badly of the high command structure which is firmly in place where the circus ringmaster is in full control of the clowns.

There is a dangerous pattern to all of it.

No is one is actually looking for the unwanted messages but they are sent nevertheless.

In such a company, the top man is the nincompoop number 1.

There are some more nincompoops who are actually like dogs wagging their wicked tails very swiftly in front of the nincompoop number 1.

Some times, some one else outside of the old boys club can be asked to do some silly stuff including writing a e-mail to promote the agenda of the top man.

The forced nincompoop has no choice to be a nincompoop.

Since no one questions the nincompoop number 1.

The permanent nincompoops are there because of only one thing - blind loyalty to the nincompoop number 1.

So if you are told be a temporary nincompoop you will have to do the same silly stuff that you would otherwise detest.

Be careful about that.

Keep an eye on what can happen.

The chance to be a forced nincompoop is very much there.

Be ready to get a taste of manipulative management.

And best of luck so that you get some positive motivation to survive the nonsensical things.

Stay alert.

Stay prepared.

And stay afloat.

The PQRSTUV of Bad Management

Bad management has a name.

Let us call it as PQRSTUV.

P stands for someone who would just piss you off and someone who is a silent conspirator with a deeply flawed Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde character.

Q stands for something about the company which would constantly quiz you.

R stands for someone who is sick and slimy and is, at the core, really a piece of stinking shit.

S stands for something about the company which would constantly shudder you.

T stands for someone who is stupid and silly like an ass and is a dog-like slave to his wily masters.

U stands for something about the company which would constantly upset you.

V stands for someone conceited and full of false pride and the wrong impression about being great when one is not even good.

The PQRSTUV of bad management is a sad reality in the small-sized, coterie-driven, lala-type companies.

These companies are managed by an old boys club and the PQRSTUV is really about those in the old boys club and about their attitudes and actions.

When you work in such a sick company some thoughts will quite often cross your mind.

How with presence of the PQRSTUV of bad management this company is still there?

How with such people at the helm this company is still around?

Perhaps, the eight wonder of the world.

Or rather the first wonder of the corporate world! 

Another Year, Another Sequence of Annual Events and Some More Precious Time Wasted

Another year has gone by.

And yet another, but same, sequence of rituals of annual company meet, annual company party, annual company off-site, annual awards, etc. just got over.

It is hard to say what was actually gained at the end of it.

One thing is clear though - some more precious time got wasted.

It is the same bloody shit that has been going on, year after year.

The same exact drama unfolded, once again, in exactly the same bloody sequence.

The clowns again led the show.

And blabbered about their greatness and the greatness of their creation in a drunken stupor.

The stooges meekly went behind the chief clowns in the same, stupid condescending manner.

More standardized list of awards were handed out again - best team, best individual contributor, best manager, best this, best that and what not.

The awards were handed over like lollipops given by the masters to the servants.

There were lot of claps.

There was lot of food.

And yes, there were drinks too sponsored by the owner-masters for all the employee-slaves.

The old boys club continued to display the same sense of sick camaraderie.

Those who were not a part of the inner circle were made to feel unwanted one more time.

The objectives, strategies and plans for the next year were drawn up in as mechanical a way as can be possible without much thoughtful consideration to the business needs of the hour.

The next year has now started.

More of the same things have started to happen one more time.

And very soon there will be another year, another sequence of annual events and some more precious time wasted.

And then the year after that.

This will go on and on and on.

Though change is the only constant, the more one changes the more one remains the same.

And that is true for most of the organizations.

Then there is this big question also.

If not this, then what?

Your Car Is Actually An Elephant?

You buy a new car.

And in the first few days, weeks and months you feel quite happy while driving your new car!

You can literally feel the freshness through the distinct smell emanating from the interiors of the car.

You make it a point to drive the car as much as you can.

What's the point in spending 12 Lacs INR in buying a car if you don't drive it as much as you can.

It's simply related to the principle of return on investment!

So you drive the first 1000 Kms in no time and get your 1st free service done.

You then plan to go for a long distance.

You enjoy the thrill of pushing the pedal to let your new car reach high speeds.

You feel elated by the acceleration in speed, especially when overtaking other vehicles on the road.

And then you reach the place you had planned to reach.

You drive locally and enjoy that experience also.

Then one fine morning, as you are driving on one of the roads near the place you are put up, you hear a sharp, quick and loud thud from the left back side of the car while taking a left turn.

After driving the same patch second time, you finally stop the car in front of the place you are put up.

Out of curiosity, you come out of the car.

You get down and out of the car and walk around to the left back side.

And you get a very big and unpleasant shock!

You see that the left back Tyre is totally deflated and the alloy wheel rim is also damaged.

You get a sick sensation passing through your entire being.

Oh my God, why this has happened to my new car?

The thought that something bad has happened crosses your mind.

And then somewhere in your head, a very subtle thought also passes through - welcome to the reality.

A new car will become old in some time.

A new car will be hit surely at some point in time.

Even if you drive very carefully, you will meet one or other accident.

You can only pray and hope that those accidents are minor in nature.

Though what kind of an accident you get involved with is not exactly totally under your control.

And then suddenly you think of an elephant.

An elephant will work for you but it needs to be fed regularly.

So is the case with a car.

Today the Tyre is gone, and with that you have lost 5000 INR in a jiffy,

Tomorrow it will be another bad thing that may happen.

Finally, you think about car and about elephant.

Do you have a car?

Is is really a car?

Or an elephant?

Actually, a car is just like an elephant.

You have to be prepared for your car to get dirty, to get damaged and to get "dented" and "dinged".

Just like your existence, the car also has a finite time period on earth.

In any case, the car registration period comes with a "valid till" date.

If you still don't believe that, do visit a nearby old car junk yard.

When you realize the deeper message from the above thoughts, you feel light.

This feeling of lightness is much better than the feeling of freshness you get while driving a new car.

In this materialistic age and world, we are enamored by the style over substance.

You then go back to the basics.

Why did you spend 12 Lacs INR in buying a new car in the first place?

What is the real return on investment you were seeking?

You note couple of things at this point of discovering the true return on investment:

• You bought a new and better car to get a better experience while driving, essentially in terms of features that deliver better vehicle stability & control, safety and comfort.
• You got only those essential accessories that really help
• seat cover (protect your OEM-fitted seats)
• door sill plate (protect door sills)
• car foot mat (protect the OEM-fitted carpet on the car floor). 
• steering wheel cover (enhance grip and protect the OEM steering wheel from sweat, oil and dirt)
• rear view camera (provide better visibility and hence higher safety while reversing your car)
• You realize the car door visor you had got fitted has turned out to be a wastage of money.
• its not really required for de-frosting the windshield and rear glass especially since your car already provides features to take care of both front and rear de-frosting.
• it is also not required for taking outside air into the car cabin in normal circumstances.
• it looks good and that's all there is to it, and spending for this thing is is never a good idea.
• The key thing is to focus on the experience you would get rather than the material that provides the experience.
• And finally, you should not be bogged down and bothered by small things that happen to the "material" part of the car as long as the overall experience is exhilarating.

What the above means is that there is no point in worrying about the Tyre damage or dents or dings.

Damages, dents and dings will keep on happening.

Your car will get dirty and damaged inside too, especially if you have kids, old parents or a wife who is not just totally complacent but uncaring too.

You should do your best to keep your car away from getting dirty, damaged, dented or dinged,

However, do not fret over "material loss to the car body and its various parts" and always remain relaxed to enjoy the "experience of driving a car".

Actually, in that sense, a car is just like an elephant.

You should focus on the experience when riding an elephant while also taking care of the elephant.

Similarly, you should focus on the experience when driving a car while also taking care of the car.

However, in case of a car, too much of focus on car as a "material" is not good.

Otherwise, you should not be driving a car in the first place.

And then what's the point in buying a new car?

Don't forget about the "car material" part but don't get bogged down by it as well.

Do remember about the "car experience" part and enjoy that to the maximum.

Do also be prepared to spend more when you car gets dirty, damaged, dented or dinged.

The above is the "elephant" part of getting the privilege to enjoy the "car experience".

So is your car really a car?

Or is it an elephant?