Everyone, including people living in Nowhereville, Nothingtown know about the incident taken place in the financial capital of India. As a person who fluctuates between an F and a T on the Myers Briggs spectrum, I am forced to look at this situation from both emotions.
An F perspective entails kicking every single muslim out of India. I mean let's face it, they (terrorists) had help on the inside also right? This is a time of war! Rights of citizens need to be curtailed (e.g. a curfew imposed), media reporting restricted, and muslims flushed out of 'HINDU'stan (other religions do not exist in this blog for the sake of simplicity) and then normalcy restored.
But as I said before, a T perspective must follow: India finds the terrorists and puts an end to this particular group. The nation(s) if any, involved in this operation are severely scolded, trade ties severed, and so on and so forth (since a third world war is to be avoided) and promises are elicited to ensure no such further events. The timeline for this can be quite a few years, maybe even a decade. Does India let more innocent lives be sacrificed for the sake of this diplomatic approach? Does this benefit really outweigh the cost?
A part of the F perspective entails flushing Mulsims out of India completely and making it 'HINDU'stan. So, from a T perspective, here are some of the consequences I forsee happening as a result of 'purging' the nation of every single Muslim. India no longer remains secular. Therefore, India incurs the wrath of the UN, and other nations, especially islamic countries. Trade ties are cut off with certain countries. Since every single Muslim is to be flushed out of the country, this includes the former president and the renowned musician. Special treatment cannot be meted out, because we then traverse a slippery slope of who gets to stay and who doesn't. We lose such gems in the nation. However does the benefit of not flushing out muslims from the nation for the sake of keeping innocent and smart muslims such as the aforementioned ones in the nation outweight the cost of breeding these terrorists within the nation? Does the benefit of secularism enjoyed by India outweigh the cost? Is the scolding to be received from the world if India did follow the above course of action worth the benefit of minimising the risk of in-bred terrorists?
Just a cost-benefit analysis to mull over, for that is the way decisions are made - the lowest cost-to-benefit-ratio approach is adopted... right?
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
A word on planning
As an individual who hates who doesn't like being caught off guard, I often wonder about the concept of planning. Personally, I like my 5 year plans. I like knowing that 5 years down the line, I am in a spot that has been planned for earlier and the consequences of everything can be dealt with. Now I have been criticized on two fronts for that. One: My time horizon is too long, a lot could happen between tomorrow and 5 years from now. Two: as sort of a corollary to that, this horizon and this fixed mind frame makes me inflexible.
It is true that many things can change in a 5 year time frame that can offset, nay overthrow, plans. But, to tie in both fronts of the aforementioned argument, I think that planning for various scenarios whether it is a 5 year time frame or a one day period, is arguable the best... methodology... from a personal front. Someone whom I know decides not to plan in that much detail since it's better to live by the minute to allow for flexibility. On the other hand, another person I know likes to plan everything down to every tiny detail because this eliminates uncertainty. By combining these two methods and taking the time out to perform a scenario planning exercise for the next 5 years, you keep the cards of uncertainty at bay, while allowing for the twists and turns of life to be accommodated.
Ofcourse, not all scenarios can be planned for. And perhaps, this is where the biggest flaw lies. But it's the middle ground between absolute flexibility and absolute certainty, as mentioned in the two scenarios above. But, at the end of it all, no matter what your planning style is, isn't it better to pick the option, or a course of action, that will allow you to eliminate uncertainty for as much as foreseeable while providing favorable consequences?
For example, let me provide you details to what I am referring to. A good friend of mine had a chance to go to singapore to study at a prestigious university for his high school years (Grade 9 through 12) on a full scholarship. Upon graduation, he would be provided with excellent odds of getting into Harvard University, USA (and Harvard alone) to continue his undergraduate career. I say odds, since it is dependent on his performance. While his performance did not have to be spectacular, it needed to be good. And mind you, he is capable of spectacular performance. However, the offer to study in Singapore was declined since it meant a charted course for the next 6-8 years and did not allow for flexibility. Is he too young? What if he decided to not study in the USA? What if he did not like Singapore? What if the culture at Harvard did not suit him and he would like to transfer out? Ofcourse these are only some of the questions floating around in his mind as he made this decision.
My answer to this scenario is simple: look at the bigger 10 year picture, suck it up and work hard. The quality of education, the level of possible maturity to be achieved, the brand name of one of the best colleges in the world, all outweigh any of the possible questions he could have had. And it is this planning I am referring to. Plan for many scenarios, but pick one scenario that offers the most benefit versus the risk at the expense of 'flexibility' and proceed. To have rejected this offer is in my mind short sighted and possibly (albeit hopefully not) a career limiting move at the age of 14.
One of the goals in life is to eliminate risk and allow for as much benefit as possible by picking the right charted plan. Right?
It is true that many things can change in a 5 year time frame that can offset, nay overthrow, plans. But, to tie in both fronts of the aforementioned argument, I think that planning for various scenarios whether it is a 5 year time frame or a one day period, is arguable the best... methodology... from a personal front. Someone whom I know decides not to plan in that much detail since it's better to live by the minute to allow for flexibility. On the other hand, another person I know likes to plan everything down to every tiny detail because this eliminates uncertainty. By combining these two methods and taking the time out to perform a scenario planning exercise for the next 5 years, you keep the cards of uncertainty at bay, while allowing for the twists and turns of life to be accommodated.
Ofcourse, not all scenarios can be planned for. And perhaps, this is where the biggest flaw lies. But it's the middle ground between absolute flexibility and absolute certainty, as mentioned in the two scenarios above. But, at the end of it all, no matter what your planning style is, isn't it better to pick the option, or a course of action, that will allow you to eliminate uncertainty for as much as foreseeable while providing favorable consequences?
For example, let me provide you details to what I am referring to. A good friend of mine had a chance to go to singapore to study at a prestigious university for his high school years (Grade 9 through 12) on a full scholarship. Upon graduation, he would be provided with excellent odds of getting into Harvard University, USA (and Harvard alone) to continue his undergraduate career. I say odds, since it is dependent on his performance. While his performance did not have to be spectacular, it needed to be good. And mind you, he is capable of spectacular performance. However, the offer to study in Singapore was declined since it meant a charted course for the next 6-8 years and did not allow for flexibility. Is he too young? What if he decided to not study in the USA? What if he did not like Singapore? What if the culture at Harvard did not suit him and he would like to transfer out? Ofcourse these are only some of the questions floating around in his mind as he made this decision.
My answer to this scenario is simple: look at the bigger 10 year picture, suck it up and work hard. The quality of education, the level of possible maturity to be achieved, the brand name of one of the best colleges in the world, all outweigh any of the possible questions he could have had. And it is this planning I am referring to. Plan for many scenarios, but pick one scenario that offers the most benefit versus the risk at the expense of 'flexibility' and proceed. To have rejected this offer is in my mind short sighted and possibly (albeit hopefully not) a career limiting move at the age of 14.
One of the goals in life is to eliminate risk and allow for as much benefit as possible by picking the right charted plan. Right?
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Media...
I always wondered to what extent, if possible, teenagers and even adults get influenced by movies. And this is not to say they found something cool in the movie, but rather they unknowingly began to imitate the mannerisms, both verbal and non-verbal. I must emphasize the difference between a kid who imitates James Bond because he saw a 'cool' action scene and what I am specifically referring to.
Sometimes, I would look upon research conducted of an 18-19 and possibly even 25 yr olds being influenced by TV Shows as absurd, and possibly something fabricated for the sake of publication. I recently had a few minutes to mull this over and realized that this research is not wholly untrue. I will admit the amount of influence touted by these research publications that TV shows and movies is something I have yet to experience.
I am now convinced that watching media continuously influences to a a significant extent the behavior of individuals and causes noticeable change in their mannerisms. I, myself, have been the 'victim' of these influences. I often find myself gravitating to Dr. Cox and JD on Scrubs simply because I identify with their situation. Lo and behold, the next thing I know, I am speaking as Dr. Cox does and day dreaming as JD does, my sense of humor now involves speaking the way Ali and Ranjit do on Mind Your Language. Ofcourse, these are possibly harmless incorporations of the behaviors of TV... icons, if you will. Yet I cannot help but wonder how many other mannerisms I might have adopted that I am not conscious of. How many of them are subtly bad? How many of them hinder, if not hamper communication skills?
On the flip side, I now have proof (personal, not based on data) that observing the right people can induce positive changes in mannerisms. This is not to say that a stupid person observing and worshipping the acts of the best salesman in the world will be the best salesman/ woman in the world himself/ herself. There is a base personality that can be changed only in the rarest of circumstances, and I really do mean the rarest of circumstances. All it means is that you will subtly begin to reflect the actions and words of those you are constantly surrounded by.
I now well and truly believe this. But this brings a new question into the picture and my thought for today: Do the best hang out only with the best and create rifts in society? Something else to mull over...
Sometimes, I would look upon research conducted of an 18-19 and possibly even 25 yr olds being influenced by TV Shows as absurd, and possibly something fabricated for the sake of publication. I recently had a few minutes to mull this over and realized that this research is not wholly untrue. I will admit the amount of influence touted by these research publications that TV shows and movies is something I have yet to experience.
I am now convinced that watching media continuously influences to a a significant extent the behavior of individuals and causes noticeable change in their mannerisms. I, myself, have been the 'victim' of these influences. I often find myself gravitating to Dr. Cox and JD on Scrubs simply because I identify with their situation. Lo and behold, the next thing I know, I am speaking as Dr. Cox does and day dreaming as JD does, my sense of humor now involves speaking the way Ali and Ranjit do on Mind Your Language. Ofcourse, these are possibly harmless incorporations of the behaviors of TV... icons, if you will. Yet I cannot help but wonder how many other mannerisms I might have adopted that I am not conscious of. How many of them are subtly bad? How many of them hinder, if not hamper communication skills?
On the flip side, I now have proof (personal, not based on data) that observing the right people can induce positive changes in mannerisms. This is not to say that a stupid person observing and worshipping the acts of the best salesman in the world will be the best salesman/ woman in the world himself/ herself. There is a base personality that can be changed only in the rarest of circumstances, and I really do mean the rarest of circumstances. All it means is that you will subtly begin to reflect the actions and words of those you are constantly surrounded by.
I now well and truly believe this. But this brings a new question into the picture and my thought for today: Do the best hang out only with the best and create rifts in society? Something else to mull over...
My First Attempt at a blog
Given the thoughts swirling in my head, I feel the need to pen them, electronically ofcourse! I must indeed warn anyone who reads this that my viewpoints can be offensive. I therefore request you all to read it with some brevity. Finally, I am not the end-all be-all of existence and therefore my viewpoints are just that - my viewpoints, nothing more, nothing less. With this... disclaimer... set forth, let the blogging commence!
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