When communications skills contradict probability

This one is priceless - I'm preparing for my last paper tomorrow - Communications Skills, and came across this: "... With these techniques tactfully utilised the presenter has excellent chances for a successful deal. There are equal chances of failure and the presenter should be prepared for the same..."
So doesn't that mean that there are excellent chances for failure as well?!? ;)

The author needs a few lessons in effective communications skills as well as in probability, doesn't he?

I say a written theory-based paper on Communication Skills is about as effective as trying to teach someone flying a plane via e-mail... Ditto for Marketing, HR, IT, et al.

Far, far away from reality.

Words of wisdom...

...are useless. Sermons serve no purpose. The world is very different from the way most of us imagine it to be.

The relationship seems very simple - if you study regularly, you'll do well. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. A penny saved is a penny earned. What is the common link between these words of wisdom and these simple yet ineffective/useless causal relationships which exist in our head in large numbers, clogging our system? They were all made retrospectively and have hardly helped anyone achieve what they try to convey! Aren't they just mnemonics, helping us remember what we intuitively know to be true? They are useful only to those who are looking for something good to read (or want to be seen as reading something good), which reaffirms their accepted beliefs and helps them maintain that they are sane. Additionally, they give (false) hope to some people about a permanent solution to their chronic problems. After all, who can dispute that if you do study regularly, you'll do well?

What I've been struggling to understand is that in spite of the exceedingly pervasive spread of these 'facts' and their astonishing simplicity, why don't people study regularly and let things pile up? Why don't people who want to improve their general knowledge and awareness to the desired levels end up doing so by reading newspapers daily?

The culprit, I believe is the usual yawning gap between perceived reality and actual reality. These words of wisdom and cause-effect relationships are partial truths painting an incomplete picture; in any case, they are inapplicable directly, are deceptively simple and are firmly in the domain of our perceived reality. To make something work, it needs to come from actual reality, whose complete understanding, I believe is beyond the comprehension of humans. What we can get, at best, is a partial understanding of actual reality.

Let me call an apple an apple and say that most people who regularly go to sermons don't practice most of what is preached over there, and whatever little they do practice, they would've practiced anyway. In our struggle to find the purpose of our existence, initially, we look around ourselves and try to discover ourselves and our 'mandate'. When the time so spent gets engulfed by our circumstances or our routine, our search ceases; buried in us, subdued but not dead. This, I believe, is the root and sole cause of dissatisfaction, viz. when we've 'achieved loads' but aren't sure if this is what we set out to achieve. Perceived reality does not match actual reality.

I believe people don't know what to do with themselves; a state of infinite idle time, if you will. Sadly, everyone thinks that they're supposed to know what to do with it! Most of those who do 'know' what to do with themselves are there by default. Many others just continue doing some randomly chosen activities, build their lives and expectations around it, and then christen it their mandate. This is how most people end up filling-up their idle time.

I believe that there isn't a mandate attached to our existence. To be sure, our basic needs should be met, but that is the extent of it. It's akin to us being born as uninhabited cars - we need the petrol and the gas in the tires to run it, but we're not born with a driver who knows where to take it (Sure, we have a system that innately tells us that we're not supposed to bump into other cars, follow the traffic lights, etc.) For many, circumstances come and dictate the direction to be taken and so become the driver of the car. For others, they start in some randomly chosen direction which may be based on herd mentality, emulation of who they perceived as being worth emulating, parental/social pressure, or maybe based on some arbitrary calculations involving the positions of the sun and the stars, and adopt it as their own...

Something worth noting from the above is that it renders the whole 'fatalism' vs. 'self-determination' argument redundant. Aren't those whose drivers are chosen by circumstances the 'victims of fate'? Similarly, aren't those who have 'chosen' their way of life in some ad-hoc manner people who are 'active and determining the course of their own lives'? Does it matter? Nah! Point is, both have accepted their perceived reality as actual reality, which is where the trouble begins.

The reason why I keep laying so much stress on coming as close to reality as possible is that without doing that, isn't life one big random function without any control? On the contrary, when you are close to actual reality, doesn't life become one with control, predictability and with meaning? (nonetheless retaining its unexplained character, which I believe is commonly known as God)

By the way, think about this - all those people who are universally accepted as being successful or great are those whose perceived reality was closer to actual reality than those whose were not, or the 'average Joes'.

I believe a paradigm shift is called for in which we live our lives - one in which the main emphasis is on making effective plans, in establishing and teaching the causal relationships and replacing the whole 'good-sounding-but-not-useful' talk. A quick review of your favorite teachers, people, events, lectures, books, etc. (in short, anything you have considered worth remembering) is that they all made a difference to you.

This is not a sermon or a theory - it's my perception of reality. Call it my experimentation with reality, if you will. I am miles away from complete 'actual reality', and I know it. But the good part is that I know it, and I know that I have to choose the direction in which I want the driver to take me, based on what is important to me :)

PS: The raison d'etre of this article is twofold:

1. An innocuous line I read in my textbook yesterday while preparing for a paper, which struck me as being symbolic of much of what we hear, read and speak - "Good results can be achieved through a systematic approach to manager development and training". A perfectly true sentence, and perfectly useless as well.
2. My own and a close friend's genuine struggle to understand how to go about discovering your mandate!

A. R. Rahman's music

I wonder if it is just me or everyone else faces the problem of not 'getting' his music directly! The latest addition in a long list is the soundtrack of Guru... The first time I heard it, it sounded average at best. Sometime later, I found myself humming this really enchanting tune, which I later realized is from 'Tere bina' from the same soundtrack. Next up, I see the song 'Barso Re' on TV (with Sir Mani Ratnam's unmistakable and brilliant touch) and my iPod saw the song joining the first one with 5-stars. Barely a week has passed, and I seem to be 'discovering' the rest of the tracks one by one...

I was wondering why this has been happening to me through 'Dil Se', 'Yuva', 'Rangeela', 'Roja', 'Rang De Basanti', 'Swades', 'Lagaan' and almost any other soundtrack churned out by who I consider to be the best composer in India, miles ahead of anyone else. Then it struck me - a distinct pattern among all the hit soundtracks - there's absolutely no pattern, no repetition, no particular genre with which you can club any of his efforts. There is no 'formula'. It is innovation every single time. As with any other form of innovation, it takes time getting used to... Also like any successful innovation, it leaves an indelible mark.

Admittedly, this is not the only method by which one can make eminently lovable music. The trio of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy are doing a great job with the soundtrack of 'Salaam-e-ishq' destined to join their other bestsellers like 'Kal Ho Na Ho', 'Dil Chahta Hai', and the likes. But there is a quite easily discernible pattern to their work. With A. R. Rahman, you have the work of a master, each effort unique. This is not to say he cannot adapt his style - with the title track RDB, he managed to prove he can bhangra better than any north-Indian composer worth his salt! But to support my point, I'll cite some works which exemplify the innovation:

1. Satrangi Re from Dil Se - this has to be one of the prime examples... Name one song which can come even close!
   
2. Anjaana Anjaani from Yuva
3. Humma from Bombay
   
4. Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera from Swades
5. Chandralekha from Chor Chor
6. Our National Anthem!
   

This brief list is only indicative and nowhere close to being comprehensive! I'll stick my neck out by saying that there is an element of innovation in every song composed by him (with the only probable exception being the soundtrack of 'Doli Saja Ke Rakhna', which is the sole disappointing example I can think of in this regard and otherwise - was there a connection?)

I'll go back to discovering the 'Guru' soundtrack now... :)

There's never really a right time...

... except the time right now! This realization dawned upon me quite some time back, but the inertia maintained status-quo anyway. Obviously, I started loathing myself and you can't take it beyond a point ;)

I waited for so long, thinking about starting my own blog - what the title will be, what it will stand for, whether I will be able to maintain it, etc., etc. Today, finally, I decided I've had enough. Let's take the plunge, and let's see what follows.

It's strange but I found this philosophy to be equally applicable in certain other, rather important, parts of my life - exercising, for one; keeping in touch with friends, for another. I've heard and understood all I need to hear and understand - the benefits of exercising regularly, and the perils of not doing so. But I admit that hearing & understanding is one thing, and implementing it is another game altogether! All I end up doing is imagining that perfect time when 'I won't be as burdened as I am right now' or 'I won't have to contend with so much traveling' or, as it inevitably is, some equally lame excuse. Ditto for keeping in touch - waiting for that time when I'll sit down and dial that number or send that email has proven to be illusory beyond doubt!

I find it's just better to find those 10 minutes everyday, come what may. Heck, briskly climb stairs, if nothing else. Send an SMS. Call while traveling.

Happily, I find it works. I'm hoping this blog idea works out too :)