I wondered... as I saw students write a placement test

It’s about 12:40pm and I am now at SJBIT (an engineering college at Bangalore) accompanying my students from SBM Jain College of Engineering (that’s where I work-part time!). About 550 engineering students from 7 colleges are writing their written test for getting a job at Subex, who said that they will take only about 100 freshers across the country this year.

I look at the process and wonder: we have deviated so much from the value systems that we used to follow and have materialized to a greater extent that TRUST, though being a very important factor for anything in life has been defeated by the post natally conceived notions of survival of fittest and competency. Phew!

I wonder: for about 100 requirements, thousands of resumes are reviewed, thousands write exams, hundreds are interviewed, etc... What’s the budget of the entire process? That’s not important now though! I don’t see where the individual’s moral values are checked and considered. Its all skills and skills and skills.

I believe and understand that moral values are what determine the character of a person and not money or fame. I would like to quote Mr. Li Hongzhi here: “No matter how the human moral standard changes, this characteristic of the universe remains unchanged, and it is the sole criterion that distinguishes good people from bad people. . . As a human being, you are a good person only if you can follow this universe’s characteristic of Zhen-Shan-Ren (Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance). A person who deviates from this characteristic is truly a bad person. In the workplace or in society, some people may say that you are bad, yet you may not necessarily be bad. Some people may say that you are good, but you may not really be good.”

We all know that skills can be taught and developed; but moral values need to be cultivated. Where have we forgotten our values amidst this cut throat competition where we are prepared to do anything to gain something?! We have now been living with so many reasons that give us temporary happiness that we have forgotten true bliss. I guess most of us who have got the time to spend with ourselves have had this thought occur at least once: “Am I really happy? Am I actually satisfied? Is there an end to this race?” But again, next morning, we are all running the same race.

I will close with this famous experiment and leave you with a thought:

A group of scientists placed 5 monkeys in a cage and in the middle, a ladder with bananas on the top. Every time a monkey went up the ladder, the scientists soaked the rest of the monkeys with cold water. (The monkeys don’t really enjoy cold water.) After a while, every time a monkey went up the ladder, the others beat up the one on the ladder. After some time, no monkey dared to go up regardless of the temptation. The scientists then decided to substitute one of the monkeys. The first thing this new monkey did was to go up the ladder. Immediately the other monkeys beat him up. After several beatings, the new member learned not to climb the ladder even though he never knew why. A 2^nd monkey was substituted and the same occurred. The 1^st monkey participated on beating the second monkey. Similarly, all the 5 monkeys were replaced. What was left was a group of 5 monkeys that even though never received a cold shower, continued to beat up any monkey who attempted to climb the ladder. If it was possible to ask the monkeys why they would beat up all those who attempted to go up the ladder... I bet the answer would be “I don’t know – that’s how things are done around here.”

Does it sound familiar?

Diwali this time saddened me...

I have been having a thought for a while now with which I feel pained. It started day before morning at about 9:00am when I saw a few kids bursting bombs (crackers!). I was travelling in a bus later that evening when I saw fire crackers in the sky. And I wondered:

I was back to the days when I heard the reason for the celebration for this festival of lights. It was the celebration of victory. With lamps being lit all over and with sweets cooked in all homes, it was very righteous. Where are we today, when we ourselves don’t like pollution, when we talk about carbon foot-print, when we talk about saving ourselves from extinction (I DO NOT believe that the planet we habitat is at stake; I DO believe that it is our human population that is at stake with the modern industrialization and urbanization), when we talk about inflation and recession, when we talk about the child labour that goes into the manufacturing of those harmful things, we still love the noise, the smoke, and the effects it later has on the environment, our health and human psychology. Phew!!

It was yesterday, I had a family get-together dinner party at my granny’s place. Lots of cousins, relatives and friends. Most of them said: they hate the noise, the pollution, etc... but then some of them only told: come, let’s go burst crackers. I wonder: now-a-days, crackers is not only a part of Diwali, but a part of every victory, every celebration. Do we feel responsible at our act of not only disturbing others, but even at our own consciousness? Are we really aware of the accountability we have towards our own surroundings and neighbourhood? (I mean-a rocket cracker just flew inches away from my shoulder from behind me when I was walking down the street!)

Amidst the celebration and lights and colour and frolic, there was a bigger reason that was taking me away, that was putting off my smile, that was saddening me...

I again wondered: Does one ever feel that once moral values are valued, things would change? And if one feels it, what are they doing about it??

Now, I got an answer from a close one: “Don’t wonder so much. The world is what it is because of what constitutes it. And all kinds me elements go into making it.... At times just leave the master to weave his ways and you just marvel at the part u have to play. :-)”

I would still leave you with a thought: "The choice is always going to be between what is easy and what is right."

Keep Smiling..!! :-)