Wealth, wisdom, abandonment & depression
Chandrabhan .
P&L, D2C, Channel & Product strategy, Growth Manager, Emerging Markets, Consumer goods, IOT, Sports, Behavioural Economist
I stopped writing as I felt I have nothing much to say. After a long time I do think may be I can share my reflections or thoughts on things that matter, Wealth and Wisdom.
Why is that poor and struggling have more optimism than the wealthy? Poor have drive, ambition to attain something. Ask me, for someone born in a village which was 7 kms from civilisation with no road or electricity till the age of 22, only dream I had was of not having to come back to my village out of compulsion. Now I yearn to go back, live life in a slow lane, may be retire to he village peacefully once I am done.
Most of what makes you happy in life has nothing to do with money, and realizing that once you have money can be a painful admission. Healthy, educated and well settled kids, contended parents, siblings, spouse, sense of achievement (on football field - playing with childhood friends) have nothing to do with money.
Man who has seen better times, comfortable surroundings is a paranoid man, driven to NOT lose it all. The same anxiety that drove him to attain something doesn't leave him to enjoy what he has achieved. On the other hand a man who has known no other condition of life is unconscious of its misery. For him everything is improvement and moment of joy. Who is happier?
Coming to the wisdom part, well there is hullabaloo going on about Narayan Muthy's 70 hour week suggestion and huge debate has ensued. Not a bad thing at all but it instigated a thought in me. I had written about the same- working hard and long. I am strong proponent of 'Lewis model' and have openly said so. India will have to sacrifice a generation of men so that nation achieves material wealth by pushing endless hordes of rural men into factories the way it was done by Germany 'Wirtshaftwunder' - Miracle on the Rhine, same by Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan… All sacrificed a generation of their young men.
"Under this labour-for-development model, there is generally a window of around 30 years within which states establish the initial institutions of industrialisation before moving into regional and global trading regimes. Indeed, during each of the 30-year industrialisation windows in Germany, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, an entire generation was forced to make a sacrifice for the nation."
That brings me to next reflection that there is a natural and reflexive association between wealth and wisdom.
Have you ever wondered why Only Shri Krishna could have given those deep insights into life in the form of Bhagwat Gita? I will tell you a secret, Shri Krishna, Siddhartha (Gautam Buddha), Mahavir were all children of kings. Only the rich (really aware one) are aware of the tenuous relationship wealth has with happiness. What is there to achieve when you can have whatever you wanted or could have thought of.
Here is a profound passage from the book ‘Siddhartha’ by Hermann Hesse.
MERCHANT: “… If you are without possessions, how can you give?”
SIDDHARTHA: “Everyone gives what he has. The soldier gives strength, the merchant goods, the teacher instruction, the farmer rice, the fisherman fish.”
MERCHANT: “Very well, and what can you give? What have you learned that you can give?”
SIDDHARTHA: “I can think, I can wait, I can fast.”
MERCHANT: “Is that all?”
SIDDHARTHA: “I think that is all.”
When you first read these lines, they sound trivial. But the more you mull over it, you realize that maybe, that is all, there is to a happy life. Keeping expectations in check, delaying gratification just a bit more.
Truth is the most practical thing in the universe. What is impractical is the notion
that humans should seek it.
There is no mountain to climb, life hardly changes except that you don't have to worry about food & medical costs in future.
In the end, by the time we’ve made it, we’ve had it.
Head Vaccine (TCL) . Head Sales for Emerging Markets, SME and Channels. Blue Dart Express at Blue Dart
1yWell written. Much of life's paradoxes help us sharpen the saw. Nice to see you back writing. The nightingale sings not to give peace but because that is her task. So should you exchange thoughts. Repetition sometimes vibrates our molecular knowledge and makes it available when we may most need it. We may want to call it wisdom. Maybe it's just going with the flow. Welcome back to your own flow Chandrbhan.