Are you an opinionated person with strong views and prejudices…?
Here is a story for you…
__________
Story – Empty Your Cup
Musings by Veteran Vikram Karve
__________
It is quite sad to observe so many opinionated people on the Social Media who seem to have strong prejudices and extreme biases.
They refuse to appreciate contrarian views and become offensive if someone disagrees with them.
They are egoistic and their minds are filled with preconceived rigid opinions due to which they have lost the discernment to appreciate contrary opinions.
In order to accept alternate viewpoints and see all sides of a story in an unbiased manner – it is necessary to have an open mind.
Here is a story for such rigid, opinionated and dogmatic persons.
___________
EMPTY YOUR CUP
ZEN STORY
___________
The Japanese Zen Master Nan-in once gave audience to a Professor of Philosophy who wanted to know about Zen.
Serving Tea – Nan-in filled the Professor’s cup – and he kept on pouring the Tea into the cup – even when the cup was completely full to the brim – so – the tea started overflowing from the cup.
The Professor watched the tea overflowing from the cup – until he could restrain himself no longer.
__________
So – the Professor said to the Zen Master Nan-in:
“Stop pouring tea into the cup…!!!
The cup is over full – no more tea will go in…”
_________
Zen Master Nan-in smiled.
_________
Then – he said to the Professor:
“Like this cup – you are full of your own opinions and speculations.
How can I show you Zen – unless you first empty your “cup”…?
So first – you must EMPTY YOUR “CUP” – you must remove all preconceived notions from your mind…”
_________
I love this story which has such a strong message for all of us who are opinionated.
Since our minds are filled with preconceived notions – there is no place in our minds to accommodate alternate views.
Due to our closed minds and rigid thinking – we are unable to appreciate various shades of opinion and contrarian viewpoints – and this makes us intolerant.
We need to “empty” our minds of our opinions, prejudices and biases – and make place for fresh thoughts – in order enable flexibility in thinking – and have a balanced approach – with appreciation and tolerance for contrary opinions and viewpoints.
________
FOR MILITARY VETERANS
_______
This story is particularly relevant for Veterans who keep living in their military past and are unable to mentally adjust to the civilian world once they retire.
When you retire – you must empty your “cup”– remove all biases, prejudices and regimented “fauji” views from your mind.
You must get rid of all the old clutter – freshen up – open up your mind – learn new things and let fresh ideas flow in.
When you retire from the military and enter the civilian world – you must empty your “cup” – and liberate your mind from the shackles of regimentation.
This will enable you to keep an open mind with liberal democratic thinking – instead of the earlier military style rigid regimented way of thinking.
While Veterans certainly need to empty their “cup” – we find many younger people who are highly opinionated, biased and rigid in their thinking – which makes them intolerant to contrarian views. They too need to empty their “cup”– and open their minds – and learn to think in a liberal and logical manner
________
EMPTY YOUR “CUP”
________
This saying applies universally to all of us.
Yes – from time to time – we must empty our “cup” – and open our minds to new ideas.
Emptying your “cup” from time to time – prevents stagnation in your mind – makes place in your mind for new ideas – and stimulates your brain and facilitates dynamic thinking.
_________
Remember the metaphor:
_________
“If you want to enjoy fresh “tea” – empty your “cup”.
_________
“Cup” is a metaphor for your mind – and – “Tea” is a metaphor for the subjective things you put in your mind – thoughts, ideas, opinions, biases, prejudices, preconceived notions etc.
From time to time – you need to “detox” your mind and empty your “cup”.
__________
Dear Reader:
How often do you empty your “cup” and open your mind to let new ideas and fresh thoughts flow in…?
This story is a fictional spoof, satire, pure fiction, just for fun and humor, no offence is meant to anyone, so take it with a pinch of salt and have a laugh.
All Stories in this Blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the stories are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
E&OE
Copyright Notice:
No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.
DO YOU BLINDLY FOLLOW RITUALS CUSTOMS TRADITIONS AND SUPERSTITION WITHOUT QUESTIONING THE LOGICAL BASIS OR RATIONALE?
The Story of the Mystical Cat
Food for Thought
By
VIKRAM KARVE
The military is steeped in tradition.
There are many customs, traditions and rituals.
I remember, there was a custom in the army, in the artillery, where they do not light more than two cigarettes with a single matchstick.
There was a logical reason for this practice during World War I – but today it seems archaic and meaningless.
In the navy, we do not clink glasses while drinking or making a toast.
This is plain pure superstition.
If we asked the reason for a certain custom which we found meaningless, our seniors would admonish us: “This is the Naval Tradition”
Even in our day to day life, in the name of tradition, we unquestioningly follow traditions and customs and perform all types of religious, social and superstitious rituals without understanding the spirit behind the ritual.
A ritual is an action performed purely for symbolic value.
In many cases there is no logic or rational explanation for the ritual.
This apocryphal story from ancient wisdom “ The Mystical Cat ” illustrates how customs, traditions and rituals begin.
The story also tells you how due to repeated repetition over the years these customs and rituals are gradually established and become a part of culture.
And then, once established, customs, traditions and rituals are blindly followed for years and years, despite the fact that, in most cases, these customs and traditions have lost their significance and the rituals have outlived their utility and meaning.
THE MYSTICAL CAT
An Ancient Wisdom Teaching Story
By
VIKRAM KARVE
A seeker joined a monastery to learn meditation and the art of living.
Every evening all students and disciples assembled in the large meditation hall for a discourse by the Spiritual Guru followed by group meditation.
Just before the meditation session commenced the disciples would catch a cat, tie it up and place the tied up cat on the lap of the Spiritual Guru.
The Guru would then start caressing the cat and begin the discourse and meditation session.
After the meditation session was over, the cat would be untied and set free.
This was the established daily ritual.
The Guru would start the meditation session only after the tied up cat was placed on his lap and he was extremely particular about this.
Once when the cat could not be found, the Guru refused to start the meditation session and demanded that the cat be placed on his lap.
So the meditation session was delayed and all the seekers launched a desperate hunt for the cat.
The searched for hours till they found the cat.
The cat was duly tied up and placed on the Guru’s lap and only then did he start his discourse-cum-meditation session.
The seeker was quite perplexed at the mystery of the tied up cat. He could not understand the significance of this ritual and how it was connected to meditation.
The seeker wondered: “What is the significance of the tied up cat placed on the Guru’s lap and what is its correlation with meditation?”
He asked around but no one knew the answer till someone told him to ask a wise old man who lived in a cave up the hills.
So our curious seeker trudged up the hills to meet the wise old man and ask him the significance of this time-honoured ritual.
“It is like this,” the wise old man said:
“one evening, many years ago, when the then Spiritual Guru and his disciples began their evening meditation, a cat that lived in the monastery made so much noise that it distracted them and disturbed their meditation practice.
So the Guru ordered that the cat be tied up during the evening discourse-cum-meditation practice.
This practice of tying up the cat before meditation practice continued, so much so that even after the teacher died, the next Guru continued this tradition and a cat continued to be tied up during the meditation session.
When the cat died, another cat was brought to the monastery to be tied up during the evening meditation session.
And when that cat died too, they brought another cat to be tied up during meditation practice, and then as cats kept dying, they kept replacing the dead cats with new cats, and the practice of tying up a cat during meditation continued.
With the passage of time this has become such an established ritual that now no one can dare to question it. So it has become a custom, tradition and established ritual to tie up a cat during the meditation session.”
As years passed, the ritual of tying up the cat during the meditation session continued and continued till it became an eternal established ritual. Our seeker, who by then had become the Spiritual Guru, wrote a scholarly treatise about the significance of tying up a cat for meditation practice.
WHY DO YOU BLINDLY FOLLOW RITUALS CUSTOMS TRADITIONS AND SUPERSTITION WITHOUT QUESTIONING THE LOGICAL BASIS OR RATIONALE ? I wonder why we accept customs and traditions without understanding their significance? Just like a blind man lead by others, why do we blindly follow rituals without examining the meaning, logic and significance of that ritual using our own intelligence and judgement? Why do we follow customs traditions and rituals that are obsolete and have lost their significance and outlived their utility?
If you see any ritual, custom or tradition being blindly followed and for which there seems to be no rational or logical explanation, remember this story of the Mystical Cat Ask questions and find out the logical basis for the ritual, custom or tradition. Is there some rationale for the belief, or is it just superstition? And if you are not convinced, it is better to stop blindly following superstition which has become meaningless in the modern world of today.
All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
NB:
No part of this Blog may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Blog Author Vikram Karve who holds the copyright.
A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer and blogger. Educated at IIT Delhi, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and an anthology of short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional and academic research papers in journals and edited in-house journals and magazines for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing and blogging. Vikram Karve lives in Pune India with his family and muse – his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.
Click the link above to read the original post in my journal.
The article is also posted below for your convenience:
HOSPITALITY
THE STORY OF THE ARAB AND HIS CAMEL
By
VIKRAM KARVE
When I was a small boy someone told me a fable.
It was an apocryphal teaching story of an Arab and his Camel.
I remember this insightful fable even today and the “moral of the story” I try to apply in my life whenever the need arises.
The Story of THE ARAB AND HIS CAMEL
It was a cold winter night.
An Arab was resting in his tent.
He had tied his Camel outside.
Suddenly his camel peeped inside the tent.
“What is it?” the Arab asked.
“Master, it is very cold outside. Please allow me to put my head inside your tent,” the Camel said.
The kind master took pity on the poor animal and agreed to the camel’s request.
The camel put his head inside the tent.
A little later, the camel asked, “Master, my neck feels very cold. Please let me put my neck inside your tent as well.”
Once again the master allowed him to do so.
Next, the camel asked if he could put his forelegs inside the tent.
Once again the compassionate master agreed.
This went on and on and very soon the entire camel was completely inside the tent.
But now the tent was too small for both the master and the camel.
They both struggled to remain inside the overcrowded tent.
There was a scuffle and the much stronger and bigger camel pushed his master out of the tent.
Now the Camel slept comfortably in the warm tent while his Master shivered outside in the freezing cold.
MORAL OF THE STORY
You should be careful before you extend your hospitality lest your guests take undue advantage of your magnanimity and generosity.
This fable teaches us lessons at both the macro as well as micro levels.
Let us see a “macro level paradigm” ramification.
Suppose there is a war ravaged or strife torn country where there is so much violence that the life of citizens is in danger.
As a humanitarian gesture, a benevolent neighbouring country may open its borders to allow refugees to come in and live in safety.
Some countries may allow immigration of foreigners as a gesture of goodwill.
In other cases illegal immigrants may enter another country and settle down there and the “host” country may be charitable not to deport them.
Many “magnanimous” countries have such “guests”.
Now like the “Camel” in the story the “guests” may soon throw out the “host” from his own “tent”.
Even if they don’t evict the “host” out of his “tent” these “guests” may make life uncomfortable for the “host” in his own “tent” just like the Camel did to the kind hearted Arab during the fable before pushing him out of the tent.
At a micro level this can happen in your own home.
I have seen so many “guests” who overstay their welcome and so many who take undue advantage of the magnanimity of their “hosts”.
THE BENEVOLENT HOUSE OWNER AND THE UNGRATEFUL TENANT
I have seen a case where a benevolent big-hearted person rented out his new locked-up house to a friend who was in dire need.
The owner was in a transferable job and served all over India while his friend stayed as a tenant in his house.
Many years later, when the house owner retired and wanted to settle in his own house the ungrateful tenant refused to vacate and the hapless owner had to live on rent in another house.
CUCKOO
I have heard a story, maybe apocryphal, where a compassionate caring kind-hearted woman invited a cousin sister to live with her, since the newly arrived cousin sister was finding it difficult to find an accommodation in the city where she had found her first job.
The scheming cousin sister responded by seducing and stealing the woman’s husband.
Finally, the wily cousin sister settled down with the woman’s husband and the hapless kind-hearted woman was turned out of her own house.
LESSON TO BE LEARNT
This fable has a lesson to all of us that you must not be too magnanimous and over generous in extending your hospitality.
Be careful, otherwise there is a danger that you may become a “guest” in your own “homes”.
A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer and blogger. Educated at IIT Delhi, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and an anthology of short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional and academic research papers in journals and edited in-house journals and magazines for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing and blogging. Vikram Karve lives in Pune India with his family and muse – his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.
It was an apocryphal teaching story of an Arab and his Camel.
I remember this insightful fable even today and the “moral of the story” I try to apply in my life whenever the need arises.
The Story of THE ARAB AND HIS CAMEL
It was a cold winter night.
An Arab was resting in his tent.
He had tied his Camel outside.
Suddenly his camel peeped inside the tent.
“What is it?” the Arab asked.
“Master, it is very cold outside. Please allow me to put my head inside your tent,” the Camel said.
The kind master took pity on the poor animal and agreed to the camel’s request.
The camel put his head inside the tent.
A little later, the camel asked, “Master, my neck feels very cold. Please let me put my neck inside your tent as well.”
Once again the master allowed him to do so.
Next, the camel asked if he could put his forelegs inside the tent.
Once again the compassionate master agreed.
This went on and on and very soon the entire camel was completely inside the tent.
But now the tent was too small for both the master and the camel.
They both struggled to remain inside the overcrowded tent.
There was a scuffle and the much stronger and bigger camel pushed his master out of the tent.
Now the Camel slept comfortably in the warm tent while his Master shivered outside in the freezing cold.
MORAL OF THE STORY
You should be careful before you extend your hospitality lest your guests take undue advantage of your magnanimity and generosity.
This fable of the Arab and the camel teaches us lessons at both the macro as well as micro levels.
First, let us see a “macro level paradigm” ramification of the fable of the Arab and the Camel.
IMMIGRATION and DIASPORA
Suppose there is a war ravaged or strife torn country where there is so much violence that the life of citizens is in danger.
As a humanitarian gesture, a benevolent neighbouring country may open its borders to allow refugees to come in and live in safety.
Some countries may allow immigration of foreigners as a gesture of goodwill.
In other cases illegal immigrants may enter another country and settle down there and the “host” country may be charitable not to deport them.
Many “magnanimous” countries have such “guests”.
Now like the “Camel” in the story the “guests” may soon throw out the “host” from his own “tent”.
Even if they don’t evict the “host” out of his “tent” these “guests” may make life uncomfortable for the “host” in his own “tent” just like the Camel did to the kind hearted Arab during the fable before pushing him out of the tent.
At a micro level this can happen in your own home.
I have seen so many “guests” who overstay their welcome and so many who take undue advantage of the magnanimity of their “hosts”.
Now let us see examples of this effect at the micro level.
THE BENEVOLENT HOUSE OWNER AND THE UNGRATEFUL TENANT
I have seen a case where a benevolent big-hearted person rented out his new locked-up house to a friend who was in dire need.
The owner was in a transferable job and served all over India while his friend stayed as a tenant in his house.
Many years later, when the house owner retired and wanted to settle in his own house the ungrateful tenant refused to vacate and the hapless owner had to live on rent in another house.
CUCKOO
I have heard a story, maybe apocryphal, where a compassionate caring kind-hearted woman invited a cousin sister to live with her, since the newly arrived cousin sister was finding it difficult to find an accommodation in the city where she had found her first job.
The scheming cousin sister responded by seducing and stealing the woman’s husband.
Finally, the wily cousin sister settled down with the woman’s husband and the hapless kind-hearted woman was turned out of her own house.
LESSON TO BE LEARNT
This fable has a lesson to all of us that you must not be too magnanimous and over generous in extending your hospitality.
Be careful, otherwise there is a danger that you may become a “guest” in your own “homes”.
A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer and blogger. Educated at IIT Delhi, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and an anthology of short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional and academic research papers in journals and edited in-house journals and magazines for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing and blogging. Vikram Karve lives in Pune India with his family and muse – his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.
Click the link above to read the original post in my journal
Also posted below for your convenience
RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT
RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT
THE METAPHOR OF THE SUNDIAL
A Teaching Story
By
VIKRAM KARVE
THE STORY OF THE SUNDIAL
Long ago, there was once a King who cared for his populace.
His kingdom was in an undeveloped part of the world and the people were quite backward.
The king wanted his people to progress.
So he decided to visit the developed part of the world and see for himself how he could harness the fruits of development for his people.
During his visit he saw a sundial.
Curious he asked what this strange contraption was.
“A sundial is a device that determines the time of day by the position of the Sun,” they told him, “you can tell the time by looking at the shadow cast by the Sun as it shines on the pointer of a sundial. As the sun moves across the sky, the shadow-edge aligns with different hour-lines. Thus, you can tell the time of the day.”
The King was so fascinated as he witnessed the working of sundial next day that he bought the sundial.
He took the sundial back to his Kingdom and had the sundial installed in the town-square of the city as a gift for his people.
The sundial changed the life of the people in the kingdom.
They began to differentiate parts of the day and to divide up their time and plan their work accordingly.
In short, they became adept at time management and became more efficient.
The sundial made the people of that kingdom conscious about the concept of time.
Before the advent of the sundial they knew only about night and day.
The populace became more punctual, prompt, orderly, reliable and industrious; thereby producing great wealth and achieving a high standard of living.
The sundial had enabled them to realize the importance of the adroit use of time which resulted in great prosperity for the people of the kingdom.
One day the king died.
After giving their king a grand funeral, his devoted subjects gathered together in the town-square to decide how they could pay a fitting tribute to their beloved king.
When they enumerated the king’s achievements, they all thought of the Sundial, which their benevolent king had gifted them long back.
They looked at the magnificent sundial installed in the town-square.
The Sundial symbolized the king’s generosity and love towards his people.
The Sundial which was the main reason for their prosperity and success.
So the citizens decided to build around the sundial a grand temple with a golden cupola.
They unanimously decided to build a fabulous temple with a beautiful golden dome to adorn the sundial.
Everyone thought that this magnificent temple adoring the sundial would be a fitting honour to the departed king since the sundial was the best gift he had given them.
Soon the awe-inspiring temple with a dazzling golden dome was built around the sundial.
But, when the magnificent temple was built and the imposing golden cupola soared above the sundial, the rays of the sun could no longer reach the gnomon of the sundial.
Yes, as the sundial was now completely covered by the magnificent temple with its impressive golden dome the sun’s rays could not reach the sundial and the shadow disappeared.
The covered sundial did not work since its shadow had vanished.
It was the shadow which had told the time to the citizens of the kingdom and now there was no shadow to indicate the time of the day.
Now, since the sundial did not work, the citizens could not discern the time of the day and they started losing their sense of punctuality and promptness.
Deprived of their standard of time, they forgot about the importance of time and time management.
Soon, the citizens of the kingdom soon reverted back to their old ways and started adopting their erstwhile disorganized laid-back lifestyle of the pre-sundial days.
It was just a matter of time before their prosperity dissipated away and the kingdom collapsed.
MORAL OF THE STORY
The metaphor of the Sundial Story is relevant in so many relationships.
When you communicate, imagine that the person talking is the sun and the person listening is the sundial and the temple represents the barriers to communication.
In marriage, the seamless relationship between husband (sun) and wife (sundial) can be encumbered by “obstructions” like your parents, in-laws, or even children.
If you look at our education system, the Teacher (Sun) is not allowed to illuminate the Students (Sundial) because of the Education System (Obstruction).
Imagine that theSun is a Teacherand theSundial is the Student.
If you allow the Sun (Teacher) to seamlessly illuminate the Sundial (Student) then the best learning will take place.
But if you put a barrier or obstruction between the teacher and student (like covering the sundial with a structure of temple and dome) this can badly impede the learning process.
This “obstacle” can be the “education system”, the “administrative hierarchy”, the “rules, regulations and red tape”, the “academic environment” in the particular place, anything which is detrimental to seamless teaching and effective learning.
I have experienced this phenomenon during my teaching days.
I have also experienced this many times in my career when I was hindered from delivering my best because of the sundial metaphor.
You can see this phenomenon everywhere, especially at your workplace, hindering inter-personal relationships and acting as a barrier to effective communication.
Even within your internal self, there can be taboos, hang-ups, phobias, complexes, values and beliefs, which act as internal “impediments” and inhibit you from realizing your full potential.
Apart from red tape, rules and regulations, sometimes things like Rituals, Customs and Traditions, Cultural and Societal Pressures can also be akin to the “cupola dome” between “Sun” and “Sundial” and hamper your aspirations.
If you observe carefully, you will see this metaphor of the sundial in all aspects of life.
Indeed this sundial phenomenon is prevalent in all aspects of management especially relationship management – both inter-personal and intra-personal relationships.
Remember the story of the sundial and think about this phenomenon and how it will affect seamless communication when you are thinking of outsourcing customer relationship management or consumer care or any process via ITES or BPO.
Sometimes, these “temples” you build to cover your “sundials” may be well-meaning with good intentions.
It is for you to ensure that you do not “build temples” around “sundials” – you must let the “sun” shine brightly and unhindered on your “sundial”.
And it is for the powers-that-be to ensure that they do not “build temples” around “sundials” which act as a barriers to efficiency and progress.
We must let the “sun” shine brightly and unhindered on the “sundial”.
Think about the Sundial Story, let the metaphors perambulate in your mind, look around and apply the allegory to your real life, and try to make sure that you remove barriers and let the “sun” shine brightly and unhindered on the “sundial”.
Have a nice “sun”day.
I look forward to your comments, views and feedback.
A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer and blogger. Educated at IIT Delhi, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and an anthology of short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional and academic research papers in journals and edited in-house journals and magazines for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing and blogging. Vikram Karve lives in Pune India with his family and muse – his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.
Values are of two types, both in the personal and organizational domains.
The two types of values are:
INSTRUMENTAL VALUES
and
TERMINAL VALUES
INSTRUMENTAL VALUES
Instrumental Values are core values, permanent in nature, comprise personal characteristics and character traits.
Instrumental Values refer to preferable modes of behaviour and include values like honesty, sincerity, ambition, independence, obedience, imaginativeness, courageousness, competitiveness, and also some negative traits too.
Organisations also have Instrumental Values (which can be ascertained from the organizational culture) and these are permanent in nature and difficult to change.
For example, the instrumental values of a PSU will differ from that of an MNC though both may be in the same business.
Instrumental Values are difficult to change.
TERMINAL VALUES
In our personal lives, Terminal Values are those things that we can work towards or we think are most important and we feel are most desirable – terminal values are desirable states of existence.
Terminal Values include things like happiness, self respect, family security, recognition, freedom, inner harmony, comfortable life, professional excellence, etc
In a nutshell, Terminal Values signify the objectives of the life of a person – the ultimate things the person wants to achieve through his or her behaviour (the destination he wants to reach in life) whereas Instrumental Values indicate themethods an individual would like to adopt for achieving his life’s aim (the path he would like to take to reach his destination).
This applies to organisations as well, and organizations too exhibit Terminal Values. However, Terminal Values can be changed and this can be seen when there is a change of top management or CEO.
Read this Before you take up a Job (or Before Recruiting a Candidate)
ORGANIZATIONAL VALUES AND ORGANIZATION BEHAVIOUR
Organisational Values are the key to organisational behaviour.
So, before you join an organization you must ensure that there is no conflict in your instrumental values and the organization’s instrumental values, sinceinstrumental values are difficult to change.
Conversely, the organisation must consider this aspect while interviewing a prospective candidate for recruitment.
Of course, any mismatch in terminal values can be corrected by suitable induction training, since terminal values can be inculcated or realigned or changed.
A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer and blogger. Educated at IIT Delhi, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and an anthology of short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories and creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional and academic research papers in journals and edited in-house journals and magazines for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing and blogging. Vikram Karve lives in Pune India with his family and muse – his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.
Click the link above to read the original story in my journal.
The story is also posted below for your convenience
LEARNING FROM MISTAKES – LESSONS LEARNT FROM LIFE Part 1 – HOW TO REPRIMAND – Praise in Public but Admonish in Private
LEARNING FROM MISTAKES
LESSONS LEARNT FROM LIFE
Part 1
THE ART OF REPRIMAND
By
VIKRAM KARVE
This happened more than 20 years ago when we lived in the beautiful verdant campus of the erstwhile IAT (now called DIAT Deemed University) in the hills of Girinagar overlooking the serene cool blue waters of Khadakwasla Lake near Pune, with the mighty Sinhagad Fort towering above as a sentinel .
We lived in a typical MES accommodation – ground plus one storey with garages in between, four houses in a block.
Each house had a separate overhead water tank on top of the building and separate servant quarters behind the block .
We lived on the ground floor, and our neighbours who lived on the top floor above us were a young couple with a small kid.
Once there was along weekend – four days off – two days Diwali holidays followed by Saturday and Sunday.
Our neighbours, who lived above us, decided to spend the long weekend in Mumbai with their relatives.
In contrast, a sizeable number of relatives had decided to visit us to celebrate Diwali and spend the weekend in the picturesque surroundings on Girinagar and do some sightseeing and trekking, climb up the Sinhagad Fort and picnic at the Panshet and Varasgaon Dams and stroll on the “beach” on the Khadakvasla lakeside.
The whole gang of relatives arrived early in the morning on the first day of Diwali.
We were enjoying ourselves, the children bursting crackers, and my wife got down to making preparations for a festival feast for all of us and we were looking forward to a delicious sumptuous lunch.
Suddenly, my wife came out and told me that the taps had run dry and she said that water was not coming anywhere in the house.
This was surprising, since there was an abundance of water in Girinagar and we had never faced any water problem.
I rang up the pump house who confirmed that they had duly pumped water for three hours in the morning as per schedule and there was no reason for a water shortage. They suggested that I have a look at my water tank on the roof and if there was any plumbing or piping problem they would send someone to rectify the fault.
I climbed up on the roof and was aghast to see that my water tank was bone dry. The lid had been taken off and the walls of the water tank had been freshly painted.
My neighbour’s water tank was full of water.
I came down and started enquiring when my servant told me that she had seen our neighbour’s servant on the roof early in the morning.
I called the neighbour’s servant.
He said that before leaving for Mumbai, my neighbour had given him instructions to shut the inlet valve, drain the water tank, clean it up, dry it, and then apply a coat of paint, let it dry for two days, and then open the valve so that the water tank would be full by the time they came back.
He was contrite and admitted that, by mistake, he had emptied and painted my water tank instead of my neighbour’s water tank.
He had mistakenly assumed that my water tank was my neighbour’s water tank. That is why he had drained out all the water, closed the inlet valve, dried the water tank, and then cleaned and painted it.
My neighbour’s servant profusely apologised and said he was sorry, but I was furious – because of this man’s stupidity we were going to have a water problem when there were so many guests in the house.
I lost my temper and started shouting angrily at the man, giving him a severe tongue-lashing as the man shivered in fright, when I suddenly noticed his small son watching the proceedings.
The young boy trembled with fear and he had an expression of dread written all over his innocent face as he watched his father being publicly scolded and humiliated.
I could not bear to see this heart-rending expression on the young boy’s face so I stopped my invective tirade, told the man to go away, and went into my room to cool off.
That day I made a decision.
I resolved that I would never admonish anyone in front of their children or family.
Parents are heroes to their children and the worst thing you can do is to humiliate parents (father or mother) in front of their children.
Similarly, it can be very demoralizing for a manager, or any employee, to be reprimanded by the boss in front of his juniors and subordinates.
I was in a profession where being “goody-goody” and “soft spoken” did not work in all cases and occasionally you had to shout at people and reprimand them in order to get the desired results, but I ensured that whenever I gave a tongue-lashing to someone, I did so in private, by calling him aside separately to give him a dressing down.
Also, I tried my best to criticize the action and to ensure that I did not insult the person by making derogatory personal remarks about him.
I scrupulously tried my best to follow the dictum: “Praise in Public but Admonish in Private”.
I did lose my temper and yell at people in public sometimes, but I immediately made amends by apologising on the spot or at the earliest opportunity.
We all make mistakes.
But the trick lies in realizing your mistake when you commit one, learn from your mistake, take corrective action and make sure you do not repeat the same mistake again.
Experience enables you to recognize a mistake.
As Cicero said: Any man can make a mistake, but only a fool will continue in repeating it.
Mistakes are your best teachers.
Mistakes are lessons of wisdom.
And as James Joyce said: Mistakes are the portals of discovery.
I have made a lot of mistakes in my life.
I have tried my best to learn from my mistakes and endeavoured to ensure that I do not repeat them.
In some cases I have succeeded, in some it is still an ongoing process.
As Tryon Edwards put it: Some of best lessons we ever learn, we learn from our mistakes and failures. The error of the past is the wisdom and success of the future.
I will end with a quote by Wang Yang-Ming:
The sages do not consider that making no mistake is a blessing. They believe rather that the great virtue of man lies in his ability to correct his mistakes and to continually make a new man of himself …
A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer. Educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories, creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional research papers in journals and edited in-house journals for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing. Vikram Karve lives in Pune India with his family and muse – his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.
Click the link above and read the story in my journal
Also posted below for your convenience
HUMOUR OUT OF UNIFORM – PULLING RANK AFTER RETIREMENT
HUMOR OUT OF UNIFORM
Does Rank Have Its Privileges – Even After Retirement ?
STATUS EGO RANK
A Naval Yarn and a Teaching Story
By
VIKRAM KARVE
The other day I witnessed an amusing spectacle of a retired erstwhile senior officer trying to pull rank and jump a queue despite the fact that he was now a “retired nobody”.
Of course, he was put in his place by those around him who told him to get into the queue and he beat a hasty retreat.
When I was in the Navy I observed that there were two types of officers.
1. There were the confident type who carried themselves with poise and dignity, were well-bred, polished, cultured and courteous, honest, transparent, fair and upright in their conduct and quite humble, modest and down-to-earth in their behaviour.
These officers did not need the crutches of rank – in fact, by their exemplary demeanor they enhanced the dignity of the rank they held and they always put service before self.
They truly epitomized the term: “An Officer and a Gentleman”.
2. Then there were the insecure type who were excessively rank conscioushaughty show-offs who believed in the dictum: “Boot your juniors and Bootlick your seniors”.
They were unabashed careerists who put self before service because for them theirrank and status were everything (yes, for these insecure types rank, promotion and their naval career wasthe be-all and end-all of life).
They knew, in their hearts, that without the crutches of rank they were zeroes, so they went to any extent to get promoted at any cost.
It is this insecure and ambitious type of careerist officers who often get involved in unethical acts and tarnish the good name of the service.
Snobbish and pretentious behaviour is a sign of low self-esteem.
So, if you see any status-conscious, pompous, egoistical snobs around you, pleasetell them this story (maybe they will introspect, reflect and change for the better):
Keichu, the great Zen teacher of the Meiji era, was the head of Tofuku, a cathedral inKyoto.
One day the Governor of Kyoto called on him for the first time.
His attendant presented the visiting card of the Governor, which read:
Kitagaki
GOVERNOR OF KYOTO
“I have no business with such a fellow,” said Keichu to his attendant, “Tell him to get out of here.”
The attendant carried the card back to the Governor with apologies.
“That was my error,” said the Governor, and with a pencil he scratched out the words GOVERNOR OF KYOTO, gave the card back to the attendant and said to him, “Take this card to your teacher and ask him again if he would please give me an audience.”
“Oh, it’s that Kitagaki?” exclaimed the teacher when he saw the card, “I want to see that fellow. Send him in.”
So that’s the secret – just DROP YOUR EGO.
Why is everyone so obsessed with rank, status, power, wealth, fame and other egoistic trappings?
Your individual qualities matter much more than your rank.
Your external rank will go away one day but your intrinsic worth will remain with you forever, and maybe even remembered as your legacy.
A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer. Educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories, creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional research papers in journals and edited in-house journals for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing. Vikram lives in Pune India with his family and muse – his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.
Please click the link above to read the original article in my journal
The article is also posted below for your convenience
HUMOR IN UNIFORM
SHOW ME THE FACE AND I WILL SHOW YOU THE RULE
Flexible HR Management
A CLASSIC NON SEQUITUR
A Naval Yarn
By
VIKRAM KARVE
Disclaimer: Please read this only if you have a sense of humour. This is a spoof. So first convince yourself that you have a sense of humour and only then read the yarn and have a laugh.
Sometimes, when I hark back to my glorious days in the navy, I recall such hilarious instances that I burst out laughing.
Here is one such amusing episode – I think the year was 1989.
I was very keen on doing the staff college course so I studied sincerely, prepared well, and qualified my staff college exam with flying colours at the first opportunity in 1986. Though a merit list was not declared, I had written all papers in the exam so well that I was sure that I was somewhere on the top of the merit list.
Thereafter, I completed my “sea time” and in 1989 I thought I would be sent for staff college but to my surprise, and dismay, I found that my name did not figure on the list.
So I wrote a personal letter to the concerned person and received a classic reply whose gist was as follows:
1. Yes, I had qualified the staff college entrance exam in the first attempt which was quite creditable.
2. However, a few years back, I had been selected for an M. Tech. (Master of Technology) course at IIT Delhi and I had successfully completed my M. Tech. in 1983.
3. As per the existing policy, M. Tech. qualified officers were not eligible for staff college. This was in order to give equitable opportunity to all officers in training courses and also because an M. Tech. degree from an IIT was considered a higher qualification than the M. Sc. Degree given after staff college.
4. Hence, I was not being sent to staff college in the current year.
So far, the logic given was perfectly fine, but what followed was a classicnon sequitur:
5. However, this policy (of not sending M. Tech. qualified officers to staff college) may be reviewed and it is quite likely, that in the future, M. Tech. officers may be considered eligible for staff college. But even if the policy is changed in the future, I would not be eligible for staff college, as at that point of time I would be out of the “seniority bracket”.
I showed this letter to my ship’s captain who had a hearty laugh and said: “Looks like they want to send some ‘blue-eyed-boy’ who is junior to you, and who has done M. Tech., to staff college.”
Sure enough, two years later, an M. Tech. qualified officer was sent to staff college (looks like the “policy” was changed).
There was a saying in the bureaucracy:SHOW ME THE FACE AND I WILL SHOW YOU THE RULE
A witty friend of mine who also was once a victim of another such selective interpretation of “flexible” HR Policy had even coined the acronym for this phenomenon. He called it DRDO – Different Rules for Different Officers.
But one thing is sure. Whenever you feel aggrieved by favouritism and some injustice has been done to you, instead of becoming bitter, it is best to look at the funny side, since humour is the best antidote to frustration and a hearty laugh is an excellent safety valve to dissipate hurt, pain and anger.
Vikram KarveA creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Naval Officer turned full time writer. Educated at IIT Delhi, ITBHU Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a number of fiction short stories, creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional research papers in journals and edited in-house journals for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram Karve has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing. Vikram lives in Pune India with his family and muse – his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts. Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve Vikram Karve Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/vikramkarve Vikram Karve Creative Writing Blog: http://vikramkarve.sulekha.com/blog/posts.htm Email: vikramkarve@sify.com
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A Gallimaufry of my academic and creative writing – fiction, short stories, articles, musings, book reviews, technology, management, philosophy, self help, food, travel, health, inspirational and academic writing
A creative person with a zest for life, Vikram Karve is a retired Navy Officer turned full time writer and blogger. Educated at IIT Delhi, IIT (BHU) Varanasi, The Lawrence School Lovedale and Bishops School Pune, Vikram has published two books: COCKTAIL a collection of fiction short stories about relationships (2011) and APPETITE FOR A STROLL a book of Foodie Adventures (2008) and is currently working on his novel and a book of vignettes and short fiction. An avid blogger, he has written a large number of fiction short stories, creative non-fiction articles on a variety of topics including food, travel, philosophy, academics, technology, management, health, pet parenting, teaching stories and self help in magazines and published a large number of professional research papers in journals and edited in-house journals and magazines for many years, before the advent of blogging. Vikram has taught at a University as a Professor for 15 years and now teaches as a visiting faculty and devotes most of his time to creative writing and blogging. Vikram Karve lives in Pune India with his family and muse - his pet dog Sherry with whom he takes long walks thinking creative thoughts.
Vikram Karve Academic and Creative Writing Journal: http://karvediat.blogspot.com
Professional Profile Vikram Karve: http://www.linkedin.com/in/karve
Vikram Karve Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/vikramkarve
Twitter: @vikramwkarve
EMAIL: vikramkarve@hotmail.com
Vikram Karve 