Three Dimensions of Life

When an object has a third dimension, it gets depth. The third dimension can also be perceived as height and as we keep progressing along all three dimensions, we would be able to sense a balanced growth as opposed to uni-dimensional or bi-dimensional growth.

For example, if a person has a single pointed focus on getting more money in life, and he gets it eventually, you can say that he's achieved uni-dimensional success. But, if he's going to lose that money at any point, then he feels dejected and depressed since he's failed at his sole purpose in life. He doesn't have any alternate channel to vent his energy.

As opposed to that, consider a person, who besides having money also develops a wide varied interest in life, there are adequate channels to concentrate and diffuse our tension and worries.

So, what are the three broad dimensions where we can excel.

Well, it could be summarised as Personal, Professional and Social.

So, having a balanced approach to each one of these spheres would lead to a well rounded and balanced approach to shaping up our personality.

Importance of Consciousness

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power... said Abraham Lincoln..

Amongst many things that can blind a person, power stands almost at the top. Besides that, money, women and wine could be other agents of blinding a person out of his senses.

"Pragnya" in Sanskrit symbolises consciousness. When we are aware of what we do, we are said to be conscious. Every night, when we sleep, we lose consciousness. We are in a blissful state when we dont know what happens around us.

According to the Bhagavad Gita, one who keeps his conscience under his control and remains unflutterd amidst all the chaos around him in this world is called "Sthitha-Pragyna"..

The world according to the Chaos theory always moves into a state of higher entropy or chaos. That's its natural course. To distinguish between things which are constant and those which change would require a significant effort and practice.

Strategy and Planning

Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe, said Abe Lincoln. Astonishing how much profoundly practical wisdom is packaged into that simple declaration. Time spent in sharpening the tool is time well-spent; so is time spent in thinking through a problem and thoroughly understanding the problem before rushing off to solve it. And in most cases, since there is almost nothing new under the sun, there are already known solutions to many problem. So the most efficient method to solve a problem is to first seek the solution that someone may have figured out already.

The New Emperor

An emperor in the Far East was growing old and knew it was time to choose his successor. Instead of choosing one of his assistants or his children, he decided something different. He called young people in the kingdom together one day. He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next emperor. I have decided to choose one of you."
The kids were shocked! But the emperor continued. "I am going to give each one of you a seed today. One very special seed. I want you to plant the seed, water it and come back here after one year from today with what you have grown from this one seed. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next emperor!"
One boy named Ling was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly told his mother the story. She helped him get a pot and planting soil, and he planted the seed and watered it carefully. Every day he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. ….

After about three weeks, some of the other youths began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.Ling kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 5 weeks went by. Still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants but Ling didn't have a plant, and he felt like a failure. Six months went by, still nothing in Ling's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed.
Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Ling didn't say anything to his friends, however. He just kept waiting for his seed to grow. A year finally went by and all the youths of the kingdom brought their plants to the emperor for inspection. Ling told his mother that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But honest about what happened, Ling felt sick to his stomach, but he knew his mother was right. He took his empty pot to the palace. When Ling arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants
grown by the other youths. They were beautiful in all shapes and sizes. Ling put his empty pot on the floor and many of the other kinds laughed at him. A few felt sorry for him and just said, "Hey nice try." When the emperor arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted the young people. Ling just tried to hide in the back. "What great plants, trees and flowers you have grown," said the emperor . "Today, one of you will be appointed the next emperor!" All of a sudden, the emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room with his him to the front. Ling was terrified. "The emperor knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me killed!" When Ling got to the front, the Emperor asked his name. "My name is Ling," he replied. All the kids were laughing and making fun of him. The emperor asked everyone to quiet down. He looked at Ling, and then announced to the crowd, "Behold your new emperor! His name is Ling!" Ling couldn't believe it. Ling couldn't even grow his seed. How could he be the new emperor? Then the emperor said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone here a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds, which would not grow. All of you, except Ling, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I
gave you. Ling was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new emperor!"

The moral of the story is :

Be careful what you plant now, It will determine what you will reap tomorrow, The seeds you now scatter, will make life worse or better, your life or the ones who will come after. Yes, someday, you will enjoy the fruits, or you will pay for the choices you plant today.

Epilogue:

If you plant honesty, you will reap trust.
If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.
If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.
If you plant perseverance, you will reap victory.
If you plant consideration, you will reap harmony.
If you plant hard work, you will reap success.
If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation.
If you plant openness, you will reap intimacy.
If you plant patience, you will reap improvements.
If you plant faith, you will reap miracles.

But

If you plant dishonesty, you will reap distrust.
If you plant selfishness, you will reap loneliness.
If you plant pride, you will reap destruction.
If you plant envy, you will reap trouble.
If you plant laziness, you will reap stagnation.
If you plant bitterness, you will reap isolation.
If you plant greed, you will reap loss.
If you plant gossip, you will reap enemies.
If you plant worries, you will reap wrinkles.
If you plant sin, you will reap guilt.

Finance, Risks and Society

Recently, there was an issue/debate pertaining to the Dress code that needs to be followed by girls in Colleges in Tamilnadu, India. The contention was that modern/fashionable dresses were instigating people of the opposite sex to cross the acceptable norms of behavior. That goes to show the sorry state of affairs where, our actions/values are based on what the other person says or wears. It only gives a frivolous justification for promiscous behavior.

Now, coming to the connection between, dress code, risks and finance...

When we want to make an investment decision, we have various options laid before us and we are expected to make the decision based on our risk taking appetite and hence the expected returns from our investments. For example, stock markets have traditionally returned superior returns while the trade off has been an unexpected volatility which translates into an unpredicatable risk. In short, stocks go with the maxim : "Fortune favours the brave"...

Risk always translates into a greater exposure for uncertainty. If you invest your money in Government bonds, your money is safe while the returns are also commensurately less. Its akin to a girl wearing a conservative dress like saree/salwar kameez. While there is a greater chance of the girl reaching her destination safely, she doesnt feel very happy projecting herself a very staid,old and dull person. On the contrary, if she decides to wear a skimpy skirt, she indirectly increases her risk exposure and puts herself at greater risk. If she manages to overcome the risk and reach safely, her returns or outcome from such a event are, so to say are more, as she gets a joy in informing the world about her contemporary tastes.

New Year Wishes 2006

The wheel of time keeps moving. The old year goes away and the new year
claims its place. There's a reason we call it the "wheel" of time. The
word
"annual" comes from the Latin annus meaning a circuit of the sun, hence
a year.

Flowers don't bloom any differently just because a new year has begun.
Clouds move at the same pace whether it's a new day or a new century.
Yet for humans these convenient markers along the trail of life are
quite
convenient.

We brood about what happened yesterday. We plan things for the next
week.
And with a new year, we feel our knapsack of time is replenished.
Again.
What we missed doing last year we might be able to accomplish this
time.

And so the wheel turns.

Ultimately, it's all relative. A story goes that a man prays to God.
God appears and the man says, "Lord! Our billions of years are your one
second. Our billions of dollars are merely a penny for you. Could you
grant me a penny?" God smiles, says "Certainly! Back in a second," and
disappears.

May all your wishes be granted in the new year!