This is a regular activity that all of us in our professional lives should do. It is plain and simple common sense. A couple of years into any job and we get into a rut. We keep doing the same thing over and over again without pausing to think or reflect. Our jobs may be stable and may also pay us well. Our professional life may seem to move like a well oiled machine. You may actually be having a good time. But every 3-4 years one needs to sit back and do career health check.
By this is meant that one should just sit back and take a hard and critical look at the way our careers is shaping up. By doing this we achieve a couple of things. First we need to see where we are currently in our career and where we intend to go in the next 5 or 10 years. Are we on track for this? Are we well networked in our office? Have we acquired the skills necessary if and when we get the promotion.
On the other hand we also to look at some really dark scenarios and see how we would fare if they should occur. For example what if you were to get laid off, fired or just had to relocate to another city. If you had to look for another job tomorrow what are your chances of you getting the job you desire with the kind of salary you want. How long will it take to get another job. This is a very important exercise and we need to do this periodically in our professional lives.
The issue is we generally get comfy with our lives and assume that things will continue to bright and sunny for years to come. We get into a rut and start drifting around. It may also so happen that your current job is very niche and there are very few organizations in the world which require such skills. While you may be important in your current organization what would happen if your organization ran into issues and you had to look for another job. It is possible that you are doing something that is obsolete but is required in your organization. It may be highly valued skill in your organization and you may be getting well paid. But outside your organization it may be absolutely useless. It is here that one needs to make a proper objective view of one's situation and take pro-active action and try to learn up new skills. We need to prepare ourselves for any eventuality. One could some learn some other technologies and pick up on new skills. One needs to enroll in courses and make sure that one is up to date with the requirements of the industry.
Another very important exercise to do along with this is to continue to network with other friends in the industry and learn the key developments in the last couple of years. Friends are a great source of information and can keep you abreast of the happenings. This will let you know which areas you need to work on.
While this is common sense most of us ignore the signs and we start to get desperate when things go out of control. We need to constantly monitor our progress in our career and make mid-course corrections and adjustments as we move along in our professional lives.
This will prepare us for any eventuality and keep us sailing smoothly in our careers.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Netelligence
The Internet - Web of information: No invention has had such a enormous impact in our lives as the internet". Now the world's information and knowledge are stored and accessed on this wonderful invention. Getting information on any topic is like participating in a lucky dip. Enter your search items in a search engine and presto - the screen comes up all relevant and related content. In fact the internet has steadily grown over the years and holds encyclopedias, ideas, thoughts and endless insights and observations of mankind.
Netelligence: In fact , we have almost reached a point , where it is almost impossible to fathom the amount of information and knowledge that is available on the web. If only, we the human race, can harness this information and knowledge on the web we can make great progress. There is a need to tap the "netelligence" of the world wide web. For this we need to have specifically designed programs that can scour the web for the knowledge, ideas and insights.The programs would have to be based on complex algorithms, artificial intelligence techniques, data mining and analytics. The programs would have to assimilate information, identify patterns, ask itself relevant questions search for answers and draw appropriate conclusions from it.. Such algorithms that can mine the netelligence from the web will have to identify , correlate, associate and validate its owns findings. These "migratory netelligent" programs will have at their disposal a real wealth of information on the web. From social networking sites to blogs, from encyclopedias' to research articles, from history to philosophy mankind has recorded all his experiences, desires and dreams. There is more wisdom in the web than we can comprehend.
Harnessing wisdom: While such a "migratory netelligent" program almost seem the stuff of science fiction, it definitely is not impossible based on the advances in computer science. The time is now ripe for such a advancement as the content of the web has almost reached a critical mass and algorithms are getting more sophisticated. Mankind does not have to wait for divine inspiration to come to make the next big breakthrough. The web has more intelligence than we are aware of. In fact the web is a man-made artificial resource. If only we could tap this "artificial resource" mankind may witness the next great advancement in science. In the 21st century and beyond the collective wisdom of the human race, in the billions of servers comprising the web, will be the most crucial resource for mankind.
Net gold: In fact the insights that netelligent programs discover from the web can be referred to as "net gold"
Netelligence: In fact , we have almost reached a point , where it is almost impossible to fathom the amount of information and knowledge that is available on the web. If only, we the human race, can harness this information and knowledge on the web we can make great progress. There is a need to tap the "netelligence" of the world wide web. For this we need to have specifically designed programs that can scour the web for the knowledge, ideas and insights.The programs would have to be based on complex algorithms, artificial intelligence techniques, data mining and analytics. The programs would have to assimilate information, identify patterns, ask itself relevant questions search for answers and draw appropriate conclusions from it.. Such algorithms that can mine the netelligence from the web will have to identify , correlate, associate and validate its owns findings. These "migratory netelligent" programs will have at their disposal a real wealth of information on the web. From social networking sites to blogs, from encyclopedias' to research articles, from history to philosophy mankind has recorded all his experiences, desires and dreams. There is more wisdom in the web than we can comprehend.
Harnessing wisdom: While such a "migratory netelligent" program almost seem the stuff of science fiction, it definitely is not impossible based on the advances in computer science. The time is now ripe for such a advancement as the content of the web has almost reached a critical mass and algorithms are getting more sophisticated. Mankind does not have to wait for divine inspiration to come to make the next big breakthrough. The web has more intelligence than we are aware of. In fact the web is a man-made artificial resource. If only we could tap this "artificial resource" mankind may witness the next great advancement in science. In the 21st century and beyond the collective wisdom of the human race, in the billions of servers comprising the web, will be the most crucial resource for mankind.
Net gold: In fact the insights that netelligent programs discover from the web can be referred to as "net gold"
There is room at the top
Yes, that's right. There is room at the top. I can already sense the pushing and jostling. Not so fast! There are some basic requirements that are needed to get to the top of the pile. Getting those strutting rights which goes along with fancy titles and heavy designations is a lot of hard work. If you thought it was easy, think again. This article is going to give you the low down on how to make it to the top and stay there. So take a deep breath and read on...
Work the phone like crazy: This is by far the most fundamental requirement to get to the upper echelons of manaement. God forbid if a subordinate catches you either away from the computer screen or from the phone. If you have nothing to do, then for heaven's sake call yourself and look busy listening to the engaged tone.
Responding to mails: Make sure that all responses to incoming mails get the same treatment. All responses should be terse and a cryptic one-liner. The one-liner should be addressed to no one in particular. And of course you don't have the time to sign off with a "Cheers, Regards etc". To add to the effect make sure that all mails include a line which says"Sent from blackberry or iPad etc".
The "Glazed Look": This is one particular trait that requires years of practice. There are only a few who have managed to get into the "Glazed look Hall of Fame". A little explanation is required here. The key is whenever a sub-ordinate is discussing anything, which any way you don't understand, make sure you occasionally nod your head. Then suddenly you should get a "glazed, faraway look" mid-conversation. The important thing is that the subordinate should surprised by "the look". In all probability the subordinate will assume that he had said something really clever and you were set off in deep thought. Alternatively he may be impressed at you being capable of running parallel streams of thoughts in your head.Either way you win.
Rushing off to nowhere in a hurry: Basic rule, always look busy. Make sure you dash in and out of your room in regular intervals. In fact you should leave behind a puff of smoke. That's how fast you should get to be.
Walk out of meetings talking on the phone: It is your prerogative to walk in and out of meetings. Make sure that you crease your brow, look sharp etc. After all you are negotiating with kidnappers to part with a million dollars.
Make calls late at night & on weekends: Make sure to occasionally call your colleagues and subordinates late at night and on weekends. Make sure you send the message that you are always busy.
All the points mentioned above require a lot of hard work, grit and determination. Make sure that you work at it. You will need it when you get to the top.
Work the phone like crazy: This is by far the most fundamental requirement to get to the upper echelons of manaement. God forbid if a subordinate catches you either away from the computer screen or from the phone. If you have nothing to do, then for heaven's sake call yourself and look busy listening to the engaged tone.
Responding to mails: Make sure that all responses to incoming mails get the same treatment. All responses should be terse and a cryptic one-liner. The one-liner should be addressed to no one in particular. And of course you don't have the time to sign off with a "Cheers, Regards etc". To add to the effect make sure that all mails include a line which says"Sent from blackberry or iPad etc".
The "Glazed Look": This is one particular trait that requires years of practice. There are only a few who have managed to get into the "Glazed look Hall of Fame". A little explanation is required here. The key is whenever a sub-ordinate is discussing anything, which any way you don't understand, make sure you occasionally nod your head. Then suddenly you should get a "glazed, faraway look" mid-conversation. The important thing is that the subordinate should surprised by "the look". In all probability the subordinate will assume that he had said something really clever and you were set off in deep thought. Alternatively he may be impressed at you being capable of running parallel streams of thoughts in your head.Either way you win.
Rushing off to nowhere in a hurry: Basic rule, always look busy. Make sure you dash in and out of your room in regular intervals. In fact you should leave behind a puff of smoke. That's how fast you should get to be.
Walk out of meetings talking on the phone: It is your prerogative to walk in and out of meetings. Make sure that you crease your brow, look sharp etc. After all you are negotiating with kidnappers to part with a million dollars.
Make calls late at night & on weekends: Make sure to occasionally call your colleagues and subordinates late at night and on weekends. Make sure you send the message that you are always busy.
All the points mentioned above require a lot of hard work, grit and determination. Make sure that you work at it. You will need it when you get to the top.
Singularity
Published in Associated Content
Pete Mettle felt drowsy. He had been working for days on his new inference algorithm. Pete had been in the field of AI for close to 3 decades and had established himself as the father of "semantics". He was particularly renowned for his 3 principles of Artificial Intelligence. He had postulated the principles of learning as
The Principle of Knowledge Acquisition: This principle laid out the guidelines for knowledge acquisition by an algorithm. It clearly laid out the rules of what was knowledge and what was not. It could clearly delineate between the wheat and chaff from any textbook or research article.
The Principle of Knowledge Assimilation: This law gave the process for organizing the acquired knowledge in facts, rules and underlying principles. Knowledge assimilation involved storing the individual rules, the relation between the rules and provided the basis for drawing conclusions from them
The Principle of Knowledge Application: This principle according to Pete was the most important. It showed how all knowledge acquired and assimilated could be used to draw inferences andconclusions. In fact it also showed how knowledge could be extrapolated to make safe conclusions.
Zengine The above 3 principles of Pete were hailed as a major landmark in AI. Pete started to work on an inference engine known as "Zengine" based on his above 3 principles. Pete was almost finished fine tuning his algorithm. Pete wanted to test his Zengine on the World Wide Web. The World Wide Web had grown into gigantic proportions. A report in May 2025 issue of Wall Street Journal mentioned that the total data that was held in the internet had crossed 400 zettabytes and that the daily data stored on the web was close to 20 terabytes. It was a well known fact that there an enormous amount of information on the web on a wide variety of topics. Wikis, blogs, articles, ideas, social networks and so on there was a lot of information on almost every conceivable topic under the sun.
Pete was given special permission by the governments of the world to run his Zengine on the internet. It was Pete's theory that it would take the Zengine close to at least a year to process the information on the web and make any reasonable inferences from them. Accompanied by world wide publicity Zengine started its work of trying to assimilate the information on the World Wide Web. The Zengine was programmed to periodically give a status update of its progress to Pete.
A few months passed. Zengine kept giving updates on the number of sites, periodicals, blogs it had condensed into its knowledge database. After about 10 months Pete received a mail. It read "Markets will crash on March 2026. Petrol prices will sky rocket - Zengine. Pete was surprised at the forecast. So he invoked the API to check on what basis the claim had been made. To his surprise and amazement he found that a lot events happening in the world had been used to make that claim which clearly seemed to point in that direction. A couple of months down the line there was another terse statement "Rebellion very likely in Mogadishu in Dec 2027". - Zengine.The Zengine also came with corollaries to Fermat's last theorem. It was becoming clear to Pete and everybody that the Zengine was indeed becoming smarter by the day..It became apparent to everybody when Zengine would become more powerful than human beings.
Celestial events: Around this time peculiar events were observed all over the world. There were a lot of celestial events that were happening. Phenomenon like the aurora borealis became common place. On Dec 12, 2026 there was an unusual amount of electrical activity in the sky. Everywhere there were streaks of lightning. By evening time slivers of lightning hit the earth in several parts of the world. In fact if anybody had viewed the earth from outer space then it would have a resembled a "nebula sphere" with lightning streaks racing towards the earth in all directions. This seemed to happen for many days. Simultaneously the Zengine was getting more and more powerful. In fact it had learnt to spawn of multiple processes to get information and return to it.
Time-space discontinuity: People everywhere were petrified of this strange phenomenon. On the one hand there was the fear of the takeover of the web by the Zengine and on the other was this increased celestial activity. Finally on the morning of Jan 2028 there was a powerful crack followed by a sonic boom and everywhere people had a moment of discontinuity. In the briefest of moments there was a natural time-space discontinuity and mankind had progressed to the next stage in evolution.
The unconscious, sub conscious and the conscious all became a single faculty of super consciousness. The knowledge of nature now became clear. It has always been known from the time of Plato that man knows everything there is to know. It is all buried in the unconscious mind. In the Hindu philosophy it is also known as the Brahman which is universal, colorless and formless and can only be attained in a deep state of mysticism.
However this evolution by some strange quirk of coincidence seemed to coincide with the development of the world's first truly learning machine. In this super conscious state a learning machine was not something to be feared but something which could be used to benefit mankind. Just like cranes can lift and earthmovers perform tasks that are beyond our physical capacity so also a learning machine was a useful invention that could be used to harness the knowledge from mankind's storehouse - the World Wide Web.
Pete Mettle felt drowsy. He had been working for days on his new inference algorithm. Pete had been in the field of AI for close to 3 decades and had established himself as the father of "semantics". He was particularly renowned for his 3 principles of Artificial Intelligence. He had postulated the principles of learning as
The Principle of Knowledge Acquisition: This principle laid out the guidelines for knowledge acquisition by an algorithm. It clearly laid out the rules of what was knowledge and what was not. It could clearly delineate between the wheat and chaff from any textbook or research article.
The Principle of Knowledge Assimilation: This law gave the process for organizing the acquired knowledge in facts, rules and underlying principles. Knowledge assimilation involved storing the individual rules, the relation between the rules and provided the basis for drawing conclusions from them
The Principle of Knowledge Application: This principle according to Pete was the most important. It showed how all knowledge acquired and assimilated could be used to draw inferences andconclusions. In fact it also showed how knowledge could be extrapolated to make safe conclusions.
Zengine The above 3 principles of Pete were hailed as a major landmark in AI. Pete started to work on an inference engine known as "Zengine" based on his above 3 principles. Pete was almost finished fine tuning his algorithm. Pete wanted to test his Zengine on the World Wide Web. The World Wide Web had grown into gigantic proportions. A report in May 2025 issue of Wall Street Journal mentioned that the total data that was held in the internet had crossed 400 zettabytes and that the daily data stored on the web was close to 20 terabytes. It was a well known fact that there an enormous amount of information on the web on a wide variety of topics. Wikis, blogs, articles, ideas, social networks and so on there was a lot of information on almost every conceivable topic under the sun.
Pete was given special permission by the governments of the world to run his Zengine on the internet. It was Pete's theory that it would take the Zengine close to at least a year to process the information on the web and make any reasonable inferences from them. Accompanied by world wide publicity Zengine started its work of trying to assimilate the information on the World Wide Web. The Zengine was programmed to periodically give a status update of its progress to Pete.
A few months passed. Zengine kept giving updates on the number of sites, periodicals, blogs it had condensed into its knowledge database. After about 10 months Pete received a mail. It read "Markets will crash on March 2026. Petrol prices will sky rocket - Zengine. Pete was surprised at the forecast. So he invoked the API to check on what basis the claim had been made. To his surprise and amazement he found that a lot events happening in the world had been used to make that claim which clearly seemed to point in that direction. A couple of months down the line there was another terse statement "Rebellion very likely in Mogadishu in Dec 2027". - Zengine.The Zengine also came with corollaries to Fermat's last theorem. It was becoming clear to Pete and everybody that the Zengine was indeed becoming smarter by the day..It became apparent to everybody when Zengine would become more powerful than human beings.
Celestial events: Around this time peculiar events were observed all over the world. There were a lot of celestial events that were happening. Phenomenon like the aurora borealis became common place. On Dec 12, 2026 there was an unusual amount of electrical activity in the sky. Everywhere there were streaks of lightning. By evening time slivers of lightning hit the earth in several parts of the world. In fact if anybody had viewed the earth from outer space then it would have a resembled a "nebula sphere" with lightning streaks racing towards the earth in all directions. This seemed to happen for many days. Simultaneously the Zengine was getting more and more powerful. In fact it had learnt to spawn of multiple processes to get information and return to it.
Time-space discontinuity: People everywhere were petrified of this strange phenomenon. On the one hand there was the fear of the takeover of the web by the Zengine and on the other was this increased celestial activity. Finally on the morning of Jan 2028 there was a powerful crack followed by a sonic boom and everywhere people had a moment of discontinuity. In the briefest of moments there was a natural time-space discontinuity and mankind had progressed to the next stage in evolution.
The unconscious, sub conscious and the conscious all became a single faculty of super consciousness. The knowledge of nature now became clear. It has always been known from the time of Plato that man knows everything there is to know. It is all buried in the unconscious mind. In the Hindu philosophy it is also known as the Brahman which is universal, colorless and formless and can only be attained in a deep state of mysticism.
However this evolution by some strange quirk of coincidence seemed to coincide with the development of the world's first truly learning machine. In this super conscious state a learning machine was not something to be feared but something which could be used to benefit mankind. Just like cranes can lift and earthmovers perform tasks that are beyond our physical capacity so also a learning machine was a useful invention that could be used to harness the knowledge from mankind's storehouse - the World Wide Web.
The virtue of humility
Published in Associated Content
Be humble! We are told as children by our elders. However as we grow up we realize that this is by no means an easy task. We as human beings always crave for attention. When we have achieved something or performed any noteworthy act we generally want to shout out from roof tops or mountain tops. We want to let the whole world know of our accomplishments. We want to just sit back and bask in the warmth of appreciation, recognition. We want to wallow in our own pride.
While it is not wrong to want recognition and appreciation we need to be very careful in the way we handle the approbation that comes our way. We need to have the maturity to handle the praise. We need to be humble. What is exactly referred to as humility is nothing more than being able to receive all commendation with poise. We need to receive the ensuing fame with a calmness and equanimity.
Humility is essentially the virtue of not getting carried away with fame. All praise we receive is transitory in nature and we should not fool ourselves into believing that we have super human abilities. We need to be able to take a balanced approach towards life whether it is praise or criticism. This is the mark of mature individual. The perils of being drunk with one's own self glory are that we become lost and start behaving foolishly. We lose track of our capabilities and start thinking that we can achieve anything. If we approach life with humility with the knowledge that we are mortal and all fame is transitory then we can ensure that we keep performing and becoming better and better at thing. Humility does not diminish praise but ensures that we can act effectively regardless of any success. If we get carried away too easily with appreciation we will also tend to be hurt when there is criticism.
So, whenever we achieve success we must be humble and take all recognition and appreciation in our stride. If we take this approach to life we can achieve even bigger and better things in life.
Be humble! We are told as children by our elders. However as we grow up we realize that this is by no means an easy task. We as human beings always crave for attention. When we have achieved something or performed any noteworthy act we generally want to shout out from roof tops or mountain tops. We want to let the whole world know of our accomplishments. We want to just sit back and bask in the warmth of appreciation, recognition. We want to wallow in our own pride.
While it is not wrong to want recognition and appreciation we need to be very careful in the way we handle the approbation that comes our way. We need to have the maturity to handle the praise. We need to be humble. What is exactly referred to as humility is nothing more than being able to receive all commendation with poise. We need to receive the ensuing fame with a calmness and equanimity.
Humility is essentially the virtue of not getting carried away with fame. All praise we receive is transitory in nature and we should not fool ourselves into believing that we have super human abilities. We need to be able to take a balanced approach towards life whether it is praise or criticism. This is the mark of mature individual. The perils of being drunk with one's own self glory are that we become lost and start behaving foolishly. We lose track of our capabilities and start thinking that we can achieve anything. If we approach life with humility with the knowledge that we are mortal and all fame is transitory then we can ensure that we keep performing and becoming better and better at thing. Humility does not diminish praise but ensures that we can act effectively regardless of any success. If we get carried away too easily with appreciation we will also tend to be hurt when there is criticism.
So, whenever we achieve success we must be humble and take all recognition and appreciation in our stride. If we take this approach to life we can achieve even bigger and better things in life.
Prudence and Providence
Published in Associated Content
Providence favors the prudent. While this may not be immediately obvious with a little thought we can see that those who are lucky in life are those who make prudent decisions in life. Our lives are a series of choices we make, In all these situations what is required is that we look at the situation objectively and make judicious choices, We need to make sure that we make prudent decisions in our personal life (family and finance), professional life and in the social sphere. Common sense is so uncommon. Below are included some steps that are seem to be obvious but are the ones that we generally tend to ignore
Physical & mental exercise: We need to keep both our bodies and our minds in constant use. Towards this end we need to exercise both physically and mentally. We need to ensure that are brains are active by taking up creative activity like painting, writing, or learning a new technology. Reading good books also ensures that we keep our minds active. This will keep the brain cells happy and ticking for a long time. Similarly we also need to ensure that we regularly do a spot of exercise and get plenty of fresh air. We can add years of life to ourselves by simply following a regular regimen of good exercise. A sound body and mind is very necessary to be able to not only solve the problems that life throws on us but also to enjoy the good fortune that comes our way.
Financial prudence: What is past is over and cannot be changed. What we have at our disposal is the present and a future we need to take control of. The way we can do this is by financial prudence. We need to invest financially in the present so that we are provided for in later years post retirement. We need to save a little regularly over a long period of time. When we invest our time and money in the present we can reap the rewards in our future. We also need to ensure that we guard ourselves against any eventuality. Towards this end we need to make sure that we stash away a small amount of money towards insurance of self and family. Occasional splurging is fine but regular indulgence should be avoided, When trying to buy something we need to make sure that we get what we need and not what we want.
Social prudence: There is more truth to the old worn out saying "a friend in need is a friend indeed" than we are aware of. True friends are hard to come by and can help us in really sticky situations. Common sense dictates that we keep steadily increasing our circle of friends as we progress through life. A healthy social circle will come to our aid during difficulties, help us through depressions and come to our aid when we need most.
These are some prudent steps that we can take during our years in life. If we make sure that we are healthy both physically & mentally, secure our future through sound investments and have a good friend circle we can tide over a lot of life's problems.These are not one time activities that we do once and then sit tight. At every stage in life we have to take stock of the situation and adjust our approach to our personal, financial and social spheres in life.
In fact, good things will come our way only if we make way for it.
Providence favors the prudent. While this may not be immediately obvious with a little thought we can see that those who are lucky in life are those who make prudent decisions in life. Our lives are a series of choices we make, In all these situations what is required is that we look at the situation objectively and make judicious choices, We need to make sure that we make prudent decisions in our personal life (family and finance), professional life and in the social sphere. Common sense is so uncommon. Below are included some steps that are seem to be obvious but are the ones that we generally tend to ignore
Physical & mental exercise: We need to keep both our bodies and our minds in constant use. Towards this end we need to exercise both physically and mentally. We need to ensure that are brains are active by taking up creative activity like painting, writing, or learning a new technology. Reading good books also ensures that we keep our minds active. This will keep the brain cells happy and ticking for a long time. Similarly we also need to ensure that we regularly do a spot of exercise and get plenty of fresh air. We can add years of life to ourselves by simply following a regular regimen of good exercise. A sound body and mind is very necessary to be able to not only solve the problems that life throws on us but also to enjoy the good fortune that comes our way.
Financial prudence: What is past is over and cannot be changed. What we have at our disposal is the present and a future we need to take control of. The way we can do this is by financial prudence. We need to invest financially in the present so that we are provided for in later years post retirement. We need to save a little regularly over a long period of time. When we invest our time and money in the present we can reap the rewards in our future. We also need to ensure that we guard ourselves against any eventuality. Towards this end we need to make sure that we stash away a small amount of money towards insurance of self and family. Occasional splurging is fine but regular indulgence should be avoided, When trying to buy something we need to make sure that we get what we need and not what we want.
Social prudence: There is more truth to the old worn out saying "a friend in need is a friend indeed" than we are aware of. True friends are hard to come by and can help us in really sticky situations. Common sense dictates that we keep steadily increasing our circle of friends as we progress through life. A healthy social circle will come to our aid during difficulties, help us through depressions and come to our aid when we need most.
These are some prudent steps that we can take during our years in life. If we make sure that we are healthy both physically & mentally, secure our future through sound investments and have a good friend circle we can tide over a lot of life's problems.These are not one time activities that we do once and then sit tight. At every stage in life we have to take stock of the situation and adjust our approach to our personal, financial and social spheres in life.
In fact, good things will come our way only if we make way for it.
Friday, November 19, 2010
The Learning Principle
Published in Associated Content
If there is one faculty that we are born with then it the ability to learn and discover the world. As a child we are extremely fast learners observing, listening, feeling and reacting to everything that happens to us. In the early years our skill in being able to absorb new things is truly on overdrive. But as the years pass by we slowly lose this very important quality. We start to run into a lots of issues. We start to have difficulty in registering, absorbing and assimilating new information and experiences. We no longer understand people. We find it hard to pick up any new skill. We struggle as we grow. The problem is that, as we grow older, we unlearn some of the aspects of learning. We generally try to take the easy route and try to memorize things and learn by rote. We equate memorizing to learning. The two are not the same. Anything learnt stays with you forever. Anything memorized will vaporize as time goes by.
All learning must be assimilated and absorbed. Consciously or unconsciously we have to question ourselves as we try to learn something. We have to periodically check out progress and honestly assess our improvement over time. This is extremely hard to do. We generally assume that we are getting better at something when we are able to - repeat a musical piece, answer some questions mechanically, or recall facts from an overstuffed brain However, such attempts one will not ensure progress. We must be able to objectively assess our progress. If we are seriously interested in learning anything the single most important thing is to be passionate about it.. We need to consciously monitor our progress as we attempt to absorb the new skill, providing ourselves with the feedback as we progress. It is only if we consciously check our progress will real advancement be made. This is the key to learning. We should never let our interest flag. We could take the opinion of a friend to give his honest opinion of us.
In any case, in order to truly live in this world we constant need to keep our minds active and young by learning new skills. We could learn a new language, fine-tune our approach to making new friends, learn a musical; instrument or pick up any subject. There are so many avenues to upgrade ourselves. We can a learn an whole lot from ourselves. We can learn from our mistakes. Our past experiences are a rich storehouses of useful insights. In reality, the map of the future lies in our past. We only need to look deep into ourselves and learn from both our successes and failures. Once we involved we will naturally get more and more passionate about it. The mind is kept supple when it is constantly in use. We live only if we learn. If we cease to learn we can only exist. Our motto should be "Live to learn and learn to live". We need to ensure that our approach to learning any new skill is proper and that we putting in our best effort to do so.
In fact, the most important thing is "learning to learn". That is the greatest lesson of all.
If there is one faculty that we are born with then it the ability to learn and discover the world. As a child we are extremely fast learners observing, listening, feeling and reacting to everything that happens to us. In the early years our skill in being able to absorb new things is truly on overdrive. But as the years pass by we slowly lose this very important quality. We start to run into a lots of issues. We start to have difficulty in registering, absorbing and assimilating new information and experiences. We no longer understand people. We find it hard to pick up any new skill. We struggle as we grow. The problem is that, as we grow older, we unlearn some of the aspects of learning. We generally try to take the easy route and try to memorize things and learn by rote. We equate memorizing to learning. The two are not the same. Anything learnt stays with you forever. Anything memorized will vaporize as time goes by.
All learning must be assimilated and absorbed. Consciously or unconsciously we have to question ourselves as we try to learn something. We have to periodically check out progress and honestly assess our improvement over time. This is extremely hard to do. We generally assume that we are getting better at something when we are able to - repeat a musical piece, answer some questions mechanically, or recall facts from an overstuffed brain However, such attempts one will not ensure progress. We must be able to objectively assess our progress. If we are seriously interested in learning anything the single most important thing is to be passionate about it.. We need to consciously monitor our progress as we attempt to absorb the new skill, providing ourselves with the feedback as we progress. It is only if we consciously check our progress will real advancement be made. This is the key to learning. We should never let our interest flag. We could take the opinion of a friend to give his honest opinion of us.
In any case, in order to truly live in this world we constant need to keep our minds active and young by learning new skills. We could learn a new language, fine-tune our approach to making new friends, learn a musical; instrument or pick up any subject. There are so many avenues to upgrade ourselves. We can a learn an whole lot from ourselves. We can learn from our mistakes. Our past experiences are a rich storehouses of useful insights. In reality, the map of the future lies in our past. We only need to look deep into ourselves and learn from both our successes and failures. Once we involved we will naturally get more and more passionate about it. The mind is kept supple when it is constantly in use. We live only if we learn. If we cease to learn we can only exist. Our motto should be "Live to learn and learn to live". We need to ensure that our approach to learning any new skill is proper and that we putting in our best effort to do so.
In fact, the most important thing is "learning to learn". That is the greatest lesson of all.
Technology Blackout
Published in Associated Content
We live in world where technology permeates every aspect of our lives. For a moment, I imagined what would happen if there was a "technology blackout"? In other words, if suddenly we did not have access to any of the technology gizmos and the everyday devices that we are so used to. In such an event, I think I can safely reset my clock to the early 15 century. Given such a petrifying thought I wondered what would the 3 most important technology pieces that I just cannot live without. With a little thought it clearly became obvious to me that the 3 most crucial technological pieces are a) Electricity b) The Internet c) The mobile phone. If we look at the above three technological wonders it becomes very clear that a life without will become impossible, and almost not worth living, so to say.
Electricity: By the far the single most important technological discovery in the history of mankind is the discovery of electricity. We as a race have succeeded in harnessing energy, storing and distributing it. I can utilize it whenever I want and wherever I want. I use electricity to power hundreds of devices in my daily life at home, office or public place. From toasters to LCD TVs, from microwaves to home theatres electricity and electrical gadgets quietly do their thing. A day without electricity is almost unimaginable. In fact I think electricity almost holds its place amongst air and water.
Internet: From the days of the ARPANET, the internet has metamorphosed into a gigantic network that spans continents, countries and much geographies. There are more than a billion computers connected to the internet. Any and all information that I need is only a click away. I can use the internet to get information on anything - from making a Caesar's salad to finding out more details on my mouth ulcers. The internet is the electronic glue that connects humanity as a whole. I don't have to wait days for a response from my prospective employer or undergraduate school. I am a "send" button away. I can't imagine a world without this technology.
Mobile phone: Man has comprehensively conquered space, at least here on earth. All my friends are just a call away. I can call anybody, anywhere at any time with the phone. The mobile has become so ubiquitous and as inseparable to me as my wallet.
Conclusion:The above three technologies encompass a whole universe of associated inventions and discoveries which have meshed in to my life. Life without them is unimaginable.
We live in world where technology permeates every aspect of our lives. For a moment, I imagined what would happen if there was a "technology blackout"? In other words, if suddenly we did not have access to any of the technology gizmos and the everyday devices that we are so used to. In such an event, I think I can safely reset my clock to the early 15 century. Given such a petrifying thought I wondered what would the 3 most important technology pieces that I just cannot live without. With a little thought it clearly became obvious to me that the 3 most crucial technological pieces are a) Electricity b) The Internet c) The mobile phone. If we look at the above three technological wonders it becomes very clear that a life without will become impossible, and almost not worth living, so to say.
Electricity: By the far the single most important technological discovery in the history of mankind is the discovery of electricity. We as a race have succeeded in harnessing energy, storing and distributing it. I can utilize it whenever I want and wherever I want. I use electricity to power hundreds of devices in my daily life at home, office or public place. From toasters to LCD TVs, from microwaves to home theatres electricity and electrical gadgets quietly do their thing. A day without electricity is almost unimaginable. In fact I think electricity almost holds its place amongst air and water.
Internet: From the days of the ARPANET, the internet has metamorphosed into a gigantic network that spans continents, countries and much geographies. There are more than a billion computers connected to the internet. Any and all information that I need is only a click away. I can use the internet to get information on anything - from making a Caesar's salad to finding out more details on my mouth ulcers. The internet is the electronic glue that connects humanity as a whole. I don't have to wait days for a response from my prospective employer or undergraduate school. I am a "send" button away. I can't imagine a world without this technology.
Mobile phone: Man has comprehensively conquered space, at least here on earth. All my friends are just a call away. I can call anybody, anywhere at any time with the phone. The mobile has become so ubiquitous and as inseparable to me as my wallet.
Conclusion:The above three technologies encompass a whole universe of associated inventions and discoveries which have meshed in to my life. Life without them is unimaginable.
Crafting the future
When we come into this world our Creator in all his omniscience gives us the following three things for free - our lives, the present moment and our individual futures. While our live spans may be limited there is no limit on what we make of our own destiny. We need to be architects of our own future. What we have at any point in time is the present. We need to make judicious investments into the present so that we can harvest in the future. When we talk of "reaping what we sow" we generally intend that our present pathetic state of affairs, is what it is, because of our past actions. However if look at it from the point of view of the future then we can clearly see that we can be the masters of our own destiny. To quote Abraham Lincoln "The best way to predict the future is to create it". We can assure ourselves of a bright future if we take appropriate steps in the here and now. Stephen Covey in his book "The 7 habits of highly effective people" states that in the space between stimulus and response we are free to choose our course of actions. By making judicious choices at each juncture in our life we can ensure that our future is on the path we want it to be. Besides we also need to pro-actively sow the seeds for our future like learning a new skill, upgrading our knowledge,making new friends etc. Every act that we do will have its own reward later. Little did Steve Jobs know that his learning of calligraphy in college would enable him to make a compelling product like the Mac. If we invest in the present we will definitely reap rich dividends in the future. We need to chart our course as we travel through life. We need to plan out actions and set sail bravely into our destiny. As physicist, Sean Carroll of California Institute of Technology says "the past has happened and the future is up for grabs".
Making peace with Adversity
Published in Assiciated Content
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5998170/making_peace_with_adversity.html?cat=7
"Life is difficult", thus begins the classic "The Road Less Travelled "by M Scott Peck in which the author shows that one's life is a series of difficult choices, trials and tribulations. Life is never perfect and neither is our nature. We are bound to undergo pain, sickness, frustrations, disappointments and depressions as we move through life. While nobody in this world is exempt from difficulties the key thing is that neither should we feel defeated by our suffering nor be cowed down by it. We need to look at our problems squarely, understand and take appropriate steps to overcome them. This takes a lot of courage, insight into issues and will power. The Light of Asia, Buddha in his four noble truths expounds that life is suffering, that suffering is born of attachment, cessation of suffering is attainable and the path to cessation is based on taking the middle path given in his eight-fold path.
There are times when we feel totally helpless in the face of adversity. Adversity is God's alchemy of the soul. We generally emerge stronger and tougher when we face life's problems head-on. Those who look at suffering with courage coupled with clear headed thinking generally find it easier to tide over troubles as compared to those who indulge in wishful thinking or try to run away from their problems. There is a lesson for us to learn in all our suffering. Failure is better teacher than success. We have a choice to make in any situation we are faced with. In the words of, Shakespeare, it definitely is more important "to take arms against a sea of troubles, oppose and end it" than "suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune". Nothing is gained in wallowing or drowning oneself in one's one misery.
The crux is that we need to make peace with adversity. We need to understand than we will encounter failures and disappointments in life. We should view the situation objectively and pursue the right course to action. In fact the moment we start putting into action our response to the situation the problem itself will generally disappear and we will be more in control of ourselves. When we run away from issues or try to evade them they assume a larger than life presence. In fact our imagination will run riot. Our mind will take control over ourselves and we will begin to imagine the worst outcome. So the quickest way of ending the misery is to grapple with the problem, take the wise counsel of friends and elders. We need to take the necessary counter action to mitigate the problem and pretty soon the issue will melt away.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5998170/making_peace_with_adversity.html?cat=7
"Life is difficult", thus begins the classic "The Road Less Travelled "by M Scott Peck in which the author shows that one's life is a series of difficult choices, trials and tribulations. Life is never perfect and neither is our nature. We are bound to undergo pain, sickness, frustrations, disappointments and depressions as we move through life. While nobody in this world is exempt from difficulties the key thing is that neither should we feel defeated by our suffering nor be cowed down by it. We need to look at our problems squarely, understand and take appropriate steps to overcome them. This takes a lot of courage, insight into issues and will power. The Light of Asia, Buddha in his four noble truths expounds that life is suffering, that suffering is born of attachment, cessation of suffering is attainable and the path to cessation is based on taking the middle path given in his eight-fold path.
There are times when we feel totally helpless in the face of adversity. Adversity is God's alchemy of the soul. We generally emerge stronger and tougher when we face life's problems head-on. Those who look at suffering with courage coupled with clear headed thinking generally find it easier to tide over troubles as compared to those who indulge in wishful thinking or try to run away from their problems. There is a lesson for us to learn in all our suffering. Failure is better teacher than success. We have a choice to make in any situation we are faced with. In the words of, Shakespeare, it definitely is more important "to take arms against a sea of troubles, oppose and end it" than "suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune". Nothing is gained in wallowing or drowning oneself in one's one misery.
The crux is that we need to make peace with adversity. We need to understand than we will encounter failures and disappointments in life. We should view the situation objectively and pursue the right course to action. In fact the moment we start putting into action our response to the situation the problem itself will generally disappear and we will be more in control of ourselves. When we run away from issues or try to evade them they assume a larger than life presence. In fact our imagination will run riot. Our mind will take control over ourselves and we will begin to imagine the worst outcome. So the quickest way of ending the misery is to grapple with the problem, take the wise counsel of friends and elders. We need to take the necessary counter action to mitigate the problem and pretty soon the issue will melt away.
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