Equality - A myth

"All men (and women) are created equal ..." - Declaration of Independence

No. All human beings are not created equal. This statement is untrue, it does not account for the fact that all humans beings are born with a combination of genes (thanks chance!) that endow special abilities in some, and near fatal flaws in others. A child born with a hole in the hear is not equal to a perfectly healthy baby.

No. All human beings are not equal in their abilities. We have to accept this fact. There are some who are better at things than others. Some who will be better than others at everything that they do. There are a host of complex reasons for that, all that are not within the control of the human race as a whole. Social status, economic status and geographic locations play a huge role in the kind of abilities a human being develops. The question  we should be asking ourselves is whether this natural inequality that exists in humans should translate to a feeling of natural superiority or empathetic pity for those with lesser ability? Both seem to be frowned upon by different groups of people today.

I wanted to make one thing very clear, none of my previous statements endorse an opinion that there are superior races. The link between race and genes has been debunked by the scientific community. Period. If I could device and experiment, I would expect the outcome to show the inequality in abilities is seen in both mixed race samples and samples that contain people of the same race. Not being equally able is a human trait that is not tainted by race, color or geographic location. The one aspect that needs to be taken into account in any such experiment is whether the sample set had the same/similar micro-environment and local circumstances.

The reason I got thinking on this topic is a recent conversation I had around affirmative action in the US and quotas in India. A majority of the people I have interacted with hold the view that there should be uniform processes and criteria defined for many things like admission to higher education institutions, social programs, employment programs, government benefits, and more. If human beings are truly unequal in their ability, then should there really be a uniform yardstick to measure all? To me it makes sense to evaluate eligibility in a relative sense before allocating a resource to a human being. That's fair. Given a set of equal circumstances, did I do better than the rest? Am I more deserving of this opportunity? Oh and before you go after me, I don't believe in the equal allocation of resources either (I am no socialist), but I do believe that the spread in the allocation of resources should be fair, or at least provide fairness in the opportunities in creates for human beings.

Not getting into the details of income inequality in this post, I will have write up my strong opinions on that topic in a different post soon, but would like to enumerate a bit about it. Income inequality I believe is a consequence, a tangible end result, of the fact that all human beings are not created equal. Circumstances, genetics, geographic location, the initial social and economic status of a family are all factors that determine the level of inequality in the ability of a human being to achieve. Income inequality is just one manifestation of the variances in these parameters.

The point that I would like my future self to remember, and hopefully pass on to others is that inequality exists, we have to learn to deal with it, and deal with it right. An empathetic view of inequality will help us come up with solutions that are fair and right. Accepting that inequality is real,  probably natural, will help us come up with better solutions.

The other side of neutrality ...

The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the term nonpartisan as - free from party affiliation, bias, or designation. According to wikipedia, in the context of philosophy, neutrality is - "... the absence of declared bias". Furthermore the same wiki page also goes on to declare that being neutral should imply that we " ... not publicly choose a side".

As time has indomitably progressed, the personal belief that I have held as an early teenager on the ability of humans to be naturally unbiased, has definitively disappeared.

There is no such thing as a neutral view. Everybody (especially I) has a preferred view on any issue. What we (especially I) end up doing is put on a perceived view of neutrality depending on the context of the conversation or situation that we find ourselves in. Some do it more convincingly than the others.

The essential art to any form of negotiation is to find what other side prescribes to, while presenting an allusion to neutrality, and then converge on a point of view that would be acceptable to both sides.

Can business really be personal?

[EDIT]  This is an old unfinished post that I am completing today ...
[EDIT 2] Took out a few sentences in 2018 to reflect a few changes in my attitudes towards work

Two back to back "international business trips" in a span of 10 days are making me think long and hard about human relationships and its relevance in the context of business.

Can a friendly relationship be sustained in a business context? Is there any value given to morality and righteousness in the context of a business relationship? Does every activity in a business relationship have to be transactional and built purely on the foundation of the impact it has to the bottomline?

In business school we are taught to believe that by changing from a transactional mode to a strategic partnership mode the best results are achieved for both parties involved in the relationship. The problem with "my" business education is that while the abovementioned core point has been emphasized and driven in through tons of theory and case studies, the real world seems to be scattered with examples that are added in an insignificant section usually titled "caveats".

What have I learnt over the past three months (still valid after 6 years in 2018!):

1. In the bay area, all relationships are transnational - in your face, get my work done and get out types - the only thing good about it all, everything is laid out on the table, there are no implied meanings, no nuances to worry about. The contract is paramount, everything else follows.

2. There is no appreciation for a job well done, doing a job well is considered to be routine, slipping or screwing up even slightly is completely unacceptable - this is an known paradigm that I am practicing everyday.

3. Everybody wants to find ways for controlling the outcome of every single action - including me.

4. Expectation mismatches are common, it is almost impossible to find a clear and logical middle ground while trying to fill the expectation gap, you have to come up with compromises, out of the box ideas and other methodologies to continuously fight this never ending battle.

5. Out of business compulsions management has to put on a two faced approach in some situations. The internal face sympathizes with the employees while the external face has to be sympathetic to the customers even if the sympathies at loggerheads with each other.

Flexing those muscles

I stand guilty of not having flexed my muscles much for the past two years. Neither have I physically exercised well enough over the past two years nor have I written anything extremely creative ("creative" is a relative term). I stand guilty in my own court of not having done the two things that I think are quite important (though not the most important) for my own physical and mental well being.

First things first, life is going just great. Apart from a few medical scares in between and a few frustrating quarters at IIM Bangalore (thank God I am done with my PGSEM as of December 2011), everything else in my life seems to be interestingly poised. From a professional perspective, I got out of my comfort zone and made a risky move into the field of application engineering for Android. I think the pay offs are coming through. I have a great bunch of colleagues, been through one cycle of ramping up customers to bring out super products (check this) and most of all besides the technical competence that I am building up, I am also in-charge of a team of 11 contract engineers. My vision of creating a non-linear support model for Android customers will be tested in the coming year 2012. On the personal front, I think I know that I am not cut out to be a bachelor for the rest of my life and I look forward to being married to the pretty girl I have been in love with for the past three years. I have to move out of my comfort zone and convince my parents to bless this matrimony so that it actually fructifies before Christmas 2012.

Essentially what I am doing in 2012 is to move out of my comfort zone to get many long pending actions completed. Two important actions that I would like to do for sure

1. Exercise regularly

I have stopped using the elevators at office and at home. Walking up five flights of stairs is the first step I am taking to improve my health here.

Thinking of picking up a treadmill, since my work seems to keep me in office for more than 10 hours at a stretch usually.

Should go for a light jog in the afternoons in the office gym. I pay a membership fee that has been wasted for the past two years.

Stop eating red meat completely and cut down the usage of oil in food preparation that I am in control of.

Really give Yoga and meditation a shot ....

2. Write regularly

There are so many things I feel passionately about ... policy decisions, technology, philosophy ... I have got to start putting down my thoughts on paper (the virtual kind ...).

My writings should not just be technical or philosophical, I need to get back to writing stories, especially those that deeply explore human emotions and relationships.

Perhaps I should work freelance over the weekends for anybody who requires a copywriter ... really ambitious goal but possible perhaps ...

A few more resolutions that are slightly unrelated:

1. Figure out how to use Google+

2. Start using Twitter regularly (or at least periodically)

Well this is atleast a start after more than two years!

Beating those hospitalization blues - Part II

This is the second part of my post. In case you missed part 1, you can read it here.

The points i am making in this post are concerned with non-critical yet important aspects of the hospital stay.

- Visitors: a source of joy /a source of suffering

There were two distinct phases that i went through, one in which i felt extremely good, almost normal ready to be discharged, and then the very next day back to square one with high fevers, heavy rigors (violent chills). On days when i felt normal i wanted to meet people, as many people as possible. Visitors were welcome, they provided me a connection with the social and professional life i enjoyed when i was outside the hospital. On days when i was sick i just longed for my immediate family, my girlfriend to be around; any other visitor was not welcome. I had one of my aunts, a catholic nun come by and stay for a few days. This lady was someone i was not very comfortable spending time with before due to a difference in philosophies. However having her around providing me spiritual and moral support changed my entire attitude towards visitors in general. I will be eternally grateful to all the people who visited me and helped in maintaining my link with the social life that is so important to me.


- Don't forget to entertain yourself and those around you ! :)
There is nothing that is more effective than a few well cracked jokes at strategic moments to elevate a sagging depressed mood. I had a few doctors from the urology department who had an awesome (and at times downright dirty) sense of humor which served me well :) ... I remember coming out of my first surgery in pain (the local anesthetic was wearing off) and in my delirious state asking my parents to keep me occupied with some form of conversation ultimately ending in a few wise cracks from both ends, a few from my parents and a few from me ... somehow the humor kept me from thinking of the pain. Towards the end of my stay in the hospital, on a day when i was feeling fit enough to walk down to the hospital book shop, i picked up a book - "Laughing With The Bishop" by J. Maurus and excellent source of jokes on the clergy which kept me good company for the rest of my stay in the hospital.

- Faith and spirituality - very helpful tools for theists
I am not a deeply religious person, but i do have faith in the presence of a personal god. In the context of my religion i found the chant of a prayer - the rosary - to have a very soothing effect on my frayed nerves. Besides this, reading the bible was another source of inspiration and strength. I would strongly recommend Psalm91 to anybody who is looking for a source of strength and believes in the healing power of prayer.I would also recommend a lovely book - "A source book of inspiration" by J. Maurus. This book is a good spiritual guide with numerous anecdotes, inspirational quotes and a quintessential dose of humor. Being admitted in a catholic run hospital i had access to a quiet peaceful chapel. When i was fit enough, towards the end of my stay, i made it a point to visit the chapel everyday in the morning for a few minutes and do some quiet meditation.

- For the active professional types/book worms: Sources of distraction
The last and possibly least important aspect of a hospitalization... I am an extremely active professional in a very dynamic and demanding industry (and company within this industry). I have also been a voracious reader, thinker and writer at different points in my life. Sitting idle in the hospital did me no good, so i got myself all the books that were lying on my shelf waiting to be finished (thankful to my parents for hauling them to and fro) and actually finished them. I also got myself a few technical books relevant to my interests and read through them too. Solving puzzles and complex mathematical problems was another source of distraction, though it does come with a caveat, it could be quite taxing mentally and may end up being a source of stress. Overall keeping myself distracted with my books and periods of deep introspection on technical matters helped in reducing the pain.

With this I end a personal account of what i would like to call a "soft reset" period of my life. Its been four months since i have been out and if i know one thing for sure, i never want to see the interiors of a hospital ever again!!!