I just had an insight into my approach to risks.
I do not live life reckless. I do take risks but only risks that come under the "acceptable risk" category albeit an acceptable risk at a personal level.
So what is acceptable risk:
"The level of loss a society or community considers acceptable given existing social, economic, political, cultural, technical and environmental conditions.
In engineering terms, acceptable risk is also used to assess structural and non-structural measures undertaken to reduce possible damage at a level which does not harm people and property, according to codes or "accepted practice" based, among other issues, on a known probability of hazard."
source: http://www.unisdr.org/eng/library/lib-terminology-eng%20home.htm
ISDR = International Statergy for Disaster reduction.
What are the criteria that i choose to put events in the "acceptable risk" category in my life ?
At a personal level i assess an event to be in this category if and only if the probablity of failure or something going drastically wrong is 10% i.e. i should be 90% sure that at the end of the action that i take there is a 90% chance that i come out clean.
However this does not mean that I view all events at the same level. Sometimes i do take brazen risks i.e. knowing fully well i shall never be able to contain the repurcussions. Its just a part of my nature i guess.
Brazen Risk : and event that guarentees that there is a 100% chance that i will not come out clean.
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Monday, July 11, 2005
Oh Mother!
A very interesting conversation between me and me mom.
Of late the two ladies in my house (my mom and my sis) have been behaving like crazy idiots .. (but then women are crazy idiots at some point of time or the other; atlease perceptually) and i have not been shy in vocally emphasizing this point at any given oppurtunity.
There was a sort of conversation about life and everything else going on in the kitchen and my mom, through pure and simple reasoning, had completely rebuffed one of my higher notion on life and the universe (the point was actually so trivial that i promptly forgot what it was; out of a feeling of complete foolishness).
Seeing my glum expression she said:
"You're probably thinking that i am crazy aint you?"(in konkani)
and my prompt reply was
"Thats what i have been maintaining for the past two weeks"(in konkani again).
Now my mother is the sort of person who is used to get feel good replies from me. For example my answer to her question (mentioned above) would have under normal circumstances been a silly grin acknowledging my foolishness or a long eulogy about her food and how important a role it has played in my development as a human and how grateful I am to her.
It took a few moments for my answer to sink in. I expected all hell to break lose (Women especially moms i have noticed have a deep resentment to such answers).
One Two Three ......
Silence .... I looked up ...
Mom was actually grinning. A silly grin. A grin that did not acknowldge the fact that she was crazy rather the fact that i have been maintaing that she was crazy.
I had a lip smacking dinner. There have been no repercussions as yet.
Now I do believe that miracles could probably happen with mothers too.
Of late the two ladies in my house (my mom and my sis) have been behaving like crazy idiots .. (but then women are crazy idiots at some point of time or the other; atlease perceptually) and i have not been shy in vocally emphasizing this point at any given oppurtunity.
There was a sort of conversation about life and everything else going on in the kitchen and my mom, through pure and simple reasoning, had completely rebuffed one of my higher notion on life and the universe (the point was actually so trivial that i promptly forgot what it was; out of a feeling of complete foolishness).
Seeing my glum expression she said:
"You're probably thinking that i am crazy aint you?"(in konkani)
and my prompt reply was
"Thats what i have been maintaining for the past two weeks"(in konkani again).
Now my mother is the sort of person who is used to get feel good replies from me. For example my answer to her question (mentioned above) would have under normal circumstances been a silly grin acknowledging my foolishness or a long eulogy about her food and how important a role it has played in my development as a human and how grateful I am to her.
It took a few moments for my answer to sink in. I expected all hell to break lose (Women especially moms i have noticed have a deep resentment to such answers).
One Two Three ......
Silence .... I looked up ...
Mom was actually grinning. A silly grin. A grin that did not acknowldge the fact that she was crazy rather the fact that i have been maintaing that she was crazy.
I had a lip smacking dinner. There have been no repercussions as yet.
Now I do believe that miracles could probably happen with mothers too.
Saturday, April 02, 2005
Another lost cause ? I hope Not
It has been long since i have posted anything .... though this period has not been devoid of thought and analysis the initial facination with my own blog and the purpose for which it was created has ebbed .......
Perhaps the fact that i work from 9 to 6 for my project is hindering the creativity that i wished to reignite in my somewhat boring life.
Of late i have been worrying about my technical skills ..... I am going to be an engineer soon I am going to be in a technical engineering job soon ... but where is it that i am heading. Clear visions of the future elude me .... maybe i am not trying hard enough to visualize the future.... but i most certanly do know that right now i am clueless again .....
I have topped the 7th semester exams ... but somehow i am not really elated or euphoric ..... a sense of dread has come over me ...... once again I have achieved something that was at the pinnacle of my wish list and that place is blank again.
I overwrked the critical thinking and analytical thinking components of my brain last week leading to a mini burnout ... surprisingly the recovery from the burnout has been rather quick .... within the week I have come out of it and my mind is sort of clearing .... Soon i will have another goal .... another plateau, enroute my ardrous climb to an elusive summit, to reach. I hope all my recoveries are like this in the future ....... and i never NEVER become complacent again .......
Perhaps the fact that i work from 9 to 6 for my project is hindering the creativity that i wished to reignite in my somewhat boring life.
Of late i have been worrying about my technical skills ..... I am going to be an engineer soon I am going to be in a technical engineering job soon ... but where is it that i am heading. Clear visions of the future elude me .... maybe i am not trying hard enough to visualize the future.... but i most certanly do know that right now i am clueless again .....
I have topped the 7th semester exams ... but somehow i am not really elated or euphoric ..... a sense of dread has come over me ...... once again I have achieved something that was at the pinnacle of my wish list and that place is blank again.
I overwrked the critical thinking and analytical thinking components of my brain last week leading to a mini burnout ... surprisingly the recovery from the burnout has been rather quick .... within the week I have come out of it and my mind is sort of clearing .... Soon i will have another goal .... another plateau, enroute my ardrous climb to an elusive summit, to reach. I hope all my recoveries are like this in the future ....... and i never NEVER become complacent again .......
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Great Teachers
There are some peaople whom you regret not having known during their lifetime and a few days ago i read about one such person whom i wish i had known when he was alive.
Dr. HN educationist Gandhian idealist and most of all to my perception a simple humourist. Being a man of great importance there were a large number of tributes and obituaries about him in the papers. The common thread among all the articles was the undiluted admiration everyone had for his simplicity (he lived in a single small room) and good humoured. From these writings I gathere that here was a person who was really prepared for his death. He joked constantly about it and had completed all formalities that would have been required in case of the occurace of the event.
What do I have to learn from HN I have to learn the importance of rising up the ranks and yet retaining the simplicity that helps in maintaining the greatness that comes with the rise.
REading about his life i have realized why i respect teachers who are true educationists. I have come across many teachers who are technically brilliant but have no inkling of the meaning of the word education. I dont expect a long pedantic moral lecture from a teacher of Data Communications but i do expect the teacher to impart knowledge in a manner that is to the best of her ability. I dont expect a teacher to spoon feed my knowledge but at the same time his efforts to make me see the solution in arcane jargons makes me wonder about this mans dedication to the task.
Teaching is a great responsibility. It is no joke. My thought on teaching part time have now been completely extinguished. A teacher cant do his subject and students justice unless he himself is convinced of what he is teaching and he has the conviction of thought that he can impart his knoledge effectively to others. i have not yet reached a level of knowkedge where I can say that I am capable of being a teacher. I need to remember that teaching is sacred and that is why good educationists are always revered.
Dr. HN educationist Gandhian idealist and most of all to my perception a simple humourist. Being a man of great importance there were a large number of tributes and obituaries about him in the papers. The common thread among all the articles was the undiluted admiration everyone had for his simplicity (he lived in a single small room) and good humoured. From these writings I gathere that here was a person who was really prepared for his death. He joked constantly about it and had completed all formalities that would have been required in case of the occurace of the event.
What do I have to learn from HN I have to learn the importance of rising up the ranks and yet retaining the simplicity that helps in maintaining the greatness that comes with the rise.
REading about his life i have realized why i respect teachers who are true educationists. I have come across many teachers who are technically brilliant but have no inkling of the meaning of the word education. I dont expect a long pedantic moral lecture from a teacher of Data Communications but i do expect the teacher to impart knowledge in a manner that is to the best of her ability. I dont expect a teacher to spoon feed my knowledge but at the same time his efforts to make me see the solution in arcane jargons makes me wonder about this mans dedication to the task.
Teaching is a great responsibility. It is no joke. My thought on teaching part time have now been completely extinguished. A teacher cant do his subject and students justice unless he himself is convinced of what he is teaching and he has the conviction of thought that he can impart his knoledge effectively to others. i have not yet reached a level of knowkedge where I can say that I am capable of being a teacher. I need to remember that teaching is sacred and that is why good educationists are always revered.
Sunday, February 20, 2005
after .. a long time
Exams are done ....... Internship in place ( I am working at PMS! .... Philips Medical Systems) ....
Lotsa thoughts had to be put up here .... but i did not get a chance .... Finally I have a dedicated highspeed internet connection .... therefore hopefully i will update this place more often ....
here is one of my thoughtful typings just after the 7th sem exams
There are few sermons that i have listened to in its entirety during Sunday mass and fewer that impress me or make me see the fundamental truths of life and faith. Of late my quest has been to find the true meaning of faith. What is faith ? It is definately not something that is relative only to god. Faith seems to have a more deeper meaning to everybody in daily life. I implicitly have faith that I am going to get up every morning and brush my teeth. I have explicit faith that the decisios my parents have taken on my behalf have been for my own good. I implicitly have faith in GOD and God's plan for me (yeah it still has not changed to the agnostic). I have explicit faith in my close friends being there for me in my tough times. I have faith in the infinite goodness of man ..... and so on and so forth ... too many thoughts have rushed through my mind in terms of my faith.
So is faith a fundamental state of being. It is definately not innate. Faith is something that is acquired either by perception practice or by indoctrination. Faith is a persons measure of truth relative to his own perceptions.
MY FAITH DEFINES MY TRUTH.
Lotsa thoughts had to be put up here .... but i did not get a chance .... Finally I have a dedicated highspeed internet connection .... therefore hopefully i will update this place more often ....
here is one of my thoughtful typings just after the 7th sem exams
There are few sermons that i have listened to in its entirety during Sunday mass and fewer that impress me or make me see the fundamental truths of life and faith. Of late my quest has been to find the true meaning of faith. What is faith ? It is definately not something that is relative only to god. Faith seems to have a more deeper meaning to everybody in daily life. I implicitly have faith that I am going to get up every morning and brush my teeth. I have explicit faith that the decisios my parents have taken on my behalf have been for my own good. I implicitly have faith in GOD and God's plan for me (yeah it still has not changed to the agnostic). I have explicit faith in my close friends being there for me in my tough times. I have faith in the infinite goodness of man ..... and so on and so forth ... too many thoughts have rushed through my mind in terms of my faith.
So is faith a fundamental state of being. It is definately not innate. Faith is something that is acquired either by perception practice or by indoctrination. Faith is a persons measure of truth relative to his own perceptions.
MY FAITH DEFINES MY TRUTH.
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