ARE YOU RESPONSIBLE?
For whom are you responsible?
For what – are you responsible? For how long will you remain responsible?
These are questions you must ask
yourself – to ensure that you are really
leading - a purposeful, fruitful, satisfying, learning, happy – life.
These
are not empty questions which can be answered flatly with a NO. They don’t call
for NO as an answer. They need a YES answer from You.
Which
means – you must be totally and wholly responsible for some one’s health,
education, happiness or prosperity – or all of them.
Our
march forward towards more material comforts and technological progress is being
accompanied by our becoming less and less responsible for the lives of others
around us – who are to some extent dependent on us for this.
Likewise,
we are receiving much less care from others too.
We
are living as islands – as barren islands – unconnected with each other. We are
more connected with our Gadgets – the cell phone, the iphone, the computer, the
TV and so on – than with live human beings.
This
– is no way to live.
We
are now not even responsible for our own health, our own happiness, our own
Life!
I
will focus on 2 or 3 critical aspects of our life, which are hurtling downward
right now.
In
the last few one year, I have been frequently hearing of more and more deaths
due to heart attacks, of youngsters in the age group of 24 to 35. This is in
India especially. All these youngsters are in high salary income groups. The
others around them – are not yet listening to these ominous signs of Bad living
habits.
They
must become responsible for their health and their lives first – not just for
their firms; not just for their projects, or their work. Be alive first. Be healthy
first. If you can’t be healthy and alive at 24 – you can’t be anything in life.
You are clearly on a wrong path.
Let
us move one step above them and look at their Managers. As Managers, are you
responsible for your subordinates’ work only – and not responsible for their
life and health? You are. There cannot be a NO as answer for this question. If
your subordinate dies of a heart attack – you do have some share of
responsibility in his pre-mature death. You could have possibly, prevented his
heart attack – even if you did not induce it. Some Managers may have induced it
too.
Managers
must take responsibility for their subordinates’ health and happiness. Their own
Managers must take responsibility for their subordinate Managers’ health and
happiness. The flow of responsibility must start from the Chairman and CEO
level downwards. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR NOT ONLY YOUR STATED CORPORATE GOALS –
BUT ALSO FOR YOUR TEAM MATES’ HEALTH AND HAPPINESS.
I
strongly feel – that when a few youngsters die at 24-35 ages in a company due
to heart attacks – the Government must take RESPONSIBILITY and ask the company openly – Look, what is
happening? What are you doing to these youngsters? Government must conduct a
detailed enquiry into the work ethics prevailing in the company.
There
is a frequent assertion in corporate circles that – what doesn’t kill you
strengthens you!
But, how do you know whether
it kills you or strengthens you – until it
kills you?
Many
so called super-achievers end their life too prematurely – out of heart
attacks, cancers, other fatal diseases, or just out of too many failed
marriages, which tells on their personal life and career life both.
Life
is a balance between achievement, health and happiness. The world does not need
unhappy, unhealthy achievers. The world needs happy, healthy achievers. But, of
course, the world does not need, lazy, parasitic non achievers.
Bhagavad
Gita is an extraordinary science delivered to the world over 5000 years ago by
the super-scientist, Lord Krishna.
He
was explicit in stating that you can’t be a happy person; you can’t be a yogi –
unless you tread the middle path. Actually, Yogi is not a renouncer of everything, in the
words of Lord Krishna. He enjoys everything in a wonderful, balanced way. You
must not sleep too much, or too less. You must not eat (or drink) too much or
too less. You must not give yourself to other pleasures – too much or too less.
Moderation in everything is the key to success, happiness and long life.
Lord
Krishna said this all, in very explicit, clear terms, to his disciple cum friend, Arjuna – over 5000
years ago. People in India also read it but commit the same mistakes again and
again. Either too much. Or, too less. And, then, failures follow automatically.
People
lead unhappy lives. People become unhealthy. People die – too prematurely.
All
this is happening because, we are unwilling to adhere to the absolutely scientific
methods of living told to us by Krishna – 5000 years ago. They were valid then;
they are valid now; and they will be valid for all times to come.
The
sum total of Bhagavad Gita’s message is – take your responsibility into your hands.
Do not run away from it. You can’t be irresponsible. You can’t be a coward.
You
must be responsible for your career Goals. You must be responsible for your
family Goals. You must be responsible your own health and long life – and your happiness.
You
are responsible for the career goals, health and happiness of your subordinates.
Are
YOU RESPONSIBLE? Ask yourself – and strive to answer with a YES – as soon as
possible.
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