24 to 35 Year olds are succumbing to Heart Attacks? why? = You Can't Be HAPPY & HEALTHY - Until You Become RESPONSIBLE = BUT, FOR WHOM & FOR WHAT - MUST YOU BE RESPONSBILE?

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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