Power Games of Life

One day, while Vikram was giving a lecture on motivation to the senior management team of a software company, he realized that there was a young guy sitting in the room restlessly. He was constantly moving in his seat, looking at his watch as if he was worried about something. Vikram noticed his behavior for some time and then asked him, “Yes, Mr. Young blood, any problem? You seem to be thinking of something…” Mr. Young blood felt a bit apologetic for being caught for not paying attention in the class and said,” Sir, I was advised to leave my mobile and blackberry outside for attending this training. And I am worried how many mails and calls I would miss during this period…!” Vikram smiled in his mind and said,” Ok, assume that there would be 20 mails and 4 calls missed by you in these 2 hours. What is going to happen? Heaven is not going to fall, right?” Mr. Young blood said,” True, but they could be important. Some of them might need my urgent attention; you know...I handle a very large portfolio in my company.” Vikram looked at him with pity and said,” Look, I agree with you that you hold a very responsible position in your company. But how much of those responsibilities have you delegated? The fact that you look worried without your mobile and blackberry suggests that you are suffering from the ‘connectivity syndrome’. You feel very insecure without your gadgets connecting you with the world.” Mr. Young blood was listening, yet not fully comfortable. Vikram continued,” What is the maximum that can happen outside? There would be a fire? An earthquake? A Tsunami? There are people there who can take care of the emergencies. It is wrong on your part to imagine that without you the rescue operations would be less effective. The world survives very well without individuals.” Now Mr. Young blood was realizing the seriousness of Vikram’s words. Vikram said,” For something which has not happened outside, you spent your time worrying. The same time you could have spent listening to me in the class and you would have been more knowledgeable.” Now Mr. Young blood was attentive to every word of Vikram. Vikram now looked at the whole class and said,” How many of you carry your mobiles and blackberry when you go to attend a marriage ceremony? Or a musical concert?” Almost everyone raised their hands. Vikram said,” Many times, we miss to enjoy simple moments of life because we are busy working. The life passes by us every second. How many times you have taken your spouse outside for a dinner and attended official lengthy phone calls while having the dinner? How many times did you dampen the enthusiasm of your child when he is narrating some interesting incident happened in his school that day, and you interrupt him saying that you are busy in office work and that you will listen to him later..?” “Guys, please do not mix work with your family. Your family needs a space in your life which is not substitutable by any other sphere. They deserve that space from you. You may give your life for the company, but what will the company give you in your times of need? Just imagine, you are paralyzed and bed ridden. Will the company continue to pay you month after month? No. But your family will continue to be concerned about you; they will take care of you and be with you till you recover.” The class was silently listening and imagining within themselves the scene. Vikram took a long pause and said,” God has given all of us exactly 24 hours in a day. Not a second less and not a second more. It is up to us, how we are going to utilize it. The people who utilize it efficiently become successful in their life, while others are termed losers.” At this point of time, Vikram looked at the faces of each of the attentively listening participants and said,” Ok, let me ask you a simple question. Who is ‘successful person’ according to you? Please write it on a piece of paper and hand it over to me. Don’t write your names, so that I cannot identify who has written what. That will also remove your inhibitions about revealing to others your true feelings. “ Everyone went into deep thoughts as they were struggling to write who they considered as ‘successful person’. After about twenty minutes, all the pieces of papers were with Vikram. He collected them and started writing on the board from each paper. There were many interesting points written like: A businessman with increasing profits year after year A family man who spends quality time with his wife and children A stock market investor who consistently makes profits A person who has enough money and time to travel around the world A person who is healthy and exercises regularly Etc. By now, all the participants were wondering about all points except the one written by them. They were realizing that the definition of ‘successful person’ could vary so much among the people in a classroom. Vikram said,” Dear friends, these points reflect your attitude. These points reflect your ideology. These points reflect your ambitions in life. In short, these points say about who are you.” Then he took one effective pause and said,” But do you know what is the actual meaning of successful person? A successful person is one who can adapt to changing circumstances. Darwin’s theory of ecology also suggests ‘survival of the fittest’. And the fittest according to Darwin are those who are flexible and can adjust with the changing environment. However, according to Bhagwad Gita, a successful person is one who remains balanced in different situations in his life. He does not get flattered by praise and does not get demoralized by the criticism. He appears same in happiness and sadness. He behaves similarly in victory and defeat. His feelings are same in all the varying conditions in life. Bhagwad Gita refers to such man as ‘Sthita Pradnya…! Therefore, a successful person is one who can become a Sthita Pradnya.”