Synopsis of the Year Past.

Friends, the trigger for this blog has been the readers, as well as my continuously growing sense of self mortification on seeing the date of my previous blog getting older by the minute. Many of you had been prompting me to write something again. Alarmed that my interest in blogging that was displayed before the end of 2008 is seemingly gone, I realized that it is high time to keep the blog updated if only once in a year. Also 2009 got over and we have already moved into 2010.

“I was busy in work and it’s challenges” may turn out to be a lame excuse after all.

After giving it much thought (and my bloody and bruised fight with procrastination) I decided to get back to writing, now when I am back to the ending winter season south of England.

To provide a sense of continuity would try to fill the gap of the last 1 year or so, and go for a synopsis from a ‘personal’ perspective. Hope this would be a catharsis of sorts, and may pave the way/ point to further writings on topics that interest me (and you).

So let me go back in time to the end of 2008.It was a strange time in the world affairs. The economic crash was at it’s worst and, the biggest (in terms of wide reach) recession was at still on nose dive. There were no immediate speculations possible of what the future would hold ; gross uncertainty everywhere. The biggest institutions were falling (ex Lehman), the governments were floundering and the predictors had failed miserably. The already low job security was at it’s worst with cost cutting making us realize that the ‘human resource’ so much touted in management high-circles was nothing but an expendable, insignificant, disposable and powerless entity in the ‘grander economic scheme’ of things that matter to people ‘who matter’.

From a different perspective, it was an era of global realization that we, the underdogs significantly outnumber the uber-dogs of the world, but still at the farthest point of the receiving end.
 
We all were nothing but “.. just another brick in the wall ..”

The receiving end of this ‘eco-taser’ was very much evident all around, colleagues, friends, relatives and everyone else. It was a sad realization that the democratic contract of the society of giving/handing power over to representatives and institutions, had made most of the population quiet powerless and the institutions becoming uncontrollable juggernauts. The bottom of the pyramid was crying under crushing pressure from the top. A change was needed, but from where?

It was in such tumultuous times I wrote the last blog, trying to gather some dregs of positivity, an elevating focus and hoping for a better era. And that was the beginning of Tathaastu – A Journal of Possibilities. And what better way to beat the feeling of gloom and doom ?

A lot of water has flown under the bridge since then..there seem to be some ‘green shoots’, and hope seems to be returning in some quarters. There may be more blood letting on the financial streets in the short term.. but then the situation should be in control. That is the hope (eternal).

Being jolted from the events around I decided to test the turbulent waters myself; crises may be the best time to try things rather than brooding on the shore. And what better way to learn swimming than jumping finally into the water (with an exit strategy – a life jacket of course). 
Soon I had ventured far from my comfort zones, on an exciting and new kind of work, a different culture and faced with (exponentially steep) challenges with potential pitfalls on the way. It seemed I was starting afresh. And it was fun. Slowly and surprisingly it all fell into place and in no time one year was over.

And this move out of my comfort zone served another interesting purpose. A rare opportunity to have ample time with my-own-self. Apart from hectic work life, this was an year of immense learnings, explorations and insights. Some interesting bullet points of the year past were :

• Enjoying the British weather..whatever it may be (and being thankful when the Sun shines; one forgets such gratefulness to nature when in India). Indirectly one more step towards equanimity.

• Space to do a deep dive into the Self, with the help of a few thick tomes on psychology, as a guide. A dormant interest in the subject was hence revived ..and the explorations still continue.

• Contemplations on the nature of life, mortality, death and beyond, God (if there is) plus other things that are non-scientific and in the realm of belief.

• Enjoying my Sunday Subway Italian Toasted BMT with Red wine (and sleeping thereafter)

• Finding some great people to work with (and off work too), who combined ethics, professional soundness with a lot of human sensitivity.

• Getting back into the habit of writing a daily journal (yes I know there were gaps, but I still would like to call it ‘daily’) after my teenage years in IIT

• Having some very interesting conversations regarding life, technology, science, reality and it’s mis-perceptions

• Learning the complexity of Forex business, and gaining some more clarity about the economic mumbo jumbo behind it.

• Continuing the struggle with GTD (Getting Things done), and it’s concepts, ever growing lists, next actions and softwares that promise ALL can be done. I have still not given up and have evolved it into a “GTD by CTD” (* Getting Things Done by Cutting Through Distractions). Watch out David Allen when I come with my own edition with what you missed.

• Laying my hands on ‘The Secret’ and having a kerb side discussion about it with the cab driver who was dropping me back home at 4.00 AM in the cold morning

• Making friends with a ‘book-warehouse’ owner and spending hours and pounds to increase my already heavy collection of books of all hues

• Revisiting after 25 years the excitement of the Star Trek, becoming an addict to SF yet once again, and trying to buy the entire collection/ all the series.

• Introduction to the world of social networking and still figuring my way in that web2.0 world

• Developing a long wish list and still wishing..

So the quest continues, but to provide a fitting end, here are some of my key learnings of the year past:

• We control not the events but the interpretation and reaction to those events
• There are all kinds of people that make the world, learn to accept them and keep working on building bridges
• Openness, friendliness, sincerity, care and sensitivity follow the law of reflection
• Giving may be the best way to get.
• Being in a comfort zone may not be the best way to evolve; butterfly comes out when the pupa goes through the pain of fighting out of it’s shell
• You need to keep your spirits above the water before trying to keep your head above the water.
• One CAN ACTUALLY remain alive and sane (saner) without any television/ cable
• To err is human but to forgive is a ‘better human’.
• Try to give others the benefit of doubt, because you may need that benefit many times in your life.

Wishing you all better times ahead, and may you get what you ‘really’ want. Tathaastu!