The search for knowledge has always been a very tricky journey. And also, one of the most difficult.
And yet, it has remained the most sought after.
The journey would end only when either one is dead – this is obvious- or has reached the state of Compete Knowledge [a.k.a. केवल ज्ञान], which is the state of Ultimate Salvation [a.k.a. निर्वाण] , where upon nothing more is required. Till one reaches either of these two stages, “The Library is unlimited and cyclical”
The Steve Jobs Anti-Eulogy | BNET.
I reproduce the last paragraph of this blog, with an intention to write my own views thereon:
“The truth is that most special people are lonely, and have little impact on the world. And in the long run, group movements are what change history, and being part of a movement is what makes a person an instigator of change.”
In the present day organization, irrespective of the basis of its existence, no one individual can wholly claim the credit [or discredit] for what has happened [or not happened or not happened the way it ought to have happened].
To be fair, one can have influence on the goings-on.
The extent of the impact of the influence is again dependent on the one who is influencing, those who are being influenced, the then dynamics of interaction of influence-giving-and-taking paradigm and the time frame reference for its subsequent review.
It seems India has come to age [ having a dedicated school for cartoonism].
Seth’s Blog: Questions for a new entrepreneur.
Really a smart piece, more for its brevity.
The last line is The Punch Line [of course, in my view], reproduced here – “why? Why are you doing this at all?”
Even as answering this question is universally important for any phase of anybody’s personal and professional lives [ so also, for the organizations], the truth full rely, including the genesis of the reasons – has profound bearing on initial and sustenance phases of Entrepreneurship.
Seth’s Blog: When is it okay to start worrying?.
We repeat the last paragraph of the post here:
“Worrying is not a useful output. Worrying doesn’t change outcomes. Worrying ruins your day. Worrying distracts you from the work at hand. You may have fooled yourself into thinking that it’s useful or unavoidable, but it’s not. Now you’ve got one more thing to worry about.”
For most of us, commencing to worry over why we are not worrying would be natural!!!
My own approach is: Think over the matter, if there seems to a some possibility for overcoming the block, do continue to think with a view to formulate the strategy. However, if there appears no way out, better sleep over the matter – i.e. keep the matter farthest when you go to sleep. Next day, review once more. If still no solution within the horizon, then be best prepared to handle the matter ‘as and when comes ‘…………………….
Seth’s Blog: Cities don’t die (but corporations do).
During my stay of almost 8 years in Kutch – a sparsely populated,largely lagging in industrial or commercial activities till last few years area in the western part of India – we did come across many villages,almost if not completely, dead, simply because all those young and capable citizens had left for greener pastures, leaving very old and otherwise not very enterprising people in the villages. Villages wore countenance of a highly frail old person. Not dead, but almost at the brink of death.
I really wonder whether this can be brought under ‘ failure at the fringes’ and (gross) deviant behavior!
The October,2011 issue of Navneet Samarpan is a Diwali ‘Shakti’ Special issue and has been presented as an ‘attempt to link the ancient and contemporary interpretations of Shakti.’1. This issue is also quite classically aligned to its editorial objective of ‘spreading knowledge in the fields of life, literature and culture.’2
The thematic technical articles cover a very wide range of subjects, ranging from philosophical and metaphysical aspects of the forms of Shakti to contemporary forms like Art, Internet, People-power , power-of-feminism etc., including a concise treatise on physical sources, usages and challenges relating to energy.
Selection of classical painting of the one of prime form of Shakti, the Sun, with its leaping sun flames and spectrum of solar heat as the cover page, duly supplemented by a large number of photographs of paintings of several other forms of Shakti, lends the issue in the Collectors’ category.
However, the present purpose to try to search a totally meaningful English equivalent of the word, શક્તિ [शक्ति], with the help of discussions contained within different articles in the present issue, currently under my reading.
We take up first the implications of two of the most obvious and popular equivalents – Power and Energy.
Power, at best, seems to convey a very partial meaning, by way of presenting static and /or kinetic and /or dynamic forms, like wind-power, people-power etc. or potentials, like capability, force, energy, source, life, capacity, adventure etc.. It is also perceived or seen through its elements like origin, status, rhythm, conservation, nourishment, conveyance, expansion, change re-construction, resurgence etc.3
These are still its philosophical or metaphysical forms or expressions, whereas its physical forms are, generally, known as Energy, so as to differentiate from the non-physical forms.4
The energy, the physical Shakti, is stored in the five basic elements, viz. earth, wind, water, fire etc. or the actions thereof. Its metaphysical forms are like sensation, liveliness, thoughts [or thinking], intellect, ego etc., differentiating these from its beneficial super-natural philosophical forms.5
Word or language or concept or sign also have contextual meanings. ‘ललितसह्स्त्रनाम’, an Indian epic of One-Thousand-Names of the supershakti [महाशक्ति] , enlists such one thousand contextual names. Of these 259th and 260th are ‘Invisible’ [अद्रश्या] and ‘Beyond-the- Vision’ [द्रश्यरहिता] 6 respectively. What cannot be seen or visualized with the help of physical eyesight vision is ‘Invisible’ [अद्रश्या] whereas what is beyond the vision and /or perception and /or worldly considerations is ‘Beyond-the- Vision’ [द्रश्यरहिता].
The शक्ति of conviction can also not be fully explained by ‘power’ of one’s conviction, as exemplified by the Ho-Chi-Minh’s belief that he as ‘Gandhi of Vietnam’, which is considered at the root of the primitive agrarian Vietnam’s successful fight against the might of sophisticated weaponry of industrialized America.7
Shakti has deep and sweeping meanings for a variety of usages in the Indian Philosophy. Sir John Woodruff, an expert of Philosophy, justifiably states that: There is no equivalent word in any other language, because in the context of the universe, Shakti is the cause as well as action of the world, which itself is born from Shakti’s embryo.8
It can well be surmised from the foregoing that there is no substance in this world which does not contain Shakti in some or other form.9
So, what is शक्ति in English?
References to articles of Navneet Samarpan October’2011 issue:
Seth’s Blog: The power of visualization.
The real test of any written document or a presentation , or for that matter any ‘creation’ is its ability to hold the initial attention and then direct the visitor to the goal of the creation.
If the visitor can, then, get actively involved in the creation , may or may not agree or like, then, the creator has won half the battle.
If the visitor can fully comprehend the creation, the purpose of the creator – which resulted in the creation – is well achieved.
Yes, indeed.
If one does not continue to feel skinnier for everything new happening around, the person has either reached the state of Total Knowledge [કેવળ જ્ઞાન] in that case the person is ready for Freedom [મોક્ષ] from the worldly charms [માયા] or the person is [if not physically , then for all practical purposes] Dead.
The secret art of the game is to keep the cup empty enough to keep on receiving and digesting the continuous streams pouring in with each of the new events happening around.
Retirement Planning: How to Do It Right – CBS MoneyWatch.com.
No age and stage is too late to plan [or correct what was planned] when it comes down to what you do in these years and how do you fund what you do.
Both are so dynamic, that it would make a case for six-monthly and annual re-visits , respectively.
Be ready for surprises!
If you do not come up against a few, be surprised as to what errors you did make while re-visiting!!
The world is too small? or Is it? 