“TO BE OR NOT TO BE THAT IS THE QUESTION”

“TO BE OR NOT TO BE THAT IS THE QUESTION”

Is there more to Life? Or a job in a software company, an ambience that boasts of the best upbringing, a fat pay package, decent take homes, multiplex weekends, bachelor parties every Friday, late night drives, dreaming about state-of-the-art residential complexes & going around in branded outfits is all there is to life?

Given the pros & cons not a bad lifestyle to be in. Isn’t it? Why then crib out the system which we are in, the long work hours, the great work-life imbalance, the shortage of time for self & family, the goals which are not yet met & the dreams which still remain unfulfilled?

I think we are caught between the 2 worlds – One that lures us into the materialistic benefits in the short run to which the head nods & the idealistic values, beliefs & morales that we carry within our hearts.

We have the best of the materialistic world – yet there is a quest for more with the increasing price rates & even higher tax rates. Achieving the self that we dream of & contributing to the bigger picture – The World is the least we have all ventured into & there is even lesser effort to walk that path.

The Mind Says – I can get to a manager level position in the next 2-3 years, a top level executive in the next 10 yrs. Could I be the CEO of a company somewhere down the line? What would be my CTC then? Would I & can I expect 20-25% hike this year? Is my learning curve going up or is it falling? What are my roles & responsibilities? Do I have any one reporting in to me? How can I ensure more visibility with the top mgt to reach where I want to?

The Heart (During Leisure) does question – When is the last time I heard my inner voice? Went for a long drive? Spent time with nature? Gave way to my creative self? Saw my family, friends & relatives & said – You are the reason I am what I am today? Played with the kids? Touched a hurt soul? Contributed to my society & my country who gave me a reason to live & feel proud about?

The System talks to me about my talent, skill & potential – The One that can take me a long way & make this company one of the best in the industry & the same system comes back to me 1 day (when I have already spent my entire life there & probably just nearing the completion of my term) & says I am either outdated or have become too old to adapt, that I don’t have the skills or the talent any more or the peers & the subordinates do not respect me any more though I have given the best I could for the system & still believe I have lot more to offer & can make a bigger impact – But no one cares.

I now talk to myself & feel – Is this the only system I can make a difference to? Which talks about what value I add to them & what about mine? They say we are a family – So now was I the discarded one? They talk about profits & losses – Me about Values & Ethics. They say its business – I feel it is without a touch of humanness.

The System in whatever way for whatever reasons will always be right & would continue to exist. But For Me, “To be or not to be that is the Question”



- By Ashish Dabholkar