Performance Paranoia

If there is one buzz word that makes its rounds in corporate houses and business centers and management schools, it is achievement. Everything in these centers is geared towards what is better known as 'performance'; naturally a better performance leads to a better achievement. Everyone today is judged on the basis of performance or achievement. While those who perform badly are given a walk-out call, while those who perform well are encouraged to do even better. It is true that in business or in academic circles one does not wish to see the performance graph turn towards the bottom; it has to keep shooting upwards, until it touches the roof. But the magic of the so-called ceiling of these performance will never take place, because of the simple reason that we live in a world where the ceiling is illusive, or to use a computer word, it is virtual. That is why the present day world has created so many burnt-out cases; and each of us wish that we don't land up in that category!

It is pity that there is very little consideration to those who cannot perform well, or cannot produce a brilliant achievement record; they are the losers in the rat-race of the market forces. Often people are reduced to mere machines that can perform without ever getting tired. In fact one of the tragedies of our times is, we are called to perform like machines, without a heart and conscience. If there is corporate gain at the expense of personal loss, that can be considered a viable option. Unfortunately if there are more unhappy people today, it is thanks to the kind of yardstick we have made for ourselves on the basis of performance, achievement.

Everyone in our society is after those who can do well, who can excel; if there are one hundred schools and institutions promoting the causes of the intelligent, brilliant wizards, there may be one or two schools for the losers in the battle. The best brains of the nation are those who would get through the National Eligibility Test or those who get easily through the numerous competitive examinations, and those who will walk through the portals of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and the Indian Institute of Management (IIM). This is the creamy layer, as they are labeled these days. There are all sorts of scholarships awarded to these to excel and strengthen the nation's economy.

Some days ago, I had attended a meeting where the state minister for Minority affairs came to speak about the numerous schemes and scholarships available to the Christians. The basic requirement to avail most of the scholarship is to secure at least 50 per cent marks in the preceding class. But having lived for 4 years in the rural Bengal in the recent past, I know that for most of the rural students without any chance for tuition, securing 50 per cent marks in the school is an impossible situation. In such a situation, I can hardly think of any one in the rural Bengal availing these scholarship. When I raised this issue, the representatives of the ministry said that they cannot do anything about it!

Can anything be done to remedy this situation - when those who perform well are given a boost to climb high in the ladder, while the losers are left for ever to languish in misery. There is a way out: if we can consider not only performance, but also the competence of the students and evaluate them accordingly. If a child is capable of securing 50 per cent marks and secures 45 per cent, that is much better than another child capable of securing 80 per cent but gets only 60 per cent. That means we need to devise means of measuring the capability, competence of the students; and the same thing can also be applied to companies, though that may bring down the quality of production, but we can be sure that we do justice to humanity. I am aware there may not be many takers for this proposal, but even if some people are inspired to look at young hearts not as participants in performance rat-race, but as participants in race to save their sanity and humanity!

Business of Bothering

Walking down the prestigeous Park Street, now Mother Teresa Sarani, every day has made me realise that drug addiction is an open reality that no one bothers about today. On three locations on the pavement, I can see middle-aged men huddled together, sometimes partially covering themselves with a dirty towel around, experimenting with drugs to get one fine "kick". I also see often one very thin, skinny-looking lady doing it all by herself. Two days ago, I had seen this lady with another man, whom I am tempted to think her companion, initiating this noble art of taking drugs to a boy of about 12 years. As I passed by, I was tempted to stop there, and shout at the youngster sitting cozily between this man and the woman. The boy was far too young to enter into the world of drugs. But the very moment I realised, but what if they were to tell me, "What is your problem? Mind your own business!"

One of the main problems haunting the modern world is that we mind only our own business, and don't bother to look a little beyond our own selves. We are too afraid to cross the lakshman-rekha that we ourselves have drawn. No one can deny the fact that we have become far too individualistic today that a few years ago. We live in a world where what really matters is my family, my friends, my relatives, and my acquaintances. There are often deaths, suicides in flats just opposite to mine, and yet I may not even know who it is, what has happened to the persons, ... We are learning the art of insulating our lives, keeping a safe distance from others... and it will not take too long for us to realise that we have alienated ourselves from the rest of humanity, a mistake that will take centuries to correct.

Why should I bother about my neighbour? I have all the resons to, and it would be a grave "sin" against humanity and against the universe, if I fail to bother. It is true there are times when I am questioned by others, "but what is your problem? Why dont you mind your own business?" And the next time, I dont dare to repeat it. Why should I dirty my hands unnecessarily? Imagine, if all of us were to mind our own business, then the world will become one big factory, where each of the machines will do its part, and ... If we were to stretch the imagery, we will realise that problem with one part will affect the entire output.

We do not realise the fact that we live in a world where each one of us have a role to play, and in order to strike balance in the world, every one needs to be healthy. We often say, healthy persons make a healthy society. We are duty-bound at the welfare of each of our neighbours... This is what is so very unique to human beings... but what we see in reality is that we often behave worse than animals... hoarding, self-centredness, vengeance, jealousy, these are the vices not known to the animals. Care and concern for the neighbours is not necessarily a religious virtue, but a basic human virtue. It is time that we wake up from the slumber and look at the world around us, and do our part to show that we truly care for the world and the universe.

Today I would like to pause two or three times during the day at different situations, and ask myself this question : how can I show through my actions at this juncture that I care for the world and the people around me? I dont need to think of something heroic, or noble; it may be a silly act of charity or concern for the people or nature; what is more important is that I begin to educate my mind to make these things happen automatically, without consciously doing them. If at the end of the day, I can tell myself that I was able to do such and such act to show my concern for the world, then I can really be happy. For happiness is born when I go out of myself to stretch out my hand to reach out to the needy.