The Big Picture

I am currently working in an IT firm, my first experience in the corporate world (more details in coming blogs). In a recent interview(not a job interview, but one to pursue higher education...in times of recession switching jobs is not a good idea), i was asked to name the CEO of the company whose tools I'm currently working on. This simple question stumped me. I realised i had absolutely no clue regarding the management of the organisation whose tools I use with elan and regarding which I claim to have significant knowledge about. Any ways, the point being that i failed to see the larger picture and was content with just playing my part.

This incident triggered a chain of thoughts in my mind. Why is it that we just focus on the task at hand and put all our efforts towards accomplishing a goal without knowing where our ambitions and mundane tasks fit into the larger scheme of things? A possible explanation could be that we are not the omnipresent, omniscient being called the Almighty One. But we don't need enlightenment to realise all this. A more sensible answer is that we are conditioned to act in the way we do. And all this begins from childhood. As children, we are encouraged(forced would be the more appropriate word) to study. But we were never told how important it is, how it can shape our lives, our thoughts and who we are. The sad truth is that we are never taught to think for ourselves. Children are much smarter than we give them credit for. In fact they are the quickest learners who are receptive to all kinds of ideas. Looking beyond the visible impact of our actions is an art that must be cultivated at an early age. It is only then that we can realise what we want out of life and channelize all our efforts in that direction. Nothing in life must be done just because everyone is doing so and you feel that you will be left behind if you don't conform. This has led to every second person wanting to be a doctor, engineer, lawyer... Most of them are not satisfied with their jobs and that is one thing that is really important at the end of the day. Those that want to create their own paths are laughed at and derided. Thank god we still have some who have the guts to stick to their convictions and choose the road less travelled. These are the people who truly rule the world. Their journeys is the stuff success stories are made of. People with herd mentality can be followers and nothing more. They can never achieve anything extraordinary because they never put in that extra bit.

We have the power to shape our destiny and we wont have much to look forward to if all we do is do what everyone else is doing. We must dare to be different. We can seek meaning in even the most ordinary task. All we have to do is unleash the power of our actions.