I first heard this French phrase "raison d'etre" from my boss in a meeting. I guess he was trying to inspire the team and it did trigger me to do some research on this. He had mentioned that LKY used this phrase sometime, but I could not find any source article attributed to him on this.
Nevertheless, it means "Reason or justification for existing". This brings to my mind what is the purpose of my existence. I did reflect upon it for a while and I came up on a few thoughts which are of no particular order in importance:
1) Family - The cornerstone of our social circle otherwise we would be just individuals living in a deserted island with no ties to bind us. They are the source of unconditional love and support... but of course there are also challenging times where we need to work on our relationships with our parents, husbands, and children.
2) Friendships - The second layer of the our social circle where people whom we enjoy the company of. They could be bosom friends or close ones that are able to second guess your thoughts but yet able to offer alternative perspectives on things. Such relationships definitely grow us as better individuals, without losing our own identity.
3) Knowlege and True Wisdom - As this blog is titled....the purpose of our being is to bring about the great knowledge and true wisdom that we as humans have gained through the millenia through sharing and collaborating with each other. Reading of great books, watching first rate films would only serve us better.
4) Passion for one's work - This may seem understandbly difficult to achieve if one is bogged down by the daily grind of routine mundaneness. But if one can achieve this, we would be able to feel the satisfaction that we all serve society in a meaningful way. However, passion for the work should not clash and become a work-life balance issue.
5) Cultural Diversity - perhaps I had put this in because of my love of travelling. In the course of travelling, I had been exposed to various cultures and the same time learn their some of their subtle ways. Every country you visit, it opens a new world of ideas and perspectives on how things can be done. We can only learn through acceptance of such other cultures and make us much better individuals.
So, to put it simple terms, its about valuing and building your relationships, continuous learning and lastly, passion for life and work.
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Multinational Citizens
Who are the only "persons" in the legal sense whom can become citizens of many countries? They are being allowed to own, buy and sell property in practically all the countries of world. Well, the "persons" just happened to be multinational corporations like Shell, Goodyear, IBM, McDonalds and so forth....
The Corporation by Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbot underscores the influence, power and implications of the corporate entity to the world since its first inception in history. In all areas of society, we are being brought up to belief that the business is good, and wealth is the way to prosperity. Remember the 80's when the mantra "Greed is Good" as echoed by Gordon Gekko in the film Wall Street. It was a hilarious start to the film when the film-makers cleverly put together a series of media shots of people describing the corporate debacles of the past years as "Bad Apples"... I really enjoyed it.
It seems globalization is major theme of this film because it practically describes corporations has permeated into our society by even submitting patents for living organisms, seeds and all things the natural earth has endowed us. Well, I am not sure how they are going to patent all these... but with profit as a main motivator, they will find some means to do it legally. Whether it is enforceable in the eyes of Mother Nature... that is not for them to decide. With global warming as discussed in my previous post, and if no definite steps are taken to address it, all the profit and gains would not be enjoyed by anyone. One CEO interviewed, even called himself "A plunderer of Earth"... this sounds like suitable description so far.
The corporations also tries to own knowledge that has been endowed upon us from the generations of people before us. This in a business perspective seems natural for the corporations but I think this has gone abit too far. Knowledge that we have today, is being enjoyed by us because of the fruits of labour of our past ancestors. The concept of intellectual ownership of knowledge is fairly recent in our history.
I am not saying intellectual property or capital of the various artistes or companies of today should not be respected, but there should be some measure whereby the knowledge accumulated in the past could be in accessed freely and used by all. Of course, I do not offer a roadmap or framework on the how to deal with this... but definitely it should not allow the rule of externalities that was discussed in the film to be abused by the corporations.
Noam Chomsky is one notable interviewee in this film; one whom I admire for his intellectual prowess. His arguments on the various points shows and it makes the film a more watchable one. I remembered a friend of mine mentioned to me about him once a time and I had begun to read Chomsky's articles online.
In an nutshell, this is a film about globalization as well. People from the developing countries exploited by their meagre wages, while the products they produce are being sold at incredible high prices in the developed ones. The companies make no apologies for this, as profits are their main purpose of their existence.
It brings to my mind a book entitled "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man" by John Perkins. Similarly, after watching this film and cross-referencing to Perkin's story of global institutions like World Bank, IMF and so forth, I begin to wonder if this is the new societal order that has sprung out in this point of our human history. Of course, anyone would know in previous eras, there were the empires, kingdoms, the church, feudalism and other forms of dominant power in our civilisation.
So, the question is how are we affected by the "soft power" of the corporation wielded by the few in the name of their shareholders on society. Well, one learning point for me is "The Nag Factor". This seemingly marketing tactic has made children of ours as the focal point target to manipulate parents to buy things that they don't seem to need. Well, this is really something I need to be conscious about.... before wielding my credit card while on my way to a cashier at least....
The Corporation by Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbot underscores the influence, power and implications of the corporate entity to the world since its first inception in history. In all areas of society, we are being brought up to belief that the business is good, and wealth is the way to prosperity. Remember the 80's when the mantra "Greed is Good" as echoed by Gordon Gekko in the film Wall Street. It was a hilarious start to the film when the film-makers cleverly put together a series of media shots of people describing the corporate debacles of the past years as "Bad Apples"... I really enjoyed it.
It seems globalization is major theme of this film because it practically describes corporations has permeated into our society by even submitting patents for living organisms, seeds and all things the natural earth has endowed us. Well, I am not sure how they are going to patent all these... but with profit as a main motivator, they will find some means to do it legally. Whether it is enforceable in the eyes of Mother Nature... that is not for them to decide. With global warming as discussed in my previous post, and if no definite steps are taken to address it, all the profit and gains would not be enjoyed by anyone. One CEO interviewed, even called himself "A plunderer of Earth"... this sounds like suitable description so far.
The corporations also tries to own knowledge that has been endowed upon us from the generations of people before us. This in a business perspective seems natural for the corporations but I think this has gone abit too far. Knowledge that we have today, is being enjoyed by us because of the fruits of labour of our past ancestors. The concept of intellectual ownership of knowledge is fairly recent in our history.
I am not saying intellectual property or capital of the various artistes or companies of today should not be respected, but there should be some measure whereby the knowledge accumulated in the past could be in accessed freely and used by all. Of course, I do not offer a roadmap or framework on the how to deal with this... but definitely it should not allow the rule of externalities that was discussed in the film to be abused by the corporations.
Noam Chomsky is one notable interviewee in this film; one whom I admire for his intellectual prowess. His arguments on the various points shows and it makes the film a more watchable one. I remembered a friend of mine mentioned to me about him once a time and I had begun to read Chomsky's articles online.
In an nutshell, this is a film about globalization as well. People from the developing countries exploited by their meagre wages, while the products they produce are being sold at incredible high prices in the developed ones. The companies make no apologies for this, as profits are their main purpose of their existence.
It brings to my mind a book entitled "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man" by John Perkins. Similarly, after watching this film and cross-referencing to Perkin's story of global institutions like World Bank, IMF and so forth, I begin to wonder if this is the new societal order that has sprung out in this point of our human history. Of course, anyone would know in previous eras, there were the empires, kingdoms, the church, feudalism and other forms of dominant power in our civilisation.
So, the question is how are we affected by the "soft power" of the corporation wielded by the few in the name of their shareholders on society. Well, one learning point for me is "The Nag Factor". This seemingly marketing tactic has made children of ours as the focal point target to manipulate parents to buy things that they don't seem to need. Well, this is really something I need to be conscious about.... before wielding my credit card while on my way to a cashier at least....
Friday, May 4, 2007
Truth about our climate?
Today, watched two films that largely mirror each other's storyline. The bottom line that both says is that global warming is ruining the earth that we live in now. An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore had all the high powered graphics, his charamastic delivery of the presentation slides and of course with his good wit. The second one is by PBS's Global Warming: The signs and science
hosted by Alannis Morrisette. Less of a drama as it was not delivered by a politician, but still gives us the facts and information through other experts on various fields.
In a nutshell, what both are saying is that if nothing is being done to stop (or was it slow down?) this global crisis, we will end up extinct maybe just like the dinosaurs. So, is there an urgency to alleviate this problem? Apparently not, we are still weighing the costs and the benefits. Some may even be questioning whether global warming is happening or not.
To a certain extent, I can sense that there is "truth" in these messages that are being sent out. Al Gore even had the time to put in the film about how he was influenced by his professor on the environment, his childhood on the farm, his sister's unfortunate death, his son's accident and jibes by former Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush Sr on his environmental views.
I wonder whether if he had become the President, would he have done things differently; for the environment and the other contentious political issues of our day (Iraq, 9/11 and so fortha). We will never know of course.
In any case, all the troubles and problems will become inconsequential on the day of reckoning when all the wealth, technology and power of the world will not be able to stop this force of nature. So, let's start small and bit by bit. I know what I can try to do first.... try to stop/refrain from taking those plastic bags from the supermarkets and turn off the lights ....
hosted by Alannis Morrisette. Less of a drama as it was not delivered by a politician, but still gives us the facts and information through other experts on various fields.
In a nutshell, what both are saying is that if nothing is being done to stop (or was it slow down?) this global crisis, we will end up extinct maybe just like the dinosaurs. So, is there an urgency to alleviate this problem? Apparently not, we are still weighing the costs and the benefits. Some may even be questioning whether global warming is happening or not.
To a certain extent, I can sense that there is "truth" in these messages that are being sent out. Al Gore even had the time to put in the film about how he was influenced by his professor on the environment, his childhood on the farm, his sister's unfortunate death, his son's accident and jibes by former Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush Sr on his environmental views.
I wonder whether if he had become the President, would he have done things differently; for the environment and the other contentious political issues of our day (Iraq, 9/11 and so fortha). We will never know of course.
In any case, all the troubles and problems will become inconsequential on the day of reckoning when all the wealth, technology and power of the world will not be able to stop this force of nature. So, let's start small and bit by bit. I know what I can try to do first.... try to stop/refrain from taking those plastic bags from the supermarkets and turn off the lights ....
Thursday, May 3, 2007
May the force be with you...
My favourite movies of all time... Star Wars, where Yoda, the Jedi Master utter the words "May the force be with you" to Luke Skywalker.
Well, in the true sense, we humans really lack this capability whereby we can lift objects and change the will of other beings merely by use of our mental powers. But what we have is really intuition. Currently reading the book by Gary Klein "Intuition at Work", whom he describes how people can improve their decision making skills through intuition.
I first encountered Gary Klein's work 1-2 years back when I first read his first book "Sources of Power". I was intrigued by his research which concluded that people doing dangerous or critical jobs like fire commanders, pilots and nurses could make split-second decisions on life-threatening situations and yet have a successful outcome.
Malcom Gladwell's book "Blink" probably drew some of his material from him.
Anyway, we can all learn a thing about decision making. Sometimes, we are too preoccupied with doing a thorough analysis of a issue or problem, that we have forgotten to place our subconcious mind of intuition to solving it. I would think that using too much of either left or right side of our brains would be counterproductive. A balance of both good rational analysis tempered by a dose of gut feelings might just be solution to all problems......
Well, in the true sense, we humans really lack this capability whereby we can lift objects and change the will of other beings merely by use of our mental powers. But what we have is really intuition. Currently reading the book by Gary Klein "Intuition at Work", whom he describes how people can improve their decision making skills through intuition.
I first encountered Gary Klein's work 1-2 years back when I first read his first book "Sources of Power". I was intrigued by his research which concluded that people doing dangerous or critical jobs like fire commanders, pilots and nurses could make split-second decisions on life-threatening situations and yet have a successful outcome.
Malcom Gladwell's book "Blink" probably drew some of his material from him.
Anyway, we can all learn a thing about decision making. Sometimes, we are too preoccupied with doing a thorough analysis of a issue or problem, that we have forgotten to place our subconcious mind of intuition to solving it. I would think that using too much of either left or right side of our brains would be counterproductive. A balance of both good rational analysis tempered by a dose of gut feelings might just be solution to all problems......
TT (top 3) Blogs for now....
In ranking of top favourites, I would like to limit it to the magic number three as I believe in keeping it simple. Anything more would be a distraction... so here goes:
1) Cognitive-Edge
Dave Snowden is the most intellectually stimulating person so far I have encountered. His ideas of sensemaking, narrative storytelling and many other ideas is groundbreaking. He has opened my mind totally.
2) David Maister
David Maister's Blog with its numerous articles, podcasts and comments on the professionalism is a great source for young people, executives, managers and all knowledge workers.
3) Anecdote
Aussies Shawn Callahan and Mark Schenk share their ideas and thoughts on cognitive techniques. Tremendous amount of material relating to anecdotes, sensemaking , complexity theory and storytelling.
My interest currently is in knowledge management and professionalism as you can see with the above blogs.
1) Cognitive-Edge
Dave Snowden is the most intellectually stimulating person so far I have encountered. His ideas of sensemaking, narrative storytelling and many other ideas is groundbreaking. He has opened my mind totally.
2) David Maister
David Maister's Blog with its numerous articles, podcasts and comments on the professionalism is a great source for young people, executives, managers and all knowledge workers.
3) Anecdote
Aussies Shawn Callahan and Mark Schenk share their ideas and thoughts on cognitive techniques. Tremendous amount of material relating to anecdotes, sensemaking , complexity theory and storytelling.
My interest currently is in knowledge management and professionalism as you can see with the above blogs.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Questions we all ask ourselves....
Our Families - Why do we love these people? This question was posed by Po Bronson in his new book "Why do I love these people?" when he embarked on his research project that lasted 3 years.
I first read Bronson's other book "What should I do with my life" some 1-2 years back, but this one really tops it off and continues on with his great storytelling of ordinary people and their lives. His style of writing on issues that are prevalent in contemporary society really highlights his gift of storytelling.
He does not pretend to offer solutions to the questions he has posed on the covers of his books, but rather he offers real-life personal accounts of the trials, tribulations and hardships that ordinary Americans endure in search of the answers.
In "Why do I love these people?", I find the first chapter of James Louie and his daughter Jennifer most touching. It had all the elements of a great story, Father leaves country in search of a better life.... neglects his daughter during her childhood years.... daughter becomes rebellious as a young adult but finally reconcilling her differences with the father only after returning to their home country.
What struck me as most touching was actually the narrative of James going back to hometown village, finding his house totally intact; well-protected by his neighbours in all years he had left.
And the moment, he entered his house, James went right to his mother's altar to bow three times. When Jennifer asks, how old was his grandmother when she died; James replied that she had died when she was around Jennifer's age and that she was heart-broken due to the unfaithfulness of her husband. James went on to say that he was only one-year old then and that he never knew his mother.
In that moment, Jennifer finally saw the inner self of her father. Never she had ever thought this man, her father would have an emotional life because she had not communicated and bonded with him since the day she was born.
The finale happens when James gives Jennifer a bracelet that belonged to his mother's mother that he had kept hidden in a worm hole behind a wooden panel for the past seventeen years.
The incredible human desire to improve one's lot is definitely present in all of us. However, we must not forget that our families play an important part of the equation, because if without them, life would not be as meaningful. It took James nearly seventeen years to get back his daughter, but I can understand the kind of self-sacrifice that he had made as a new immigrant in a foreign country.
James was in essence the conservative Chinese father that followed the Confucian traditions of fillial piety and hardwork. But along the way, he made some tradeoffs which evidently affected his relationship with his children.
In life events, there seems to be so many twists and turns, but somehow things will always return full circle and achieve its natural balance.
The other eighteen stories contained within the book had its own endings which were not as touching (or good) as this first chapter, but I feed that it was a good read for all to reflect on themselves and about their own families.
I first read Bronson's other book "What should I do with my life" some 1-2 years back, but this one really tops it off and continues on with his great storytelling of ordinary people and their lives. His style of writing on issues that are prevalent in contemporary society really highlights his gift of storytelling.
He does not pretend to offer solutions to the questions he has posed on the covers of his books, but rather he offers real-life personal accounts of the trials, tribulations and hardships that ordinary Americans endure in search of the answers.
In "Why do I love these people?", I find the first chapter of James Louie and his daughter Jennifer most touching. It had all the elements of a great story, Father leaves country in search of a better life.... neglects his daughter during her childhood years.... daughter becomes rebellious as a young adult but finally reconcilling her differences with the father only after returning to their home country.
What struck me as most touching was actually the narrative of James going back to hometown village, finding his house totally intact; well-protected by his neighbours in all years he had left.
And the moment, he entered his house, James went right to his mother's altar to bow three times. When Jennifer asks, how old was his grandmother when she died; James replied that she had died when she was around Jennifer's age and that she was heart-broken due to the unfaithfulness of her husband. James went on to say that he was only one-year old then and that he never knew his mother.
In that moment, Jennifer finally saw the inner self of her father. Never she had ever thought this man, her father would have an emotional life because she had not communicated and bonded with him since the day she was born.
The finale happens when James gives Jennifer a bracelet that belonged to his mother's mother that he had kept hidden in a worm hole behind a wooden panel for the past seventeen years.
The incredible human desire to improve one's lot is definitely present in all of us. However, we must not forget that our families play an important part of the equation, because if without them, life would not be as meaningful. It took James nearly seventeen years to get back his daughter, but I can understand the kind of self-sacrifice that he had made as a new immigrant in a foreign country.
James was in essence the conservative Chinese father that followed the Confucian traditions of fillial piety and hardwork. But along the way, he made some tradeoffs which evidently affected his relationship with his children.
In life events, there seems to be so many twists and turns, but somehow things will always return full circle and achieve its natural balance.
The other eighteen stories contained within the book had its own endings which were not as touching (or good) as this first chapter, but I feed that it was a good read for all to reflect on themselves and about their own families.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Books, Baguettes & Bedbugs
Picked up this title "Books, Baguettes & Bedbugs" from the library last month, and surprisingly I found myself enjoying the memoirs of Jeremy Mercer. It tells of a time when Mercer finding himself penniless in Paris after escaping from his hometown in Canada due to some threats to his life. Somehow, he found himself spending time in an odd English bookstore called Shakespeare & Co. where the world of books, writers and quirky characters crossing paths.
His account of life in the bookstore where the owner George Whitman taking on poor writers who has not made their mark in the publishing world; allowing them to stay free-of-charge and only insisting that they perform basic chores there seems so inspiring to me
Never in my life I would think there is such a place where people from all the world come and share their ideas with each other; although living in not so comfortable setting. George Whitman's idea that his bookstore is a utopia for poor writers and book lovers really appeals to me. The little story gems of Mercer meeting several characters including 92 year old George's romances with the younger women in his bookstore was incredibily unbelievable but yet somehow still feels credible in such an unusual place.
His stories of him trying to earn money from selling back cheap CDs, writing short stories for unwitting tourists and buying Louis Vutton bags for Chinese syndicates were quite entertaining. I never thought one could survive in Paris doing such 'work'... hahaa.
The finale of the story sees George reuniting with his young daughter, Sylvia with the help of Mercer. I did some searching in google and found that Sylvia has taken over his bookstore and managing it quite well. A really nice end to the story.
Paris, the city of lights has always enchanted me. I have been there three times, 1997, 2000 and in 2004 (my wife loves the place totally). Next visit, I shall definitely drop by this quirky little bookstore in the heart of Paris, left bank opposite of Notre Dame. Well, at least just to soak up the atmosphere that Mercer had protrayed......
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