What to Follow

It has always been my passion to see myself: Standing in front of crowd, giving them a talk about: Right and Wrong of Life (Though everyone else is aware of the same better than me); Management Ideas to keep the System Sustainable and Progressive at the same time (This is something most Simple and a salt of common sense is required).

I do visualize sometimes: Having loads of followers and they cheering/applauding for each and every word of what I say from the stage. Sounds like a dreamy affair :)

Way back, when I started this blog on 2^nd June, 2010, I really never expected to have 61 followers. Did create Facebook page, but, in terms of future prospects, and it got around 41 people known to me liking the same.

Sometimes, I do feel proud about the same, though there are millions of Blogs and Facebook Pages, which have Fan Following and Likes uncountable, and the reality is: I don’t stand anywhere in the crowd, let then my dream of standing in front of the crowd.

But, at the same time, a question arises at the threshold of my brain and it pops up: Does mere listening/applauding to someone’s talk or appreciating someone’s work make you a follower of the same, or is it walking on the same path as of your role model, which in true sense makes you a committed student of his/her.

Now, again don’t misunderstand the concept of: Walking on the same path. Most of you must be having your role model as: Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin Tendulkar, or someone else. But, it doesn’t apply that you should take up your career as: Acting or Sports, etc.

Rather it would mean, to perceive the passion of fighting back from dire circumstances of life, slowly, but, diligently, as most of our role models (including the 2 listed above) have done in their life, be then that related to personal or professional trauma.

A talk on this title had seeds sown, during the recent drive of ‘Anna Hazare against Corruption in India’. As they say: ‘Charity begins at home’, the first person to receive criticism on the concept of ‘Followers/Likes’ from me was my father only.

Now, my father is a 55 year old person, who has fought his own battle through lows of life and who better than his son would be a witness for the same. He has always kept pace with modern times and is ardent user of Social Networking sites for spreading of ‘Philosophical Messages/Criticism of Government Policies’ etc.

One fine day, I just checked out him visiting the Facebook Page of ‘Anna Hazare’ and ‘Quit Corruption India’, and while this was happening with lakhs of supporters of the grand old man fighting for the noble cause of the country, I gave it a thought.

Does Liking the Facebook Page/Follower of Blogs, in relation to or by your role model, make you a person of Integrity, and Character as same as of your role model? How can you guarantee a person pressing Like button on Facebook, is not indulging him/herself in corrupt practices in his/her real life. Also I don’t want to criticize the person for his/her past deeds of corruption, as it is always good to start at some point of your life, but, are these people or so called followers were/are following the same path, which Anna was/is asking the Government of India to follow. I want to question the same to all of those who did the same by just Liking that Networking Site’s Page or certain Blog on the topic or even to them who participated in huge rallies conducted across India.

I am not against the usage of Social Networking Sites for spreading messages, which I am also using nearly from last 1 and half year period, but, I am against the mentality which is driving us today. At the end of every day I like to question myself, if I have followed what I have written in my Blog.

‘Gandhigiri’ doesn’t mean just having a Wall Paper/Wall Portrait of Father of Nation in our home or office, but, to follow the path of Truth in each and every act and word of our life.

As rightly quoted in one of the Scenes of: Lage Raho Munnabhai:

“Woh naujawan ke haath main patthar dene ka, aur bolne ka ke bapu ka full putla gira do… Yeh full country main bapu ka jitna bhi putla hain na, sab ko gira do… Bapu ki jitni bhi tasveer diwar pe latkeli hain na, sab ko hata do… Woh kya hain ke har building, note, board, road se bapu ka naam nikal do… Agar bapu ko rakhne ka hich hain, toh apne dil main rakho na… Samjha kya idhar rakhna mangta heart main heart main… Arey kya nahi kiya usne apun ke liye, jail gaya, fasting kiya, ek dhoti pehen ke akhey country ka round mara, goli bhi khaya idhar idhar… Aur apun ne uske liye kya kiya, ek tasveer banakar diwar pe latka diya, aur uske niche aaram se rishvat leta hain”

While reading one of the posts on HBR (Harvard Business Review) Blog, I came across a recent article, which was written after tragic death of the legend Steve Jobs. I would sincerely recommend all of you to go through that post once, and you would then only be able to appreciate the thinking which I am trying to imbibe in your mind.

Link: http://blogs.hbr.org/hbreditors/2011/10/on_dr_ralph_steinman_and_steve.html

In the post, there is one particular paragraph, which captures the essence of that article and most probably of this one also, which goes like this:

And somehow, Dr. Steinman is not someone we’d choose. Maybe this says more about the perfunctory* nature of social media and its ability to create an echo chamber of thoughtless attempts to be part of the conversation. What does it cost me, really to click like, or swap out a picture, or link to a YouTube video, or profess to the world that a phone has fundamentally changed my existence?

(*The word Perfunctory means: Unthinking)