What are you chasing after?

In our quest for material fortune, we’ve forgotten to be generous and grateful…
In our quest for worldly fame, we’ve forgotten how to live a fulfilled existence…
In our quest for superficial desires, we’ve forgotten all about humanity…

Everywhere, everyday, everyone is chasing after something or the other…

What?? What are we chasing after???

We are chasing after that which we are insecure about…we are chasing after that which we are afraid of losing – but are going to lose anyway…we are chasing after that which has no meaning whatsoever in the eternal existence of the essence that we really are…

We are chasing after cheap, meaningless, temporary, mundane, materialistic desires…

“We always pay dearly for chasing after what is cheap” – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Lofty goals await our claim every single living moment – but we have no realization – we’re still chasing after something or the other…

Peace and happiness radiate from within our being every single living moment – but we have no sense – and instead of glowing in the radiance, we continue chasing after something or the other…

Infinite knowledge of the universe is at our disposal every single living moment – but we choose to remain ignorant – and keep chasing after something or the other…

The Totality of Existence is our true identity and manifests itself every single living moment – but we refuse to acknowledge its presence – and spend all our time chasing after something or the other…

STOP…

Stop chasing after that which you are sure to leave behind – your property, your wealth, your fame, your progeny, your pride – everything that you continue to chase after will be left behind – your body will be dropped into a gaping hole in the ground and covered with earth – your life-long chase will end in despair and defeat…

Stop for a moment – and contemplate annihilation!!!

“Why should I seek? I am the same as He. His essence speaks through me. I have been looking for myself” – Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi

- The  Ranting Dream

The empowerment oxymoron…

In my humble experience, the one thing that sticks out like a sore thumb is that most corporate leadership only gives lip-service to the concept of ‘empowerment’…

We hear a lot about ‘helping others find their voice’, but when it comes to putting that in practice, our egos prevail – we would rather be surrounded by subservient ‘yes-people’ than folks who could give us the proverbial ‘run for our money’ if we don’t stay awake and keep up…

Empower your team – promote yourself every single day and let others perfect what you are doing today – true leaders are trailblazers – they surround themselves with the very best and leave all the minute details in the hands of their capable deputies while pursuing the infinite scope of their vision…

- The Ranting Dream

Can attitude be taught?

Attitude, in my humble opinion, is a way of life…and is, in a great way, rooted in the sincerity with which you conduct yourself…

Putting attitude in a ‘box’ by classifying it as a ’skill’ (like we do in the big bad corporate world) qualifies, as far as my understanding is concerned, as making a big mistake…

Attitude cannot be taught – but can be learned… Make sense???

Here’s how it works for me: in everything that I touch, there is aptitude and there is attitude – and there is a good balance between the two. In certain situations one carries more weight than the other – but effectively both are complimentary and necessary in a balanced equation…

The aptitude component is a direct result of training, education, knowledge, experience, and all the good things that can be ‘taught’ – there is an element of culture, merit, skill, work ethic, capacity, and capability as well…but in general terms, it is safe to generalize ‘aptitude’ as an acquired skill…

Attitude, however, is defined by the ‘individual’ – it may, on the surface, be reflective of a particular culture, or a particular ‘breed’ or ’school’ of thought, or a particular style of upbringing, or a combination of things – but in essence, the ‘individuality’ of a person defines the ‘attitude’ factor — and in my humble opinion, is reflected in the way of life that the individual adopts (or adapts to)…

So, while ‘attitude’ may be learned from the ‘culture’ or the ’school of thought’ or the ‘upbringing’ or by simple observation; it cannot be ‘taught’ – since the person ‘learning’ that attitude will reflect her/his own unique interpretation of the same in the way the person conducts her/his life…

You may be able to ‘teach’ certain elements in and around the concept of ‘attitude’ as your organization/philosophy relates to it — and you may also be able to teach someone ‘attitude-awareness’; but ‘attitude’ in itself cannot be ‘taught’ – it can be ’shared’ and it can be ‘lived’ – and it may even be ‘emulated’ within a group/community – but it is not something that can be ‘taught’…

As a good friend pointed out to me in an unrelated conversation recently – Popeye the sailor man put it this way: “I y’am what I y’am, I’m Popeye the sailor man” — that’s attitude!…and that attitude is not something that anyone can teach another – it is a sincere reflection of one’s individuality…

- The Ranting Dream

Ahlan wa Sahlan…

Welcome! to my (mostly) tongue-in-cheek rants…

…this is a personal blog…the views expressed on this website do not necessarily reflect the views of those who link to this website, my employer, spouse, friend, mother, father, sister, brother, uncle, aunt, grandparents, cousins, step relations, ex-relations, any other (blood or other) relative or this website’s web host…or even mine for that matter (in certain circumstances)…

…the information in this blog is provided “AS IS” with absolutely no warranties, and confers no rights whatsoever…I make no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on this site and will not be liable for any errors, omissions, or delays in this information or any losses, injuries, or damages arising from its display or use…

…feel free to challenge me, disagree with me, or tell me that I am completely nuts in the comments section of each blog entry, but I reserve the right to delete any comment for any reason whatsoever – so keep it above the belt, please…and refrain from using this blog to spam and/or market your wares – I will definitely delete any comments and/or content that even remotely resembles spam and/or a plug and/or a sales pitch…don’t say I didn’t warn you…

…this is a blog…and is full of thoughts and opinions which change from time to time…this is a necessary consequence of having an open mind. This blog is intended to provide a semi-permanent point-in-time snapshot and manifestation of the various ideas and thoughts running around my brain, and as such any thoughts and opinions expressed within out-of-date posts may not be the same, nor even similar, to those held today…

…also: if any content in this blog is erroneously mis-credited (and/or not credited) to the original source; let it be known that this would be an honest, innocent mistake. I have no intention or desire of taking credit for someone else’s work – nor do I take pleasure in mis-crediting others’ intellectual property. If you ever find such content on this website, simply drop me a note, and I will be happy to make the necessary corrections…

…it would be distinctly unwise – not to mention uncharitable – to play connect-the-dots with my physical life and work, as scanty as either might be. My attitude at work, my reaction to: your ideas or your school grades or your height (or lack thereof), the length and tone of my discussions at the coffee pot, the intensity and duration of my lovemaking, the time it took for me to return your letter or email, and the quality and quantity of my response to you in any medium are probably not tied to anything you read here…at least not in a way that you will be able to confidently assume without sharing years of psychotherapy and the bills that come with it…

…comments on this website are the sole responsibility of those who choose to submit comments – and the comment writers will take full responsibility, liability, and blame for any libel or litigation that results from something written in or as a direct result of something written in a comment. The accuracy, completeness, veracity, honesty, exactitude, factuality and politeness of comments are not guaranteed…

…although it may seem to claim otherwise, this website does not offer legal, medical, psychiatric, veterinary, gynecological, archaeological, astronomical, astrological, ontological, paleontological, philosophical, axiological, audiological, bacteriological, mineralogical, criminological, terminological, dermatological, ecclesiastical, campanological, phrenological, phonological, technological, hematological, campanological or any other kind of advice or guidance…

…given that the format of this blog is one where (mostly anonymous) people from diverse backgrounds and intellectual capacities will be encouraged to engage in discourse and discussion on a wide range of (sometimes sensitive) topics, this website may inadvertently link to (or end up with) content that some may perceive to be obscene, prurient, useless, poisonous, frivolous, empty, rotten, bad, disgusting, hostile, repulsive, virulent, infectious etc. This website in no way condones, endorses or takes responsibility for such content…

…just in case: if I say something stupid on this blog, it’s better to be able to point out that the stupidity is mine, and mine alone. My Stupidity! You can’t have it! … and remember: if you can’t handle a bitter dose of harsh reality every now and then and/or can’t digest tongue in cheek sarcasm, then you’ll probably want to stay away from this blog…

“Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocre minds. The latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence and fulfills the duty to express the results of his thoughts in clear form.” – Albert Einstein

- The Ranting Dream