I vs. WE
We Indians are known for our Brains. We are are known for our ability to persevere. We are known for Being Tough.
Plato said, “A state is as great as its People!”
If we actually are as great a set of People.. then why isn’t our State that great?
It is probably because we as a TEAM fail to function, we fail to channelize all our energies towards a COMMON goal. We all have our goals but we work with a Singularity of Purpose.. and that is our OWN Purpose. Clichéd as it may sound, we often fail to work towards the “Common Good.” Our Politicians have a Goal – Self-fulfillment.Our cricketers have a Goal – A Century / 5-wicket Haul. Our rather short history has been punctuated with moments of individual brilliance in every field (broadly!) you can possibly think of. We have produced Amartya Sen, but our economy is not among the strongest around. We have produced Hargobind Khurana and C.V. Raman but we are far from the frontiers of Science. And more recently, we have produced Sachin Tendulkar but our cricket team seems hapless every now and then.
I came across this article on a friend’s blog as well as this one which got me thinking on these lines and this post is as much about endorsing their views as it is about expressing my thoughts on the issue. I can only hope that I, and WE learn to work towards a common goal. It does not necessarily have to always be a “Patriotic Goal!.” It just has to be a COMMON one and we must be committed towards it! We have to realize that the “WE” is bigger than the “I.”
I often tend to offer myself an explanation about us putting ourselves first. In India, since there is a rat-race for literally everything from Water to Real Estate, we don’t have much of a choice. It is a question of survival with Basic needs being hard to satisfy. But didn’t other countries ever face such challenges in their history? If Yes, what brought them out of it? There must have been some sacrifices made somewhere. The Question is WHO amongst us is ready to sacrifice it?
A lot of us found Rang De Basanti really inspiring. But how many of us would actually dedicate our lives to serve the nation rather than chasing luxuries? I honestly don’t know that about myself yet, but that doesn’t stop me from wondering if YOU would.
Would You?
Hi Amit,
Wel what u have written is correct. But here the probem is in all of us.Stop talking about biiig issues ….lets start rom the scrap??
How many times have u eaten a kurkure and thrown the packet on the streets … I know we dont even count this, but then we complain that the city is so DIRTY..
Several times have you/We see the lights in our offices and homes unnnecessarily switched on , but have put an effort to turn it off ..
these may seem trivial, but atleast his is what we can do day-to day and bring in a small change in our small way..
Lets start from this and then goi ahead to talk about corrupt politicians, non-performing cricketers….
LETS START FROM TODAY.. Cos tomorrow never comes
I think you are absolutely correct on that 1. All that we can stand united and do is crib, complain and cry on just everything that is wrong. Still awaiting the person who shall stand up and proclaim that for him/her WE is more important than I
You see, individualism is in-built in us. The question of Why the I can never be the We lies in the great Indian upbringing of children here. To think about yourself and to get ahead of the pack is the philosophy has always been injected without any inhibition.
We find nothing wrong in thinking about the I. Because before doing any activity, we always ask ourselves, “Well, what’s in it for me?”. Thats just instinct.
Liked your blog. Will be watching this space.
hey, nice one!! made me( an idealist according to jung) think abt my own attitude, and well… its survival of the fittest in the human jungle, the rat race and even though it feels weird to compare humans to rats the truth is that survival instincts exist in each of us. however thats no justification being a slob as somebody hinted above in comments!!
waise nice one!!
have u read fountainhead? it talks about individuality as a virtue ..gives u a different perspective..i think its pretty powerful..
Early years of job life, I used to be saying “I Did” for everything. This went on for sometime. One day, during management review meeting, one of the Director noticed my “I” approach. After the meeting, same director called me and corrected saying how the assumption that I have made of “I Did” was wrong. From that time onwards approach of “I Did” changed to “We did”.
Now i am working for a company as a Sr. Manager reporting to a General Manager. My General Manager has a habbit of saying “I did” to communicate all the work carried of his entire team.
What i am realising is that somewhere down the line “We” changes to “I”.
Question pondering me are as follows:
1. Is it worth getting frustrated about it?
2. Is it worthy a philosophy to correct from I to We?