Skip to main content

Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans

A forwarded message from a friend of mine....



An interesting reflection: Slow Down Culture………


Author unknown:
It's been 18 years since I joined Volvo, a Swedish company. Working for them has proven to be an interesting experience. Any project here takes 2 years to be finalized, even if the idea is simple and brilliant. It's a rule.

Globalize processes have caused in us (all over the world) a general sense of searching for immediate results. Therefore, we have come to possess a need to see immediate results. This contrasts greatly with the slow movements of the Swedish. They, on the other hand, debate, debate, debate, hold x quantity of meetings and work with a slowdown scheme. At the end, this always yields better results.

Said in another words:
1. Sweden is about the size of San Pablo, a state in Brazil.
2. Sweden has 2 million inhabitants.
3. Stockholm has 500,000 people.
4. Volvo, Escania, Ericsson, Electrolux, Nokia are some of its renowned companies. Volvo supplies the NASA.

The first time I was in Sweden, one of my colleagues picked me up at the hotel every morning. It was September, bit cold and snowy. We would arrive early at the company and he would park far away from the entrance (2000 employees drive their car to work). The first day, I didn't say anything, either the second or third. One morning I asked, "Do you have a fixed parking space? I've noticed we park far from the entrance even when there are no other cars in the lot." To which he replied, "Since we're here early we'll have time to walk, and whoever gets in late will be late and need a place closer to the door. Don't you think so?" Imagine my face.

Nowadays, there's a movement in Europe named Slow Food. This movement establishes that people should eat and drink slowly, with enough time to taste their food, spend time with the family, friends, without rushing. Slow Food is against its counterpart: the spirit of Fast Food and what it stands for as a lifestyle. Slow Food is the basis for a bigger movement called Slow Europe, as mentioned by Business Week. Basically, the movement questions the sense of "hurry" and "craziness" generated by globalization, fuelled by the desire of "having in quantity" (life status) versus "having with quality", "life quality" or the quality of being".

French people, even though they work only 35 hours per week, are more productive than Americans or British. Germans have established 29 hour workweeks and have seen their productivity been driven up by 20%. This slow attitude has brought forth the US's attention, pupils of the fast and the "do it now!". This no-rush attitude doesn't represent doing less or having a lower productivity. It means working and doing things with greater quality, perfection, with more attention to detail and less stress. It means reducing rejects and wastage. It means re-establishing family values, friends, free and leisure time. Taking the "now", present and concrete, versus the "global", undefined and anonymous future. It means taking humans' essential values, the simplicity of living. It stands for a less coercive work environment, more happy, lighter and more productive where humans enjoy doing what they know best how to do.

It's time to stop and think on how companies need to develop serious quality with no-rush that will increase productivity and the quality of products and services, without losing the essence of spirit.

In the movie, Scent of a Woman, there's a scene where Al Pacino asks a girl to dance and she replies, "I can't, my boyfriend will be here any minute now". To which Al responds, "A life is lived in an instant". Then they dance to a tango.

Many of us live our lives running behind time, but we only reach it when we die of a heart attack or in a car accident rushing to be on time. Others are so anxious of living the future that they forget to live the present, which is the only time that truly exists. We all have equal time throughout the world. No one has more or less. The difference lies in how each one of us does with our time. We need to live each moment.

As John Lennon said, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans".

Congratulations for reading till the end of this message. There are many who will have stopped in the middle so as not to waste time in this globalized world.


Comments

Hi Kishan This Is Kishan I am Very Much fascinated by the Resolution You have Go ahead I will try to spread this message of yours to every one in this nation .


jai Hind

Kishan Sharma
www.catpops.com
www.ankitdani.in

Popular posts from this blog

How to buy Mutual Funds online directly

With more and more awareness among people about Mutual funds, the next question comes to mind is, How to invest in Mutual funds, There are many ways you can do it, One of them is MF utilities.  1. Go here and fill forms https://www.mfuindia.com/eCANFormFill                     ->You will get a mail (mostly in gmail spam) with a link to upload documents 2. Take a Pic of PAN card, cancelled Cheque and Address proof document (like DL) and upload in the link you get in your mail 3. You will get a CAN allotment number in couple of days 4. After getting CAN number, send a email to clientservices@mfuindia.com and request for online ID and password           -> You will get an ID password in 2-3 days 5. After getting ID and password you can use https://www.mfuonline.com/ or their android app for transactions.  Following video illustrates how to transact in MF Utilities. * Mutual fund investments are subjected to Markets risks, Invest in Debt Mutual funds when market

Will Gandhigiri work with Bullies?

I was shocked to hear in the documentary “Partition: The Day India Burned” that British left India because it was economically in a very bad condition after the World War II. But as Kids we were taught in school that India got independence because of Gandhi’s Nonviolence movement or Quit India movement. But 99.99% of the Indians today do not know the truth.  Why did British really leave India?  The answer is, it is because of several other reasons other than the Nonviolence or Quit India or Satyagraha.  If you search around the net for the reason why India got it independence, you will get the actual factors.  These thoughts came to me after I read latest post in Francois Gautier’s blog article “HINDI-CHINI BYE-BYE” which has the following Lines One should be realistic and learn from Swami Rama Thirtha, a great sage of the beginning of the century :”The policy of appeasement is never successful. It increases the demands of the bully and encourages his unreasonablen

Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana (PMVVY) pension scheme

Just came across this article in Economic times  https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/wealth/invest/hurry-this-lic-pension-scheme-that-can-provide-rs-10000-a-month-will-end-march-31/articleshow/74209003.cms A simple google search, I found out these facts about Pradhan Mantri Vaya Vandana Yojana. Turns out this scheme is a wonderful pension plan for people above 60+ age Minimum investment = 1.5 lakh. monthly pension = Rs. 1,000 ** Maximum investment = 15 lakh  monthly pension = Rs15,000 ** Mimimum age of applicant = 60 years Maximum age of applicant = Nil The investment amount will be returned after 10 years to the investor or Nominee. Bad news: As per the above economic times article, this scheme is not getting extended after 31st March 2020. So hurry up and inform all retired people you know to invest in this plan. BTW. it yields 8% per year. Which I think is the highest in current scenario. This scheme can be bought either online or offline. Discliamer: 1. All abo