Knowingly or unknowingly our approach to our life is based on our experience and the thinking we believe is correct. The belief system that is chosen by the individual is one of the many options. There is nationalist belief system, left-liberal belief system, non-aligned belief system, pro-business belief system, allopathy is better belief system, to name a few.
A person’s receptivity to an idea or approach is determined by their previous experience and belief system. Having wrong assumptions make it difficult to learn new good approaches and concepts. In this article a few such wrong approaches are explored.
Anti-business and anti-corporate thinking is one major flaw with many young people
While any specific issue with corporates and business should be corrected and an action is taken, there cannot be a stereotyped broad negativity against corporate or business. That is a type of racism, oppression and rigid thinking.
There are some who are advocating a freelance world. The world of freelancers is unviable. Imagine sending your child to a school with only freelancers in all roles in the school. There is no school name too, since there is no one to take rent out for the entire building or take responsibility. Since everyone is a freelancer, the situation is always in flux. On one side it looks very creative and lots of freedom. But for parents who care for the future of their kid, this idea is very troubling. Who to keep accountable if anything goes wrong? Who to approach for correcting and disciplining about anything going wrong? In a freelance world, there is no one and hence it breaks down for that reason.
Anti-business ideas and anti-social thoughts slowly corrode and rust the economy and damage it deeply and destroy it. Even if the issue is resolved later, the newer citizens may be OK, but entire previous generation may get into trouble like rusted iron. Rusted iron can never totally be cleaned without vigorous and painful efforts. Despite all that efforts, it is best to use new iron that was never rusted. So the impact of these anti-business ideas and anti-social thoughts has negative impact for more than a generation. Hence, should be careful about such thinking.
Self-sufficient vs independent mindset
Independent mindset encourages an ego and a disconnection with wider society whereas a self-sufficient mindset is socially responsible. Self-sufficiency accommodates mistakes of others as an acknowledgement of the growing up process that a person has to go through before gaining maturity or wisdom. It is understood that this is the only way realization will happen.
Neither finance nor presence of power helps in achieving success
Many social movements focus on financial needs and the need for power to reshape their position. However, money and position give an inadequate view of what needs to success. If money and position alone were important every established politician or party would have won the next election. Similarly, an established firm would have succeeded.
What is needed is an innovative way of serving people that is sustainable and gives concrete benefits in a rewarding manner in a new and different manner. This needs innovative thinking, service attitude and plain hard work to make the idea into a reality. Neither financial situation nor presence of power helps replace innovative thinking, service attitude or hard work.
Job is more than money
Ask retired people how they feel right now after retiring; they have a pension and also some bulk retirement benefits. They will mention, they have nobody to care for them. They have no standing, their presence or existence makes no difference to others. They are made to feel unwanted. While we have a job, we don’t learn to value the many benefits of a job – if you don’t go to work someone gets affected negatively. They need you and without you they are not as well off. Your skills and your work make a small difference to the lives of people.
Understanding Freedom, it’s not what common thought is:
Freedom’s value is there only if we are busy. If we don’t have freedom then that also becomes wretched like being without any free time. Then you start searching for getting Freedom’s value is there only if we are busy. If we don’t have freedom then that also becomes wretched like being without any free time. Then you start searching for getting structure in your life. When you have freedom and have all the time in the world, people take you for granted. You are the one who is always free. Your situation will be like that of an unappreciated housewife, where everybody takes you for granted.
True, not having the time for some important things makes life a punishment. So does having all the freedom in your life. No wonder the statistics of many of kids of the super-rich people don’t show pleasant facts. This is despite them having all the money, time, connections and education. Many of the self-made billionaires realize the problem and have ensured their kids don’t get too much of their money. They prefer to give it off to charity over their children. Warren Buffet is probably the best example of such thinking.
Important to get the right thinking is important
Young minds are very impressionable. At a young age if they are fed with some ideas on a blank mind, they tend to dominate their outlook. Youngsters should be careful and focus on ensuring their thinking is in right direction. It may be very important to have a concept of “whatever I accept should be proper or right way of thinking” maybe a good protection to get carried away by emotional logic or manipulations.
Another important success approach is to change your assumption or beliefs based on facts
The importance of this approach cannot be over emphasized, many organizations and institutions brain wash people. When someone is wedded to an assumption or belief despite facts they are knowingly or unknowingly trapped in the wrong path. Beliefs are also reinforced by being in a group, every time they think differently the group discourages such thoughts and actions. So the conformances of the group are now determining your approach to life instead of facts or correct thinking. So, blind loyalty to any group, organization or ideology prevents you from being in the right path.
When someone’s social group is fixed and such a person forms no new friends or acquaintances they are trapped by the belief system of the group they are part of. Such individuals are unable to accept the facts or the correct way of thinking.
King Ashoka expanded his kingdom with war as an instrument of expansion. It is only after the battle of Kalinga that he changed his viewpoint. This change in his thinking did not happen at a young age, it was rather in his middle age that we celebrate as a nation and the reason why he is respected so much.