Four evolving thoughts

1. Fancy v/s Reality

Oxford, McKinsey, film based on one’s life are very fancy concepts. Naturally, people also expect those ‘concerned’ people to do fancy stuff in day-to-day life, not really knowing the definition of fanciness. Many alumnus are asked this question- being an Oxford alumni, why are you doing this? You should be running a country or a corporation, or working with grass-root people bringing a ‘revolution’ for God’s sake.

The response probably lies in the fact that fancy things should be able to provide you the bread to eat. For people belonging to the lower middle class strata, it is very difficult to run after the fanciness without bothering for daily living expenses. You can try for a year (at max), but eventually you have to succumb to the reality.

Another perspective- for 99% people, fancy thing does not happen overnight; one has to slog for years. Now, what one should do during that slogging/preparation period, will be decided by her needs, as well as the interests. Aligning the present work with the future goal in terms of work domain or geographical location are some options people usually adopt.

Philosophizing...

2. The ear phone plugged today's generation

What is the significance of putting ear phones/listening to songs when someone is travelling, walking or even thinking? In this ruthless and self-centric world, what one needs is a bit of recognition and compassion. But in a crowded metro or while walking in a street with thousand others, it is nearly impossible that one will meet an acquaintance every day who will show compassion or even a gentle smile. What she will get in stead, the alarming horns, slang words, stupidity of fellow countrymen, poverty-ridden cries of hungry children. These realities are big turn-offs when someone is trying to start a day afresh.
What's the solution then? Make yourself forget the world outside. Create an environment which is controlled by you exclusively. Direct Konika Kapoor to sing after Arijit Singh to play his best number, or listen to a calm music sent by your beloved one. "Ohh, the world is nice, full of beautiful people and I promise that I will also contribute in some ways to make the world better".

3. How smart people like Jairam Ramesh, P Chidambaram or Shashi Tharoor act like a puppet of Rahul Gandhi? Don’t they have self respect?

No person, no political party or corporation, in fact nothing is perfect in this world. The truth is that the definition of perfection is also a relative concept. So, whenever somebody is criticising a person like Rahul Gandhi, she is either in ‘only criticise, do nothing’ mode or in a perfect utopian imagination, which never exists. But if you are a doer, your eyes will be fixed on the final goal; Rahul Gandhi can only be your facilitating medium since he can be best used in that manner.

Of course, there is subtle difference between becoming a puppet (might not be a right word in this context) without any criminal record, but with honesty, compared to that of criminals like Sanjay Singh or Pappu Yadav.

There is another issue: although you are a ‘good puppet’, you have to shake your hands with ‘bad puppets’ already exist in the system. One argument of creating a mental acceptability about ‘bad people’ in a political system, is the definition of democracy. If you argue for giving equal opportunity for non-literates or primary school drop-outs (in 90% cases, these categories will be waste products), why can’t you support the existence of an accused (who is not charge sheeted or given acquittal)? Further argument on this point will lead to the efficiency of our judiciary system, which is again a prominent pillar of India’s ‘thriving’ democracy.

4. Understanding government's thinking

Suppose you are buying a book online. After comparing prices in both Flipkart and Amazon, you find a better deal in Flipkart and went for it. As a smart consumer, you become happy. Simple enough?
But governments can't afford to be that simple. It has to take care of the desi v/s bidesi sentiment, consumer's interest, employment issues, promoting indigenous industries and many others. Many times, government spends money to build an ecosystem  which will be used a generation later or to develop some sub-standard products just to engage people. This is a completely different perspective from a private entity point of view, where every money spent should bring a return.
This is an awesome thought in order to understand and appreciate the philosophy of governance. Continuing with this logic, governments are not here to make profits or do business (eg- Air India, Steel industry etc).
In this way, understanding the basic philosophy really helps answer many complex questions. Whenever you are in doubt, go to the basics. For example, if you are running an organization and have not been able to decide between two options, go and read through the vision and values of your organization. But I must mention, the complexity (particularly for government organizations) makes the execution of a solution difficult most times.