Friday, September 17, 2010

A Cut above the Rest

All our lives, we are in a constant war-like environment. One battle ends and the next begins. You are born a child who is urged to speak earlier than other children, walk earlier, eat better. Then at school you're nothing if you're not in the top 10 and just about average if you're below 5. Then competitive exams wreck you lives and even 16 hours a day for IIT entrance exams seems paltry. Finally, you end up in a job where you keep wondering all your life weather the struggle was worth it.


But then there are some, who even in this rat race, strive to make a podium for themselves. A podium on which they can stand and feel above the rest of the rats running along them for some time. A podium where they are a cut above the rest.


Now the reasons or rather the motivation for these people to be above the rest can stem from multiple reasons. The most obvious one would be to get noticed. If you have a podium, you are bound to be noticed and everyone likes a bit of attention in the middle of the rat race. There may be some who are determined to prove themselves to the world. Yet some others may just be seeking some appreciation from their peers.


One may argue that these minor reasons may be too superficial for one to create a podium for him/her self.  One may say that there are individuals who are motivated by higher desires and are above the usual stuff of getting noticed, or proving themselves or seeking appreciation. I just finished reading Dan Brown's latest novel 'The Lost Symbol' in which one of the central characters, Mal'akh, tattoos himself all over his body in a bid to transform himself and then proceeds to search for a secret. Though throughout the book, the motive seems to be a 'higher' one, it reveals at the end the same desire for Mal'akh to prove himself.


What I mean essentially is, that even the higher virtues that try to pursue, like honesty, love, charity, chivalry etc are a result of a combination of these three very ordinary looking and worldly things. And I do not mean that it's bad or undesirable, as long as your intentions remain good and you do good things, what motivates you really does not matter. But if you realize what it is that is really motivating you and you know that it is a small thing under your control, it will help you to set your priorities and make better decisions.


And so, when next time you feel that you need that podium in the middle of the rat race to stand above the others for some time, be sure that you know what your motive is.

21 comments:

  1. What if you're not sure of the motive?

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  2. I don't know...I think the motivation is important, at least to you personally. If your motives were bad, but you inadvertently ended up doing something good, should you get credit for it? In the same way, if your motivation was from a good cause, but something bad ended up happening, should you take all the blame?

    I think there are some people who are driven by more than these motives. There are some to whom what they are doing is pure enjoyment, and they continue to do it because of that reason, but I'm not sure if you would consider them to be rats. :)

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  3. Driven to run I don't know why,
    Sometimes I pause to glance,
    No matter who controls the beat,
    This is my life, my dance.

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  4. @vkg - as i wrote, what motivates you really does not matter, it just helps you make a better decision - your intentions must be good..

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  5. @gurdit :) well yes they would surely not be classified 'rats' but i think we're getting confused between a motive and an intention. a motive is something that arouses you to do something, while intention is what you expect as the outcome.. so that's what i meant that if intention is good, motive really doesn't matter..

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  7. @ishita - well said.. and in sync too :)

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  8. Well i would have to say i disagree, i mean the majority do usually take those 3 things as a shield to move along but saying that everyone looking to get on a podium uses those 3 things u mentioned, is not true..

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  9. Well written...i agree to an extent that most of us have those three driving force but then as ritukar said,not all,which is also true...but yes i like ur point that Intent shud be good...overall nicely analyzed...and simply written,which i liked...Keep writing :)

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  10. And who is to judge what Good is and Bad is... Good - Bad are relative and vague terms... easily bent, twisted and interpreted to the liking of the individual and in few cases to the liking of the majority. So the words intention and motive loose meaning. Then u ask yourself why are u running at all...? If you are running why in a rat race...?

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  11. @Ritukar- you are free to disagree to the views i express.. While writing the blog itself I understood that it is a difficult idea to accept and people are bound to disagree at the onset.. and since the idea was make people delve deeper into their thoughts to find out to what an extent this is true or not, that was why I wrote..
    But then, I give reasons for my views and so should you, then we would have a healthy discussion.. So REC, the question is what can you possibly think will the other reasons be ??

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  12. @Shubham- Thank You for your encouragement and thank you for reading through sincerely. But again I would like to ask you.. don't just disagree, but tell me why also ..

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  13. @munish- This is a tough one, but i'll try to answer
    Good and bad as I used were just referrals to good and bad deeds as is commonly understood. True, the amount of subjectivity involved is immense, but at the same time, we still do certain things because they are 'good' while we refrain from doing others because they are 'bad'.. In that sense, the intention becomes subjective to one's definition of good or bad, and so does motive.. but since we have an inherent concept of good - bad.. I guess we can use that to judge our intentions - it's just our conscience in the end !!

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  15. I just got reminded of a line by your reply...

    Conscience... my friend, is a luxury I cannot afford.

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  16. a different perspective..nicely written...!But I find it a little overtly simplified to accept.
    You may disagree with this. But I sincerely believe...motive always leads to intention & when anyone stands on a podium not only is the motive important but how the motive & the intention is perceived by others is also important (because..other rats are constantly looking at you for guidance & inspiration..cause after all you are a cut above them)
    Moreover, people are always different with different priorities,motives, intentions & individualities..clubbing them into 3 broad and rough divisions is inadequate and unjust. Going ahead with this logic...all great men & women in the history would be reduced to nothing more than just ordinary "rats" like us..!

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  17. @ashu - I will not disagree with you. Because what you have written is abosolutely correct. People do have different priorities and motives. What I intended to convey was that in some way or the other you can link these specialized motives to these 3 categories. Take any example, you will find a connect. At least I could. And if not, then of course I would be happy to know that because I would like to go beyond what my post describes.

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