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Showing posts from May, 2009

Rules

The rules in big hierarchical organizations apply to people in the middle of the hierarchy. The people at the very top and the very bottom can usually get away with breaking the rules.

Jaywalking vs. jumping a red light

The same people who jaywalk don't jump the red light while driving. Why is that? Is it the conditioning that while driving if you don't follow rules, you get punished and no such conditioning exists for walking? Is it the feeling of responsibility while driving? Is it space? While walking you are in the open and while driving you are inside a small tin box. Is it the herd mentality? I noticed that many people wait to jaywalk until they see someone else doing it.

Inspiration vs. Indulgence

There is fine line between inspiration and indulgence. If one is not careful, what inspires you, can indulge you.

Support Systems

A poem by Natasha Josefowitz: My right hand is being held By someone who knows more than I, And I am learning. My left hand is being held by someone who knows less than I, And I am teaching. Both my hands need thus be held For me--to be. ----- If everyone learns and teaches then the whole society moves up. Keep both your hands held:-) Thanks to my intercultural communication professors - Andy and Donna - for sharing the poem.

From Charlie Munger - Latest Wisdom at WSC 2009 Shareholder Meeting

After attending the Berkshire Hathaway shareholder ( BRKA )meeting last few years, this year I attended WESCO Financial Corporation ( WSC ) 50 th shareholder meeting instead. WSC is run by Charlie Munger who is also vice-chairman of BRKA . After reading a book on Charlie Munger last year, I am fascinated by the man. He has been one of my heroes for a few years and my admiration for him continues to increase as I learn more from him. WSC shareholder meeting is a very different affair than BRKA shareholder meeting. WSC meeting is brief and to the point, just like Munger :-) Following are my notes from the meeting (note the direct communication style of Munger ): Munger started the meeting with answering the questions he had prepared for himself:-) Q1: How serious is the economic mess? A: It is deadly serious. People are extremely disappointed and you can't tell what happens when people are extremely disappointed. Q2: What caused the economic mess? A: Economics is a Complex

Re: Discovery of Music and Visual Arts

I received overwhelming response from people re my previous post Discovery of Music and Visual Arts. All respondents disagree with what I learned from Dennis Russell Davies . Hence, the argument that generally, people fall in love with music "at first sight" does not stand. It is a good idea to validate what one learns from the "experts":-) Thanks for your feedback!