Dear Friends
I would like to introduce myself as a 21-year old boy from India who
has got a genuine desire to DO something, for my family, my
neighbourhood, my college, my state, my nation and the world. I have
been volunteering with many people to enhance my skills in all aspects
of life and career --- from Teamwork and Leadership, to Public
speaking and Writing articles; Organising technical seminars and
Industrial tours for my colleagues, to collecting and disseminating
information as far as achieving the 8 UN Millennium Development Goals
are concerned; helping others whenever they need anything and sharing
knowledge on ANY topic in ANY situation. All the time keeping in mind
one thing - NOT TO COMPROMISE ON MY VALUES - I don't do anything that
I can't tell my mother. Period.
Personality Development - and Building and Maintaining a Positive
ATTITUDE - in myself and people around me has always been my first
priority.
Friends, let me quote from a study attributed to Harvard University :
"When a person gets a job, 85% of the time it is because their
ATTITUDE, and only
15% of the time because of how smart they are or how many
facts and figures they
know."
Surprisingly, almost 100% of education dollars go to teach facts and
figures which account for only 15% of success in work!
William James of Harvard University said, "The greatest discovery of
my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering
their ATTITUDES of mind."
My purpose of saying all this is very simple really : We, in India,
have thousands of NGOs and non-profit organisations giving information
on a wide variety of topics and working for the betterment of Society
in all(?) kinds of areas, for example - Science and Technology, Food
and Agriculture, HIV/AIDS, Gender Biases and Women's Empowerment,
Literature and Poetry, Culture, Arts and Aesthetics, Politics, Media,
Religious Practices, Health Care, Law, World View, Industry and
Business, Education, and even Entrepreneurship Development Programmes!
(This is just the "tip of the iceberg"...)
Besides, from schools and colleges also we get loads of information -
which is also very important.
A query : Do you REALLY think we get educated in schools and colleges?
Most people, to whom I have asked this question say that most of them
DON'T. Friends, don't get me wrong! I do believe academics is
important, AND I would also ask you to look at the 85-15 proportion
and ASK yourself - What exactly is "Education"?
Does ANYONE think of incorporating "ATTITUDE DEVELOPMENT" in the
curricula of schools and colleges around the world?
In Indian culture, the ancient seers had defined education as
"Character Building", yet on an average, just 2 hours a year are spent
on Values Education nowadays. I'm sure the situation is the same(or
similar) in all other parts of the world as well.
A simple question : Do we need more academic education or more VALUES
EDUCATION? Even as I write this letter, somewhere in this world a
woman is being raped, a robbery taking place and somebody being
murdered. Doesn't REALITY anger you? For me it does, yet I am typing
and doing nothing for the world, which I'm a part of.
Going back to the point where this discussion began, let us DO
something. We have all seen how many times on this list people look
for information on a Master's degree and nobody questions the
integrity of the US in being stingy with their Tsunami Relief efforts.
We look for hospitality when we go to another country, yet how many of
us entertain people from foreign countries in our own homes? How many
times have we started fora/forums for discussing a particularly "hot"
topic and then DONE nothing about it?
I sincerely believe in what Mike Litman - author of best-selling
"Conversations with Millionaires" - says :
" 99.7% of the time Great Ideas are WORTHLESS."
Reason? We are ALL visionaries and philosophers to some extent, yet
very few among us ACT upon their IDEAS. It requires "education", as in
character, courage, conviction, honesty and integrity, commitment,
persistence and knowing how to deal with people.
In a nutshell, to be a winner, one needs to THINK and ACT in a certain
way - have the right "ATTITUDE"!
What do *I* plan to do after saying all this? I dream of an
organisation that imparts education on the most important word in the
English Dictionary - ATTITUDE and need YOUR help - can't do it alone.
Right?!!
I would ask all of you to consider my views, the FACTS and give me
your FEEDBACK.
ANY comments, suggestions and criticisms are always WELCOME.
Friends, lets just DO it! The Beatles wrote - "Life is too short."
True. Very true.
I WISH THE YOUTH OF THIS WORLD A GREAT YEAR AHEAD!
MAKE 2005 THE MOST PROFITABLE YEAR OF YOUR LIFE!!!
Yours
Shoubhik
