A Man In Search Of Meaning..
Posted by: Hamid Yahya on: October 16, 2009
Viktor Emil Frankl M.D., Ph.D. (March 26, 1905 – September 2, 1997) was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist. Frankl was the founder of logotherapy, which is a form of Existential Analysis, the “Third Viennese School of Psychotherapy“. His best-selling book, Man’s Search for Meaning chronicles his experiences as a concentration camp inmate and describes his psychotherapeutic method of finding meaning in all forms of existence, even the most sordid ones, and thus a reason to continue living.
Skewed Incentives — By Stiglitz
Posted by: Hamid Yahya on: October 14, 2009
Joseph Stiglitz
The recent death of Norman Borlaug provides an opportune moment to reflect on basic values and on our economic system. Borlaug received the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in bringing about the “green revolution”, which saved hundreds of millions from hunger and changed the global economic landscape.
Before Borlaug, the world faced the threat of a Malthusian nightmare: growing populations in the developing world and insufficient food supplies. Before the green revolution, Nobel Prize-winning economist Gunnar Myrdal predicted a bleak future for an Asia mired in poverty. Instead, Asia has become an economic powerhouse. Likewise, Africa’s welcome new determination to fight the war on hunger should serve as a living testament to Borlaug. The fact that the green revolution never came to the world’s poorest continent suggests that there is ample room for improvement.
The revolution may, of course, prove to be only a temporary respite. Soaring food prices before the global financial crisis provided a warning, as does the slowing rate of growth of agricultural productivity.
But Borlaug’s death also is a reminder of how skewed our system of values has become. When Borlaug received news of the award, at four in the morning, he was already toiling in the Mexican fields, in his never-ending quest to improve agricultural productivity. He did it not for some huge financial compensation, but out of conviction and a passion for his work.
What a contrast between Borlaug and the Wall Street financial wizards that brought the world to the brink of ruin. They argued that they had to be richly compensated in order to be motivated. Without any other compass, the incentive structures they adopted did motivate them – not to introduce new products, to improve ordinary peoples’ lives or to help them manage the risks they faced, but to put the global economy at risk by engaging in short-sighted and greedy behavior. Their innovations focused on circumventing accounting and financial regulations designed to ensure transparency, efficiency, and stability, and to prevent the exploitation of the less informed.
There is also a deeper point in this contrast: our societies tolerate inequalities because they are viewed to be socially useful; it is the price we pay for having incentives that motivate people to act in ways that promote societal well-being.
Neoclassical economic theory, which has dominated in the West for a century, holds that each individual’s compensation reflects his marginal social contribution – what he adds to society. By doing well, it is argued, people do good.
But Borlaug and our bankers refute that theory. If neoclassical theory were correct, Borlaug would have been among the wealthiest men in the world, while our bankers would have been lining up at soup kitchens.
Nevertheless, the simplistic economics of the 18th and 19th centuries, when neoclassical theories arose, are wholly unsuited to 21st century economies. In large corporations, it is often difficult to ascertain the contribution of any individual. Such corporations are rife with “agency” problems: while decision-makers are supposed to act on behalf of their shareholders, they have enormous discretion to advance their own interests – and they often do.
Bank officers may have walked away with hundreds of millions of dollars, but everyone else in our society suffered. Their investors are too often pension funds, which also face an agency problem, because their executives make decisions on behalf of others. In such a world, private and social interests often diverge.
The skewed incentives distorted our economy and our society. We confused means with ends. Our bloated financial sector grew to the point that in the US it accounted for more than 40 percent of corporate profits. But the worst effects were on our human capital, our most precious resource. Absurdly generous compensation in the financial sector induced some of our best minds to go into banking. Who knows how many Borlaugs there might have been among those enticed by the riches of Wall Street and the City of London? If we lost even one, our world was made immeasurably poorer.
– Gulf Times
Learning How To Learn..
Posted by: Hamid Yahya on: April 25, 2009
It’s almost impossible to learn anything new if you think you already know everything:
Nan-in, a Japanese master during the Meiji era (1868-1912), received a university professor who came to inquire about Zen. Nan-in served tea. He poured his visitor’s cup full, and then kept on pouring. The professor watched the overflow until he no longer could restrain himself. “It is overfull. No more will go in!” “Like this cup,” Nan-in said, “you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?”
Spirit Of Kaizen
Posted by: Hamid Yahya on: April 25, 2009
“A single step forward, taken by one hundred people, is more important and valuable
than
One hundred steps forward, taken by a single man, Today we need no hero!”
Shuichi Yoshida
I’m back after a long break. Inspired by this quote, I just couldn’t help writing about it.I’ll write more on the Kaizen Series later, a bit busy with other assignments right now.
I hope you guys have enjoyed the Blog uptill now. Do you think there is something I can improve upon? the writing style? the layout?
Please give your feedback in the comments section.
On Sufi Personal Development
Posted by: Hamid Yahya on: March 25, 2009
- In: Kaizen| Simplicity
- 3 Comments
I really liked this post by Glen Allsop, He Blogs at PluginID.com.
There are times when I tend to slip into habits that I would rather not keep, such as procrastination, generally laziness and feeling like the world owes me a favour. It doesn’t. Therefore I decided to put together his public list of the things I want to stick to during my lifetime, and hopefully it might inspire you to do the same.
You can’t keep to a list if you don’t know what items are on it, so here goes…
1. Take Responsibility for my Actions - I believe that everything that happens to us in life is our own responsibility, and it’s up to us to deal with things to the best of our ability. I know exactly what I want out of life, so it’s up to me to get out there and make things happen; I don’t blame anyone for holding me back and know my successes and failures are based solely on my own actions.
2. Value Nobody Above or Below Me - While I don’t see the world as flowers and roses, I do see everyone as equal, even if I forget it sometimes. The blonde with the fake boobs means no more to me than the computer nerd who lives with his mom even though, for some reason, the blonde will always have more social value. I wish to view everyone as an equal and become friends with people based on who they are, not their status.
3. Express Gratitude on a Daily Basis – In the last week I’ve devised a list of all the things I’m grateful for, as I believe everyone needs a reality check now and then. Some of the items on the list include my health, my family, my friends and the environment in which I was brought up. Every morning I go through this list and feel truly grateful for each item and I believe this is an important practice which helps us to stop taking things for granted.
4. Live Life Without Regrets - I tend to live in the moment, so there’s nothing in my life that I currently regret. However, by this point what I mean is that I don’t want to hold back from anything that I want to do in the future. If I think a girl is pretty I want to tell her, if I think someone is acting inappropriately I want to tell them etc. On top of that, I don’t want to ‘waste’ life by procrastinating and messing around, I want to constantly be taking action.
5. Encourage Everyone, Discourage Nobody - I don’t think there’s anything worse you can say to a child than telling them that they can’t achieve their dreams. Of course, everyone has to be realistic, but not everything possible today was a realistic dream in the past (flight, electricity, phones etc). I want to be someone who pushes people to follow their dreams, rather than tell them they are wasting their time.
6. Constantly Look to Grow - Throughout life I’ve been learning non-stop. Whether it’s in school and college, or in my spare time where I’ve learned graphic design and website development. The next area I would really like to delve into is NLP, and after that who knows. Either way, I always want to be expanding my skills and my knowledge.
7. Make Sure the People Who Matter, Know they Matter - P Diddy once joked that sleep is for when you are dead, and I’ll go one step further to say that so are grudges and anger towards another person. You never know when loved ones will not be around any longer, so I want to make sure that everyone who means something to me knows about it, and I’ll save the unforgiving side of me for another lifetime.
8. Help People See What is Possible - I had friends in South Africa who were very unsocial and never thought they could change that. I even went out with a 24-year old guy from work and he said I’m the first person who’s ever seen him dance. It’s never too late to make a difference in your life or even someone else’s by showing them what is possible and what they can achieve.
9. Be Authentic - This is me, and always will be. I’m no millionaire or model and I’m not a saint either; I want to come across as the ultimate definition of ‘What you see is what you get’. It’s so obvious when people are trying to be something they are not, when they are needy and looking for validation. Just be you, whether people like it or not, at least you are being honest to yourself.
10. Face my Fears Head On – Less than two months ago I was terrified of public speaking, so I knew exactly what to do, join a public speaking club. The last sentence of my first speech was ‘I want to be the kind of person that fears public speaking then joins a speaking club‘. Face your fears head on; after all, they are nothing but a fragment of your imagination.
11. Never Forget my Roots – For any of you that know me personally (a lot of my friends read this site) you’ll know that I have some huge ambitions. I believe I can become a millionaire, I want travel the globe in my early 20’s and I want to build some of the biggest websites in the world. No matter what I achieve, I don’t want that achievement to make me think any more of myself, and would like to stay grounded throughout my life.
12. See the Positive in Every Situation - Everything that happens in the world is completely neutral, and we have a choice to see it that way, or as something negative, or positive. In life we tend to label many things as negative, resisting what already is because they ’shouldn’t have happened’. There’s also a positive angle you can put on every situation, and I want to be a person who always finds it.
13. Always Work Towards my Goals - To me, there’s nothing more amazing then being able to visualise what you want, work towards it, and achieve your desired result. If we aren’t growing then we are remaining stagnant; it’s only through working towards our goals that we can achieve them. Even if time is nothing more than an illusion, I want to spend as much of it on working towards the things that matter to me, while I can.
14. Live in the Moment - I left this till last, because it encompasses all of the others. If nothing else, this is the number one thing I want to do in this lifetime. I believe everyone should try to be emotionally and mentally in the present moment as often as possible. I’ve found it’s the only way to an amazing sense of peace and bliss that we miss when we go about our hectic lives. Now is all there ever is.
What do you strive to do in this lifetime? Let me know in the comments, then print yours out and put them somewhere that you can see them. Remember: take responsibility for everything your life, if you don’t like your current situation, take action.
- Hamid Yahya: AoA, Jazakallah for sharing.. May Allah give us taufeeq to thank Him for His Blessings by making the best of the opportunities provided to
- Yusriyyah: I don't know how I came to find this blog, but I'm glad I found it. I agree that we only get one life, and we should all live life to its fullest. Th
- GreenSufi: a classic story :) found in the Sufi tradition also Keep it up Hafizjee, it takes a year before you get regular readership.
