Quo Vadis?

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory is something that stuck with me from my MBA needs. We learnt this as part of Organizational Behaviour and how motivation revolved around people finding themselves at different level of needs and so the motivation strategies should be aligned with the level the person is in currently.  If the theory is new to you I will lay it out in simple terms. Man begins with physiological needs, physiological means basic needs to survive like air, water, food, shelter, clothes and reproduction. When a man is not having food to eat will a movie ticket that cannot be sold enthuse him? If you see the image once man achieves his need in one level, he strives to move ahead to the next level. This ascent is natural and ends at the fifth level when man achieves what is called self-actualization where he will be in nirvana and will renounce everything around him. Few achieve stage five, many are content with one of the lower levels and this is normal. What is abnorma...

Conversation 1 “So why do you go on this pilgrimage?” “It’s because my favourite God is there!” “Really, then what about the places of worship nearby?” “They are there but my favourite God is there and since childhood I like going there” Conversation 2 “So why are you going on this pilgrimage?” “I am going to see God there” “What do you mean you are going to see God there? Is not God everywhere?” “Yes but this is special” “So where do you see God?” “Inside the sanctum” “But that is an artist’s personal idea of God and how can that be God” “That is God!” Conversation 3 “It is the time to wake up God” “Are you serious? You are going to see a ceremony to wake up God?” “Yes, it is very special, they have songs and chants for this, it is a great experience” “I would be very worried if God were to sleep, what will happen to the world at that time?” “God is in control always” “So why would God sleep?” How little we know about God, how often w...

These days the news is full of religious issues and where there is trouble in the world today there seems to be religion in the centre of it all. The refugee crises, the hostage taking of school girls, the burning of homes, large scale murders, rapes and everything else even mundane things like running a film school is affected by religion. It is very disheartening when something personal to an individual is important to another who is often unrelated and inconsequential to the individual. Why fight about religion? It is like small boys saying, “mine is bigger”. Big or small it is usually most useful only to the owner, is it not? When someone from a particular religion feels insecure with another religion and feels that the other religion must be eradicated so that his religion remains it must be a time to introspect. Why do different religions exist? I would believe that they exist to satisfy different needs and a person will choose to move from one to another if his needs ...