MANAGER Redefined - Part 4
...Continued from Part 3 (A) – ASPECTS OF ENVIRONMENT What does ‘Environment’ mean?* Environment may have different connotations. It may refer to the physical conditions and other aspects relating to the geographical area of the inhabitants, which may include various aspects pertaining to the physical, economic, business, political and spiritual factors. At this juncture, we should understand clearly what we mean by ‘Environment’ in this context? It refers to the Environment pertaining to business and its associated functions. For example, there are cotton mills in Coimbatore. What type of environment is required for these cotton mills? It requires a humid environment and if it happens to be dry environment, it does not suit the manufacturing process. Cotton mill owners had to install artificial air-cooling systems at Coimbatore to overcome the constraints posed by a dry environment. Behaviour of humans is believed to be a product of their Individual characteristics and the Environment. [In technical terms this can be described as B = f (I x E): B (Behaviour) = f (function of) (I (Individual) x E (Environment)]. What sort of an environment should man ideally have? To develop clarity about all these aspects, man should build up an appreciation about the various aspects of environment. What do we mean by aspects of environment? The environment should be such that it is compatible with the value systems and temperament of man, and that which fosters human nature (environment here in this context could be interpreted as good company). If the environment that fosters human nature is not there, human conduct would possibly diminish to sub-human level. So, we should build up an environment that would be conducive to the development of positive human values. To Be Continued... (G) – GUIDELINES FOR GOODNESS ...Continued from Part 4 Goodness here can be understood as ‘Shreyas’. Shreyas indicates that which is ultimately good for the individual, though not pleasant to an individual. What is really good to people may not be necessarily pleasant. Baba gives the example of a bitter liquid made out of castor oil and other herbs known as ‘Uggu’ in Telugu, which is given to infants. When the mothers try to make their children drink this bitter liquid, the children would not like to swallow it because of its very bitter taste. But the mother closes the two nostrils of the child and forces the liquid down the child’s throat. This apparently harsh method is used by mothers because they know that the liquid is good for their children’s health*. How to formulate ‘Guidelines for Goodness’? We have to make sure that pure feelings come from our heart (conscience) as guidelines. We should learn to follow the dictates of our conscience. Your conscience, which is God, will give you goodness. That conscience is Atman. That is called Swabhava (innate nature or natural tendencies). The word ‘Swabhava’ come from two words Swa + Bhava. ‘Swa’ means Atman and ‘Bhava’ means feeling. Whatever feelings one gets, if one discriminates between good and bad, right and wrong, and then follow them, that itself becomes goodness. Thus, the essence of the ‘Guidelines of Goodness’ is that we should follow our conscience. To Be Continued... -- --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "saimsg" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
