When Herbert Spencer coined the term "Survival of the fittest", he would have had no clue of the twist and turns and the controversies the tautology would embrace in the years to come.
100 years on from the time the phrase was coined, the societies across the earth has undergone sea change. Economics as an art of science has assumed significant importance of how societies developed across centuries and more so in the last one. Money is power. It’s even better than sex and it changes the facets of human thinking and societal evolution like nothing else.
If we have to, we should apply Spencer’s phrase of “Survival of the fittest” in the modern corporate world and the way the phrase has affected millions of middle class people across the globe. With the materialistic changes in life style that capitalism has brought across, we need more money to maintain and improve that life style. No one I know of is happy and satisfied with what he is earning. They want more and unfortunately all of us want more. Gone are the days when few stood out of the crowd as brilliant and ambitious lot with promises to go the distance. Few have turned into many and many have turned into millions. And when it is millions competing against each other, there can be no other phrase (even if it is tautology) but the one who is the fittest of all will survive.
I remember a discussion I was having with the CFO of an insurance company about work life balance and how there is no balance these days. Pat came a resounding comment “isn’t work part of life”. How rude but how true it was. But the truth also is work has become life. And the worst part is, it has become a manifestation of the entire gamut of our existence.
It doesn’t surprise me that most of the youths today in India are spending nearly 70 hrs a week in office. Thus even if work is a part of life and if u r spending over 60% of your life in office and 30% of your life sleeping isn’t the 10% balance too short a time to catch up on all other facets that life has to offer? Do we resort to sleeping less to catch up on all those things that’s as important in life? Sleep that research has shown is the most critical element in sustaining the remaining 70% of our life. Isn’t that work life imbalance.
Thus the question is and especially in a fast growing country like India ‘are we in the race loosing out on something that cannot be returned or replenished’. Please don’t forget that it is each one of us who are contributing to the growth and in the mad race of growth we are loosing time for ourselves. Is there an answer? Frankly speaking it’s a vicious circle and there is no way out that I see in the near future. In the long term I think we have an opportunity to ensure a holistic growth of the individual, his personality, the society and overall the country.
Today there is a shortage of skilled labour and hence no proper division of work and responsibility. If the country continues to grow at the same rate, it is obvious that the current situation of shortage in skilled labor will surmount. The need of the hour is quality in skilled labor and a defined direction towards it. But that’s such an uphill task. In a country where we are still fighting to eradicate illiteracy isn’t it too much to ask. How can we achieve that “Indian Dream” if we continue to struggle with successful outcome of ‘Sarv Sikhsha Abhiyan’? The growth is here to stay for sometime and lets not ignore in the “India Shinning” feel good factor that it can be sustained only with a passionate look towards those millions of people who in the name of literacy know only how to write.
There is also the need to have an all rounded development of the economy so as to ensure de-concentration of job opportunities. Why is it that youngster are not looking at research (in any field) as a career opportunity (because there is no money)? Why is it that pure arts as a main stream course of study is seriously lagging behind? Thus the need for investment in all kind of infrastructure and promotion that will create more opportunities across the spheres of life.
There will still be the competition but then there will be no rat race and we can give back to ourselves, our family and our society that something that we have taken from each one of them. And then the society would witness a process of “natural selection”, equitable distribution of wealth and will be devoid of arbitrary and artificial fitness.
4 comments:
hmm..true, well said. i liked the work life balance wala thing.
hmm..true, well said, i specially liked the work life balance wala thing.
Interesting note. I agree that India should mature itslef and work on all spheres. I don't see it as a possibility unless the gap narrows on income level between a "OffShore" and "Local" support industry.
I would like to dispute on one point though!
I do not believe that India has a shortage of skilled labor. In fact, the skillsets required have significantly come down from a technology point of view. It is unfortunate that the same corporates, which built the service industry with commitment and confidence has chosen to blame the labor force rather than its need to invest on better utilization of its own resources.
The pull and push ignited by the same corporations have taken the focus away from its own labor force. The corporates chose to be indisciplined and are now blaming the labor force.
In the path of growth every country face this problem of over burning.When a point of saturation is reached this rat race should stop.Now it is doing much harm to 'young India'.
Once this technological & infrastructure developement reach a point comparable with that of developed countries,and when the fruits of developement reach every household in a minimum level then people will focus on other aspects of life.Till then it will be a rat race to live, to earn daily bread.
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