Impact of a plastic bottle

How bad for the environment can throwing away 1 plastic bottle be ?...millions across the world wonder . Many don't even give it a thought.

The opportunity of adversity

The only disability is a crushed spirit.

Aimee Mullins's life is an inspiring example of the power of the human spirit - not only to triumph over circumstances but also in being able to a powerful difference to others through the words we choose.

The Peace of Wild Things...

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

- Wendell Berry

Service

All businesses today are service businesses. The product is a part of the experience.

A problem in a customer relationship often contains the opportunity to deliver outstanding service to rebuild the relationship and possibly enhance it. As long as the situation is not created due to negligence or apathy most customers are generous enough to forgive an error as long as they perceive the individual / company to be genuine in their remorse and efforts to make amends .

Yet , companies routinely allow a bad situation to become worse by :

- doing nothing
- issuing verbal apologies and doing nothing to remedy the problem
- making lame attempts to rationalize the problem
- seeming to be in some degree of denial about the extent of the problem
- hoping that mere passage of time will induce amnesia in the customer about the incident.

I'm fascinated at how some companies just flounder in the face of a problem - at times compromising a relationship that has taken years to build.

The obscure we eventually see. The completely obvious it seems takes much longer.

Sanjhi Paper Art

Intricate tree handcrafted on paper by an artist in Sanjhi , Mathura . The motifs are cut on paper. The skilled artists normally do so without any sketch or tracing.

Biological...

Violence , sexism , and general nastiness are biological since they represent one subset of a possible range of behaviors . But peacefulness , equality and kindness are just as biological - and we may see their influence increase if we can create social structures that permit them to flourish".

Stephen Jay Gould

A new way to fight corruption

A fee based BPO style business to fight corruption . Brilliant and much needed service being explored by Shaffi Mather.

As he aptly quotes his colleague 'We are insane persons attempting an impossible task. Of course , an insane person does not know what is impossible '.

Ideology coupled with the power of an organization and market forces can hopefully pack progressively powerful punches to the monster of corruption.

Cultivate your garden

...the researchers’ thesis was that “when individuals are unable to gain a sense of control objectively, they will try to gain it perceptually.” As Whitson explained the psychology to me, “Feelings of control are essential for our well-being—we think clearer and make better decisions when we feel we are in control. Lacking control is highly aversive, so we instinctively seek out patterns to regain control—even if those patterns are illusory.”

...In 1976 Harvard psychologist Ellen J. Langer and Judith Rodin, now president of the Rockefeller Foundation, conducted a study in a New England nursing home in which the residents were given plants, but only some had the opportunity to water them. Those residents who were in charge of watering the plants lived longer and healthier lives than the others, even those given plants watered by the staff. The sense of control had the apparent effect on physical health and well-being...

Whether it was a sense of control or the feeling of nurturing life - it strengthens the case to cultivate your garden and the garden of yourself.

Use public transport

A lot has been written and debated about Rahul Gandhi's visit to Mumbai and taking a local train to commute. No doubt that he struck a chord with many Indians who are not used to seeing politicans use public transport . And at the same time delivered a (much needed ) blow to the Shiv Sena / MNS who for all their rhetoric on the mythical Marathi manoos probably need directions on how to reach a train station.

All in all , the relative appeal of the Congress points to the adage that in the land of the blind the one-eyed is king.

Tiger , Frog , Elephant...

The animal world clearly continues to inspire Accenture :) By choosing nature photography and photoshop Accenture could have saved millions for themselves and passed on the savings to their clients.

Car chime

A car chime (wind chime sized for a car ) would be a helpful stress buster for the unending car journeys in urban India.

Aromatherapy products * (designed for a car) would be a perfect complement.

* The aroma products for vehicles which I have seen so far in the Indian market have a strong / fruity smell . Must suggest this to Nyassa to develop a range for cars . They have a wonderful range of room fresheners.