Space management
IF THE WORLD is an oyster, the corporate world is a giant octopus. It is a living, breathing organism that thrives on human potential, chewing and swallowing what it likes, and regurgitating and excreting what it doesn't. It is an untamed beast that sifts through the carcass of the human being for leftover morsels and picks its bones clean. And people say all we do is write gloomy stuff!
But there is a reason why we have droned on about this creature that bares its beak and foams at the mouth every time the next big thing from a premier B-school knocks on its door in a suit and tie. That reason is space. We don't mean that vast vista of vacuum above the ozone layer. We mean space as in breathing space - the sort they talk about in self-help books and ladies' magazines.
Now, throughout history, the search for adequate breathing space has been one of mankind's most enduring quests. Right from the time when he was living in caves and fighting sabre-toothed tigers to the time when he was sipping ale at King Arthur's table, the allure of a stress-free life has haunted man and drove him to incredible feats. The discovery of fire and the invention of the wheel were a part of the journey towards scientific advancement and the consequent creation of a society where man could sit back, relax and let machines do his work for him. Man thought once he got rid of sabre-toothed tigers, built huts and wore cotton, he'd have enough breathing space to last a lifetime. He could not have been more wrong.
The industrial revolution and the subsequent developments in large-scale economies have unleashed a Pandora's box of ills that continue to plague society. True, it gave us cable TV and pre-paid cell phone cards, but it also gave us carpal tunnel syndrome and chronic backaches. It gave us shopping malls and plied us with hamburger and fries and then handed us obesity and heart disease on a platter. It made us smile at fat pay cheques (for some) and then made us cringe at rising inflation and unbelievable destitution (for others). The octopus of the corporate world has always believed in quid pro quo. Something in return for something. It has been the eternal way of things and the most you can do is grin and bear while the octopus sucks all the juice out of you.
Yes, we are not giving you the ray of sunshine you were so looking forward to this morning. But like we said earlier, there is a reason... space! Not many of us have it, and all of us want it. But how do you get your own slice of high-octane moksha when a typical day in your life comprises a twelve-hour work shift and a two-hour commute?
Easy. You don't. You suffer till the vagaries of life overwhelm you and you crumple, collapse, and get assimilated into the little heaps of human deritus that litter the backrooms of corporate offices around the world.
Anti-climatic eh? Where is the advice, you ask; those little nuggets of erudite counsel that you have got so used to? We desist from giving you any. So much has already been said about the need for space, any additional mention would be superfluous. But for those of you who seek a closure on this article, we do, have a few words to say on stress.
Space and stress are elements that demand a delicate mix in life. Too much of either can wreak havoc, as you would well know.
Stress is monumentally misunderstood today. It is not all evil, as you have been led to believe. It does have its positive side. Stress is the body's response to an external stimulus. It is, in fact, a defensive mechanism that releases adrenaline and triggers the `fight or flight' mode when presented with danger. For instance, the concept of breathing space would do you precious little good when you find a car speeding towards you at 150 kmph. It steered our ancestors through tough times when they had to face sabre-toothed tigers and had just a rudimentary spear with a pointy rock for effect. In the present age, where keyboards have replaced spears and grumpy clients and grouchy bosses have taken over the mantle of sabre-toothed tigers, stress can be harnessed to meet short-term productivity goals. Compulsive procrastinators are a perfect example of workers who use stress to get things done at the last minute.
Conversely, stress must be seen as more of a quick-fix solution than a long-term investment. All that stuff about yoga and transcendental meditation holds water after you have survived crunch time and met that 8 pm deadline you had spent the last two days worrying about.
So there you are. As with so many things, balance is the key. Stress is not all bad and space is not all good. An extremity on either end of the spectrum will cause that collapse and ensuing assimilation into human waste we talked about earlier (yes, we were only joking, every cloud has a silver lining and that is the point we are trying to make).
If you are reeling from the menagerie of animals that we have employed for figurative effect, rest easy now. We have a happy ending in store for you. Man has been able to live past the woolly mammoth and the sabre-toothed tiger, and with some luck and pragmatism, he can survive the giant octopus too.
ARJUN SENGUPTA
arjuns.hyd@cnkonline.com
ARJUN SENGUPTA
arjuns.hyd@cnkonline.com
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