Toastmasters' Speech 2: Communist Democracy - A Dream

After I gave the speech today, I realized one thing - the writer in me is a lot better than the public speaker in me. I wonder if I should have chosen a lighter topic - something that did not make me refer to my notes constantly. Sigh! That's the way you learn, I guess. Nevertheless, here is the essay - 

“At 20, if you are not a communist, you don’t have a heart. At 50 if you are still one, you don’t have a brain” - so goes a saying. Let me try and present to you, the wisdom that goes behind this quote by talking about one of the most fascinating forms of government present today!

China, the fastest growing economy today, is also the largest communist nation in the world. Do you think its a coincidence? Everyone today talks about that country. It portrays itself as one of the most envious nations today - the place to be in the 21st century. I have read many articles about how the Chinese government did something proactively, because of which its economy was able to grow a lot. On almost all those occasions, I wished that the Indian government did something like that too - I wished that it would stop worrying about retaining power and start doing something to boost the economy so that I too could be proud like the Chinese seemed to be. For example, China has a one-child policy where people who have more than one child are subjected to extra tax by the government. I thought it was a brilliant policy to control population explosion and I wished that we had something similar here in India. As I realized later, I was only looking at the brighter side of such a system and ignoring the darker and murkier side of it.

For a long time, I could not really understand what Communism is all about? Finally, one simple sentence demystified it for me -  “Communism is a form of government in which all people are considered equal”. In theory, such a society strives for equal sharing of all work, according to ability, and all benefits, according to need. In fact, it is democracy in its purest form - there is no central government. All major decisions would be taken by the society as a whole.

In a communist government, the community, or, in other words, the government, owns the major “resources” and “the means of production”. The goal of such a system is to prevent any one person or group of people from becoming rich, while others are extremely poor. The system attempts to eliminate the rich-poor divide that is usually rampant in a democracy.

Isn’t it very appealing? Doesn’t it sound too good to be true? That is exactly what communism is! It is too good to be true. It is too good to be “practical”. It is a system designed for a perfect world, where everyone is an idealist. We are not in a perfect world, are we?

In communism, the power is vested in a group of people who decide the course of action. It is this group of people who decide on the activities of the public and this is where, I think,  communism fails in practise. They hold elections, but all candidates must belong to the one ruling party - thus the electorate really has no choice. Anyone who dares to speak out against them is subject to persecution, imprisonment, and/or execution. The people do not have a voice - there is no transparency in the doings of the government - entrepreneurship does not flourish - ironically, it degenerates into a form of dictatorship. The system which has its core belief in making sure that all the people are equal ends up in making all the people “equally powerless” except for those in power.

The government controlling the businesses means you cannot have a private sector at all. So it is not okay for anyone to be a shrewed business genius or a hard worker and make a lot of money. Imagine not being allowed to work over time in your office to earn some extra money and pay off your bills. Imagine having a world changing idea and having to give it up just because your government does not “want” you to change the world. Imagine the government controlling what search engine you can use on your computers and even what words you are allowed to use in your search queries.

I could not. I could not imagine living in such an environment. That was when I realized the power of democracy. That was when I realized the power of having the right to choose your own leader. That was when I realized the power of having the right to speech. If I make the same speech in a Toastmasters’ club in China, I am pretty sure that I will be put behind the bars.

I agree that democracy too has its own pitfalls. There can be no clear superior form of government. But, when it comes to choosing between living in a system that promises you the best economic figures and a system that guarantees that you will not be forced to do something against your will, I think, I will go for the latter.

Humans have come a long way in finding newer and more reliable ways of improving the quality of life over time. I hope a new system of “Communist Democracy” will arise in the future - one that combines the spirit and essence of communism and the flexibility and openness of democracy - one where my children - our children - can live happily.

Thank You.

Beyond the piggy-bank

So, when Booba came back from Nigeria, everyone asked him how much he had managed to save during his 3 months there. After all, people make a lot of money when they go abroad, don't they? His reply surprised us a little. He told us that he had not made a single penny and in fact, he thought he ended up spending a lot from his own pocket.

Apparently, there is a big difference in the policy that governed his company (and mine, of course) and other Indian service-based companies. Here, we are not given any extra salary on a per day basis when we are sent abroad. In fact, no cash ever reaches our accounts as an allowance. You can only claim what you spend. Of course, you do not need to spend out of your own pockets - they give you a corporate credit card which you are expected to use for all the allowed expenditure. You save the receipts and you submit them for verification and then the company shall pay the credit card company, leaving you with little scope for any means you might devise to save some money for yourself. We cribbed a lot about it and complained about how unfair it was. We cursed our fate and slept thinking how cool it would be to go to the US, save a few thousands of dollars and come back home and spend them happily - after multiplying them with 47.

I have heard a lot of such "success" stories - about how so-and-so went to the US for 6 months, managed his/her food and other expenses with a mere 20$ a day, saved the reminder and returned home proudly. The other day, I was having dinner with one of my colleagues. We went to an expensive restaurant that served Mexican food - only because our expenses were taken care of. Our dinner there alone cost us 32.5$, each. Over the dinner he told me about how he had been to the US before, sent by his previous employer, and how he used to eat only Maggi (brought from India - cheaper) for most of his meals to maximize his savings and how all his friends did the same (if not Maggi, something else). And then, it dawned upon me. The simplicity of the realization was so amazing - it just left me smiling.

By giving us a corporate card and reimbursing our expenses, we are convinced to just have a good time! When people realize that they can't save this way, in a bid to make the most of it, they start spending well. They stay in comfortable hotels, have great food, go to nice places and on the whole, have fun! They are liberated from the burden of 'trying to save' and they do not feel guilty about 'trying to enjoy' and i think, that in itself is something every one of us deserves. I agree that many people have the need to save - responsibilities and all that. No offense intended at them for doing it. But, I think, if we have an opportunity to save, we succeed in finding a justification for it or do it anyway just because we are "supposed" to - its in our blood - we are Indian, and more importantly, human - it is natural.

All I am saying (mostly to myself and of course to all those people who might be thinking like I and Booba did) is, it is okay to have a good time for once. It is okay to spend. It is okay to not "save" - especially when you can't! I probably won't be any richer when I go back. I may have, in fact, spent a couple of thousands from my own pocket. But, if a few thousands of rupees is what it takes to go to the US and have a great time, I think I am okay with it. I think I am more than okay with it!

Travelog: A for America

"Are you okay there, honey?", asked the waitress. She was talking to me. I was kinda staring at a bunch of guys in business suits having drinks and watching the baseball game on the big TV - so I probably looked a little lost. Yeah, I was more than okay. I was just thinking about the world's most famous country - the food, the culture and the people and what a fantastic mix it all was.

I am reminded of a conversation (more of an argument, actually) I had with one of my aunts a few months ago. It was about the Americans in general. She had been living in the US for more than 20 years and she was in love with the country. She had embraced the whole American lifestyle long back and constantly vouched for the Americans. I had taken an opposing stand and we kept debating on which was a better country. She kept talking about how warm and helpful the Americans were while I was being pretty naive by pointing out the recession, the high divorce rate, the crime rate, the fast food, the obesity, the junk food and every other cliched negative thing I read about the country. I was being supported by the others in the room and she couldn't take the bombarding anymore. She just said, "You know what, you can say all you want but they are still some of the nicest people in the world. You need to be there to believe". How true!

The two words that came out of my mouth (and that I heard from other people's mouths) more than any of the other word in the past 3 days were "Thank you!". The politeness is infectious. A lot of people who are not used to it might get irritated by it over a period of time, but I am not one of them. Not yet, at least. A more narrow minded person might wonder if the person greeting you actually knew you from somewhere or if it is mockery or if she (or he) has a crush on you. You might think its all pretentious, but trust me its not. It might be simple customary courteousness which is no big deal for them, but it is genuine. We (people from the east) feel so pampered and respected. At least I did.

I really love the way they treat each other. For us, waiters are waiters and janitors are janitors. For them, the waiters, the janitors or anyone for that matter, are people. Ever wondered why its an American way to address everyone at work (including your boss and of course his boss) with their first name (and not "Sir") or why you are expected to tip around 15-20% on the bill amount? To me, its dignity of labor and professionalism in action.

We keep debating about the excessive consumerism of the Americans, but I think it is more of a choice. If they want to spend all their money and by doing so, live life king size, I don't think there is anything wrong with that. Its one life you got, after all and it is okay to have such an attitude. Saving and being conservative is something which we taught ourselves and I think it is wrong to judge the others on that basis. We have no reason to expect them to follow our philosophy. We are happy this way and they have the right to be happy that way.

Coming to the much talked prevalence of junk/fast food, I think we fail to realize ta=hat they have an equally large selection of the healthiest foods. A joint that serves burgers and fries also serves salads and soup. Percentages can be quite misleading. If one in every three Americans is obese (which gives us about 30% obesity rate), one of the other two is really really fit. In India, if one in every ten Indians is obese (which gives us only a 10% obesity rate), at least five of the others are fat/not fit/"on their way to being obese" and only one qualifies as being "really really fit". Oh, we have a lot of junk (if not "fast") food too. Its just in a less popular form - its not burgers and fries - its puris and samosas.

I agree that three days in one city and that too among a very niche crowd in downtown is not a great sample space to make all these impressions. The cynic in me mocks at the impressed me. Of course there is bad too. There are jerks among these people too, where are they not? All this rosiness is likely to wear off with time but this wonderful "first take" is worth cherishing. For a visitor like me, its always a far more defining experience as a lot of things which the Americans take for granted are not quite so back home. We kinda tend to have an ideological advantage, which, when combined with all these nice things here, can leave you feeling content and wise.

I wonder if I can enjoy an evening at a pub back home where most of the the bartenders and the waiters think it is cool to be rude and aloof. Like I said to one of my friends, "One is tempted to wish that you belonged here, but much remains to be seen yet."

Feeling Green

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A not so happy feeling. It is not painful. But it is not pleasant too. Very uncomfortable. A feeling which we rather everyone else around us feels. It makes us wish we were not in that place, at that moment, experiencing that inexplicable sense of longing towards something which we know we cannot possibly have. It tends to bring out the devil lurking in our minds. It tempts us to abandon reasoning, to get back at it by urging us to take certain decisions not out of necessity but to implant this very feeling into the people around us. We do not want to experience that feeling ever again but we want everyone else to feel it. We want to know that they are feeling it and we want to, and probably will, feel happy about it. This, I think is a very sad paradox. Envy. It is sad that it had to be associated with a lovely color like green.

It is, in a way, like a bubble in the financial markets. There is no real happiness. There are only depictions of happiness, by some people. These depictions in turn, cause envy in other people. They in return, fueled by a deep desire to retaliate, portray stronger depictions of happiness. They try to satisfy themselves in doing this. They do it to get back at the others, even if they have to undergo some pain – even if they have to sacrifice some other real satisfaction or happiness. And the vicious cycle goes on, destroying whatever real happiness is actually present.

I see this quite predominant today. The culprit – social networking. Yes, social networking portals are like incubators of envy. We think someone is cool in doing something, be it witty status messages or colorful photographs which try to say that the people in the photographs are having a lot of “fun” or relationship updates with “hot” members of the opposite sex or achievements or something else. We burn (with envy). We want to be the objects of envy too. So we take a lot of pain to sound/look/feel cool. And then we wait, for a more challenging object of envy.

I probably sound like a senile cynic in blaming the social networking platforms for spreading envy but just think about it. At some point of time, everyone of us would probably have done something similar to what I have talked about here. May be not in such a dramatic way, but in more of a subtle and sub conscience driven manner. The point I am trying to make is – do not, at any cost, intentionally or unintentionally, be driven by the desire to feel happy by causing envy around you, and in the process, lose any little happiness you already have. Envy is a negative energy and nothing good shall come out of it.

So, think twice before you go on that trip you have been planning for a very long time, just to flood Facebook with pictures from the trip :P