Games- On & Off the field!

Mind games are intriguing and extremely effective. In sport, the Brits were past masters and effectively passed on the baton to their cousins the Australians.

It would go like this:

Prior to a cricketing tour to India, the British press, would start talking about, the poor hygiene in India, the lack of cricketing infrastructure, the poverty and so on. This would be followed by, comments that Indians could not play fast bowling and so on. The effect of this would be that the Indian cricketers, uncoached in this area would be on the defensive, even before the first ball was bowled.The battle was lost before it began! An old colonial stunt................

Dale Steyn, the South African quick, was at it the other day, just before, the Indians start their tour of SA. He said the Indians would have a problem, scoring against the South African fast bowlers. I was not surprised.

What surprised me was the Indian response...............because generally we absorb this nonsense. This time, the riposte came from 'The Wall', Rahul Dravid. He said, that the Indians had the necessary fire power, to return the complements and the Africans had better watch out.

Now it is intriguing that this response came from Dravid, because he is the quiet types. The silent types.He is also know the world over, as the 'thinker' and the strategist of the Indian team.When he speaks the opposition listens.In Dravid speaking, a few things have been communicated very clearly:

1. Stop the BS and walk your talk on the field.
2. Dale Steyn & Dravid are team mates for RCB in the IPL, even so............its war now.

Mind games while undesirable are part of the game and I'm glad we have learnt to play them, with finesse!

The Rough and Tumble!

India's one wicket win over Australia, at Mohali, has warmed the cockles of many an Indian heart. As for me, I'm delighted, particularly, with Ricky Ponting, having to eat 'crow'.Poor Ponting, for all his cricketing skills, has always come off as a person with a perpetual bee in his bonnet.

My first sight of the man, was, when he burst on to the international scene, vaguely resembling, the Hollywood star, Tim Robbins and in possession of the best cover drive that I've seen to date, Tendulakars included. During that series, Ponting was hit on the head by a screaming bouncer, from Bengaluru boy, Srinath.Ponting was floored. ( Srinath, apparently, is the fastest bowler, that India has produced, to date- this for ignoramuses who think vegetarians cannot be quick bowlers )Srinath, trotted up to a shaken Ponting and sheepishly enquired about his health. The response was, straight from the hip- "#### Off', from an incensed Ponting. Srinath was even more sheepish as he walked back for the next ball, head bowed. Cut to the present- Ponting got into a spat with yet another quickie, at Mohali, Zaheer Khan. There was nothing sheepish about Zaheer and his demeanour. He let Ponting have it, leaving Ponting looking disoriented and at a loss for words.Probably Ricky lost concentration for a while as well. The boot was firmly on the other foot!

India has always been, known for its gentleman sports people. Vijay Amritaj, Wilson Jones, Prakash Padukone and even Dravid and Tendulkar, who ignored brats, like Jimmy Connors or Ponting on the field.However I like people like Zaheer & Harbhajan Singh who return the complements and are up to a an old fashioned brawl.It puts things in pesrpective.

Psychologically, the team has turned a corner. We are not intimidated, before the match starts and are up to the rough and tumble of mind games.Does this reflect in our national psyche- Yes I think it does and I'm glad!

Humility!

Humility it is said, is not about thinking less about ourselves but more about thinking about ourselves less ........................
I know it looks a bit confused, but I'm sure it will strike a chord when you go through the line slowly. A definite issue these days is the deep rooted self centeredness that has set in like a cancer. The cause of this problem, could be laid at the doorstep of the modern parent, who is so obsessed with trying to live his/her life through their kids and provide them with every possible comfort, that many a time the child loses perspective.

Being the absolute centre of attraction gives many a kid a very high sense of self esteem, without capabilities & skills to match.The high self esteem leads to a very high sense of entitlement where rewards are to be had without the ensuing labor. Most of these folk are found wanting when they enter the rough and tumble of the real world, where mama & papa are not around to hold the proverbial little finger to navigate them past life's issues. The ensuing frustration, depression & swings from euphoria to melancholy are sad to see but fairly easy to comprehend.

When we were growing up, we were told ( always & everytime ) that you would be rewarded if you proved yourself and that the process of reward was a journey and not a quick solution.I'm glad, that this was the diet that my generation grew up on because it kept the sense of entitlement at bay & also put life into better perspective so that we were left with better tools to deal with failure & success.

I think it is very important for the young to experience failure, boredom, frustration & fear without the parent rushing in at short notice to solve the problem.Probably, a few knocks on the way, would teach many of us the meaning of humility and gratitude......................and also because it is cruel, in the long run, to deprive a person the ability to deal with life's problems themselves.

Like a great person said " Give your kids roots, but also wings" Let them fly, alone, it will make them less self centred & more human!

How anxious are you?

A week ago the following story appeared in the press, which made interesting reading:

The United States Coast Guard has located a cruise ship crew member who reportedly jumped overboard near Miami.

A Thirty-one-year-old crew member was found treading water off Cutler Bay about two hours after the the Captain of the cruise shipissued a distress call, citing imminent danger to the sailor.

The company which owns the liner says that four witnesses reported watching the sailor jump overboard. Officials said he was recovering and in good condition.

Undoubtedly a full scale enquiry would be put in place at the very earliest and both the sailor and the company will have much to answer for.

Interestingly, the cruise ship would have offered great living conditions in terms of food & entertainment as well as working environment. So why did the member of the crew take the extreme step in jumping overboard, as reported, putting not only himself, but his ship in danger?

The only conclusion, that I can draw, from the episode is that the member of the crew in question was neurotic, which is a personality trait, that manifests itself fairly regularly these days.

Who is a neurotic?

Neurotics feel anxiety, and worry often.Anxiety can make them emotionally unstable, and they are more likely to struggle with depression and sadness. This Big Five Personality Trait can lead to physical ill health and extreme mood swings. Neurotic people behave irrationally on the job and can be a source of distraction to their team in the least. In extreme cases they are dangerous.More often than not neurotic workers need sympathy and counselling and its the manager's job to identify a problem and suggest corrective action.

Neurotics are the last people you want on ships, where sound physical & mental health is a priority ( not that it is not elsewhere).While this is an extreme case, having emotionally stable people at the workplace is a requirement that recruiters would have to keep uppermost in their minds while selecting a person.The tragedy is that, a persons mental state can take a beating while working in high risk/high stress areas such as ships that constant monitoring would be a called for.Many employees and organizations are guilty of not taking care and pay a heavy price in time.

A few organisations are incorporating personality testing in their selection processes and those who do not test are doing so at their own peril!

There are high rises on land........................!