In the grand scheme of things
- By: Qwaider
- On:Wednesday, January 30, 2008 12:00:22 AM
- In:Thoughts
- Viewed: (5781) times
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Rated 4.3/5 stars (96 votes cast)
Well, this is a very convoluted post I have to admit, and very few people will get it. I don't mean to be arrogant or anything, but this is one of those posts that will require every single digit on your IQ scale to get it. So consider it for "Smart people only"
Have you ever contemplated why something happened to you? Like for example, somebody giving you a birthday present. It's nice, it's pretty, it's a way to get on your good side. Who wouldn't accept a gift as a token of good faith. Even if that is really not the underlying reason.
One similar occasion is wining an award for your "achievement" when you deep inside know you don't really deserve it. But you shut up anyway and accept it with all open arms. Not only that you toot your horn that you have won.
Did it ever occur to you that your win wasn't really a win and you have been carried to that position ONLY as a means to deliver a message to someone else?
I'm glad there are people who don't believe in the "Simplest explanation must be the most accurate" theory, since time and time again, it has proven it's failure in just about everything. Yet, for the 95% of the simpletons in this world. Enjoy the shortcut!
What in the cooko's brains am I talking about!?
Imagine, for a second that you're Bill Gates, and you have competition with Netscape. You want to enter a market that is dominated by someone like Netscape, there's no way in so what do you do?
You offer things for free to bribe the customers (especially ones who THINK they deserve what they're getting) you bribe them with virtual accolades, free "stuff" and other pleasantries.
From the customer's point of view, this is the highest recognition they can get. Completely unaware of the underlying message being sent to Netscape. And the message is? We're burning the whole market under your feet! And there isn't a goddamn thing you can do to stop it!
The good customers are completely oblivious to the fact that they're being used, and the services rendered are really not free! However, there's a grander scheme, there's a larger issue.
I believe in competition. It's a great driving force for economic growth. Competition provides the customers with ever products, it continuously raises the bar and as the bar raises, the quality goes up, and the prices go down. Even the companies that you least appreciate like Hyundai, KIA and other bottom echelon cause the bar to get raised on quality and lower on price. If it wasn't for these little layers, There's no one to stop any single company from completely dominating the whole industry and thereby mandating the direction it will go.
It's interesting how Arabs run business as they run their own homes. One day you will see them advocating free speech and human rights and abolishing nepotism and the likes and the very next day they would be committing the worst of these practices. They will run it as their own barn. Which is all fine and dandy as long as they stop the deafening noise about how amazing they are when they don't know the very basics of running a neutral business based on trust, commitment, responsibility, accountability and most importantly, professionalism!
Professionalism dear businesses is not in how the product is packaged or how the headquarter looks like. Professionalism is the way you run the business sticking to the rules and principles you have laid down not the childish behaviors of immature Arab decision makers who are indistinguishable from kindergarten kids.
So next time you think that someone FINALLY recognised that you're such an amazing talent, look back, think, evaluate yourself, Is there more to this "free lunch" than I can see?
Dedicated to Hatem Abu Neimeh, Hani Obaid, Ruba Saqr, Tololy , Mohanned, KJ and Bakkouz
I would also like to dedicate the song ما فيش حاجة تيجي كدة to all my readers
Memories....
I'll think about it while I find out who Hatem Abu Nimeh is!
But the dedication thing makes me wonder, because I believe "next time you think that someone FINALLY recognised that you're such an amazing talent, look back, think... Is there more to this "free lunch" than I can see?" So, I really wonder :D
Talented people like you who actually have the intellectual horsepower to support their talent and their existence as humans are the lest appreciated and the most "punished" for their ideas. Had you been actually recognized more you could have thought that it was a negative association that I have. But it's not
Listen to your "prayer" light a scented candle and contemplate on this article, you will get it. Or visit it back in few more months. It will be much clearer
يا زلمه ليش هيك تتهمني بتهمة الذكاء يمكن زمان ايام الشباب كان في شوية مخ بس هسا كله طار في الهو وختيرنا وراحت علينا صرنا نمشي الحيط اليط ولسه خايفيين لحسن اشي يوقع علينا لم يبقى في جعبتي سوى قول الشاعر الا ليت الشباب يعود يوما لاءخبره بما فعت المشيب
It will be much clearer? What would be much clearer? Well, I'll sleep on it, tomorrow is another day. And of course if I don't get it, that will be a minus on my IQ scale, which will also be an ego blow, which will snow ball into severe depression ~ so best solution i see is... tell us what's cooking behind the scenes :)
You'll get it.. I assure you
any way, the rest of your reader are not stupid you know!
But it has something to do with intelligence
True that, maybe except in you know where..
Now should I consider the dedication a present or an award?
P.S: Never underestimate "luck" ;)
Bas a7la shi when we receive a "thank you for your efforts" email and I was not on the list >>>>>>>>>>>> even though I did the actual implementation!
I guess what you're trying to say is that we're more intelligent than we appear to be :D
Thanks for the dedication! (will come back to read this later after breakfast)
And how to I upload my ugliness to the avatar? I am sure I will attract more girls and child molesters to your blog :D
Maybe you did, maybe you didn't :) keep it to yourself :)
Mohanned
In my line of business there is nothing called luck :)
But yeah, luck is a very deliberate thing on one side or another
Kj#1
:) you're upset that someone forgot you and you were a member of a team. What would you do if someone forgot what you've done to them.. People never fail to disappoint me :)
I think you're intelligence, I'm willing to bet on it
KJ#2
It's alright, it took you 606 seconds to write your first comment and 127s to write you second one. So all is well :)
As for changing your avatar, I suggest you go here: http://gravatar.com
The purveyors are out to make money or attain power and are smart enough to know which strategy works with customers. Also the consumers are willfully blind while they are busy fulfiling some 'want' that they think meets their immediate needs.
What is required: Self-Reflection. But not too many people do this.
Now, when you go buy a Pepsi or a Coke, do you remember that? or do you remember that this AWESOME competition is capping the price of a soda to what it is now?
And this is just an example on a small scale for the idea.
are you?
I think you should give the ordinary consumer more credit, I think they know to some extent how they are being used by some business just to improve the bottem line. So when I use my value savings card to get a ten percent discount at the grocery store, I realize all my purchases are being recorded and analysed so that they `may serve me better`which really means they want only to take note of consumer trends and be on top of these trends so that they can make more money. If I buy gas, go to certain stores, or with certain airlines, I could use an Air Miles card, and still they are recording information about me mostly to help themselves, or to encourage loyalty to their business, again to remain competitive. I say consumers are `willfully blind` because again, I find it hard to believe most of us are that simple not to appreciate that they are being used in some way -- its just that we too choose to be used because we want to save money, get entered into a draw, or get a free ticket to somewhere (we are meeting our own self-serving needs too).
This reminds me of the air freshener commercials that are on during the television. Dousing the air around you with chemicals, even spraying tons of it on furniture, carpet, shoes, everything around you so that you and your house will smell clean and fresh. In my opinion its a big waste of money, time, and energy, not to mention detrimental to your health especially if you have asthma. Its probably not good for the environment either. But still consumers will buy into it this illusion that if they buy this product, they can be assured that they are `clean and fresh``. Why can`t they just open a window -- even only a little bit if it is cold outside... Again the consumers is willfully blind -- how can it not be obvious to them that the negatives far outweigh the positives... Its just a matter of irresponsibility for the company and for the consumer.
Sure capitalism and competition is great because they give consumers freedom to choose what to buy but a big problem is how companies or people will often ignore their personal and public responsibilities in their pursuit of making money or meeting some other self-serving need. Now we have global warming as a result, for example (if you believe in this ``ìnconvenient truth``) or the north american obsesity problem as another example.
You mention the big battle amongst corporations as they vie for the biggest piece of the profit pie, and you highlight softdrink price capping. This reminds me of a newstory in Canada where regulators are investigating allegations of price fixing amongst big name chocolate makers. But these products are not necessities in life, so I am not sure what the commotion is all about. In fact, I can think of no better way to curb obsesity in America than for companies to increase the price of junkfood so that fewer people will buy it. And if they are unwilling, regulators should tax it just as they do with ciggerettes.
Well help me Qwaider am I still completely missing the point of your blog --
You actually addressed a number of results from the issue I am detailing above. But they're all in the same stream of thought. These are causes and effects. In many cases the results are similar. "bribing" the consumers to somehow pick something up over another. The consumers' first and last loyalty is to their savings. They will try to save at the cost of a worthy cause.
I have to admit, I had other intentions with this post, but your analysis is completely correct and touches on a number of very serious issues.
Maybe, in time, I will let you know in private what it's all about :)