As a student and practitioner of Operations Research, optimization is ingrained in me. Optimizing physical systems, such as a mechanical system; optimizing logical systems, such as the cost or revenue or service level in business systems. Been there, done that. And, quite well, too! The question that is always addressed is: what choices do I make for the operating parameters (gear ratios in an auto engine, inventory levels in a supply chain, ...) to get the minimum and maximum value of an "objective function" (such as gas consumption in a car, the capital investment in inventory, or the expected value of revenue). I cannot help extrapolating these concepts to seek a personal objective function, and the decision parameters that can optimize it. So, here it goes ...
At one extreme is the fatalistic view as depicted in the well-known song from the 1957 Hindi melodrama, Mother India:
At the other extreme is where I operate - critically assessing compulsions in life, and testing whether these are real or perceived. My hypothesis is that most are perceived, in which case they become choices. Perhaps, subconscious, but choices, all the same.
Figuring out a life objective function can be a daunting task. "I live, because ..." Not having the answer to the question is even more scary. "Just, because" - the stereotypical teenager response is not acceptable - though, that is the answer that most of us will have if asked the question. To some, it can be so scary that they wouldn't want to face the question, and live life "just because."
We seem to live in a plethora of "I want to"s - for example, I want to see my children married, or I want to see my grandchildren, or I want to see someone happy - how many of these "I want to"s are factors that are totally outside your control? Can you then pin your life hope on something that is totally random, with no effort on your part to be able to achieve it? And, what if that "dream" is unfulfilled? Does anyone care? With such "I want to"s, aren't we signing up for disappointments by design?
As against the above, how about action oriented "I am going to"s - study towards a degree, practice detachment,
Look at the spider on the bathroom wall that has just caught my attention. It must have many "I want to"s - whether it is spinning the largest web, leaving a web behind for its progeny, capturing a fly that will suffice its food needs for a few days, or whatever else you may imagine can go on in a spider's mind. Only until its moment of reckoning, which happens to by attracting my attention. And, then it is all gone.
I have a choice - to be that spider on the wall - or, not! To live in acceptance of the vagaries in life - random, environmental factors - so, the unknowns can be dealt with without emotional trauma. And, at the same time, live for actionable purposes rather than "just because."
At one extreme is the fatalistic view as depicted in the well-known song from the 1957 Hindi melodrama, Mother India:
दुनिया में हम आये हैं, तो जीना ही पडेगा
Having come into this world, we have (no choice but) to live
जीवन है अगर जहर, तो पीना ही पडेगा
If life is a toxin, we have (no choice but) to drink it
At the other extreme is where I operate - critically assessing compulsions in life, and testing whether these are real or perceived. My hypothesis is that most are perceived, in which case they become choices. Perhaps, subconscious, but choices, all the same.
Figuring out a life objective function can be a daunting task. "I live, because ..." Not having the answer to the question is even more scary. "Just, because" - the stereotypical teenager response is not acceptable - though, that is the answer that most of us will have if asked the question. To some, it can be so scary that they wouldn't want to face the question, and live life "just because."
We seem to live in a plethora of "I want to"s - for example, I want to see my children married, or I want to see my grandchildren, or I want to see someone happy - how many of these "I want to"s are factors that are totally outside your control? Can you then pin your life hope on something that is totally random, with no effort on your part to be able to achieve it? And, what if that "dream" is unfulfilled? Does anyone care? With such "I want to"s, aren't we signing up for disappointments by design?
As against the above, how about action oriented "I am going to"s - study towards a degree, practice detachment,
Look at the spider on the bathroom wall that has just caught my attention. It must have many "I want to"s - whether it is spinning the largest web, leaving a web behind for its progeny, capturing a fly that will suffice its food needs for a few days, or whatever else you may imagine can go on in a spider's mind. Only until its moment of reckoning, which happens to by attracting my attention. And, then it is all gone.
I have a choice - to be that spider on the wall - or, not! To live in acceptance of the vagaries in life - random, environmental factors - so, the unknowns can be dealt with without emotional trauma. And, at the same time, live for actionable purposes rather than "just because."
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