What all, and how much do you take home from your job? || Acharya Prashant (2019)

Acharya Prashant

‍♂️ Want to meet Acharya Prashant? Be a part of the Live Sessions: https://acharyaprashant.org/hi/enquir...   Want to read Acharya Prashant's Books? Get Free Delivery: https://acharyaprashant.org/en/books?...   Read 3 handpicked wisdom articles, just for you: https://acharyaprashant.org/en/articl...  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~  Video Information: Shabdyog session, 12.07.2019, Advait BodhSthal, Greater Noida, India   Context:  Why are we exempted from being emotional at work? Why do we stick to jobs that harm us? Why can't we see our own exploitation in our jobs?  Music Credits: Milind Date ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ .

Transcript

00:00Acharyaji Pranam. Acharyaji, at work, we are expected not to show our emotions, but when

00:17we do that, the emotions keep on piling up inside as well, and then there is always a

00:25risk that they may be expressed vehemently. How should we go on, as a general rule, with

00:42managing the emotions? Is there a rule or something, where to show, where not to show,

00:47how to empty yourself out, something like that?

00:51No, it is not that at work you aren't supposed to display your emotions. At our workplaces,

01:01at our usual workplaces, we are supposed to only conceal the emotions that are not aligned

01:11with the organizational goal. If you display enthusiasm, who is going to forbid you? The

01:24company will be very happy, here is one enthusiastic performer. So, it is not emotions per se

01:38that are discouraged. It is only a particular type of emotion that is inadmissible. And

01:48what is that type of emotion? That which expresses your angst, that which manifests your anxiety,

01:59your suffocation, that you cannot express. All other emotions you can express in a very

02:11emotional way, motivate your team, your boss will be very happy. Is that not so?

02:29Go and express your loyalty and dedication towards the company

02:43in an emotional way, who would object? Or would they? They won't. What's the kind of emotion

02:55that is circumscribed?

03:04Kindly do not display how depressed you are.

03:09Kindly do not express how you desperately want to run away from this organization.

03:15Now, that is not something that you can publicly reveal. So, they'll say,

03:22no, don't be emotional, don't be emotional. You know very well that your work is nonsensical,

03:31worthless, soul-sapping, heart-wrenching, but don't let that out. Keep the secret.

03:42And if by any chance you are unable to contain yourself

03:53and the beans are spilled, then you are labeled as emotionally weak.

04:05So, you ask me how to manage emotions. I'm asking you, where are the emotions coming from?

04:25You have squarely placed the blame and concern upon the emotions.

04:36You do not want to talk at all about the nature of your job. Now, that is something

04:46that you say is not open to debate or discussion. Why? Because the interests of the body and the

04:55ego are associated with the job. So, I don't even want to put it under the scanner.

05:05It's a can of worms. If I raise the issue, there would be only worms all around.

05:18So, rather than discussing the real thing,

05:26the disease, you are asking me how to suppress the symptoms of the disease.

05:35So, if your job is real and your involvement in your job is real,

05:41then all your emotions would be real and would be really welcome. Is that not so?

05:50Is that not so?

05:55On the sports field, a player tries really hard to win and then loses.

06:05You had the Cricket World Cup. Now, you have the Wimbledon tournament going on.

06:11And many a player do break down on the field or on the court. Is that considered a disgrace?

06:19Is that considered a disgrace? Not at all.

06:36If they complete a century or take a beautiful catch or win a set,

06:48players openly express their emotions. Is that a disgrace?

06:54Now, obviously, if you lose a point, you cannot throw your racket at the umpire.

06:58We are not talking of those things.

07:11But we must look into the nature of most of the modern-day jobs.

07:27You are spending your life there, 8 hours, 10 hours a day, the entire week.

07:38Don't you want to know what that job is doing to your interiors?

07:47Is that a small thing?

07:48We profess to be clever. We are proud of our arithmetic.

07:56Do we ever calculate the total cost associated with serving a job?

08:07We get the paycheck and we are quick.

08:10We get the paycheck and we are quick

08:19to debit it. We say, well, this is the amount that I'm getting from this job.

08:25Have you ever clearly and honestly calculated how much are you losing by being in that job?

08:41Your salary figure is a number, easily accountable, easily processable.

08:50So, you take it and put it on the Excel sheet and you say, this is what I have gained.

08:56But there are other figures as well, other factors that are not probably equally smoothly monetizable.

09:04But if something is not easily monetizable, does it not exist?

09:13What is the cost of your suppressed emotions?

09:23I'm sorry, but most of us are doing jobs that don't pay us anything.

09:29Rather, we pay a lot to be in those jobs.

09:34The net takeaway from those jobs is highly negative. So much for our cleverness.

09:45It appears apparently, ostensibly, that let's say you take away a lakh rupees per month from your

09:53job. The reality might be that you're actually paying your organization two lakhs every month

10:01from your pocket by being in that job. One lakh is what you earn, three lakhs

10:09is what it costs you to earn one lakh.

10:15One lakh is what you earn and three lakhs is what it costs you to earn one lakh.

10:21What's your monthly takeaway, sir? What do you take home?

10:31Depression, anxiety,

10:35ulcers, a wasted life.

10:45We love these figures, no? Take home,

10:55CTC.

10:55Just as you calculate CTC, also calculate CT me, cost to me.

11:08But we are people of numbers. If something is not smoothly, easily convertible to numbers,

11:17we feel it does not exist at all.

11:19It does not exist at all.

11:22If your life turns loveless by serving these kind of jobs,

11:31you don't even want to factor in the lovelessness.

11:38Because your commerce and accounting books do not teach you

11:43how to convert lovelessness into a number.

11:49You do not know what is the cost of that lovelessness.

11:53So, you just keep it away. You say, no, this is not an accounting variable at all.

12:01Let's not consider it.

12:08It's almost like saying that because you do not have the means to measure the

12:16weight of an elephant, so the elephant does not weigh at all.

12:24Your usual weighing machines will not be able to measure the weight of an elephant.

12:34So, you come up with the fantastic conclusion that the elephant has no weight at all.

12:46So, small weights, 15 kgs, 20 kgs, 70, 80 kgs, we are

12:53easily able to measure on our common weighing machines. So, we factor them in.

13:01The huge ones, well, our measuring mechanisms fail in front of them.

13:11So, clever are we that we just ignore those weights.

13:22Let's say there is a huge lift, an elevator.

13:28It says maximum weight 600 kgs.

13:30Six of you weighing 500 kgs are already in and then an elephant walks in

13:45and you want to ignore the elephant. Why?

13:51Because you do not know the weight of the elephant. So, you say it's okay.

13:55Let the elephant walk in and then you ask why is there a sinking feeling?

14:12Everything appears to be sinking because you are

14:17deliberately, mischievously, dishonestly ignoring the elephant in the elevator.

14:31Everything will sink.

14:47So, joy is an intangible.

14:59We, therefore, just do not put any effort in calculating the tangible cost of joylessness.

15:17Ecstasy is an emotion, sir, is it not? Wow!

15:33When you say you want to manage emotions, are you saying that you

15:36want to manage your expressions of ecstasy? No. That's not what you mean.

15:43When you say you want to manage your emotions, you are saying you want to manage

15:49what are popularly called as negative emotions.

15:53And even in the negative emotions, you probably do not mean jealousy, etc.

15:58You mean? It's the anger, it's the frustration.

16:03It's the story of our lives. We expect the right things to happen at wrong places.

16:16You expect understanding and listening and love at places that are designed to be ruthless,

16:26loveless,

16:41soulless.

16:47It were not such a big problem if such places were an incidental part of our life.

16:56If such places were like the neighborhood park that you visit once in a while for a stroll.

17:04But it is a big problem because such places are central to our lives.

17:11We spend three quarters of our waking life there, don't we?

17:19Now, what is the quality of your life if three quarters of it is being spent in a place that is

17:24inherently inhuman?

17:30If it is turning you into a machine, if it's a dehumanization factory, what are you getting

17:40by being there?

17:44And the nature of the workplace more often than not is dictated by the nature of the work itself.

17:54What is the work that your organization is doing?

17:59How much of heart is there in the line of work that your organization has chosen?

18:02work that your organization is doing?

18:19How much of heart is there in the line of work that your organization has chosen?

18:31Is it not true that so many industries, I am not even talking of companies or businesses,

18:41entire industries thrive just on people?

18:58They exist only as long as man exists on the superficial levels of his being.

19:08The day man starts living in a deeper way, those businesses will fall off.

19:20Is it not true?

19:38Is it not true that so many businesses and so many professions actually require that

19:53the customer or client is foolish and stays foolish?

20:06And if the customer or a client actually gains wisdom, then the business will have to shut

20:11down.

20:18It is quite unlikely that a lawyer will teach you tolerance, peace and compromise.

20:37It might just happen miraculously, but unlikely.

20:51It is quite unlikely that an insurance agent would teach you fearlessness and freedom from

21:03insecurity.

21:09And why talk of the poor agent?

21:16It's a thing with that entire industry.

21:29Or an arms manufacturing giant, is it going to pray for global peace?

21:43Or a fizzy drinks company selling carbonated drinks, is it going to pray that the world

21:54switches to healthy drinks, fresh juices?

22:04Is that going to happen?

22:05But look at the number of people that they employ.

22:07We are talking of giant MNCs here, right?

22:17And the very existence, let alone profits of those firms depend on the customer remaining

22:27foolish.

22:32They would actively want to promote foolishness among their customers.

22:37And that's why they need to advertise so much.

22:59Have you ever wondered how much of the processing power of your smartphone do you actually use?

23:08Most people do not use even a small fraction of the processing power of their laptops or

23:15their smartphones.

23:17But they still change their mobiles, their handsets every year.

23:24What for?

23:34If people had any wisdom, there would be so many companies that would go bankrupt.

23:48Obviously, in such places that are founded on falseness, anything that reveals the false

24:18falseness of the place would be hardly welcome.

24:23They would want all their employees to put on a pretense.

24:28They would say, act as if you all are happy.

24:48Take for example, schools.

24:52You know what kind of industry that is.

24:55If the parents had any wisdom, what would happen to the schools?

25:03Isn't it imperative for the schools that the parents remain astoundingly foolish?

25:11Otherwise who would pay lakhs and lakhs to a so-called international school?

25:27We know what is the real value that a school delivers.

25:31We know how much of that is purely superficial.

25:53That's one mark of a toxic organization.

26:18People would be all required to wear a certain uniformity.

26:41Speaking your heart out would be unwelcome.

26:52You would be encouraged to be a regular fellow.

26:55What is meant by being a regular fellow?

26:58Not one of the outliers.

27:04The moment you digress a little, you will be called a maverick.

27:11And they'll say, no, no, we are a very disciplined and professional organization.

27:17We do not want mavericks.

27:38We want disciplined machines.

27:52You're not in the office to talk heart.

27:55You are in the office to talk work.

27:58And that clearly means that there is no heart in the work.

28:06And that's why it's required to have a watertight separation between personal and professional

28:10life.

28:12That's the second mark of the toxic organization.

28:17It will say personally you can be anything.

28:20But professionally, you must be a regular guy.

28:25The real organization will find it very difficult to keep your personal and professional self

29:01separate.

29:13You want to be at one of such places, really?

29:24What's your C to me?

29:35Your bank statement does not represent the totality of your life, please.

29:43It only represents something that is numerical.

29:49It does not represent what you really have or what you are really losing.

29:55Your bank statement is really a very, very poor and an extremely partial indicator of

30:04your riches.

30:07It represents actually nothing at all.

30:11If you are relying on your bank statement to know your net worth, you probably require

30:29a course in higher arithmetic.

30:33What else is spirituality?

30:35It's a course from the mathematics department.

30:39It's called higher arithmetic so that you can learn to add and subtract rightly.

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