Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Aspirations of the herd....

Few years ago and until last year, it was the time of software engineers. Every Tom in the neighourhood wanted to be a software engineer because of the attraction of high bucks, social status and trips abroad. These Toms didn’t know where their own mind or strength lies. They just felt happy to follow the aspirations of the herd. They spoke excitedly about latest trends in open source, neural networks and artificial intelligence. The wave was so intense in the period of 1998 that software engineers were seen as demigods. This phenomenon lasted quite long until 2002/03.

Then the herd collectively changed its mind and thought that oh, actually finance is also a good profession, isn’t it? Now the same Tom in the neighbourhood started talking about balance sheets, hedge funds & private equity. He still didn’t know where his own mind or strength lies. He was again following the herd.

The same story had happened with Tom’s uncle Mr. Harry in good old days when the herd was unanimous that either medicine or government or administrative or accounting or xyz is infact a nice profession. Being Tom’s uncle, Mr. Harry was not much of a thinker and he didn’t know where his own mind or strength lies. He was just following the herd. The same story is poised to happen with Tom’s daughter, Elena. And will probably happen with her son & grandson.

May be I should have used Indian names rather than Tom et al, but the fact remains. No wonder that our nation doesn’t produce enough sportsmen, right? Because everyone believes in following the aspirations of the herd. The attitudes seek fast money & fame and go with the profession of the era. So first you have a less supply & higher demands but the demand curve takes a ‘U’ turn in a relatively shorter time because of the Toms and Harrys. Isn’t this attitude a potential threat to the nation? May be I am wrong, but I believe that the real long term problem for the nation lies not in less that expected GDP growth, not in burgeoning population, not in indirect effect of subprime crisis, not in increasing foreign debt, not in rising wages & potential threat to outsourcing advantages by more cost effective nations like Philippines, BUT it lies in the attitude of the nation to follow the herd.

Let aside a sportsman, try to think whether the Tom in your own neighborhood will ever aspire to be a professional violin maker, for example ? Or to be a behavioral economist ? Or to be painter, an author, a clay animator?

The answer is ‘Never…’ .He/she will follow the attitude of the herd. The nation will loose one more sportsman or pianist. The story will go on…

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Just one word: "Amazing"!
Man, I knew u like to write, but write philosophical...?????