Missing the forest for the trees - 2022

“From him who sees no wood for trees - and yet is busie as the bees - from him that’s settled on his lees - and speaketh not without his fees” - John Heywood (Circa 1546)

As the year comes to a close and we see some light (at least some of us) come through on the horizon - it is time to reflect on the year that was and was not; and what it taught and what it brought - that rhymed.

This article or write up or sharing or piece of fictional story telling mixed with some real-life facts is a reflection of the ups and downs and learnings from the year that was - so if you are looking for a self-glorifying humble brag piece that tells you how great I did and how many people's lives I changed being the greatest this world has ever seen - be ready to get disappointed. This is not about the wrong or the right or even the left or the woke or the buzz words or achievements or positivity or negativity - this is for all intents and purposes is a reflection (and a rant at times) of the world seen and experienced through the eyes of a mere human summarized in characters stroked on keyboard run in metaphors and quotes. So, with that long narration done - let's begin:

The title in itself reflects the myopia that we seem to have developed in our daily lives wherein we choose to look the other way when it is convenient or decide to focus on aspects which in the "Bigger Picture" hardly makes relevance - this is where we spot the trees and miss the forest.

Words Matter - Actions Don't (Really)

The game has changed and Oh - how it has changed.

There was a time when actions from men/women with character and a spine were backed with words to amplify the act and reinforce that no good deed ever goes un-noticed or for that matter of fact if your actions are not good and the words not congruent with actions - you could not be who you say you are.

Now - all that matters is your words are in the zone and your intellect is so good at words that it does not really matter what your actions are or what it is that you actually do or practice. A quick look at your feed will show you this in real world action - where post after post has someone doing something great which they want to share with the world for the purpose of "Mine is bigger than yours" trophy hunts wherein at the core of the action is self-glorification rather than the satisfaction of a good deed or a job well done.

Gone are the days where we planted trees whose fruit/shadow we won't experience - this is the age of smooth talk and rug pull's.

Created Reality > Truth

All you need is enough folks saying it - and then it becomes the truth. Where have we not seen it - I wonder. Echo-chambers are the new normal - whether it is the common sense of science that was the 1st casualty in the pandemic, or the uselessness in speculative financial instruments with no real-world use or monetary benefits taking over the world.

Putting a frame around your Insta / FB pic saying "pray for X" for a cause/country you have never been to or ever will or asking donations for a cause you have not ever had the opportunity to vet or will for remember even 1 day long after it has stopped making headlines or care where this money went or who it benefited - is nothing but the same created reality of following the herd - and to question the truth in times of universal deceit is....well you know it for sure. At least now you have a profile badge and a pic to feel good about.

This is the Social, Digital, AR world - manifesting itself in real life. This is the age of positive toxicity taking over the construct. Propaganda works - all you need is a few folks. Oh wait...isn't this why we invented shadow bans and eclipsing methods to steer the sheep from the inconvenient truth.

Rules for Thee - But not for Me

"Let them eat cake"

While "Empathy" is a powerful and pious attribute - alike everything else around us it has eroded in it's true meaning-value and is now a mere shell of hollow words in the arsenal of strictly those who claim to feel it for others - yet are far disassociated from the reality of those in the position needing the same. If you really feel for something or someone - you would not need the validation of the herd for it and you will always have the moral courage to stand for it; and if you really had it, you would not be on the road where "My Empathy Is Greater Than Yours" reads the way sign. Yes - read that again.

COVID was a great example for this - ask the C-Suite Cartel or those with Zegna suits and Hermes bands - how many took a salary cut as deep and as long as the line worker or how many volunteered to divert their salaries or yearly bonuses to pay for the "Serfs" or how many actually used their phenomenal mathematical intellect to say - Hmm...golly my salary for 1 month can fund the salary of 50 of the "Serfs" and since my stock options and bank balances are enough to last me 2 generations - I am going to give it up just for 1 month or just this time and I am certainly not going to put it on social media because it is a good deed and does not need a "Like" counter to validate it. I find it wonderful that in every restaurant from the chef to the server are wearing masks and those served with the caviar on the scallop don't - ah perhaps this is a smart genome micro-organism that distinguishes and differentiates - and not discriminates.

A Million Shades - Gray & Grey and everything in between....

"When exceptions became the rule - when rules became exceptions"

A long stretch of road with not a person in sight - in the middle of a desert and there smack in the middle of it is a traffic light and as you approach it on your sleigh - turns red and on top of it; it has a 180 second timer on it. What would you do? Jump it or wait? or check if they have police cameras? Ah the simple frivolous dilemmas this life presents are indeed so full of joy (it's the season you see).

We seem to have no penchant for clear colors unless it is on a LGBTQIA+ flag you see - which is odd; and for those of us who clearly are color conscious and differentiate our blacks, whites and grays and VIBGYOR's - it is indeed a world full of hurdles.

To be comfortable with the grey is an art - but to live omni-present in the gray is a conscious choice fraught with peril. Alas it is the uninitiated rebel who asks - which color is this - as it is the rebel who does that and perhaps then you are not well equipped to live in the grey - and as the Red Queen will say "Off with his head"....my apologies being a rebel with accurate color recognition I don't know of a Gray/Grey queen yet.

It's about the "P" word - or so we would want you to believe

People Vs. Profit

If it was all about people and not about the profit - why would bonus plans still have more weightage for profit metrics and the least amount of weightage for people metrics - think about it. Alas this is Capitalism at its best - wherein the purpose of a business is at the core to generate profit for its shareholders - sorry I thought it was "Stakeholders" and that "People" were part of it, and I don't mean to misappropriate the "Trickle Down" economy for this purpose and context.

I have no qualms if this is the case, and it is stated out loud and clear - but that is not the reality - is it now? Everyone has a bigger bull horn than the next person claiming, "It's all about people" and yet everything is designed in a way as to mask reality and create a mirage - ironic that there are no advertisements that the sun rises from the east and sets in the west - undeniable truths they say do not need advertisements.

The closing words/thoughts....

If you have read the above as a biased rant - you have already missed the forest for the trees.

There is nothing wrong in looking at the trees and the forest both at the same time - and understanding that it is many trees that make the forest. A single tree - never did make a forest now - did it?

More closing words/thoughts....

Wishing you and loved ones well for the festive season and the New Year ahead. May good health and happiness be your companions and may the truth always prevail.