I often feel like a curmudgeon. Whenever I speak of my life experiences, they sound like tales from centuries past, nonsensical, detached and lacking in joy. That being said, all times are linked by our collective history in this capital-driven society. Thus relating the former has relevance in the present. The hackneyed phrase of my generation was, “When I was young …” and you fill in the blanks. My favorite being “We had to walk five kilometers to school in two meters of snow.” What are the collective thoughts of this current cohort?

Every era has its own zeitgeist: that is for sure. What the members of the Y or Millennial Generation are entering into, however, is a period that is fundamentally misperceived. The classical model of “good high school and good university equals success” is extremely flawed. I recently asked several of my classes if they had ever cleaned a toilet. The show of hands was most certainly not unanimous. In several of the groups far less than 50% had ever engaged in something as blithe as basic housework: cleaning the floor, washing the dishes, making their beds, etc. This is extremely dangerous and a stunning disservice to anyone who does not possess these fundamental skills. Life is work: “Before you start some work, always ask yourself three questions – Why am I doing it, what the results might be and will I be successful? Only when you think deeply and find satisfactory answers to these questions, go ahead.” (1)

An oft asked question is, “What if I have never learned any of these life skills; how will I get started?” In English we have an idiom — a fool and his money are soon parted – meaning if you are not careful with your funds you will soon have none. A similar thing could be said of your intelligence – a good mind and a fool are also soon parted – meaning if you don’t contemplate for yourself, you cannot proceed in life. Think: how will you present yourself in the world? Firstly you must be ambitious. Throw the computer games away. They are but time wasters. Begin by organizing your environment. Put your papers, books and notes in some semblance of structure. Learn how to clean: yourself and your living space. Go to emilypost.com and find what proper attire is and, most importantly, how to eat like an educated human being. You must make a positive first impression, know how to eat correctly and be able to dance, albeit poorly. These are the bare basics; finally, stand up when you are introduced and shake the person’s hand firmly.

Everyone has difficulty at the beginning. After university, I got a job as an advertising salesman trainee. It was an interesting time because the Second World War values were still omnipresent. “Are you a real man?” was a question that defined the age. The main attribute of this personage were his abilities to work “like a dog” and then drink alcohol and smoke cigarettes in some pub until the wee hours of the morning, and still be on time for work the next day at 8 o’clock. I somehow fell into this culture and became rather adept at what was expected of me. The training was grueling and relentless. Finally after a year, I got my own sales territory. Inside this region was a huge food store that was almost completed. This was “my plum,” my ticket to a stable income because they would advertise ever week in our newspaper. I was quickly introduced to the store manager “Sam,” one of three brothers from Hong Kong. I pursued him vigorously. After six months, he still hadn’t purchased any display space,  (2) why not? I always remember the conversation: “Sam, do you not think that it is time to buy some space? Leon, I am so sorry, you are perhaps confused. I don’t do the buying, Gordon does.” Now in their family structure, Sam managed the actual store (the staffing levels, the sales of merchandise in the store, etc.); Gordon did all the buying (from advertising to products) and Danny, the older brother, looked after the banking and financing. I would have ascertained this at the beginning of the sales cycle, if I had not been so naïve and impatient. It took another six months, but I finally did sell Gordon. My dearth of critical thinking skills was clearly displayed. I did not make this mistake a second time. This week, biochemist and Nobel Prize laureate, Arne Tiselius (1902-1971), leaves us with a thought: We live in a world where unfortunately the distinction between true and false appears to become increasingly blurred by manipulation of facts, by exploitation of uncritical minds, and by the pollution of the language.”

 

A small joke: A father told his young son, “When I was your age, I walked three kilometers to school.” The adolescent retorted, “Dad, you are 45 years old. The leader of our country became president when he was five years younger at 40.”

This week, ask yourself whether your approach to work has influenced your life.   

Every day look for something magical and beautiful.

Quote: It is to be noted that great achievement has always come with great effort. The great writer, poets and painters of history have devoted themselves to their craft. Lack of ambition is the handmaiden of failure.      

Footnotes:

1) Chanakya (350 – 275 BC) was an Indian teacher, philosopher, economist, jurist and royal advisor.

2) Traditionally, newspaper advertising was broken into three departments: display advertising (the larger “outlined” newspaper advertisements), semi-display advertising (the smaller “outlined” advertisements in the classified section of the newspaper) and classified advertising (the lines of type at the back of the newspaper).