Posted 10:25 PM by The Consultant
Seeking Responses in Times of Uncertainty
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“So, what have you been doing all your life?”

“I built a business empire from scratch. I had nothing to start with. All I had was an idea and the confidence that I can make it work. This is something I am very proud of.”

“So, what was your big idea?”

“I always felt that if a company concentrates in one particular line of work, it can make use of the economies of scale, it can have a better chance of bargaining with the suppliers and it enjoys the fruits of specialization.
One avenue that was quite unexplored was the outsourcing of purchase function. My idea was to act as the purchasing department of big companies for many small ticket items. But I was not going to charge anything to the company for that. I was going to make the money by getting a sellers commission from the producers of these items.
So I worked in the purchasing department of a company for 15 years, got some experience, some money for funding my dream. I discussed my idea with some marketing research companies, did a lot of research, changed my idea to match it with the customer expectations and jumped into the choppy waters.
The beginning was not that great. The companies just did not believe that a small company can deliver on these promises. It felt as if I was navigating a ship in rough seas and many lights were beckoning me. I was not sure which one was the lighthouse.
But fortunately all the research I did paid off. The direction that I took was the right one. Soon, Gratis Procurers Ltd. became the synonym for quality in material procurement.
But I did not stop there. I took the next logical step and entered the logistics business. Today the Gratis is one of the biggest business houses in the world. I am sure that my successors will do a great job and take it even further.”

“Excellent. I am pleased with your accomplishments, my child. Why do you think that you were successful?”

“Hard work, planning and research! Before jumping into the river, feel the water gingerly; see if any crocs are lying in your wait. Then dive and swim like mad!”

“Hmmm…. I am pleased with you, my son. Now, I want you to live one more life. See if you can discover something more.”

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“Well, what did you do all your life?”

“I started off as a teacher in a school in a village. What I saw around me depressed me a lot. I felt that there had to be some way of improving the living standard of the farmers.
After giving it a lot of thought, I decided that cooperative farming was the solution. I worked out the details and then started my campaign. But the villagers were suspicious. They had been hoodwinked by too many schemes which promised the sky. They were not certain that the idea will work. I was not sure what to do.
I thought about it and settled on one solution. I felt that if I could show them that this idea is feasible, I would be able to win them over. I managed to convince some small farmers to come together. But that was only the beginning of my problems. There were a lot of fights between them regarding the amount of work each of them must put in. I resolved that problem with some difficulty.
At the end of the season, we sold the produce and made a handsome profit. The villagers were impressed and many more joined the scheme. But this time the infighting was even worse. There were allegations of corruption, nepotism, manipulation and what not.
I tried my best to save the project. But the situation deteriorated further due to the drought. The entire crop was lost and the villagers blamed me for that. One of the villagers, who was against the idea, suggested that I profited from the venture. The villagers did not find it hard to believe him. That is the reason why I am standing here.”

“Why do you think that you failed in your endeavour?”

“Please allow my ignorance to be my excuse. I do not believe that I failed. The efforts that I put in did not yield the result that I had hoped for. I do not measure success or failure by the results. I judge it by the intensity of the efforts that a person has put in.”

“Hmmm….. I am happy with what you have done so far. You deserve a place here in heaven. Your journey is over!”

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“This is so beautiful. All these stars, these galaxies!! They look so mysterious and exciting. I really enjoyed this trip, Father.”

“Do you want to go to that galaxy? It has some fascinating stars and planets.”

“I would love that”
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“Father, what is that blue planet?”

“That is Earth. This where those humans come from”

“Father, I did not quite understand the logic behind His decision. Why did he ask that teacher to stay and the businessman to go back? The businessman achieved what he wanted to.”

“I am not very sure myself. Why don’t you ask Him?”

“Will He answer my question? Will He not be angry?”

“I do not think that He will refuse.”

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“Hmm… That is an interesting question. Let me tell you a story. Long time ago, these humans were very primitive. There was one ape amongst them who was always fascinated by the fire.
He used to look at the fire for long times whenever the forests burnt. He wanted to create the fire himself. But he did not know how to. The ape tried many ways of creating fire. He had noticed that before the big fires, there always was a very hot season and a fierce wind. So he took some dried grass and blew into it. He tried keeping the grass in the sun for long times.
The other apes always made fun of him. To indulge in such pursuits, when you don’t know where your next meal is going to come from, was for them the utmost act of stupidity. But the ape was never bothered. He kept trying and trying.
One day he died. He never achieved his dream. The other apes always talked about him and his strange ideas. One day, one of the apes who listened carefully at the times of these discussions decided to try his hand. He took two pieces of wood and rubbed them against each other. He caught the sparks with some dried grass and started the first fire.”

“But that was a long time ago.”

“The fundamentals of human life have not changed since. The spirit of that first ape still lives in the hearts of the mankind. They are still searching for the unknown, exploring beyond the reach of their imaginations. The darkness does not frighten these courageous creatures.”

“But I still do not understand why you sent back the businessman and not the teacher”

“The businessman felt that he had achieved it on his own. He was judging himself by the results that he had achieved. He still needed to learn the necessity of failure in the human life. A person’s failure means that his follower will not fail in the same way. He will try something different, something new. That something is the cause of human progress so far.
The ups and downs will always be there. When the oceans give vent to their fury, the ships will always go under. But the oceans also calm down. Hence, one should not delay his journey just because other ships are sinking.
On that beautiful planet, there is a great mountain peak called “Everest”. To reach there, one also has to pass through some valleys. The human spirit has never bowed down to the harsh times and it never will.
The teacher understood that. That is why he is here and the businessman is not. Are you satisfied now?”

“Yes, I am…… But what happened to that first ape?”

“Oh, he became the first angel of his kind.”

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“Rahul, I am very sorry. We cannot sanction this package to you. To be honest, your results have been far from satisfactory. I do not doubt your abilities, but the times are bad. We cannot take these risks.”

“But we have the results of this survey which says that our products will sell like anything. Sir, please trust me on this one. I assure you that this one will definitely make money.”

“We have seen too many of these research reports. We do not take them at their face value anymore. Please understand my position.”

“Well…I will see if we can do this entire plan in a different way. Please promise us that you will see it.”

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“What happened? Did he sanction it? “

“No, we did not get the loan.”

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“So this is it. This is where it ends?”

“No, you know that I do not give up that easily. I will get a job, pay off all the debts and then we will start this all over again. I already have a plan for it………….

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