Girish's Blog

Much has been written, and spoken, about the historic inauguration of Barack Obama as the first African-American President of the United States. But I thought Mr.Obama said it best himself , in the article he wrote for Time magazine in 2005: "“ ...a larger, fundamental element of American life — the enduring belief that we can constantly remake ourselves to fit our larger dreams .”

It takes a great deal of introspection and courage to state what you believe in 500 words or less, especially in a public forum like NPR . What are your core beliefs and values that define you, that you would never compromise on? NPR has many essays from celebrities as well as others on " This I Believe " Worth spending a few hours reading.

Some self-analysis for a change .... What drives you as an individual to make specific choices and how do you act on them ? Adam Smith, in The Wealth Of Nations, claims that it is the "invisible hand" that motivates individual behavior and when each person acts in his own self-interest, it benefits the society as a whole. " It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own self interest. We address ourselves, not to their humanity but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our own necessities but of their advantages ." This has been used by many economists as the foundation of the free-market theory - the market is self-regulating. However, when individuals act in their self-interest, how do we know if it is their short-term or long-term self-interest ? How does it benefit the society in the short-term and the long-term ? The Katha Upanishad talks about two kinds of actions:...