Life is relative: Age, weight and counting. Except perhaps sunscreen

Age is so relative. Kids want to grow up quickly. To be unshackled by all the rules imposed by parents / elders. I always want to yell - "what is the hurry. Enjoy this time. You are never going to get it back". Little do they realize that typically they trade from one set of shackles to another as they move through life. The fortunate ones break free. Being an adult is not all that is made up to be.

Apart from age, weight is also relative. The older one gets, both age and weight are very touchy, or should I say, "weighty" topics. The other day me and my friends were recollecting our youthful days. At each point in time we tend to criticize our weight and reflect nostalgic on when we were younger and weighed less. The reality is that years from now, my weight at this point in time (Nov 2005!) will seem, well quite less! Yes, life is relative.

"Sunscreen" sums it up very well. You can google on it - Baz Luhrmann - Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) . (Thank you, Baz)

A number is a number, but then what is the unit?

In business, we are constantly dealing with numbers. The old adage - "what you cannot measure cannot be managed" is a constant mantra. There is this constant clamor for metrics, measurements, numbers - you name it. In this rush to numbers, the purpose and objective of that number is often forgotten. The common perception is that "we have lot of numbers to measure ... we most be OK".

Outside of measuring, numbers are often used to drive home a message. Either to justify a course of action, to draw attention, or to demand change. It has been almost a fortnight since the number of the brave who lost their lives hit 2000. A great deal of activity, especially in the media was caused by this number - on both sides of the debate.

A number is a number. It cannot exist alone by itself. It needs a defining attribute, "a unit": 9.15 seconds, 100 meters. In this case 2000 "brave, dead". But then, numbers never tell the real story. In this process of defining an event, these cold numbers become more so. Cold. They fail to communicate the reality: it is not a number but the life of a loved one.

We should not pause to reflect when we are faced with 2000. We should pause and reflect for 1. For those not directly affected by the loss of *a* loved one, it is very difficult to comprehend. And for those who like numbers, it is important to remember that the unit behind this number is "loss".

Getting Started (Finally): I am blogging, therefore I exist?

Well technology and trends are finally catching up with me. I am sure I can add a lot of things that are also catching up ... girth and wisdom (hopefully) including. So I blog. Perhaps this is the first step towards meeting mid-life crisis head on. Or perhaps I should just go back to Plan A - a convertible and a diamond ear stud. Or perhaps ... well that brings me back a full circle.

I am blogging therefore I exist ... or so I think.