Culture, The Human Aspect.

After reading my blog, one of my closest friends told me “Why don’t you write something about Indian culture”. I then asked myself, am I qualified enough to write on Indian culture or for that matter on any culture. Cultures and tradition is a vast subject which would really need in-depth knowledge of how the cultures have evolved and how’s it’s been taken forward.



Then again I started thinking, what exactly is culture, is it country specific or should culture be more of a human aspect. After pondering over it for sometime, I have come about to write this article of what I feel should be considered culture and I guess no boundary or borders can classify them as proprietary, if understood in this aspect.



Culture to me is about human interaction, it’s about respect and etiquettes. When someone says its ‘Our Culture’, people look at the term more in the traditional sense and would probably look at how they eat, dress or perform certain rituals. These aspects form the boundaries on which countries are built and it changes from place to place. With modernization and technological advances, many of these core aspects that we consider as culture has changed and I wont be wrong in saying adulterated. The very reason that these aspects could be tampered is good enough to justify my point about what culture really should be.



The aspects on which I define the term ‘Culture’ is inbred into the human soul and no matter how much of modernization or technology prowess creeps in, these core values will remain.



For me any human being, be it from the so called advanced first world nation or from a third world nation is cultured, as long as he understands the basic human value system.

He believes in treating individuals on equal terms and respects them no matter what race, creed or job profile he holds.



For me any human being is cultured, when he respects his or her parents and family and feels responsible for their well being. If he shows respect, when in front of the elders, women and children, this person is far more cultured than a person with high education and top management job. What good is this education if you cannot even know the basics of human interaction?



I have come across managers who due to the position they hold are on a ego trip and forget the basic communication mantra. But then again I stop think and realize such people would have never been cultured to start with , otherwise, when you go higher up in position you gain experience in dealing with more people and hone your cultural skills.



In India, they say a guest is next to god and guests in their homes are treated with utmost respect. This is why foreigners feel welcome when they go to this country, as the Indians see them as guests in their home. Here, it’s the respect for the other human being that gets displayed as culture.



In Austria and other European countries, I am told that residents take the trouble of classifying their garbage voluntarily and make sure the garbage is thrown in designated bins. Here it’s the respect for nature that gets displayed as culture.



In Countries, where the salary and jobs are based on which nationality or which religion you belong to can never call themselves to be cultured. As I had mentioned, the basic human value system has been abused here and that shows in how these nationalities from these countries treat other nationalities.



From my perspective, culture has not too many faces and if the basic value system of respecting humans and nature is followed world over, only then can we call ourselves a cultured race.

'Go Green', A Corporate Responsibility.

I recently watched ‘2012’ the movie. The graphics were stunning and I must say quite scary. With the climate change and energy conservation being the buzz word these days, the events that unfold in this movie can be for real, if nature will have its way.




Finally, the politicians of the world have started to take this a bit seriously and hopefully more will be done to change the way we live our lives and probably shift the D- day for at least after our lifetime. As much as the politicians have the responsibility for this conservation an important stake also lies with the corporate world, the multi nationals that mint billions of dollars from their business, compromising our environment in the process.



Many aspects of our day to day life can be looked into more detail to make that little difference in bringing about that change.



By now we all know the jargon ‘Save Water, Save Electricity’ is one famous mantra to reduce the carbon footprint. Here is one message from me to the corporate world, that if implemented world wide can make a huge difference to our environment and save on precious resource that is wasted as corporate perks.



I know for a fact that many companies have this policy where in top management and even middle management are given their utility bill payments in actuals. This means that no matter howsoever the management executive utilizes the electricity or water resources the company just blindly foots the bill and the account department just makes an entry somewhere so that they probably get some tax exemption for the employee perks.



This allowance although an excellent remuneration benefit, from the company and the environment perspective is a colossal waste. Many employees do not give importance to the utility wastage, since it’s paid for by the company and many proudly boast about the perks and flaunt it by just keeping the a/c, heater and lights running even when they are not at home.



The responsible members of the ‘Corporate World’ who claim to be Environment friendly must make a note of this and put a cap on the utility allowance on a monthly basis [ Higher than the average]. This cap can be done after an analysis on the consumption, based on the size of the flat/villa and the family members. Once an average amount is calculated, the employees can be given this amount in their pay check or cut from the allowance, the rest of the money saved will be credited to the employees account.



With the two buzz words in the corporate world being 'Cost Cutting' and 'Save the Environment' this suggestion meets the expectations and is a win-win situation for all the three parties involved:

1. The Employer:

The company will save at least 40% on the utility bill payouts, since the average payout now would be reduced. This will make more funds available to the company for other business needs.



2. The Employee:

The employee gains to save money from the utility cap, if he becomes aware of the energy utilization, there by making him a responsible citizen and being more Environment friendly.



3. The Environment:

The biggest benefactor would be our environment, as less energy utilized means lesser pollution and other greenhouse effects. This can save around 75 % on energy consumption.



If this suggestion can be implemented all over the world, it can save lot of energy wasted due to irresponsible behavior.



If you are for a greener environment, then spread this message to whomsoever can act on behalf of their company and make this little difference, which can go a long way in changing this planet from experiencing a ‘2012’ kinda apocalypse.