Structured Chaos: September 2006

Books revisited

"In 1994, I retired at the age of 47, and my wife, Kim, was 37. Retirement does not mean not working. To my wife and me, it means that barring unforeseen cataclysmic changes, we can work or not work, and our wealth grows automatically, staying way ahead of inflation. I guess it means freedom. The assets are large enough to grow by themselves. It's like planting a tree. You water it for years and then one day it doesn't need you anymore. It's roots have gone down deep enough. Then, the tree provides shade for your enjoyment. " - Rich Dad Poor Dad

In the last few weeks I have been re-reading some of the books that I had either disliked immensly or had not understood.
My intention is to check if my prespective has changed with time and with hopefully more maturity. One book which was all rage in college was Rich Dad Poor Dad. I had strong negative opinion of the book.

A month back kittu da mentioned it so I was having a relook at it. Somehow I think this book makes some sense now.

Other book which I am reading is - Road less travelled. Another book that I read when I was in first year college. Probably too young to understand the context
of the book. I find the book has lots of things to teach.

Philanthropy-Google-Neem Karoli Baba

..linked together in a strange way.

Philanthropy Google’s Way: Not the Usual - New York Times: " “I think how you count profit is the issue here,” said Peter Hero, president of the Community Foundation of Silicon Valley, a charitable foundation with about $1 billion in assets. “Google.org is measuring return on cleaner air and quality of life. Their bottom line isn’t just financial. It’s environmental and social.”

Once Google.org was formed, the company spent months searching for an executive director. There was no lack of interest in the job.

“Literally thousands of people worldwide got in touch with us,” said Sheryl Sandberg, the Google vice president who led the search. “We’d get someone who was an amazing technology entrepreneur but who didn’t know anything about the developing world.” Then along came Dr. Brilliant, an affable man generous with bearhugs and self-deprecating humor whose unlikely résumé looks like a composite career summary of multiple high achievers.

After receiving his medical degree, Dr. Brilliant studied for two years with Neem Karoli Baba, a famous Hindu guru.

As Dr. Brilliant tells the story, in 1973, shortly before the guru’s death, he told Dr. Brilliant to “take off the ashram whites” and use his skills as a physician to help eradicate smallpox, which was devastating India at the time.

Dr. Brilliant joined a team of United Nations workers who painstakingly worked their way through India inoculating people against the disease. In 1980, the World Health Organization declared that smallpox had been eradicated."

Canvas of Life

Ever Present question in my life keeps coming up in various forms -

Prometheus' odyssey - Tick tock tick tock: "So here's a question... if your life was a canvas what would you like to have achieved that you could contribute to the world?"

But somehow in the last 1 year I have stopped thinking about this. Have I given up on this: No certainly not just deferred it by another few years

Finally read something

After ages finished this book on my way to office.
Had forgotton that there is a whole world of management & self-development books still out there.

Self Leadership and the One Minute Manager

Good summary of the bok available at the above link.

So as usual there is a 2x2 MATRIX and a Continum model for development.

I still havent been able to find good selection of books that I can read on the Tube journey. My ususal non-fiction genere becomes too unreadable becaue of the disturbance all around. Last serious book that I had managed to read was the - Complete handbook of Meditaion.