MBA is a great science. It is fanciful and marketable. For last decade or so, MBA has become fashionable. There must be a study about how many MBA one can find out of a sample population while walking in New York, London, Tokyo, Melbourne, and other world cultural and industrial capitals. It evokes passion to hear about someone MBA from Ivy league and other ranking colleges. MBA is truly Sexy and mainstream. It fascinates me to relate to concepts taught at these curriculum with daily life events and extrapolate a new insight. One such concept is "Time Value of Money". It states that money in hand today is more valuable than in hand tomorrow. Then 'cash is king' and 'liquidity crunch' are talk of the W Street and all the media surrounding or surviving on it.
So then what is this "Life Value of Money" that struck me while talking to my impressively suave colleague at office?
Life Value of Money which I will sweet-cut to LVM, is the thinking and harnessing the value that money has on our lives. Since time is said to be the most precious thing (touched and untouched combined) on this earth, it is actually a set of scheme oblivious to many who think it follows a watch. Now, scientists and mathematicians can define 'Life' and 'Time' with all proof that a common human believes or believes because it does not alter the usual way of things interrelated.
No scientist can explain money. Mathematician can count and formula-coat money but cannot define it. These two together cannot explain the relation between 'Life' 'Time' 'Money' and their sum total with 'Value'. So now we have following combinations:
a) Life Time Money (LTM) - every one has kind of estimate for it for himself / herself.
b) Time Value of Money (TVM) - property of MBA curricula.
Now see stark clear - Life and Value are disconnected whenever Time and Money are associated. Both Time and Money are notional subjects. Please argue that Value is also notional.
Only Life is real.
So now this real thing called Life needs pseudo help from notional subjects - our friends, mentioned above. Pseudo because general thinking says its essential for Life to play on with the rules of Time and Money. For most, it is true like a transparent glass. There cannot be perfect symphony between real and notional, or even perfect synergy. All that can happen is 'perfect balance', seen from the eyes of the juggler who in turn can make it believable (thus achievable) to his followers or circle of influence.
During the ancient and medieval periods, life flourished and perished in almost equal ratios. Though we have data of great famines, epidemics, fire and wars/battles of known history, not much is known about the population growth during the same period. But these centuries are filled with achievements those having the strength of changing course of communities and countries. Arts flourished equally along with science. Though development of science in medieval ages is debatable, its discoveries and inventions cannot be pushed as mediocre.
What is more evident during these times is the human depiction of values of life through centuries when countries were not demarcated and communication was exclusive. The art, paintings, structures, literature, and science flourished together. Human race, across the globe could identify with Machu-Pichu, Indus valley civilization, Arab invasions, and Pyramids. Time waited for the masters and their master pieces. Time was important but timing was not. It had its daily value which was consumed with great passion. And when daily life is lived with passion, time can be tamed. The monie valuations of those centuries are not known and that adds to the mystic of historical ages. Imagine finding the GDP of Europe or Americas during 1000, or 1100 year and also connected GNP, Trade Deficits and all other wall street benchmarks with MBA college gyan! History will loose its sheen if this happens.
Today we can't imagine living without these 'cooked up' data. These were created to measure the businesses and they have invaded our personal well being.
Then Life was celebrated, now Money is celebrated and exalted.
Desires are 'in thing', Life is achieved 'Just Once', This is 'Just One Life'; all this half baked quarter understood statements are now used to rotate the capitalistic money. We all get hooked. Communism is dead, long live Lenin & Marx. Newspapers look like product and sales catalog. Advertising is a big and deep thing. Look for your deepest personal spaces and you can see an advertisement for a product asking you to 'charge of your life' by buying it and then showing it. 'Flaunting' is the user interface of urban and up-market masses.
LVM can balance this tilt. Every penny that you spend, do spend a minute of thought in terms of LVM. The real challenge is to teach children and youth on this. Both thrive on raw energies. My TV is better than your TV or My car is steamier than yours makes the whole equation of TVM go for a toss. Envy sets in early and lives longer than our lives.You can say LVM is an angle of detached living or alternate living; where you live, consume, enjoy, buy, sell, splurge at times, yet you enjoy each atom of it in peaceful state of your mind.
I encourage my reader patrons to share their thinking on this and think of practicing LVM.
Enhance the elixir of life by living it your way, garnished by larger social ways.
