Sigmund & Shalya. The Architecture of Human Motivation.
Motivation!
That is the KEY word.
What motivates a human being?What motivates a group of human beings?
Motivates them to do something or NOT DO something!
These are the KEY questions.
People have sought answers to it over the years. By years, we mean not just in recent times but over centuries ... even millenia!
Of late, a new breed of people expound on the subject of human motivation. They often are called motivational speakers ... or even stand up comedians ... and sometimes not just you, but even they themselves do not know who is who! :-)
On this blog we take a close look at MOTIVATION. A serious look - well yes, in the sense we shall look at the science under the hood or mind of it all. We shall also try it understand it in dramatic fashion and what better story than the Mahabharata to illustrate and bring alive the concept of motivation in ACTION!
This blog was originally meant to be a book. Till this writer realized that very, very few people read books these days!
Better to blog said he and after years of avoiding he now approaches this blog ... with all his energy ... that is the way MOTIVATION WORKS. For individuals and for groups of people ... call them teams or armies or communities or even societies and nations if you like ...
Over the years, when this writer conducted many a training program on interviewing or team building or leadership, he would flash a photograph of Sigmund Freud on screen and ask the group to identify the person. In MOST cases, the photograph of a pipe smoking, bearded albeit distinguished looking bloke drew a blank!
You will meet this man here and make friends with him ...
My pleasure to introduce Sigmund please!
This writer also ran into another similar blank. Even in India!
In India, people, especially the Hindus swear by the Mahabharata.
Correction.
They actually swear by the Bhagwad Geeta.
The Bhagwad Geeta is a part of this truly awesome epic called Mahabharata. And the Geeta actually holds the KEY. The Geeta actually holds the key to HUMAN MOTIVATION! It may not be an understatement to say that the Geeta unfolds layers of the human psyche like no other work in human history.
Sample this ...
What is the Geeta all about?
It is about the Great War of the Mahabharata when the Pandavas fought the Kauravas.
The Pandavas were spearheaded by the mighty Arjuna. For a charioteer, he had a man called Krishna the supreme God himself - the central pivot on which the war was fought.
And what was the KEY event of this war?
The mighty Arjuna, at the last crucial moment developed cold feet, as he stood in his chariot to behold the enemy! He refused to fight! And Krishna got into ACTION and talked to him ... MOTIVATED him to fight!
That message of MOTIVATION by Krishna constitutes the Bhagwad Geeta!
Meanwhile, another similar or actually contrasting scene was happening in the opposite ranks. Taking on Arjuna, Krishna and the prodigious Pandavas, was Karna, a warrior of immense strength who was raring to go and vanquish the enemy. Fully motivated and charged!
But ...
Who was Karna's charioteer? Who was Krishna's counterpart? And what was he doing in that chariot?
You might be astonished but a lot of people even Indians draw a blank at this question and they might have actually forgotten this man! Very poignant fact to be noted your honor!
He now appears in his own right in the very title of this blog - with Sigmund Freud!
Yes! Shalya! It is Shalya ... the mighty Shalya, the wise man ... but what was he doing in that chariot?
Stay tuned as the exciting battle unfolds in the weeks to come ...
on this blog and in your minds!
Please Do write in a word about HOW you found this blog post! Thanks for dropping by!
Note: A tip of the hat to my friends Bhushan Kangralkar & Shivdas More of Juice Advertising for the illustration of Sigmund & Shalya. Thanks Bhushan & Shivdas! :-)
