Sunday, July 29, 2007

...this is to have succeeded...

To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social recognition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882) American Essayist & Poet

O naciji

Iluzorno je sada raspravljati da li je postojanje nacija dobro ili lose. Umesto toga treba se zapitati, zasto neki ljudi odluce da stave naciju iznad svega, i izgube vezu sa stvarnoscu.

To se upravo desilo Srbima u poslenjih dvadesetak godina, a uveliko je potpomognuto huskanjem bas onih koji bi trebalo da budu glas razuma - srpskim intelektualcima. I to je najveci problem kod Srba danas, jer svi znamo da od "glave riba smrdi". Bas ti srpski intelektualci su svesno ili nesvesno (zlo)upotrebili naciju zarad promovisanja anahronih ideja i ideala koje su mnoge uzaludno kostale zivota. Totalno je besmisleno da se neko u danasnje doba "bori protiv Turaka", a upravo to su Srbi radili u Bosni, a Turci tu ne zive vec odavno.

Isto tako je totalno besmisleno da se drzavna politika na Kosovu gradi oko srednjovekovnih manastira, i da se zbog njih ratuje ( paradoks je jos veci jer u tom ratovanju bas ti manastiri zbog kojih se ratuje bivaju unisteni!!), a ne nekim savremenijim metodama, kao sto su pregovori i dogovori.Sve u svemu prostituisanje ideje nacije je Srbe u poslednjih dvadesetak godina kostalo zivota i zivota. Nesaglediva steta je napravljena, i zahvaljujuci sacici onih koji su imali i imaju monopol nad pisanom i izgovorenom reci u Srbiji, ono cime su se Srbi nekada ponosili vise ne postoji.I ja bih volela da pitam Matiju Beckovica sta tacno znaci "Ceracemo se jos", i njegova crtica u nekakvoj knjizi posvecenoj Kosovu sa kraja osamdesetih, gde on opisuje kako je celo Kosovo srpski grob, a grob je za Srbe svetinja, pa stoga Srbi sa Kosovom ne mogu da trguju. Da li mozda zna koliko je ljudskih zivota kostalo ovo baljezganje?

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Good Luck Graham, I will miss you

Yesterday was Graham's, our Call Centre Manager, last day with the company. I became very emotional about his departure. As if somebody who is very close to me was leaving for a long trip somewhere far away. I was crying.

I was crying because it is not so often that you meet people you work with that you can truly respect. I was also crying because Graham had a rare gift of never hiding the child inside of him: he was spunky and funny. He likes Spiderman, and he was not shy about setting a small Spiderman shrine in the corner of his office. Other managers tried to copy him by proclaiming Superman or Star Track to be their super heroes, but it was a fake. Graham was genuine about everything he was doing.

On his last day on job, management organized farewell party and named it a "festivity". There was nothing festive about Graham leaving. It was, in fact, very, very sad: I personally saw him couple of times on the verge of tears.

I can trace my attachment to him to the time when I just started working with the company: it was in January of 2004. He greeted my group of new employees and he was a blast. I remember we were laughing and had fun with him, and that first positive impression had a long lasting impact on my perception of the company. Almost because of him, and for him, it was not hard for me to endure hours on the phone with, sometimes, demanding and angry customers. I knew that by doing my job the best I could, I would live up to the high standards and expectations that defined Graham's work ethic, and deserve his respect.

Now he is gone. It will be very hard, I would say almost impossible to recreate that kind of spirit without him. I, personally, will never forget him, and will forever be grateful for his guidance in how to get a real kick out from being nice over the phone to the customers. That is what I learned from Graham Leah-The Corporate Spiderman.

Good luck to you Spiderman, and remember with great powers come great responsibilites.