"i'm a limo driver!!!"

We often assume that people respect and value what we do. What if their standards for valuing something is totally different! Then how do you convince somebody that something is valuable or that it is deserving of respect or that it is credible? Should u even try?

These thoughts were provoked by a journey made by our protagonist into the great bad (maybe i ought 2 change the adjective to gay) city (sic!) of Calicut.

The mission : To talk to local TV dealers and gain an in-depth understanding of the dealers' perspective on the consumer decision-making process when buying a TV . But, of course! What else could he ask TV dealers about ? Consumer preferences for the Porsche 911E !!! Isn't it funny about language - somtimes u just have to say redundant things coz not saying it looks awkward - a lot like life i guess - sometimes u gotta do things or say stuff which is redundant, but can't be left undone/unsaid! But i'm digressing ! To get back to the story...

Where did we leave our protagonist? Oh yeah - on the way to the city. He arrives at the dealer having driven through rain and arrives wet, but with high hopes! After all he is that exalted being - an IIM grad! The dealers ought 2 roll out the red carpet and feel honoured that he has deigned to give them the opportunity to be of help to him. He even hopes for a cup of tea to warm him up!

Act 1: Scene 1: Dealer's showroom - heavy rush - not sure whether all of them are customers or the dealer's assistants

IIM grad (henceforth referred 2 as HEH - short for His Exalted Highness) : "Hi! I am from the Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode"
Salesclerk: "I guess you had better speak to the manager"
Manager"Yeah?"
HEH (taking out his business card and presenting it to the Mgr.): "Hi! I am from IIMK"
Mgr:"Where???"
HEh (less confidently): "IIMK - u know - in Kunnamangalam. on the way to the REC"
(HEH is going through agonies thinking that he had to actually quote the REC to describe where IIMK is, instead of it being the other way around)
Mgr:"I've never heard of it! Whaddya want?"
heh (by now desperate) - "We have a course in Consumer Behavior this term and as part of it we are studying the TV buying behavior of customers"
Mgr:"Nothing can be done today. Come after a month - after Onam."
heh: "I just need a few minutes to speak to your slaespeople and ask them a few questions"
Mgr:"How do i know u aren't from a competitor? Maybe you just want to figure out how we manage to do so well!"
heh (privately thinking to himself - "Jeez! What a jerk! Does he really believe that!!! Or is he just throwing his weight around!")
Mgr: "Do u hv some sort of id?"
heh (almost relieved) : "Yeah. Just a sec. Lemme fish it outta my bag!"
Mgr (taking the card from heh and inspecting it carefully): "But this doesn't look like you!"
heh (by now sure that the guy is just toying with him, is royally pissed off, but figures he has no choice but to swallow any pride that he has left): "Sir, that is Me! If u start questioning things like this, i dunno what else i can say to convince you!"
Mgr (smug that he's put HEH in his place): "Don't feel bad! We have probs with our competitors. They r always trying 2 find out what makes us # 1 "
heh (Privately to himself - "Yeah - Sure - as if they have nothing better to do": "Yeah! No prob!"
Mgr: "So whaddya wanna know?"
heh: "When customers come over, do they already have a brand in mind or do they just have features in mind....blah blah blah)

The rest of the stuff that happened is of interest to nobody else, except, possible HEH's CB group (and maybe not even them)! To cut a long story short, heh finished the interview which the Mgr. interrupted at least a dozen times to take calls or bark orders at his assistants.

It is at moments like these that u can't help but wonder - what are we chasing after? Is it respect? Money? Is it something you value for itself or is it something that will give you respect in other people's eyes? heh was able to recover and go back to being HEH the moment he got out of the shop because he believes in his standards of achievement and believes in himself. But he realized something important today - NOT everybody has the same standards! Maybe it is ignorance, maybe it is choice, maybe it is a different value system. Whatever be it, if you want your ego intact, you had better have your own individual standards of achievement! Or you can risk everything by trying to chase after other people's respect/love/admiration and then end up getting ur ego battered when they change their standards or when you meet somebody with different standards of achievement. Hell - even if they don't do it and you are admired and respected by everybody else, is that enough? Shouldn't you respect yourself first? Objectivist talk? Are you inclined to rubbish this with "Philosophy : Who needs it!". Maybe u need it more than you think ;-)

ubergeek,the

P.S: The title was inspired by Jim Carrey's attempt to get past airport security flashing his limo-driver id ;-)