422. Google Search!

"I have a job interview tomorrow. I need to prepare for it" said Adityan.

"You are not a fresher applying for a job. You have been holding a good position in a reputed company. You are just trying to get a better job. Do you need to prepare for a job interview?" asked his wife Renuka.

"A prospective employer will have only limited expectations from a fresher. The fresher will only be expected to have knowledge of the subject of his study and some general knowledge. But in the case of an experienced person like me, who is applying for a better position, the expectations of the prospective employer will be much higher. I will be expected to be aware of the latest trends in the field of my work. Fortunately, nowadays, we have something called the internet, which has extensive information on any topic!"

"It is ten o' clock in the night. You have an interview at ten o' clock tomorrow in the morning. How long are you going to be browsing the net?"

"I don't know. Internet is a blessing, no doubt. But, on the flip side, if one starts browsing the net, the exercise may go on endlessly. By the time I complete the browsing, it could be about two o' clock in the night  You may go to bed now."

After sending his wife away, Adityan knocked at the doors of Google.

The next day, when Adityan returned home, after attending the interview, Renuka asked him, "How did the interview go?"

"Not so well, I am afraid!" said Adityan, with disappointment.

"You had spent several hours in the night browsing the internet. Didn't that preparation help you?"

Adityan was silent for a couple of minutes. Then he said, "If, while browsing the net, I had disciplined myself, I could have prepared myself well and answered the questions asked in the interview correctly. I might have even got the job!" said Adityan, with a sigh.

"You were not disciplined! What went wrong?" asked Renuka, in surprise.

"When I was reading an article relating to my field, I was distracted by an advertisement that popped up, which was about working from home and earning money. I clicked that advertisement and went through it. Only after reading it, did I realize that that opportunity won't be suitable for me. I resumed reading articles relating to my field, but every now and then, I started looking for information about some other topics that came to my mind. For example, I spent some time finding out suitable colleges for our son, finding offers for a house we have been planning to buy etc. I started with the intention of spending just a few minutes on these topics and then returning to preparing for my interview. But, I ended up spending about two hours on these diversions, without consciously being aware of my doing so. When I realized that I had wasted my time, I cursed myself. After that, my concentration began to fade. Ultimately, I lost the mood to study and went to bed."

"You are highly educated. You have a lot of knowledge and experience. Why did you allow yourself to be distracted?"

"If we allow the mind to wander as per its whim, this is what will happen. Leave it. This is a lesson to me. I will get another opportunity after some time" said Adityan, trying to keep his enthusiasm alive.

"Surprisingly, the film song that is being telecast on the TV appears to relate to your experience. Listen to it!" said Renuka, in an attempt to cheer him up.

"Can the feet blindly follow the eyes?
Can the mind blindly follow the feet?
Can the man blindly follow his mind?"'

As Adityan listened to the song, Renuka asked him "It looks as if the Lyricist Kannadasan wrote this song specifically for you!"

"No, he didn't" said Adityan.

"He didn't?"

"He didn't write this song. Lyricist Vaai wrote this!" said Adityan, smiling at Renuka, signaling that he was paying her back, for her teasing him.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 43
Wisdom

Verse 422 (in Tamil):

senRa idaththAl selavidA thIthorI
nanRin pAl uyppadhu aRivu.

Meaning:
Wisdom bridles the wandering mind, keeps it away from evil and steers it towards the right path.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'kaN pOna pOkkilE' by the same author.)

Verse 423
Verse 421