The Mahabharat, beloved epic for lovers of Indian literature has this beautiful saying " chakravat parivartante dukhani cha sukhani cha" which roughly translated stands for "joy and sorrow, in cycles, change". Good times follow bad and vice versa.
Why this sudden spouting of sanskrit, you ask? A few days ago, I read in the paper of two things: first, that Robbie Bach was fired from his job at Microsoft's Entertainment Division. Second, Apple Inc., is now the top technology company on NASDAQ valued at $220 billion.
Normally, corporate ups and downs would not be a big deal. Happens every day. But Apple's case is particularly poignant. Ten years ago, Apple was a write-off among its peers, with the CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs asked to step down. Michael Dell, founder of Dell, proclaimed that Apple was no longer viable. Now, with Jobs being one of the most, if not the most sought after and successful CEOs around, and Dell virtually defunct, the joke's on Mike.
Microsoft on the other hand, has taken a beating from Google, but increasingly from Apple. The invincible giant of the 80s and 90s is now struggling to keep with the competition. Chakravat parivartante...chakravat parivartante....
Why is this relevant? Because what goes for Robbie goes for me and the rest of us. Joys will be followed by sorrow, and poverty will follow riches. To know this is to know that time and all that comes with it, is temporary. We are guests in our own homes, and it makes sense to not make too much of it. To carry our weight lightly, be it a few millions, or a multitude of bills. Here today, gone tomorrow so let's not get carried away with the importance of our being.
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