Leisure
What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare?—No time to stand beneath the boughs,
And stare as long as sheep and cows:No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass:No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night:No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance:No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began?A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
W.H. Davies
Posted in Slow.
– August 23, 2010
Downsizing the culture of a company
Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted
Albert Einstein
A lot of important succes factors of a company cannot be measured and put into spreadsheets. I like to call this the culture of a company, and this “culture” consists of leadership, commitment, creativity, learning, teamwork and quality. These are the factors that create great performance in an organization.
Over the past year, lots of companies have been downsized, adapting the cost structure to declining sales and profits. The value of the culture of a company and its long term benefits however is not taken into consideraton (only short term is important). This has led to the ruining of valued companies by downsizing experienced and loyal employees, while others are left to “burn-out”; cutting back on customer service and quality; abandoning R&D and essential investment programs.
The measured costs are reduced quickly, while slowly the real value of the company deteriorates, thus jeopardizing the real sustainability of the company.
Posted in Management.
– February 10, 2010
New kind of sins
For humans to cause species to become extinct and destroy the biological diversity of God’s creation, by stripping the Earth of its natural forests or destroying its wetlands, for humans to contaminate the Earth’s water, its land, its air and its life, with poisonous substances – these are sins.
Patriarch Bartholomew
If you believe that this is true, what are you willing to do to stop being a sinner?
Posted in Rumblings.
– January 28, 2010
Best wishes for the New Year
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 condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
Bessie Stanley
Posted in Rumblings.
– January 1, 2010
Slow thinking
The wisdom of a learned man cometh by opportunity of leisure; and he that hath little business shall become wise.
The above quote dates back to the second century BC, and is more actual than ever. Nowadays, so much time is spent processing information, solving problems and meeting deadlines that there is none left in which to think. And with thinking, I do not mean conscious thought. We all have the capacity of slow thinking, but this will not work if our mind is in a hurry. The mind needs to be given time, and we have to be willing to take time.
How long has it been since you put away a problem in the back of your head, and just waited till the answer announced itself, just like that?
Posted in Slow.
– October 22, 2009
Say something new
Just a quick thought: how often do you meet people who always talk about the same thing, or repeat their opinion for years in a row?
Instead of looking bored or running away, maybe you should just point this out to them. Or give them a print-out of this picture. You might render them a big service.
Posted in Rumblings.
– October 1, 2009
Big cat friendship
This video manages to bring tears to my eyes every time I see it. Apart from being a lovely story about frienship between animals and people, there is also a message about lost or forgotten friends. Get in touch, stay in touch, and cherish every moment of each other’s company.
Posted in Rumblings.
– April 20, 2009
