If you've ever interviewed me for a job, you'll know that's the truth.
But still, it does not feel right.
I have realized lately after being sucked into the corporate whirlpool and choosing a career to which cost-cutting, savings and efficiency are quintessential, that what i am missing is inspiration.
And despite my more-bitter-than-sweet AIESEC experience, i realized that it gave me what nothing else has been able to provide... Inspiration, Hope.
I also came to the realization just how much impact it has had on my life - i owe it everything.
I remember the chill that went through my body in my first "Power of One" Presentation (at my time, that was part of your standard induction - and we didn't even call it induction). Part of me romanticised this notion and this statement "Power of One". The more pragmatic, realistic and rational side of me concluded that it's necessary to get a number of people believing in the "power of one" in order to make a difference. What exactly that number is, i had no idea.
When you enter the corporate world you understand just how much power that "one" actually has. A visionary leader, a progressive manager, a challenging colleague, an ambitious person striving for excellence, a bright mind and a positive attitude greeting you with a smile every morning.
Living in a developing country such people are anything but abundant. They exist, but their impact is diluted by those who are just plain average.
I, mainly because of AIESEC - be it wrongful or not - like to think that i am one of those not-so-abundant resources.
Emile Durkheim outlined the concept of "Anomie" in the course of his sociology career. He explained it as "the social (and not individual) causes of suicide, characterized by an absence or diminution of standards or values (referred to as normlessness), and an associated feeling of alienation and purposelessness. "
Robert King Merton proceeded to explain "Anomie" as "the discrepancy between common social goals and the legitimate means to attain those goals."
In my study of sociology we were taught that this state happens to the poor, the lower classes of society, those poorly educated with aspirations they know they are better off not even aspire to.
Unfortunate as this may be it's still not the worst thing. The worst thing, in my humble opinion, is when this phenomena affects those who are well-educated and well endowed with brains, money or both, i.e. those who are essential to the advancement of a liberal, democratic, free market, right-winged society.
Say you are living in a society where no common communicated vision exists to drive it forward, no common or communicated guiding principles, norms or standards exist to aid in striving for this vision. And say that on a sub-cultural level the vision and principles exist, but it varies from each sub-culture to the other. To what extent would the degree of alienation and purposelessness exist? And how extensive is the damage resulting from the continuous absence of shared and communicated vision, principles and standards?
Those are questions i cannot answer today... and their answer may not be of much use or may be the key unlocking the door to greener grasses and brighter suns
What i can answer is that more often than not i feel alienated, purposeless and hopeless. Which leads me to believe that i myself might be a person suffering from "Anomie".
This phenomena is commonly used to explain deviant behaviour. To me personally this means a behaviour that deviates from the motivated, inspired and hopeful yuppie (Young Urban Professional) that can make a positive contribution to its community.
It is why i have chosen this time off to find some inspiration, to retrieve that spark that was lost the day i left AIESEC and joined the "real" world.
On a brighter not so related note, i was passing by a book store today and saw this in their display window:
Living in Egypt, this was quite unexpected :) (in case you didn't see the title it's "Sensational Sex in 7 easy steps")
I was compelled to walk into this interesting book store for the first time and i walked out with something i hope would help me in my search for inspiration:
As a big fan of Bill Clinton and his work i am hoping this, coupled with my meeting tomorrow with the most inspiring professor that my studies in both Universities had to offer and along with my impending visit to the women's rights NGO over this holiday will help me find what I've lost....
P.S. If you've made it this far through my mumblings, wow- i am impressed :P
