The Essence of Essences

Wednesday October 13 2004 08:51 IST

By Karmayogi

The essence of essences is called quintessence. Successful societies know the secret of production, production of the primary needs of food, shelter and clothing.

Expansive societies know of the ORGANISATION of these productive processes such as collective co-operation, mutual help, trade, commerce, service, etc. A higher society in the urban pockets has discovered the value of education, especially the value of education that is entertainment.

The quality of the entertainment of a society is its quality of existence - civilisation. For those who invest their money or throw it away in the pursuit of profits, which is the service of society, commerce is the field, the company is the tool. Thousands of companies sprout and fold up before long. Hundreds of companies have survived a hundred years or even two or three hundred years. Their secret is the quintessence of organised commercial activity. He who lives in tune with nature lives a long life and it is a healthy life, too. One's external life can be in tune with the environment. His inner life too can be of the same vibration of the external surroundings. That inner life is known as character. Personality is a better description.

These are words of psychology. In the field of work, the same will be described as structure. In the language of business, they are known as inner organisation and outer organisation. A company whose inner organisation is sound cannot die, however much the market changes. There can be competition, but this company will survive it.

There can be chaos in its outer functioning but its inner vitality will be intact and will not permit this company to die as others who are not organised. Organic farming has proved that those fed on its produce are immune to epidemic or endemic diseases. Organic farming ORGANISES the inner Personality with vitality. That company which is well organised and is full of inner vitality is invincible.

In 1979 when Chrysler contracted a record loss and consequent debt, the world unanimously pronounced its winding up. Some of us here in the Society gathered information about the company and found it had inner original vitality but the outer functioning was in utter confusion and chaos. Our conclusion was if right decisions were taken, there was no reason Chrysler would fail. We were observing the company with interest.

We had a slender correspondence with the company. The one line letter of Lee Iacocca gave us a further insight. We felt that the company would not only survive, but prosper. When it turned the corner and released the US government from its guarantee, Chrysler's sales reached $23 billion from the previous $11 billion. On the Fortune 500 list, she moved from the 23rd position to the 11th rank.