Does our society hate success??

I was reading through some comments of the gapingvoid blog and suddenly a thought struck me. Microsoft has been kicked around and bad mouthed all over the world especially in the blogger space. If you read the articles about it when it started, people couldn't stop praising Bill Gates,Paul Allen and their team for doing whatever they did with Microsoft. As it grew bigger and bigger the plaudits started coming down and the brickbats started increasing. So the thought was ,does this world hate success?

This thought didn't come from a just this example of Microsoft. You can see for yourself there are umpteen companies which as start ups and during their initial fame periods were considered path breaking,ingenious and world changing.But as they became bigger and more powerful the resentments against them kept on increasing. Take Google and Apple for example. Google could do no wrong. Larry and Sergey were demi gods( Still are to millions i assume). But as soon as Google started expanding the critics (from the experts to the roadside hawker) started finding all sorts of faults with it. Why does it have to buy You Tube....Orkut,Adsense and all other tools will make Google big brother,its strategy is no strategy at all etc etc etc. I'm not taking some kind of moral high ground here.I too have questioned Google's future plans. Same with Apple and Steve Jobs. Ditto with GM and Ford.The list goes on.

I'm not trying to say that criticizing is wrong but what we see is that we who love the companies when they start off slowly start having reservations which turn into resentments as soon as they become bigger and successful. Of course not every step these companies take is right but we begin to see only the bad things and as we all know ,now with the power of the Internet bad news spreads like lightening. Soon everyone is focusing on all the small mistakes the companies have made. They dig deep into the history and find faults at every nook and corner. Even from the times when they loved the companies.

Don't look at me like im talking some strange alien language and you are not one of those people.You know what im talking about, deep down.

So i ask this question to myself again. Does our society hate success.Is that why we always rooting for the underdogs?? Root for Microsoft when IBM was big. Root for Google when Microsoft is big. Root for Toyota when GM is big. Your getting the point.

Sure we all know there some serious mistakes committed by companies. Environmental pollution,child labour etc etc. But not all the companies make such big mistakes to be be turned into such open, free for all big targets for everyone and anyone to shoot at.

I also think that this is syndrome is not just limited to business.Take sport for example. We rooted for Alonso when Schumi was unbeatable.For Nadal just to see Federer lose a game.

Bill Gates is made out to be devil incarnated himself,inspite of being the biggest philanthropist on the planet. Richard Branson is looked upon as the playboy of business,inspite of coming with the most amazing businesses. Steve Jobs is considered arrongance personified.

These things then make me ask the following questions that i seek from myself and all those who can give me an answer

1. Does the society resent(if not hate) success in some weird psychological way
2. If it does, Why so? is it right or wrong?
3. Whats the way to keep on being successful and keeping resentments to a minimum.



PS: Do comment after you read. I'd like to see all possible perspectives .Thanks

Sorry was getting over my MBA

Well its been a long while since i updated this blog. Like i said was getting over my MBA. So now I'm officially an Btech, MBA. Lol...sounds pretty sad or cool depending on whatever context.

Haven't been sitting on my ass doing nothing though. No sir. Been traveling for a month. Yeah im sorry this post is gonna sound like a travelogue but i had to write about the one of the most relaxed months of my life.

Started off with the Golden temple. A beautiful sight to sore eyes especially sore after seeing the sights of Amritsar. I always thought it would be a bustling modern town but it looked more like a second class mechanics backyard. So just sat there for a couple of hours watching the Golden temple and listening to the songs of the holy singers while sitting by the lake there.

Went to Jallianwallah Bagh right next door to the Golden Temple. Walked through the path leading to it( Where General Dyer came in from and attacked those poor souls). Felt a certain eeriness while walking through it but when I saw people living on either side of the walls nearby i realised that as with everything else life had moved on in this place. That feeling was confirmed after i saw the wall with the labeled bullet marks(Yes they were labeled).They felt fake to me.Those bullet marks. So if i felt like that i wondered how many others would have felt the same thing.Made me feel real gulity .Nice dedication monument built there though.

Moved on to Dalhousie to escape from the horrible heat. Came to heaven. Hotel room facing the evergreen filled mountain slopes. Chilly weather and nice treks. Best coffee i tasted in a hotel before. Went to mini Switzerland(Khajjiar) and rolled around in a huge plastic ball.Had hawkers coming to me every 10 seconds to sell me a solution to help me reduce weight. Yeah rite. Found nice little waterfall following an instinct.

Went to Mcloed Ganj(Dharmshala) from there. Thought i would stay there for a few hours before moving on to Manali. I was wrong. Stayed there for a week. Exposed to Tibetan culture and detailed history for the first time. Loved the momos and the movies played in the small theatres on Jogibara Road. Had the best pasta from Jimmy's Kitchen( No I'm not being paid by them) and saw a gompa for the first time in my life. Regret not having bought a Tibetan music CD. I missed the music that was playing all the while in the background the moment i left the place. Bought a smoking pipe though.

Moved on to Manali finally. Was the lone Indian in the bus from Dharamshala to Manali. Talk about feeling out of place in your own country.Thought it would be packed with people.Wrong again.Best hotel found again.Lonely planet rocks. Facing the snow clad mountains.There was actual snow there,dear me. Trekked to this amazing waterfall. Felt like it was top of the world and stopped for mashed potatoes at the place down below. Amazing how awesome it felt when i had the first plate and not so much on my second one. Law of diminishing marginal utility poking its ugly head again, on my mashed potatoes this time. Went biking to the mountain pass.Rapeling over the river Beas. Tried my hand at squash and tennis.Played pool and TT. Took pics with a yak.

Himachal is the best place to be during the summers. Stay away from Shimla though and don't try to pack 10 places in 10 days please.

Finally i was reaching home again after more than a year. I'm from Kerala btw. Train chugged along on a bridge. The lovely river shining in the sun and endless coconut trees on both its banks till eyes could see. Forgot the heat. Realised i missed those damn coconut trees and the sloping tiled homes more than i cared to admit. Second thoughts home is good,home is great, I'm back!!!! Kerala rocks at all times.Proud to be a mallu. Damn i never thought i would say that.