The expectations

Is there another side to this rosy picture? The very fruits of the high technology that has resulted in the global village have also produced high expectation among the so-called developing nations because of enhanced communication, increased travel and access to information on demand. Not surprisingly everyone wants to live the good life. Good life in the modern parlance means more and more energy use. And the developing nations have disproportionately large populations. A little more than 2 billion people live in just one region in Asia that includes China and the sub-continent. Having set the ground rules for success, it is unrealistic and in any case too late, to preach restraint to those who wish to emulate the life they envy.

The appetite

In the U.S. alone, the projection is that an additional 38,000 miles of natural gas pipelines and 255,000 miles of distribution lines will be needed. The need for1300 to 1900 new electric plants is projected in order to meet the demands of electrical energy. Recently the U.S. House of Representatives approved drilling on pristine land in the Arctic National Wild Refuge. The debate on that plan and other similar plans will continue. The demands imposed by the developed and developing world on natural resources around the planet are straining the environment in a manner that some believe may cause irreparable damage to natural systems that provide us clean air, clean water, open space with pristine lakes, rivers and forests. Even with the deployment of the best technologies and good intentions, resources that can be allocated by world governments will be less than needed and an inability to meet these demands in a timely manner will surely lead to conflicts.

Neighbor against neighbor

And there are other unrelated conflicts galore! Bosnia, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Palestine, India, Pakistan and a host of other explosive zones around the world leave us with a huge question mark in regard to what in fact is the progress we have made. How important are these developments in distant lands to us here and now?

Human dynamics as bottom-line

But what has any of these to do with our studies? A fundamental feature of these epics is the conflict between the individual and the organization. This fundamental feature has also remained the fundamental problem for humanity over the centuries. That is what makes the epics timeless. This study makes us think about ourselves and our connection with the rest of our country and the world because whether we like it or not we are all connected in a new way. We need to develop skills to grasp the variety of problems we have created for ourselves. We need to learn how we interact with each other. We need to know more about our selves and our role in society. That is why we look at the past to see if the events of the past have a lesson for us and serve to provide guidelines. If we can combine the benefits of all that technologies can offer with a better understanding of human dynamics, then, perhaps we may be able to manage our selves and our world better. That is the reason for this education, this learning and this quest to go back to the epics. This gives us an opportunity to examine the collective wisdom of mankind and determine how best we could apply that wisdom to our current problems.

The Epics and Leadership in Organizations

In 1987, John Clemens and Douglas Mayer of Hartwick College published The Classical Touch: Lessons in leadership from Homer to Hemingway. In the introduction to the book they state " ... unlike most books on leadership, ... it bases its advice on a unique source of wisdom. That source is the Classics, those great books of history, biography, philosophy and drama that together constitute the collective wisdom of mankind. Through them, you will discover insights on such critical leadership tasks as team building, using power and influence, applying intuition, managing the sales force, establishing corporate culture, delegating, and planning succession." They continue. "Leadership is a slippery and elusive concept. Even the social scientists are stumped. One researcher, after reviewing the more than 3000 leadership books and articles that have been written over the last 40 years, concludes that not much more is known about the subject now than before all the fuss began. What's more, attempts to describe successful leaders usually read more like High School yearbook than serious research. Leaders possess, these lists airily assert 'strong desire for responsibility, self confidence, tolerance,' and on it goes. One study even reported that successful leaders drink a lot of coffee!" "None of this gets us very far. But great literature can help, because it inevitably tells stories in context, stories of people dealing with people, struggling towards goals - sometimes succeeding, often failing, but constantly striving." " Leaders work in a world where contradiction is commonplace, where today's right answer is tomorrow's disaster - a world in which hunch, intuition, experience, openness to untested ideas, and certainly self-assurance are more important to success than mere technical skills. The art of leading is the art of being human." The art of being human. There is nothing - nothing more powerful than the epics - eastern, western or whatever that can shed light on this art of being human. This art of being human is not an academic pursuit, nor an intellectual curiosity but indeed an essential knowledge base that can influence everything we do in our daily lives be it academic, professional, religious, family, personal or community life.

Study for its own sake

At a completely different level the epics are a joy to study whether you are a budding poet, historian, philosopher, scientist or manager of enterprises. Rare indeed is a human who is not stirred by stories; stories that inspired our ancestors and continue to provide great entertainment be it in a home on the lap of a parent or grandparent or in a theater!