Preference vs Necessity

11:07p.m, 30-Jan 2008, Kuala Lumpur, Home.

Hmmm...., once a while I do self-argue and highlight the differences between the word "Preference" and "Necessity".

"Preference" is something that WITH IT, it's a bonus, WITHOUT IT, it doesn't make any major differences to oneself.

However, "Necessity" is something that WITH IT, it doesn't make any major differences to oneself, WITHOUT IT, it's direly detrimental, if not in long term!

I always do have a higher absorption rate of understanding a concept via an example.

Let's not get into complex argument, just try to confine this example as in context of Malaysia only.

For instance, knowing of how to speak in French is a "Preference" skill, WITH IT, it is a bonus as you are being added value for being more skillful than those who don't speak French. In RPG parlance, Skill +1 :-). However, WITHOUT IT, it doesn't make any major differences to yourselves as it's not widely use over here.

The ability to be able to speak in English language is a "Necessity" skill. Ponder carefully, WITH IT, it neither makes any major differences nor added more value to oneself because most of us know on which directly brings down to commonality. WITHOUT IT, it's direly detrimental as everyone speak that language be in newspaper, international books, blockbuster movies and etc but you can't, thus Skill -1.

What I'm trying to deliver, as we leap forward from decades to decades, more "Preference" skills will be shifted to be part of "Necessity" skills.

In the past, Information Technology (IT) was a "Preference" skills where the non-friendly DOS windows was utilized and internet was almost non-existence. Thus, WITH IT, it's a bonus, WITHOUT IT, no big deal. However, as you can see now, IT knowledge becomes a "Necessity" skills because you are using more e-mails, spreadsheets and internet to help you to automate your daily tasks. WITH IT, no big deal as you always need to use it and most of us knows how to use them i.e. commonality. WITHOUT this skill, you will be struggling even on a simple task - perhaps send an e-mail or launching an Internet Browser :)!

As for my own perspective point of view, in the past, "Necessity" skills are smart-hardworking and fluency in English speaking. As time passes by, some "Preference" skills of that time had been shifted to "Necessity" i.e. savvy in IT, knowledge in investment both at real estates and stock markets and lastly, which was added based on my last written blog "Awaken from slumber not Schlumberger", the Psychological skills widely use in parental, negotiation, sales and managerial stage.

Myriads of new "Necessity" skills to be acquired in assurance for future survival of phenomenal competitive edge to come. The idiom says, "Time and tide wait for no man" solidly holds itself or I am just too concern about future? :)

Awaken from slumber not Schlumberger!

7:17a.m, 29-Jan 08, Kuala Lumpur, Home.

Yesterday (28-Jan 08) was the number of "x" times I had been attending the class. The number of students from different walks of life who are aware of the importance of the languages of which I do believe to be the next necessity after the advent of Information Technology (IT) and the Investment era is absolutely amazing, so to speak.

Forget about the necessity, it was this my classmate, pseudo 'M' (alphabet being picked in conjunction with Quantum of Solace roll out, the reprisal role of 007's boss - The 'M' :-) who caught my attention, de facto all the students of that particular class.

M is a very young, talented and energetic student. M scored 100% in his previous exam where the others struggle to get ......ahem.... a reasonable survivance scores :p! M will leave no stones unturn be it on exercise or worksheets. A perfectionist, M is, till yesterday.....

As usual, while awaiting for the class to commence, the previous worksheet/homework is returned to the respective students. M shouted and uttered, "HUH WRONG........! WRONG......, WHY!" unstoppably stomping his legs followed by pitiful, sorrowy cries "I HAD DOUBLED CHECKED THIS, AGAIN AND AGAIN BUT WHY WRONG *sob**sob*....muahhhhh *sob* muahhh!". Eventually, M stormed out from the classroom to shy away from the rest of M's classmates in order to shield M's emotionally distress stance. The mistake that M had done on his homework is very minimal and iota if compares to us, indeed but such sudden depression scares us out of our wits followed by a pang of pitifulness.

This is not the first time, occasionally, while the lecturer is teaching, M utters few words loudly and intermittently.

Curious I am. The next day before the class commenced, I bravely volunteered myself to offer a non-hostile conversation with him. Slowly, I dug deeper and deeper where I used the ditto method of deciphering the actual clients' concern in my Sales arena. M admitted, that M sometimes will unconsciously experiences roller coaster emotional depression a.k.a "Bipolar Disorder" in psychological vocab. In short, for those who are inflicted, his/her emotion swings drastically from cheerfulness to extreme sadness, thus depression and the opposite.

I, in certain extend have similarities with M. While having a simple conversation with a person, unconsciously I feel hostility (sudden swings of emotion) even though the hostility doesn't exist, unequivocally, I struck back. Though not achieving the state of depression but yet alarming.

I rooted back the day I was born, the environment and the the ambiance of childhood and parental advisory of why this is happening to myself, all in all does matter in shaping an individual mentality. Ditto to M.

Hence, I would confidently say, psychological needs, helps, guidelines, seminars, educations and etc are the next necessity or I should say a prerequisite of life besides other necessity as in Hardworking, fluency in English speaking, savvy in Information Technology, Investment gung-ho and lastly additional fluency in other languages, in assurance of understanding human's behavior, programmed and nurtured them well before releasing them to the beauty, cruelty and a realistic society. Physical disorder can be helped or automated. For instance, a poor eye vision can be easily repaired by wearing a spectacle, paralyze can be automated by a wheel chair. Meanwhile, for those who are already affected like M (mental challenges), counseling is urgently needed for repairment.

How many available psychologist out there where their expertise are direly needed in Malaysia easily reachable? Thus, M's sudden escaped emotional imbalances awakes me from my SLUMBER and the importance of the newly discovered necessity to be part of our skill collections. "Not the oil rigs, Schlumberger but SLUMBER duh!", I lamented to an oil & gas employee :0).