Thinking about Stuff

Ever since I left my job, I have been going through and sorting out stuff every now and then....

Stuff, that has been collected over the last 40 plus years. Stuff, that have been boxed and put away in the loft. Stuff, that has been gathering dust. Stuff, that has been lying untouched and unseen. Stuff, that has been forgotten. Stuff, that had been bought on a whim. Stuff, that was gifted on an occasion. Stuff, that was picked up as souvenir during a visit. Stuff, that reminds you of an incident that has been quietly tucked away in the corner of your memory. Stuff, that evokes a lot of emotion. Stuff, that makes you cringe. Stuff, that has been kept aside for the future. Stuff, that you need to work on one day. Stuff, that you thought you had lost or consumed. Stuff, that you feel like giving away. Stuff, that you want to discard. Stuff, that will make place for some other stuff. Stuff, that makes you feel stuffy at home........

Strangely, encountering all these stuff reminded me of my own mortality.... I calculated at the back of my mind that I had enough of certain things to last my lifetime. And, some (in good measure) that would outlive me and probably, my son too. There was a lot of stuff that would be useful for someone else. And, there definitely was loads of stuff that had to be simply thrown away.......

Which leads me to the questions:

• Do I know, remember and care for all the things that I already have?
• What is it that I really need?
• How much do I need?
• Is there someone who needs it more than me?

And, that will make one less thoughtless consumer in the country........and, I am happy in that thought!

Sumptuous Buffett!!!!

The "Oracle of Omaha" is visiting India these days. He invited his customers for a free lunch and urged more to buy his products if they wanted to listen to him. He visited Taegu Tec, the low profile tool maker that he has invested in, while in Bangalore. Customary meetings with the Chief Minister and government officials followed. And soon, he along with close friends Bill Gates, will speak to rich folks in India to influence them to make pledges to give away their wealth in charity. Overwhelmed with the hospitality that he received in India, he said, "They treat me much better in India than they do in the United States."

Warren Buffett, aged 80, has been the only good news in the Indian media for the last few days. The blitzkrieg unleashed in Libya, the noise over the Wiki leaks revelations, the upcoming assembly elections, the poor display by India at the World Cup have made for a generally depressing morning newspaper read. In the midst of all this gloom, I found Buffett a refreshing change. His words were very pithy and yet so wise. He had a unassuming manner about him. He spoke in a self effacing manner at most times. He seemed to give little credence to "one of the wealthiest in the world" status. This was all in the face of wide eyed reporters (who seem to know everything) and all knowing stock analysts (who seem to be able to predict everything)....

I have been mostly amused and somewhat tickled by some of things that this gent said. "I am a retard for coming to India so late", he said as reporter after reporter quizzed him on his investment plans in India. So, where did all the brains for those marvellous investment decisions come from? He further added, "I don’t have to be smart about everything; I didn’t deliver my wife’s baby!" He definitely did not see himself as an all knowing guru that people were making him out to be....and note, he came to the interview carrying a can of Coke, the company he has earned much from.....that's what you call - putting your money where your mouth is!!!

In response to questions about his philanthropy, he merely said, "Money has no value to me but has value to other people so it makes sense to give it away." He added, "Personally, I would much prefer not to be born rich. I would like to be born with "certain talents" that are useful to the society so that I would lead a good life." So, money did not matter much to him too.....

When eager beaver investors and stock brokers asked for tips on investing, he responded, "The best investment one can do is to invest in yourself. The more you understand yourself, the better is your judgment." Now, that was an answer none in the investing community would have ever expected! He also blunt trigger happy investors with sage advice - "Invest in what you understand...don't go outside your circle of confidence...don't just buy and sell." To add to that he had the gall to come to Bangalore and say that he did not invest in Information technology because he understood very little of it, adding that he had a mere 100 shares in his best friend's company, Microsoft. And, when questioned on the rationale behind his recent purchase of a chemical company, Lubrizol, for a whopping USD 9.7 billion, he said in a rather matter of fact manner that as long as goods had to be produced, machines would be required and as long as machines needed to work, there was a need for lubricants to keep them functioning smoothly...... simple, isn't it?

On a slightly sombre note, reflecting on his success, he said, "I have been enormously lucky. I had very, very lucky genes. I was born in 1930, a 'wonderful time' to be born in. Had I been born in a different society and also as a black, I would not have same chances." 1930 - a wonderful time to be born? Ask anyone who lived in the United States in that year, they would never agree with him what with the Great Depression looming large........soon to be followed with World War II. And, he trailed off......."Life's about planting trees for others." Wonderful sentiment......

Still unhappy with him for not generating the "breaking news" kind of sound bites, our media men prodded him further to share the most interesting aspect of his life and all he said was, "And so far as I can tell -- after being a parent -- it's the most gratifying job on earth." Lovely thought!

Buffett is the man after my own heart......he brings good and simple values to the fore and highlights the importance of commonsense, which seems to be in short supply these days.