Why don’t people think logically?

In September 1995, whole India was mass mesmerized  and was offering the milk to Lord Ganesha.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_milk_miracle

Then in 2006, Hundreds of people flocked to Mahim beach after reports of sea water turning sweet spread all over the city. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/People-taste-sweet-sea-water-in-Mumbai/articleshow/1907898.cms

Again in somewhere in 2012, Jesus wept and people made the crowd to get the tears in bottle. http://www.firstpost.com/living/why-jesus-wept-in-mumbai-the-church-versus-the-rationalist-538657.html

And there are many more news.  

There are people who invest  their hard earned money in the Ponzi schemes expecting huge ROI, which is always impossible. There believe on stories and go behind people who are much more smarter than them. Same thing is in multi-level marketing and try to become rich immediately.  They don’t think logically, why anybody will buy their product (say magnet mattress of Rs. 1 lacs)? Why somebody will buy products which are almost 10 time costlier than other products.

If you go in detail, you will come to know that only promoters have become wealthy on the money of investors.     

Then, there are incidences, where people believe on fishing mails like lottery, job and fake password change notification from banks and end up losing their money.

People who are victims are not illiterate, most of the times, they are educated including doctors, engineers, lawyers, teachers etc. What make them to believe on such mad and weird things.  

The question is why they don’t think logically? Why don’t they ask questions on the authenticity? Such frauds and scams are nonsense and people believe this nonsense.  In essence, people believe nonsense because it serves a psychological purpose. Everybody wants to be rich very fast, want to be successful.  In this process, they don’t even think on what is right or wrong for them.

It is always better to show a simple common sense and think logically on such matters.

What do you think? 

Why the cat crosses your way?

“If cat crosses your way, it is bad.” Our mind is conditioned with this superstition. There was one family staying in small village. The family had a lovely cat. The only son in the family got married. It was the time to bring bride at home. Mother thought that it is not good if cat crosses the bride on first day. She takes the cat and hides it under a big container. Due to suffocation cat dies. Mother realized that something is wrong. She notices that cat has stop crying. She checks it. When she sees died cat, she scares. It is even worse to have died cat in home, when bride comes. She takes the cat and goes out hurriedly to through it away. Exactly barat comes; bride sees that her mother-in-law is throwing the dies cat. She thinks that it must be the tradition of family to welcome the bride with dead cat.

After few years, it was a time for daughter in law. When her son gets married, she kills the cat and welcomes the bride.

We are like this daughter in law. There so many things in life we do blindly without understanding the logic. There are lots of practices in the organization which are carried forward without any question. When you ask the reason for doing something, they do not have answers. They say, “We do it in this way only.” There are many practices and customs which are not even relevant in modern days, but still that are there. Nobody knows why they are following that.

It is like government official asking the certificate from pensioner endorsing that pensioner is alive.  

“Why?”

“Because we need it?”

“But, why?”

“It is a Rule”

The main reason may be we do not ask the question, “why”. Why you follow it? What is the logic? What is the outcome? If we do not follow the same, what will be consequences?

I have seen in one organization the out door duty approval process. There were two- page form with approval of supervisor (Recommended by), line manager (Sanctioned by), functional manager (Approved by), HR manager (Noted) and finally accounts manager (for expense payment).

“Why do you require so many approvals? Supervisor and HR signature is enough.”

 “This is a practice.” I got the answer. The reason was everybody wanted to show their power by signing the document.

We, HR professionals are very expert in designing different procedures, forms. Can we just ask the question? “Why do we need it? Is this process adding some value? Can we make it online and save the non-value added time?

The question is who will ties the bell to the cat? (You know, after all most of the things happen around are for showing the importance and power)