Saturday, 24 August 2002  
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You are being watched..!

Drove into a petrol station 'cause I'd run out of gas and was startled to see a flurry of activity all around. Attendants who generally hung around like wall paper and who acted as if they were doing you a favour, were suddenly walking around briskly, filling in gas as if they were working on an oil rig, making out receipts at a spectacular speed and even giving a smile to the surprised motorists. "Must be a change of management,"

I told my driver. The driver didn't say anything, just pointed out a small dapper looking man to me. "Who's that?" I asked.

Their boss," said my driver. "He owns the petrol bunk.

We drove away and as I reclined at the back, I wondered how each one of us would behave if we knew we were being watched by our boss. Well not necessarily by our actual boss but those that mattered in our life. Those who could fire us or be hurt by our bad behaviour.

Would the husband flirt with his secretary if he knew his wife was watching? Would the wife fantasize about the Baywatch hunks if she felt her husband could look into her mind? I settled down in my sleep and nearly fell asleep when I felt my driver eyes on me in the rear view mirror. I pretended to be fast asleep and watched with one eye as he cut through a red signal. I coughed angrily and saw him looking at me guiltily.

"Character, " I had read, "is what you do when no one is watching. Personality is how you behave when the eyes of everyone are on you."

There's a lot of personality floating around nowadays but precious little character. What a man or woman does when he is behind closed doors is his or her business we say. But what he does behind those doors is what ultimately shapes him, and at some period of time in his life that door will open and reveal to all the world what sort of a person he really is.

So lets start playing a game from today.

Lets imagine someone is always watching us. That our life is on some giant television screen and our every movement is under scrutiny. Feel like playing? Not very many of us are going to feel too comfortable. You look guiltily at those imaginary pair of eyes as you tip a government clerk to get a piece of work done quickly.

You think those eyes are not watching you as you stare lustily at the scantily clad model in the newspaper. You hope those ears are not listening as you 'harmlessly' flirt with your best friend's wife on the phone. Suddenly you realize that the game's a tough one.

Get those eyes off me!" you shout.

But if you can try it out for a day, then a week, and finally make those observing eyes a part of your life, then slowly but surely a new you will start being formed .

A you with character. A new you of integrity. A you who can look into yon mirror and respect the person reflected within.

Give the 'you are being watched' game a try. It could change your life..!

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