Nirvana of the Free-Market Philosopher : Charles Handy's White Stone.

In "The Hungry Spirit ," Charles Handy says that he keeps a small white stone on his desk.

He writes,

"It refers to a mysterious verse in The Book of Revelations in the Bible, a verse which goes like this: "To the one who prevails, the Spirit says, I will give a white stone... on which is written a name, which shall be known only to the one who receives it."

Handy provides us with a message of hope that gives us confidence to overcome- 'prevail'- these hard times of job insecurity and mounting losses. Handy believes that in withholding security, the free market unshackles the human spirit from its dependence on external props. With its insistence on continuous learning and rewarding excellence, the free market challenges us to explore our character and overcomes its limitations through learning and initiative.

"Because," Handy says, "we find ourselves through what we do and through the long struggle of living with and for others."I do, therefore I am," is more real than "I think, therefore I am."

In indicating that the success of our life is measured not by what we leave behind, but on what we take away with us, by what we have earned, not on what we were given- Charles Handy's White Stone symbolism holds a positive message: "it suggests that we have to take the initiative."

"Life is a search for the white stone. It will be different one for each of us. Of curse, it depends on what is meant by 'prevail'. It means, I suspect, passing life's little tests, until you are free to be yourself, which is when you can get your white stone,"

writes Charles Handy.

Challenging times such as these are the most rewarding: unless challenged, we won't surpass ourselves: "We can make of our lives a masterpiece if we so wish," declares Handy.

In the same book, Handy writes about Luke, a Caribbean youth who had shaken off apathy and despair.

""What happened?," I asked.

"Well, when things were at their worst, I rang my dad and told him how I felt. All he said was, "Think about this; when you get to heaven you will meet the man you might have been," then he put the phone down. That was all I needed. I went away, thought about it, and applied to college"".

That might-have-been-man is you. If you can, then why not?

Unless we try, we won't find out..

Charles Handy: The moment will arrive when you are comfortable with who you are, and what you are- bald or old or fat or poor, successful or struggling- when you don't feel the need to apologize for anything or to deny anything. To be comfortable in your own skin is the beginning of strength. Derek Walcott, the Nobel prize-winning poet from the Caribbean, sums up what it feels like when you reach that goal: The time will come when, with elation, you will greet yourself arriving at your own door, in your own mirror, and each will smile at the other's welcome, and say, sir here. Eat. You will love again the stranger who was yourself. Give wine. give bread. Give back your heart to itself, to the stranger who has loved you all your life, whom you ignored for another, who knows you by heart. Take down the love letters from the bookshelf, the photographs, the desperate notes, peel your own image from the mirror. Sit. Feast on your life.