Oh God, He is proactive!!!

Nowadays it is fashionable to talk about being "proactive" which means you are the first one to act in a given circumstance to resolve a problem. Proactive persons take things on their shoulders and try to resolve even cricis situations. To be proactive requires indepth understanding of the various concepts associated with the situation and also a clear understanding of the problem at hand.
Today's business schools teach everything about being proactive without dvelving on "indepth understanding of the various concepts associated with the situation and also a clear understanding of the problem at hand" and leave it to the imagination of the person wanting to be proactive to decide these variables.
As a result a half baked knowledge level becomes a comedy (or tragedy?) when the same is applied in an attempt to be proactive.
A typical proactive conversation that I (ME hereafter) had with a shop attendant (SA hereafter) in an electronic super market is given below. I was just gazing at the various products on display.
SA: Good Morning Sir (a very proactive gesture..........but the time was 7 PM)
ME: Good Evening.
SA: What would you like to buy and may I help you?
ME: I would like to buy a UV water filter from Philips
SA: At the moment we are out of stock for UV water filter from Philips brand and it is expected in about a week's time.
ME: Fine, this is my number. Call me when the stock arrives.
SA: Okay Sir.
With this the conversation must have been over. But see his proactiveness. Read on.
SA: Sir, Can I show you a lovely LCD television and HT system from Philips? (somebody must have told him not to leave any customer without offering all the products in stock)
ME: No, I dont want to buy LCD TV and HT system now. I just want a UV water filter and I can wait for a week for that to arrive.
SA: OK Sir, we have electric iron on discount sale.
ME: Let me see
SA: This one is from Bajaj, MRP is Rs.850/- now it is only Rs.700/- (the same stuff is only Rs.650/- in the shop opposite to this one without any talk of a discount sale and I point it out to him)
SA: Sir, that must be a old stock.
ME: No, it is same as your shop stock.
SA: Is it, I will look into it.....(dont you think I have to say this sentence?)
ME: OK. Call me when UV water filter arrives.
SA: Sir, do you want a mixer grinder from Philips?
ME: No not now.
SA: OK Sir, I will call when stock of UV water filter arrives.
With this I take the staircase to the first floor of the same shop. Bang at the entrace of the first floor were 3 different models of UV water heaters on display from Philips.
I asked the attendant in the first floor why the ground floor staff does not know about this and instead told me the same was out of stock.
He politely replied "He must be a contract staff, not aware of the position"
I asked him "I also want to buy electric iron from Bajaj"
He replied after looking around "We are out of stock. Give me your number. I will call you when we get the supplies within a weeks time"
I could not waste time and went to the ground floor fellow and asked him why the first floor chap does not know about the electric iron from Bajaj that is on sale.
He politely said "He must be a contract staff, not aware of the position"
This is how many persons act in a proactive way without even knowing the facts of the circumstance.
The sentences spoken by them are reassuring if you look at them in isolation. But the fact that they are hollow without any truth in it and without any commitment makes them ineffective.
To all the guys and girls wanting to be "proactive", please take stock of the situation and begin by being "active" - then you can aspire to be "proactive". Love.