Sunday, July 18, 2010
Right vs effective... contd
But then again, what is man? A function of his genes, upbringing, desires and circumstances? principles? pride? self-respect?
Right or effective?
Someone recently said we should concentrate on being effective, rather than being right. She pointed out that growing up, we are taught to be right - at home, in school, at university; but at work its more important to be effective.
Its a question which has been troubling me since then. She is right - to the extent that her philosophy seems to describe what most people seem to do - concentrate on being effective rather than being right. But really, what is being effective? Is it an euphemism for compromise? People compromise. They grow up and they compromise. They give up on their principles - maybe they never had any in the first place. These are all good people - they wont want to hurt anyone, they want to be right but they end up effective - which is a good thing. Or is it?
Why do we become effective? What makes us compromise? Maybe because we start having and wanting things; and we become afraid of losing or not having them and therefore we think "I want to be effective". As Buddha said, desire is the source of all suffering. Or maybe, all compromise.
If you have nothing to lose, you would never compromise; the more you have, the more you want, the weaker you are.
Gandhi is a case in point. He never compromised. India might have been free in 1922, but after Chauri Chaura, he called off the non-cooperation movement. He wanted non-violence and he would have it; even if it meant India wasn't to get freedom for 27 more years. Again, in 1947, he didn't want prime ministership; he never really seemed to want anything than to live by his principles and he never budged on them.
I dont know. Everybody is so afraid, so diplomatic, so "correct". Where are the people who care about being right and are not afraid of saying it? Humanity has grown stronger; unfortunately humans seem to have become weaker.
Strength, in the end, is everything.
Its a question which has been troubling me since then. She is right - to the extent that her philosophy seems to describe what most people seem to do - concentrate on being effective rather than being right. But really, what is being effective? Is it an euphemism for compromise? People compromise. They grow up and they compromise. They give up on their principles - maybe they never had any in the first place. These are all good people - they wont want to hurt anyone, they want to be right but they end up effective - which is a good thing. Or is it?
Why do we become effective? What makes us compromise? Maybe because we start having and wanting things; and we become afraid of losing or not having them and therefore we think "I want to be effective". As Buddha said, desire is the source of all suffering. Or maybe, all compromise.
If you have nothing to lose, you would never compromise; the more you have, the more you want, the weaker you are.
Gandhi is a case in point. He never compromised. India might have been free in 1922, but after Chauri Chaura, he called off the non-cooperation movement. He wanted non-violence and he would have it; even if it meant India wasn't to get freedom for 27 more years. Again, in 1947, he didn't want prime ministership; he never really seemed to want anything than to live by his principles and he never budged on them.
I dont know. Everybody is so afraid, so diplomatic, so "correct". Where are the people who care about being right and are not afraid of saying it? Humanity has grown stronger; unfortunately humans seem to have become weaker.
Strength, in the end, is everything.
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