The Thoughtless End Up As a Meatball

We are disappointed with certain results on a daily basis, not just at a particular juncture in life. The reason is only because at the earlier instance we did not exercise our ‘free will’ properly to refine our decision by applying various permutations and combinations. We avoid to foresee the unfavourable consequences. The end result is that the issue reappears not just in its raw form but threateningly most of the times in a mutated version with infirmities. The mismanaged issue is more complicated than before. Unrefined or unthoughtful decisions might backlash both as short and long term effects of the impending danger. Rejoicing with short term favourable result lure the person to repeat every act in the same fashion, which only snowballs to a catastrophe on the fateful day; especially when we manipulate to accomplish a preferred result. Such rejoice is only short term, inevitably the result proves costly or even fatal in the longterm.

Unlike the animal species, the Human brain is evolved with the ability to not only observe and store information, but also reprogram the already preserved data coded in their DNA. It applies not only to advancement of technology or scientific research but also while taking major and minor decisions both domestic such as the lifestyle, diet, relationships etc, and also that of business and career. In my opinion, the study of ‘animal behaviour’ is extremely easy in comparison to the complex study of ’humans’ for the animals do not change their uniform habitual behaviour related to their food habits, propagation, etc., unless they are located at different places on the Planet in divergent environmental conditions. Hence history speaks of only a handful few like Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, B.F.Skinner, etc., who researched on human psychology. The main reason is that animals do not have any major emotion other than hunger, and their propagation is only a biological behaviour, not emotional like humans. Skinner believed that human behaviour is driven by ‘consequence’ rather than ‘free will’. But I observed that even the consequence is a ‘product’ of free will exercised under the influence of many minor and major emotions including Power, Authority, gluttony, to amass Wealth, Sex, etc.

I took many quick and thoughtless decisions in my younger age. I have committed many blunders while separating from my joint family, and also in managing my business. Naturally, when in trouble, like any other ordinary person I too blamed others for the bad results. Fortunately, before it was too late, I became slightly wiser at the age of 55. While refined actions and thoughts give excellent results, those actions without reviewing lead to casualty. I remember a very sad incident in the late 1970; where my schoolmate Sudhakar wanted to celebrate when his wife conceived. He and another friend of his drove to the suburbs to have a couple of beers. In those days, there were only one or two Bars in the city, unlike today where we find one at every street corner. Hence youngsters travelled to the suburbs carrying their favourite Beers to some remote and discreet places. They enjoy and return to town, which was to avoid being spotted by any person known to their family. On the return drive, they crashed into a railway gate and my schoolmate died on the spot. The tragedy could have been avoided if only they had celebrated at a Hotel room or any other joint where driving could be avoided. That’s not fate; its a failure to take the right decision. In the late seventies, soon after our graduation, a friend of ours, a cricket fanatic, visited Chennai to witness a Test match between India and West Indies. On the rest day in between, he decided to go for a swim at the Mahabalipuram beach. Being a good swimmer, he didn’t hesitate and foresee the danger of the high tide on that lunar day. He entered the sea and within seconds his lifeless body was swept back to the shore. It is not fate too, I see it as a result of a bad decision. He was a very nice person and we enjoyed his company especially while narrating the highlights of his favourite sport with minute details as if he had witnessed it at close quarters. His entire family was drowned in a sea of sadness.

During my twenties, I was a great fan of Rajesh Khanna, the first and the only Superstar of Hindi Cinema. Amitabh later became a phenomenon, but my fanfare continued with Khanna only. Amitabh was drawn to politics and he swept the polls like a Juggernaut; later he realised that his entry into politics was a bad decision and pulled out. Whereas Khanna departed from his core skills and entered to politics, and he too proved his popularity by thumping victories against stalwarts of the opposition. Amitabh resigned not only from the legislature but also from politics, and returned back to cinema. Amitabh’s accident during the movie ‘Coolie’ made him sick forever, and even today he struggles with his ailments, but manages keeping fit with exercises and proper medication. Rajesh was very healthy by any standards and more popular than Amitabh, but he failed to understand his core abilities and preserve his health. Rajesh Khanna ended up with cancer and passed away early. The life story of these two contemporaries is a classic example of good and bad choices. History speaks of Leaders, Prime ministers, and Presidents, who made their choices for Power, Authority and Wealth, and finally have ended in stranded circumstances or death. I opine that those fatal results also as failures of decision taken earlier. Not fate.

I could not avoid my keen observation of a particular trait of a senior business associate during my long association with him between 1990-1998. He used to edit a simple correspondence three or more times depending on its length, until he was satisfied. I used to consider that particular habit of his as some kind of ‘obsessive compulsory disorder’. But it so happened that it caught up with me more fiercely than him; particularly in fine-tuning certain core decisions which immensely helped me in carving out my career since 2011. In my legal practice, some of my clients become exhausted and weary with my ‘refining’ act. After I draft a case, I correct it 5 times at the least, and then forward the same to my client for his approval. The funniest part is even after their approval I am critical of my own draft, and then I correct it another two times. I wonder at the blunders that I have committed earlier. Recently, I could not attend a case at the Bombay High Court due to certain health issues, hence my client engaged another Counsel. There was this simple 2 page customary Praecipe which was approved by me and then forwarded to my client. The next early morning as I habitually review my previous day’s work, I found it very poorly presented. I apologised and spent another one and a half hour to correct it until I was satisfied and thereafter forwarded it to the engaged Counsel. The end result conceptualised the urgency to hear the case in a crystal clear manner. If a small two page document could make such a difference, then reviewing our decisions can definitely improve our lives far better than what we expect.

My Clients and friends have no idea how I write my Blogs despite my hectic professional obligations at office and at home for not less than 10 to 12 hours a day. Many question me as to how I spend my Sundays, and how I unwind after a stressful day. My response is very simple and quick. I tell them that relaxation for me since past 7 months is by writing my Blogs. Even earlier I had written scores of articles on entrepreneurship. But the real flavour of the Blogs was not just writing; but by editing each Blog at least 20 times before I forward to my Technical Team for hosting. Which means a minimum of 14 hours consolidated per week is consumed only on editing. A few times, I even woke up at 2am or 3am to refine some thought process, for the fear of responsibility in choosing the right words before hosting runs simultaneously. It gives me immense satisfaction when Readers call up or send messages that they did enjoy the read, and most importantly when my perceptions are not felt repugnant. I had to put forth my perceptions extremely careful in my Blog series of ‘Price of Living Dangerously’ where I had to address the concerns of both Bankers and Entrepreneurs. After the third instalment, a leading Businessman and Client of mine responded stating, ‘Until now I was thinking of expansion, but now I am thinking again. Irrespective of my decision, it’s a good and useful blog’; which gave me relief and satisfaction that it was a meaningful Blog. If such thought process had started in someone’s mind, it proves that he had activated his ‘free will’ imagining the repercussions of further expansion. That’s wisdom. I only passed on my perception to trigger the thought process. I am no financial expert or a consultant advising any of the Readers to a particular formula.

But the same did not happen with the mighty Keechaka when he was advised by Sairandri not to make advances against her. Pandava Princes and their consort Draupadi were spending their last year of the exile in undercover at the Palace of the King Virata of Matsya Kingdom. Draupadi secured a cover as the Royal Companion to Queen Sudeshana with the name Sairandri. Keechaka, the brother of Queen Sudeshana, was de facto the monarch because of his powerful physique, equal to that of Bheema and Dhuryodana, but remained himself as the Commander of the Army and protected the Virata Kingdom. His harem of concubines were many but in his first sight of Sairandri he was possessed by an unreasoning passion towards her. Sairandri cautioned the mighty Keechaka to ‘visualise the end result’ of seeking sexual pleasures with a married woman. She warned the mighty Keechaka that her husbands were mightier than him and in his good interest he should abandon his interests in her. She warned Keechaka that he should introspect, analyse, and rethink of his ‘wants’ and its ‘repercussions’, for the after effect of such unworthy thoughts and wishes will land a person in death. Sairandri threatened Keechaka of the consequences he would face in his pursuit of an unholy objective. Keechaka only scoffed at her responding that if her husbands were really powerful as she claimed, then why was that she is employed in the Royal Palace. He did not believe her claims and brushed away her threats as meek, and advanced towards her openly and warned even his Brother-in-Law King Virata that if anyone dares to intervene, he shall see their end.

The Pandavas were furious but were afraid that they their cover would be blown if they retaliate, and be sent to a second term exile of 13 years. They waited patiently and planned to assassinate Keechaka in such manner that instead of conflicting with him in the open, they advised Draupadi to lure him for a secret meeting after the sunset. Keechaka fell into the honey-trap and met his death in hands of Bheema. The fury of Bheema was intense that after killing Keechaka after long tussle and wrestle, he was not satisfied. Bheema broke very bone in the body of keechaka like twigs and punched every muscle to paste, finally making his mortal body into a ‘meatball’. He threw the ‘meatball’ out of the Palace balcony, and it took hours for everyone to recognise the next morning. Killing of Keechaka is the most fierce and frightening of all the killings of Bheema in the entire Mahabharata. Had Keechaka imagined the threat with wisdom and taken the warning of Sairandri seriously, he would have concluded that her husbands were the mighty Pandavas who were undercover in the final year of exile. It required a simple analysis and he might have resigned from his infatuation on Sairandri. The reason it did not happen is because the Human emotions camouflage the wisdom of the mind, just like the dark clouds masking the sunlight. Most of the times the reason to all unhappiness is because one does not choose to refine his decision. The thoughtless end up as a meatball. There is no need to blame FATE