WE CHOOSE

‘Choice, not chance determines your destiny’

Aristotle

These words
mean a lot. There is substance in these words and the substance is Commitment.
We must reckon that choice and challenge are twins more like Siamese
twins not capable of being separated.

Every choice
comes with an opportunity and appended risks. Hence, every choice is a risk.
There is no success unless we choose. However, action based on choice backed by
commitment and effort achieves success, for example : Tilak and Gandhi’s call
for Swaraj backed by commitment and effort gave us Independence and John
Kennedy’s call to get man to moon in 1962 was not mere words or rhetoric but
was backed by national resources and national effort.

Let us consider
a few instances of choice :

•    As a nation we chose independence. We chose
  partition. We chose secularism and then we chose Mandal which has led to the
  division of society – instead of having a cohesive outlook we have divided
  ourselves by caste, colour and creed. Ironically, this is not what the framers
  of our Constitution and seekers of independence dreamt of. Their aim was to
  create a cohesive society – whereas today we have a fractured society.
  The present state is the result of what our leaders chose. Virtually every
  section of society is seeking reservation for government jobs and educational
  opportunities. There are protests; quite a few are violent which damage public
  property. The issue is : can society choose to accept violence!

•    One’s choice to have harmony in a family is
  to choose to sublimate individual ambition for achieving progress and happiness
  of the family.

•   Business and organisation though based on an
  individual’s (CEO or owners) vision is created through team work hence the
  visionary chooses to create an institution which is guided by the visionary but
  is not individual centred.

•    Prime Minister Modi’s vision of India based
  on ?Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’ is based on the choice of co-operation with
  dissenting political parties.

•    One’s choice to become a chartered accountant
  was based on one’s commitment to hard work, go through a period of training and
  pass one of the toughest exams.

•    We chose to be chartered accountants because
  we choose to serve stakeholders and provide the stakeholders with true and fair
  financial statements. We have chosen to accept a social responsibility.

There are
choices we make in every aspect of our life. Every decision in our life is a
choice. The issue is : what is the base of our choice. In my view choice
should be based on discrimination, detachment and discussion. Decision based on
emotion can be wrong but decisions based on the three Ds are rational
and yield the desired results. Discussion could be with yourself, your mentor,
friend, relative or your team. I believe before discussing with others
discussion with one’s oneself or one’s own self is very relevant.

The issue is
: can we live – nay
exist without choice – I perceive that two times an individual does not have a
choice – is the time of birth and death. Choice is an integral part of our
existence. Metaphorically speaking it is rightly said : one can choose friends
but has no choice as to parents and siblings. It is one’s choice to enjoy them
or suffer them. Further, one has the choice of learning from one’s mistakes
rather than crib and wail over them. Above all one has the choice of
complaining and being dissatisfied or accepting the environment and being
satisfied and happy.

I would
conclude by quoting Byron Grant,

            ‘Being a man or woman is a matter
of birth.

            Being a man or woman who makes a
difference

            is a matter of choice‘

In short, it is only a happy person who can make a
difference.