Friday 29 April 2005

The politician inside all of us

Slowly it is starting to dawn on me as to how politicized some inter-personal/social relationships actually are. By that I mean to say, it becomes obvious that over a period of time, that the actions (note: watch what they do, not what they say - no matter how charitable the sentiments) of any one person or persons are consistent with following an agenda which, like some classic textbook exposition of game theory, results in either a positive or negative outcome for either player. Like the dodo, in the desi universe it would appear that the affirmative win-win situation is well and truly extinct.

Unfortunately, life being what it is - about making choices, making decisions - means that invariably each one of us may run into opinions (usually vocally intransigent) which run counter to our proposed actions. Those who walk into this with their eyes closed, remaining in their comfort zone and unwilling to stand their ground are likely to remain a chamcha/serf to others for the rest of their lives. Conversely, the initial pain of conflict may prove to be a cathartic liberating experience for those who stand by their decisions. In this sense, I often think back to a quote attributed to Cato who wrote "Some men are better served by their bitter-tongued enemies than by their sweet-smiling friends; because the former often tell the truth; the latter, never."

I wish you all well in your political careers.... :)

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