We have to take decisions cautiously as we walk down the road of life because every person have two things in him, namely, a tendency to take the good road through the law of reason and a pull towards the path of evil by the law of the body. The difficulties that we face in our daily life are no less dramatic; they are a mixed bag of big, small, social and personal problems.
As we move from cradle to the grave we come across ill-mannered ‘mocking birds’ with mocking grins at physical imperfections and behavioural oddities of individuals, which the cradle gives and the grave takes. The victim’s mind should come to a decision not to get annoyed at mockery as the time between start and end result of mocking gaze with rolling eyes is extremely brief, though the, humiliation seems complete.
Many females stumble upon whistling Romeos who sit and grin and ‘vulgar peeping Toms’ who in their hearts have no regard for or fear of the moral law, as they pursue their sexual delights. Victims of such individuals should first choose to ignore them; if they carry on with their sex slanting enjoyment, they should be warned and if they prolong with their tactics they should be brought under the long arm of the law. So, at every crossroad necessity compels and nature impels us to take a decision.
In a nut shell, there are three types of decisions to take as we journey from this human habitat to our Father’s home in Heaven.
First and foremost are those that are personal and do not affect others such as; whether to wear undies, bikinis while going for a swim in the Arabian Sea; or what to eat when food is served at a buffet-dinner — vegetarian or a non-vegetarian grub; and whether to drink alcohol or coco cola at a social function.
A student may decide to put off studying till the last minute. Many decide to commit suicide due to pressure in social and personal lives.
Secondly, there are some more important decisions that affect others. e.g., we take the wrong direction on the road of life and form bad habits.
Older people indulge in unhealthy old ways, of food and drinks, in sickening regularity until they fall prey to chronic illness and become a burden to the living.
Lastly, there are decisions that affect society, the country and the world at large.
Looking back over, my teenage years at incidents that took place before and after the liberation of Goa, are the ones where Goans took decisions; they flash effortlessly before my eyes.
Due to the suppression of liberties in Goa under the Salazar dictatorship Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia took a decision at a public meeting in Margao on 18th June 1946, and launched a movement for civil liberties which set in motion a mass movement for freedom from the Portuguese rule. When cases of torture by the Portuguese came to the notice of Jawaharlal Nehru, he took a decision and liberated Goa in December, 1961. The Portuguese Governor General Vassalo da Silva took the decision to surrender as his army of 3,000 was ill-equipped and outnumbered by 30,000 Indian troops, supported by the Indian air force and navy.
I am also transported through time and space to the days after liberation. The Historic Opinion Poll of Goans which was a decision to maintain Goa’s unique identity. Goan’s decision to become a state was another political milestone of Goans which they attained and also the declaration of Konkani as Goa’s official language. Extricating myself from the present and going through the past pages of history, I come across Colonel Dyer’s decision to fire on an unarmed people who had gathered for a peaceful meeting which led to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre which is also known as the Amritsar massacre. I also come across Hitler who decided to establish Aryan hegemony which unleashed World War II.
The world can become good only if decisions of men are good. Therefore, think and decide on your road of life.
I conclude with the words of Harry Emerson Fosdick: “No Niagara is ever turned into light and power until it is tunnelled. No life ever grows great until it is focused, dedicated, disciplined.”
