Method in Madness
By: Geo (June 1st, 2009)
The government has floated three town planning schemes for an area called Bopal in Ahmedabad but has not been able to implement any of these as Bopal has witnessed haphazard and unplanned construction activities for the last two decades. The layout and the utilization of the spaces in this area is so bad that the government is wary to start anything. The government wishes that it had shown foresight before approving plans for the area. A regret, that will remain unattended for decades.
Residents of a housing society in Sola in Ahmedabad received notices from the government to evacuate the premises at the earliest as their homes stand on illegal land! The builder, who has turned out to be a cheat, had built the society on someone else’s property and had managed to keep the matter under cover for a long time, maybe by pure brute force. However, the residents have now to either face demolition or perhaps put up the possibility of buying their homes all over again! Oh! Only if they had shown more prudence in checking out the title of the land and the assets, they wouldn’t have reached a stage where most of them have their entire life’s savings wiped out!!
The madness that a single decision or series of decisions can cause is often underestimated and undermined. Small things can become reasons for so much anguish and suffering that it could even hamper health and well being, not to mention the man hours and money that could be lost.
During General Colin Powell’s tenure as US Secretary of State, he discovered that a speech he made to the United Nations had been based in part, on wrong information. In his long and distinguised career, he considered this incident as a low point and a blot on his record. “I am disappointed”, he told a reporter. “I’m sorry it happened and wish those who knew better had spoken up at that time, but there isn’t anything else I can say about it.” I am sure he would have thought to himself, “If only I had verified the information personally before speaking it at the United Nations!” A mistake that had the potential to make General Powell not forgive himself for the rest of his life!
Now we have seen that none of us is free of taking mistake free decisions, be it governments, groups of people or be it individuals. We will make mistakes, some of which are irrevocable, some which have costly consequences and some which can remain a blot on our story and name forever. So what does it mean? That we should give up. That we should continue to live in the madness of the mistake?
We should find a method in the madness. The government should find a method of implementing a plan that fulfils the social requirements of a plan, compromising in some areas and standing firm on others where it can afford to be rigid. The group of people who lost the right over their houses should fight it without giving up and pressurise the government to punish the guilty, be it the builder or the authorities who closed their eyes to illegal construction and also try to make the government to provide alternate housing or staying arrangements. General Powell forgave himself and decided to “focus on the front windshield and not on the rearview mirror of life”. There is always an option of lamenting about the mistakes we have done in the past but it is brave to look forward and move on.
Finding the method in the madness is the way to go. What has happened has happened. If it cannot be undone, a method has to be found. We all need to learn from our pasts be it a honest mistake, a moral failure or a foolish decision. It can remain in our minds and drag us down but the past should be allowed to remain only as a part of our lives and we should never allow the downsides to determine our future.
King Solomon says, ” honey…is sweet to your taste; so shall the knowledge of wisdom be to your soul. If you have found it, there is a prospect (future hope) and your hope will not be cut off!”
There is a prospect in every situation, a method in every madness. We only need to find it. With God’s wisdom and the forgiveness that He offers, we can focus on the future with hope.
Tags: colin powell, decisions, madness, method, mistake
June 5th, 2009 at 9:34 am
It’s so true and powerful; a decision made by one individual can impact the whole society.
Basically the two ingredients are, never let your past rule your present rather allow your future to rule your present. And second, never let it be selfish. But what an irony, when the ingredients, starts becoming an icing over each other.
June 21st, 2009 at 11:42 pm
It is totally nonsensical the way u have linked up the absurdities… And that my dear is the fun part.
I think what u have written about couldn’t have been clearer in any other way of description. I see the fact that u lay more importance on progress than on trivial criticisms. I wish some top government official reads this.
This article will increase the number of ur fan following for sure. Plus one already !