Second Choice is
Always There

If you try to opt for the first choice and fail, then do not
consider it as the end. It is a signal that there may be another better option waiting for you.

Narendra Damodar Das Modi became the Prime Minister of India after winning the 16th General Elections in the country. During election campaigns, an instance was reported in the media that at an election rally held on 5 May 2014 at Amethi, Modi said: Log kehte hain ki Modi haar jayega toh kahan jayega. Tum chinta mat karo. Meri chai banane ki ketli ka samaan tayyar hai. (People ask where Modi would go if he loses the elections. They need not worry. My tea kettle is ready.)

One aspect of this utterance of the Prime Minister is that it shows the strength of India, where a person can reach the highest post having started from humble beginnings.

There is another aspect. Initially the above remark may have been considered a joke but in the extended sense we can derive from it a wise formula of life. And that formula is – if you lose the first option do not waste time in worrying; instead seek for the second option. Life is full of options. If you try to opt for the first choice and fail, then do not consider it as the end. It is a signal that there may be another better option waiting for you.

Former Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru completed his law degree from Trinity College, Cambridge. In 1912, he started his law career in Allahabad with his father Motilal Nehru, a successful lawyer. But after some time, he decided to shift to politics. It is said that an Indian student studying law was once asked what he would do after completing his course. He replied: Chal gayi to Motilal, nahin chali to Jawaharlal. (If I succeed it would be like Motilal, and if I fail, then also there is an example for me in Jawaharlal!)

This is the only wise formula. It applies to both non-political and political spheres of life. This formula means that after losing the first chance, there still exists a possibility of achieving success. The law of nature is always with you. For example, in non-political life if you lose a job there might exist an option of a second job. In political life, if you do not receive majority in the assembly, there exists an option of choosing the healthy role of opposition.

Life is full of uncertainties, then what to do? It is not possible that the result of a person’s striving is always in accordance with his wishes. In such a situation, the best policy is that of adjustment. This formula has many advantages. It saves you from unnecessary stresses, makes you wise enough to utilize your time and gives you a chance to re-plan your life. This formula gives you unshakeable hope. It saves you from the killer psychology of complaints and protests. Once I was in a valley where I saw rivulets cascading down from top of the mountain peaks. I noticed the way each stream flowed till it arrived at a boulder. It did not try to break the rock in order to move ahead. Rather, when it encountered the rock, it simply swerved to the left or to the right, around the sides of the rock, and kept on with its journey uninterrupted. This phenomenon has a great lesson. It teaches that nature adopts the second choice if the first choice is not workable. When you fail to attain the first option, you need to instantly divert your energy to discover the second option. Nature and history both give us a message: if you fail to achieve the first choice, try to avail of the second choice that has existed all along.