Unawareness is not an Excuse  

Never try to achieve the unachievable. First of all you have to assess each situation, examine the whole matter realistically,
then do your best to understand your position vis-à-vis the
stance taken by others.

There is a saying that ignorance of the law is no excuse for breaking it. Apparently this saying only concerns legal matters, but in fact, it is a general rule, applicable to all kinds of situations, from booking a ticket to forming state policies.

For example, suppose you are doing a job in a company in such a way that it leads to a serious dispute with your boss. If your boss takes strong action against you, in such a situation you cannot say you were not aware that the boss would take your case so seriously. This kind of excuse is not acceptable. If you are serving in a company, you have to know the principle: the boss is always right.

If you are doing business and you behave towards your customers in such a way that it annoys them and consequently your business suffers, you cannot then say that you were not aware that your customers would become angry. You have to understand from the outset that customer-friendly behaviour is essential for success in business.

This is true also of political activities. If you are the president of a democratic country, you cannot be diametrically opposed to public opinion or to what the opposition parties feel is right. If you adopt a policy that fails due to strong opposition from other parties, you cannot have any complaints about your opponents. You are, after all, living in the age of democracy and even if you are the president, it does not mean that you enjoy absolute power. You have to accept the ground realities. You have to know in advance that politics is the art of the possible.

This principle is a very common one. It is relevant to all branches of life. It is just as true for the individual, as it is for social and political matters. Of course, if you have to take decisions about your own individual life, you are free to be true to your own ideals. But, when you want to do something that affects the tenor and functioning of social or political life, you have to be practical.

Never try to achieve the unachievable. First of all you have to assess each situation, examine the whole matter realistically, then do your best to understand your position vis-à-vis the stance taken by others. Make your plans after taking all these matters into account. There is a saying in Chinese that you should start your journey from such a point that every step is a step forward.