To Act or Not to Act
According to news items which appeared on December 14, 1983 in The Times of India and Hindustan Times, a Delhi Police party in a Matador van was giving chase to a white Fiat car in a street near the income tax offices, when it made a sudden U-turn to speed away from them. Its driver had obviously panicked at the sight of a police party on patrol duty. As the police van started gaining ground on the car, one of the car’s occupants began firing at the van. Now convinced that it was escaping criminals they had to deal with, the police returned fire. But the fleeing car ultimately sped out of view. That same evening, a dead body was found lying in a street near the Shahadara hospital. It turned out to be the body of one Subhash, a criminal who had been involved in no less than 20 cases of dacoity, and for whom the police were offering a reward of Rs. 15,000, dead or alive. Shortly after being wounded by police gunshots, he had succumbed to his injuries, and been thrown out of the car by the other miscreants.
The fatal outcome of this incident shows how, all too often, the steps we take in haste to avert disaster can simply rebound on us. It was quite possible that if the occupants of the white car had continued their journey in a normal way, they would have aroused no suspicion and would have escaped being hit by the police. Their evasive action and their violence only drove them into a worse predicament.
In this world, there is no one who does not, at some time or the other, have his sagacity put to the test. Those who are ever ready to put up a fight are very frequently doomed to failure. In order to succeed in this world, we have to know when to act and when to refrain from acting. Sometimes one has no option but to proceed with one’s journey—to go straight ahead—but sometimes it is wiser to turn off to the left or the right. The exigencies of daily living in this world are an ongoing test of one’s wisdom, and it is only those who can measure up to the severest standards who will ultimately be successful in life.
