The author has been active in some of the consulting assignments he had taken up for sometime now. Idiosyncratic – his method of learning – caught yet another point that can have a huge bearing on how we make decisions.
Requests, are those that can lure one into making a decision to do or not to do something, more for the good of somebody than the one honoring it. A brief look into the world of those honoring requests helps classify it.
- Some tend to accept requests because they have really no choice, in that, request was only a manifestation of an order – a case of soft bullying where the one requested unknowingly (most possibly unwillingly) plays the game into the hands of the one requesting
- And some times, acceptance is because of a long standing liability, where the request is seen by the acceptor more as an opportunity to get rid of the liability – a case where the one requested is very likely to see relations as dummy, only accepting things not really with an intent to honor
- And for some, accepting a request is a service of a higher order that satiates the appetite for their innate needs – a case where the request is often seen in a lighter mode, only to bear the brunt of any mishandling in the long term
- And there are also quite a few of those hapless creatures who always wear shyness under the sleeves, who can not really see no choice apart from acceptance – a case most unwanted by the nature; for it is a relation between two losers
- There is also an interesting category of people who say that they do accept requests to make better use of their free time – a case where the one requested belongs to the set of those people who are generally bad at setting their priorities, failing to do things as they plan
The author announces to the world that requests are made to the strong, and the strong then is liable to retain his strength honoring the request. The strong therefore needs to carefully understand the techniques that people use to have their requests honored (which is more of a political game at a transactional level of communication). While at the same time, requests are to be made only when there is a genuine need for assistance; and that shall be seen only as one of the alternatives, but not the only, for getting things done.
Believe it or not! Most of the human race is kind, and hence can not deny a humble request. However, realize that there is a bit of guile in every human being – and beware of that. Request, all said and done, almost is undeniable at the moment – and thus is a strong weapon. On the flip side, the story makes ‘request’ a double-edged sword when the weapon is misused – it gives the both powers, of choice and denial, to the one requested.
Future Rules | History Repeats
Negotiations are a reality every moment of life. Selfish gene triggers it, and the survival gene settles it.
– Kumar Atreya
There are a couple of interesting news items for the readers.
- Case of Mr. Faraj, an australian-muslim who was sentenced to jail for 12 years for writing a book on “Do it yourself – terrorism” kind of stuff. The legal question in reference here is whether he used/misused his right for speech/writing. If the law says (as it now does) that we have a right to speech, fundamental right – it is unlimited but to the extent of not traducing about the country. Though, the author is not encouraging such books getting permeated through the markets, he questions the sanctity of the punishment given to Mr. Faraj. If only the book had a language indicating the history of terrorist incidents – with description of how things were executed – it would have been treated as a literary work of economic significance. Take cues from our television dailies where the script visually showcases the terrorist activities!! If such serials/dailies are not a crime, then how could law judge that the language of book was breaching fundamental rights, and that it was a cause of concern for the society.
- Case of Ms. Kerrie Wooltorton, a lady from UK. Where in we treat suicide as a crime, this lady made a living will that she shall not be treated by any doctors, and shall not receive any medical help – in case she is willing to die. And four days after she was admitted in the Norwich hospital she died, a death that was a result of her suicide attempts. Doctors – though could help her medically – could not take the initiative to treat her. One of the doctors said, “Treating her after that living will was felt like more of an assault..”. Now, imagine the extent to which legal rights have been misused to kill oneself.
A case that hides in both the above contexts is that, “The educated and legally aware won on law, but only with her death. And another educated and may not be so legally aware/inclined lost the battle to law only to surrender his life to jail. However, while the intention was criminal in both cases, the result was controlled by the law – yet being out of bounds to an extent.”
Future Rules | History Repeats
Law is just another academic field, forcibly implemented in a social system. It lives with the power, and rests with the weaker.
– Kumar Atreya
