Compromise a fact of life
Compromise is usually perceived as a sign of weakness and defeat
Life is unpredictable. It does not always go as we plan or want it to be. It is not even a matter of choice most of the time. But what we can do is to ensure that whenever life gives us a chance, we make our best effort to make good decisions through wise choices and by compromising on the right things.
Compromise is a fact of life. No matter how much hard work, goodwill and positivity we put in, it’s inevitable to escape weak moments. When we are young, many of us think that we will have a life of our choice, but eventually with the passage of time and experience, we come to realise that there is a limit to planning for the future and things don’t always pan out as planned. However, we can adopt the half glass full approach. We do not always get what we want but we can choose to stay happy and content with whatever we have and do not have.
Not long ago, while discussing journalism, a teacher of mine pointed out that we have to make compromises. As a researcher, I could understand that research studies do have limitations but as a journalist, however, it was not easy to digest an idea coming from a teacher and journalist. But that is how it goes.
A couple of years ago, a former colleague resigned on the second day of his hard-earned job. He had to take his ailing mother on Umrah and the bosses were not ready to delay his training and grant him leave. Arguably, he could not have had a better career start but he made a compromise.
Compromise is usually perceived as a sign of weakness and defeat. It is assumed that wise decisions may save us from making compromises. But at times, patience, understanding and a little willingness to compromise is the most apt choice. We need to understand that we may fight as hard as we can but at the end, there is going to be some percentage of reasonable compromise. While doing that, however, we must remember that we may compromise between bad, worse and worst and between good, better and best but we should never do it between good and evil.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 22nd, 2016.
Compromise is a fact of life. No matter how much hard work, goodwill and positivity we put in, it’s inevitable to escape weak moments. When we are young, many of us think that we will have a life of our choice, but eventually with the passage of time and experience, we come to realise that there is a limit to planning for the future and things don’t always pan out as planned. However, we can adopt the half glass full approach. We do not always get what we want but we can choose to stay happy and content with whatever we have and do not have.
Not long ago, while discussing journalism, a teacher of mine pointed out that we have to make compromises. As a researcher, I could understand that research studies do have limitations but as a journalist, however, it was not easy to digest an idea coming from a teacher and journalist. But that is how it goes.
A couple of years ago, a former colleague resigned on the second day of his hard-earned job. He had to take his ailing mother on Umrah and the bosses were not ready to delay his training and grant him leave. Arguably, he could not have had a better career start but he made a compromise.
Compromise is usually perceived as a sign of weakness and defeat. It is assumed that wise decisions may save us from making compromises. But at times, patience, understanding and a little willingness to compromise is the most apt choice. We need to understand that we may fight as hard as we can but at the end, there is going to be some percentage of reasonable compromise. While doing that, however, we must remember that we may compromise between bad, worse and worst and between good, better and best but we should never do it between good and evil.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 22nd, 2016.