Is experience, the lock for taking decision?: Is experience, the lock for taking decision?

Is experience, the lock for taking decision?: Is experience, the lock for taking decision?: Is experience, the lock for taking decision? Is it not ridiculous to say it (!)? How one can arrive at matured decision without experi...

Is experience, the lock for taking decision?

Is experience, the lock for taking decision?

Is it not ridiculous to say it (!)? How one can arrive at matured decision without experience? Anything to start with in our lives, whether it’s a business proposition or getting a suitable service, the first and prime most prerequisite is experience. Is it not a bizarre statement?

Of course, some Vedic scripts from India pronounced it, unequivocally. I used to wonder how it could be interpreted as it cannot be ruled out on the face of it. I was groping in the dark for its interpretation for several years. I use to pose this question, which is haunting my mind for long, to my friends, acquaintances, and even the scholars. But I could not get any satisfactory reply.

One day, I was traveling from my home town to the place of work, after breaking my leave. My place of work was a hill town; I had left with no substitute but to resort to a bus, to travel on the hills to reach the destiny. It was a set practice to stop the bus at the foot of the hills (in a town), to allow travelers to take some snacks or food at the nearby hotels, as we had to go long way, moreover, there is no place on the way to eat.

I had finished my food and standing outside the bus, waiting for the bus to start. Suddenly, a strange person appeared before me, addressing me as “brother” in a warm tone and started inquiring welfare of his uncle and aunt (Presumably my father and mother). I replied him with a soft tone that I didn’t know him and even seen him in the past. He protested that I had forgotten him and expressed his annoyance, stating “how people forget their kith and kin?”

He continued keeping his unpleasant face, asked me to give him 20 bucks. Now it’s my turn to get annoyed for his irritable behavior of changing the topic so swiftly and denied his request. Unexpectedly, he became violent and pulled his shirt sleeves up, frowning bitterly and said that he would see how I don’t pay it. I didn’t contemplate this hasty change of situation and shouted at him, go to hell! And leave the place at once! I should call police! If don’t leave the place. Perhaps he didn’t expect this retort; he vanished from the place immediately. I continued my journey further, and thought how people cheat others for want of money by adopting cheap tricks. During the course of time the incident gradually vanished from my mind.

The time went on, after couple of years, I happened to travel in the same route. The bus made a halt at the foot of the hill in its usual routine, allowing people to take their food. Though I was not feeling hungry, I quickly finished my food at nearby restaurant and waiting outside the bus to continue my journey.

The bus was about to start, a well-dressed man entered the bus hurriedly; and put his brief case in the overhead cabinet. He called a hawker-boy, and asked him to get him a cold soft drink to quench his thirst. He drank it fast and handed him the empty bottle and put his hand to take out his wallet for money. Suddenly, he was panicky, and started checking all the pockets of his trouser and shirt. On the other hand, the hawker-boy is hurrying up to give him money as the bus may start at any moment.

He looked around with a gloomy face, and turned to me, asked whether I can spare some money and continued to say that he lost his money wallet. My mind suddenly switched to the previous incident I had there, and for a spur of moment I thought it to be a trick to extract money, and he will vanish with some pretest after taking money. But somehow my ethics had not allowed me to reject him. Without uttering a word, I handed him a currency note of 100 bucks. He took it, paid the hawker-boy, and purchased a ticket to the town, where I was going. He continued the discussion by sitting beside me, and said he was on a business trip and would return my money after going back to his place. He insisted me for my postal address, which I reluctantly gave him. He continued saying something; but I put a deaf ear, and started thinking whether I was deceived or the incident is genuine.

I alighted from the bus after reaching the destiny, and bid good-bye to him. In my busy schedules of work I had completely forgotten the incident. One day, while I was at work, the postal attendant appeared and said I had money order for 100 bucks. To my surprise it is from the gentleman, who traveled with me on the other day. In his message, he wrote that he felt sorry for the delay in returning the money and thanked me profusely.

It made me to go back to the two incidents that occurred and felt very sorry for doubting the issue posed by that gentleman. I was sad for comparing his case with the former one (I felt the comparison was not apple to apple). It made me clear that I erred as I had judged the second incident with the former one.

It had opened the gate that one should not judge the incidents with the experience gained through other occurrences. It also revealed that every incident shall be analyzed as fresh to understand it thoroughly.

With these two incidents the statement saying “Is experience, the lock for taking decision?” is justified.

***

Kasturi Subbarao,

Hyderabad, Telangana State,

India