ORDERING PRIORITIES

The world we are living in, physically or psychologically, places a number of alternatives before us from which we are supposed or compelled to choose a few for the sake of our considerable survival. Often we hear that one needs to be discerning and visionary in choosing the choices available to one in order to make one’s living delightful or successful. I suppose that the very word ‘priority’ is complicated and irritating. The best way to understand ordinary or extraordinary concepts or imaginations is to check a few hypotheses, created by one or many, after an analytical search or research, by one or many, into the point under consideration, or arbitrary or commonplace examples felt by somebody for some reasons which are not clear to himself or some other people associated with him, justifiably or unjustifiably, for majority of the human relationships form on such grounds, which look odd or idiotic to many for they lack minimum common sense about such concepts, which is really irritating to some people that mostly spend much of their time thinking or worrying about others, despite being aware of the fact that nobody is interested in their illustrations, imaginations, visualizations, or any such other ideas or perspectives that look irrelevant or outdated when observed by other contemporary critics or common human beings that may or may not have a recognition and identity of their own, personally or professionally, for it is destiny that decides the fame or failure of the living beings, objecting any rational argument from the clients involved or supposed, and not the organizational or individual goals and milestones imagined or achieved or supposed to be achieved in a long run, which has no clear-cut start and end points for achievements are such the origin and destination of which can’t be noted or demarcated distinctively and visibly as we do with the ordinary running races which majority watch or talk about forgetting their racial differences for a while to feel that they really belong to such an ideal society where natural differences among human beings are ignored or forgotten for the common goals of the society at large, the smaller form of which can’t be understood by anybody in the world for it is something that looks negligible when considered during the official debates of a broader perspective and wider visionary approach aimed at altruism and world welfare, the two vital objectives of the intellectuals for ages, which could not be achieved so far for they require a realistic and practical approach toward redressing the issues at hand, while, at the same time, the agents shouldering these bigger responsibilities may feel inferior after the attainment of the same for it is a quite expected quality of both the common and uncommon to look down upon such people that finished great missions investing their hard work and commendable wisdom for the welfare of the population in totality and to greatly appreciate such silly and superficial achievers around them, the greatness of whom, perhaps, could be in lines of dealing with bat and ball in the playgrounds or attracting a few irrational idiots of the world and forming a religion of their own to which they are the Gods or Goddesses supposed to be worshipped devotedly by their crazy followers and eccentric supporters or glamor personalities that maintain a large network of fan following who lack any constructive thought of their own for which they really choose that useless profession or activity whose form and guiding principles seem to be quite mad and condemnable while a bit intelligent and calculative people ponder over such things when they have nothing to do at present for their future is uncertain based on their projections or apprehensions centered on their past which is well known to everybody in general or to a few in particular depending on the need of the hour or the perspectives they take individually or collectively in the pursuit of reaching such an ideal state of human living the very idea of which may appear to be obscure and abstract to outside observers when the internal critics are ordered to keep quiet by their superiors for the time being, wherein the impulses and intuitions of such dictating authorities are in fact questionable and objectionable, if the people working under them, happily or unhappily, have the guts to do it not minding the consequences or repercussions that may follow without any hint as such. I suppose I have adequately enlightened you regarding the issue I am going to write on below. Please consider the examples presented.

1. A handsome guy is in love with an extremely beautiful girl and yet he failed to express the same to her and so she began to observe the familiar environment to ensure that nobody observed that he has some interest toward her so that she can sincerely try somebody else that is considerably handsome and daring and dashing in terms of expression of his felt notions or suppressed emotions to the person he is in love with. In this scenario, if the first lover expresses his heart to his sweetheart one day, after knowing that some other guy is at the verge of expressing his heart to her, what should the girl do? Should she accept the love of the first fellow, who has been following her for long, or cast her vote to the second one for he may get hurt if she does not consider him for the time being for he too is interested in her. Or should she avoid both and look for somebody else or should she forget the very concept and practice of love and look toward her parents as the last resort to marry and love the one chosen by them? What about the pains involved in respect of the two desperate lovers if she chooses the ‘parental guidance’ route? How should she order her priorities in this regard?

2. In an English medium convent, situated in some part of India, a ten year old girl, presently in her fifth standard, who is very beautiful, is constantly telling her male teacher, ‘I love you’. He never experienced such an occurrence in his life prior to joining that convent as an English teacher after a rigorous selection process. Apart from that, he is neither handsome nor challenging as a teacher. He tried to correct her in a refined and smooth manner but he failed. Her parents too failed to understand her in this regard and so they ignored that issue altogether. As days were passing on, the teacher too understood that there could certainly be some rational factor which is making her behave so. In this setting, should the teacher leave that school or should he take her to some psychologist bearing the cost associated therewith pitying her stand as a small and innocent girl or should he go to a psychiatrist to rectify himself before criticizing her or should he ignore her words ‘I love you’ as irrational, irrelevant and superficial or should he reciprocate the same words to her to console her for the time being or should he consult his parents and relatives to reach a conclusive decision in this regard or should he resign his job and go to some secure and peaceful place to critically look into his own in a spiritual dimension or should he leave it to the time factor thinking that it knows how to cure incurable problems of the humans in general and complicated people in particular as is the case with him presently? How should he prioritize the importance of these solutions cropping up in his mind in a natural or unnatural way for the situation is somewhat different or difficult?

3. Two beautiful teenage girls failed to find a solution to the question, “Why don’t ugly boys follow beautiful girls in a sincere and serious and practical manner to express their love to them in some or other way?” Should they mutually discuss this issue further until they find a definitive and satisfactory answer or share their concern with their friends presuming that they don’t misunderstand them thinking that they are immature compared to them or should they see a few feature films to check if some insight could be gained in that approach or should they forget that question for it does not come in the competitive examinations or should they consult a few ugly boys and elicit their responses through a friendly and interesting chat with them or should they send that question to some expert, who might not have practical knowledge in that regard or should they intentionally fall in love with two ugly boys to know their sincere heart sometime later when they really believe that the two guys have learnt to behave honestly and frankly with them? How should they order their priorities in this regard?

4. A police stabbed a thief out of his personal grudge and is trying to show to his authorities that the latter tried to stab him while he was trying to catch him, and in the process of taking the knife from his hands, in a professional manner, the unexpected event occurred. In this situation, who should bear the heavy cost of medical treatment of the thief for he is a small thief and lacks the financial soundness required to support himself in this difficulty? Can he get justice after being discharged from the hospital fighting against the police system and that too in the context of lack of evidences? Should he stop to deal with the police forever for he knows the consequences? Or should he commit suicide after recovering from the injury for one should not die when one is suffering from some health disorder for one is supposed to experience a happy death at least if not a happy life? Or should he take the help of some lawyers presuming that they won’t charge anything to offer their services to him considering it as a special case which calls for their generosity and pity? Or should he start to live an honest and decent life thereafter assuming that the rational society does not ill-treat him when he is living an appreciable life forgetting his background? How should he order his priorities in this regard to lead a peaceful and sustainable life that can be recognized or appreciated by fellow human beings after some decades at least?

5. The parents of a mischievous boy clearly know that their one and only son is an unbearably undisciplined and brainless fellow. Since it is their moral responsibility to get him educated supposing that he may get reformed sometime later in his life, say after some fifteen years of institutional learning at least, should they join him reputed schools and colleges, spending a huge amount of money in the process? Or should they put him in the profession of cattle wherein he needs to drive the buffaloes and cows to the fields of others, when they are empty in the off-season, from his early childhood itself, foreseeing that he can become a useful person of the society one day, if not today itself, for self-reformation is a long process which can’t be achieved through shortcuts? Or should they take him to some famous neurologists and beg them to check if any unwanted network of cells is installed in his brain due to hereditary or uncommon medical factors which are quite common in the modern days? Or should they ask him to leave their house immediately and return only when he proves himself as a considerable or appreciable human being, being strengthened by himself by the hardships of human life in general, and the course of unexpected or terrific events in particular, which are quite known truths in the modern living? Or should they ask some rich people to adopt their son so that they can pursue the path of renunciation and self-discovery forgetting that they had a son at all? How should they order their priorities in this predicament hanging above the head of their son?

6. The habit of a male fellow (24 years old) is to smile at everybody that comes across him. He likes human beings, male or female, and so he expresses his feelings and notions of a common human bonding and sharing through that familiar gesture. However, many beautiful girls and women found his gesture odd and unacceptable in public places. So, they filed many cases against him in many courts of law supposing that at least one of those courts resolves the issue before they die. At last, after many years, the accused was brought to the floor of the court. He smiled at every lawyer the very moment he entered the court and thus, in a way, won their hearts within seconds, and when he noticed the presence of the judge on the other corner over there, he rendered a fascinating smile at him as well. After the serious arguments between the public prosecutor and defense lawyer concerned, for about six hours, the judge declared his verdict with a proud posture, “There is nothing serious in the whole affair. Men take his smiles as a gesture of ordinary nature and the girls and women, beautiful ones in particular, take it as somewhat abnormal or ridiculous for they can’t accept such gestures from unfamiliar fellows in public places for our culture demands it. I request them simply to remember the phrase ‘take it easy’ whenever and wherever they encounter him. Further, I order the authorities concerned to publicize the exceptional case of this guy throughout the length and breadth of this nation so that people can understand him properly. We, as sensible and sensitive human beings of the world, are supposed to respect the fellow human beings, despite the personal disorders they may possess by virtue of their very birth and existence as such among us. God is great. Thank Him, if you can.” Should the supposed women take the issue to the international courts for it is something concerned with the race of women and their personal dignity as such? Should they take it as an issue of mockery for they got such a verdict from the court of law, after a very long time, and, if yes, what course of action should they initiate or encourage others to take? Should they believe in the system of judiciary or not after the awareness about the verdicts of the courts in such these issues so far? What if other males also do the same aping the present person in discussion? How should they interpret or perceive the meanings or implications of such smiles posed to them by other contemporary men in the public places in the aftermath of this verdict? Or should they have considered him as a nut and leave him like that in the beginning itself instead of dragging him to the court considering it as a serious social issue? If an intellectual is asked these questions on some famous international television channel, how should he prioritize his answers to prove to the public at large that he is really wise in everything as supposed by the common and uncommon people of the world?

7. A beautiful girl fell in love with an ugly, foolish, rough, and poor fellow simply because she thought that she can reform him at any cost and prove to the society that anything is possible if one is committed toward a goal wholeheartedly. Further, she also stated that she marries him after the reformation process is over, which, according to her present belief, does not take more than two years. Presently he is 22 and she is 20. Her parents told her that they commit suicide if she approaches him to initiate her dream project for they strongly believe that their beautiful girl should not involve in such risky projects of an uncommon nature for it attracts censure and ridicule from the common in the world. Her friends warned her that they don’t like to imagine her name also if she involves herself in such an odd mission. Majority of her well-wishers advised her not to misuse her invaluable time to reform a useless and nasty fellow as such. A lot of foreigners also met her personally (when they came to India as tourists) and strongly disapproved her resolution in this respect. In this context, should she forget the feedback of the rest of the world around her and go ahead in her path or should she simply ignore that fellow and mind her own business of other kind which is appreciated by the society in general? If she follows others’ advice in this regard, her individual determination toward her inclined ideal is at stake thereby threatening the strength and worth of her personality as a great woman which might be recognized by her present critics in future if she succeeds in her mission, which is not impossibility as such while considered in general. On the other hand, if she intends to reform him, what if he remains the same even after two years of her dedicated efforts? Can she believe in herself or even in other males in the society after practically observing that brutes never become humans? There are only two options. Which should she choose to prove herself wise?

8. The general public of a whole nation are accustomed to living on international robberies and murders and in fact they made it a profitable profession in course of time though there are no recorded historical sources to prove it. A number of reformers, for about two hundred years, tried to reform them at any cost but they badly failed. The population of that country is very small and they can be killed in a matter of seconds if the modern technology of warfare is used against them. Peace can be established in the world if they are removed from the map of the world forever. Should the other bulky and wise nations kill them or not? There is no hope that they change, the evidence of which is there in the history itself. How should the world order its priorities in this dilemma? Simply a matter of ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

The preceding account vividly shows that ordering priorities is a complex issue altogether. So, one should try to be ‘a bit’ wise in ordering one’s priorities at hand and should be ready to face the consequences whatever they may be. Further, the most important point to be noted down or remembered at least is that, “Ordering priorities is not a serious issue as such if we remain simple and peaceful in our mindset and that we should consult others only when we sincerely believe that we are absolutely brainless fellows”. However, I presume that you are not going to take my words in this regard for I clearly know that you have your active discretionary faculty which always helps you in “Ordering Priorities” just like that.

Datla Chiranjeevi Raju