When Restraint is No Virtue…

The concept of restraint has special significance in the context of truthfulness, or the opposite of it, on the part of a person. A lie, that can save a life, it has been said, is more valuable than truth. Likewise, truth, if harmful, can be more dangerous than falsehood.

At one point, in the great Kaurava Pandava war in Mahabharat, Yudhishthir, the eldest of the five Pandava siblings, was confronted, with the dilemma of containing the rampage of Dronacharya, his Guru and the Commander-in-Chief of the opposing Kaurava Army. In order to neutralise his Guru, he took resort to uttering a white lie, announcing that Aswathama was dead. Aswathama the name of the Acharya’s son was also the name of an elephant which had just been killed. Although Yudhishtir had blotted his copy book by doing that, he did succeed in his objective of strengthening the position of the Pandavas, on whose side Dharma or righteousness was. He was, in a manner of speaking, being ‘economical with the truth,’ a phrase that was originally coined by 18th century British politician Edmund Burke.

What Yudhishtir did amply illustrates the saying, that it is hypocrisy to be modest with truth. History will probably not label him as dishonest, or accuse him of lying, but the incident will surely remain as the only time when the great Dharma Raja, strayed from the straight and narrow path. Though not quite on all fours with the context of that incident, one recalls the sage counsel of Saadi, the Persian philosopher poet, in his ‘Gulistaan’, when he says that he who speaks out of turn, or when not required to, and he who shirks from speech, when justice requires it, is no wise man.

Such an imperative is relevant in several other contexts too, such as, for instance, writing a letter. Or, for that matter, expressing an opinion. That is most aptly illustrated, as always, by the inimitable Shakespeare, when he makes Polonius, the character in his immortal play Hamlet, say that “brevity is the soul of wit”.

Do not stretch anything, it is often said, till it breaks. A good illustration of that wise counsel is that of a goat tethered to a tree. There should be enough slack in the rope to permit free movement of the goat, but confined to the area, within the circle prescribed, with the rope as the radius. The principle also applies to bringing up children. In the long run, as all parents know, it is affection alone that helps a child develop a rounded personality. Strict observance of rules, extending even to mild punishment, when necessary, must also go hand-in-hand. My mantra, of physical fitness, mental alertness and emotional ability, which has served me all my life, has also been subject to such restraint.

The concept of restraint applies also to strategies to contain the adverse effects of climate change, too. Most developmental activities damage the environment – land, water or the atmosphere. Development, on the other hand, is a must. So, perfecting the art of achieving the balance between the two imperatives is the way to go in the future.

A similar sense of balance is called for, in the treatment of sick persons. The use of medication must be as a last resort. The body should be given every chance, to fight out the disease, on its own. While an underdose of a medicine may prove ineffective an overdose can actually prove dangerous, if not fatal. All good physicians are aware of this. So is the case with the ‘surgeon’s knife’. While a procedure may necessarily inflict pain, it is often essential to remove the root cause, of suffering. Once again, it should not be undertaken unless essential, and once instituted, should be restricted to the minimum possible invasion of the body.

A good life, in other words, should be led in the manner in which a good monsoon is expected to occur. The agriculture system requires rain, at the right time, at the right place and with the right spacing, over time. Any deviation in terms of the quantity, the place or the timing will result in affecting, adversely, production and productivity, causing more harm than good. ‘Athivrushti’ nor ‘Anavrushti’, the Sanskrit equivalents of excessive and inadequate, are thus both undesirable.

Strangely enough, it is Britain, the land of Shakespeare, that employs the crisp and remarkably effective weapon of British understatement. And understatement can result in irony, humour or the tempering of otherwise sharp expression. I often recollect Ravi Shastri, yesteryear cricket all-rounder and, formerly, the Indian team’s coach and commentator, describing a hopelessly slow, and clumsy, fielder, as ‘not being the fastest.’ A typical example of the Bulldog spirit, of the British, and their never say die approach, is that of British Army officer, and explorer, Captain Lawrence Oates, declaring, “I am just going outside and maybe sometime”, while he knowingly walked out of his tent, to his death, on an ill – fated expedition to the South Pole. What is more, Oates did that in order that those remaining in the tent, would have enough food supplies. Little wonder, then, that the British are famously known for their ‘stiff upper lip’, or the ability to display calmness, and self – control, in moments of crises.

Self-control, and restraint, are also extremely valuable qualities when one speaks or writes a letter to a friend. The ability to be crisp, and succinct, in expressing one’s thoughts in such a manner that the essence of one’s thinking is communicated is, therefore very important. It is the same with the written form of communication too. Letters or notes need to be short and to the point, so that the intention behind them is conveyed without the central point being clouded by too many words. A great deal of patient application, and imagination, are required to succeed in being effective in one’s communications, whether oral or in writing.

Many people have the tendency to be verbose. They start speaking without having first organised their thoughts properly. As a result, they ramble on, with the interlocutors having no clue about what is being sought to be conveyed. As the Prime Minister says, to his Principal Private Secretary, in the brilliantly produced series, of TV episodes, ‘Yes Prime Minister’, they find themselves on the verge of saying, “I couldn’t have put it less clearly!”

And, while on the subject of letter writing, we have the irrepressible Mark Twain telling a friend, “Sorry I didn’t have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead!”.

Many great persons habitually underrate their achievements, largely on account of humility, or grace. Being great people, they get away with that. Ordinary mortals should, however, remember that, an excessively self – effacing tendency, can even be construed as a form of arrogance. Only this morning, I received a note from my childhood friend, Prakash Burra, who retired from a senior management position in the State Bank of India, some years ago, that his grandfather, the legendary Sri S.V. Ramamurthi, one of the doyens of the Indian Civil Service, told him that even virtue should be practised in moderation, lest one be considered a prig. And, as someone said, just imagine Leonardo da Vinci describing his magnum opus Mona Lisa, as “just a side project I whipped up over the weekend!”

(The writer is formerly Chief Secretary, Government of Andhra Pradesh)