We take hundreds of decisions every day, from morning till evening, some of them conscious and deliberate, some out of necessity and based on external compulsions. We postpone, prevaricate, hesitate, consult. But many decisions are necessarily taken on the spur of the moment, out of anger, frustration and so on. Habits often make the decision-making process easier.
But every decision brings in its train certain consequences. The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Those consequences will determine whether our decision was right or wrong. Some decisions taken after due deliberation and consultation may well prove wrong and some taken hastily may well prove right. Circumstances may change; anticipations, calculations may go awry.
I decided to quit the Indian Railways and join a Central public sector undertaking. In the Railways, promotion prospects were bleak and the work was monotonous. But no one knew about PSUs at that time. I entered a dark alley. But for 31 long years it was a period of learning and personal growth. I enjoyed every minute of it.
Even after retirement, as the interest rates were very high at 15-16%, there was no remorse or regret about the lost pension or free pass facilities. But now when my erstwhile colleagues in the Railways talk about monthly pension amounts of Rs.50,000 to 60,000, with falling interest rates and rising prices, there is a tinge of regret. But there were compensations: the job satisfaction, the opportunity to learn and advance, a whole new world of experience.
There are certain decisions that could be reversed and where mid-course corrections might be possible, but some decisions are irreversible. Decisions to marry, to divorce; decisions on choosing a house property; decisions on choosing a course of study or changing employment.
In decisions major and minor, we are confronted with a variety of situations. To spend now or to save for the future; to study for the examination or to go to the movie... What you do can make a difference, have repercussions.
Choice is the villain here. When Ambassador was the only car easily available in the market, there was no problem: book one, wait for five years, drive and enjoy. Now there is plenty to choose: brand, make, size, price. We think, consult, delay, but is never satisfied after the choice and purchase.
The other side of the fence is always greener. Our neighbour’s car is always better. Ford did not give any options: black was the only colour once.
T he daily routine
The lady has to decide what to cook, which vegetable, what tiffin every day, morning and evening. But my neighbours, an octogenarian couple, invariably have bread for breakfast and dosa in the night, with the usual for lunch. But I leave the decision to my wife. It is her domain. No complaints for the last 52 years.
We see cartoons where husbands wait at the textile or jewelry showroom for hours on end. Not one shop but several. But after such a long search, their happiness is short-lived because the other lady’s saree was better.
In democracies, people decide. Brexit or Trump, Left or Right, they decide. Leaders decide on partition or on war and peace. History judges them benignly or harshly. What to gift, what to wear at a function, what to eat, tax our brains. The menu card (with its prices) makes us dizzy. A la carte or buffet makes choices difficult. With the first helping you find your belly getting full, while the choicest items remain. With a thali you are comfortable. While my daughters pore over the menu card, and before they decide we order our idlis and finish them.
Even the stars and planets interfere with our decisions. Marriages are made in heaven, people firmly believe, and so obey the dictates of the heavenly bodies.
To decide not to decide is also a decision, someone famously said.
Decision-making is an art and science. When individuals take decisions, it is an art. When computers decide based on data it becomes a science. Computers are not just tools, they are becoming masters and monsters. Decision-making is an important aspect of modern management.
Decisions have a moral aspect: whether we stand by our decisions, own them up or shift responsibility, when (in)convenient is what matters. Judges and courts decide, and society judges the decisions.
Consensus was the buzzword for some time, consensus among political parties, nations. It is nobody’s decision. It is a sort of agreement to save a situation. Margaret Thatcher, in her Downing Street Years , says: “Consensus is a process of abandoning all beliefs, principles, values and policies in search of something in which no one believes but to which no one objects.”
When there are two options we choose the best. But if both the options are good we end up with the Buridan’s ass, which starved to death placed between two stacks of hay, equal in size, quality and distance.
“Two roads diverged in a wood and I took the one less travelled by. And that has made all the difference,” wrote Robert Frost. One’s instinct and intuition are better guides in a dilemma or trilemma.
The Abilene Paradox explains how we reluctantly conform to the group instead of actually voicing our real opinion. In some situations we continue to say ‘Yes’ when we actually mean ‘No’.
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