The Chief Justice within us

Many believe that God created man in His image. There is also popular belief that God judges each soul based on his actions or karma. There is also another popular belief that god is within us.

Forming a mash up of all these beliefs, a lot of us have come up with the new concept of being the judge ourselves and judge every person on the face of this earth.

The most recent case of this obsession to judge is Sachin's hundredth 100. Expert advices from non cricketing professionals about Sachin's game, his dedication, selfishness etc.

The most ridiculous ones... 'he's playing for his record' , 'Sachin thinking about his 100 is affecting his game'

This is where my problem lies. Would any one accept a similar criticism if a friend or a stranger comes up and says 'you dont enjoy your job, you must retire'. Won't we tell him to shove that thought up his *** and mind his business?

Sachin's case is just an example of how most of us approach lives. We try to judge everyone around us. We form opinions, polarised views with almost no sufficient data about the other person. It's a no brainer that judging others is not going to make your life any better. Yet we do it.

I believe life would be much simpler if we don't judge others and just see one another as individuals going about their lives.

Dichotomy

Early 2010, I was changing jobs. It was just after recession. The economy was picking up, many companies had started hiring again. Recession was by no means over, but the situation was far better. After a couple of years without a hike(and paycuts), the idea of changing jobs looked to be the best option.

I had prepared myself fairly well for the interviews. Confidence level was high. As soon as I had started circulating my resume, the interview calls started pouring in. I got 2 job offers. One from Nokia(The phone company) and the other from a small startup. Nokia made a better offer which was significently higher than the startup. 

Most of the people with whom I discussed the offer suggested me to take up the Nokia offer. After all, it was the one of the most respected and renowned brands on earth. The decision to reject the startup offer seemed the right decision.

The phone market was however going through a tipping point. Android was gaining market share rapidly. Apple had already carved out its market space with the stellar iPhone. However, Nokia was still the market leader in smartphones with  over 30% market share.  Joining Nokia seemed a no brainer.

But there was one crucial variable to the whole scenario. If other phone manufacturers were catching up so rapidly on Nokia, there must be something which I was missing. I was also hired to worked on a slightly older version of the OS. I was not convinced it was the right decision. 

To the disappointment of many, I went ahead and took up the offer from the startup. People were fairly certain I made a bad decision.

Its been two years since the time I made the decision. Looking back, It appears I have made the right decision. Apple and Google have bulldozed their way into the smartphone market. The CEO of Nokia sends the 'Burning Platform Memo'. Symbian is shutdown. Had I been part of the turmoil, I'm not sure I would have retained my job. 

On the other hand, things could have been different too. Had Nokia turned their business around, I would have looked like an idiot to have let go of a golded opportunity. Luckily, my foresight proved correct. 

This was just one example. A seemingly bad decision at one point of time, may turn out to be the best decision of our lives and vice-versa. Most decisions taken are based on one's  assessment of the situation. Ultimately, one has to take a decision. Only in hindsight one can  tell  whether the decision made was good or bad. It may take months or years to understand whether one made the right decision. 

However, its of utmost importance  to back oneself after making a decision.