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Leading A Spiritual Life

that customer-friendly behaviour is essential for success
in business.
This is true also of political activities. If you are
the president of a democratic country, you cannot be
diametrically opposed to public opinion or to what the
opposition parties feel is right. If you adopt a policy that
fails due to strong opposition from other parties, you
cannot have any complaints about your opponents. You
are, after all, living in the age of democracy and even if
you are the president, it does not mean that you enjoy
absolute power. You have to accept the ground realities.
You have to know in advance that politics is the art of
the possible.

This principle is a very common one. It is relevant to
all branches of life. It is just as true for the individual,
as it is for social and political matters. Of course, if you
have to take decisions about your own individual life,
you are free to be true to your own ideals. But, when
you want to do something that affects the tenor and
functioning of social or political life, you have to be
practical.
Never try to achieve the unachievable. First of all you
have to assess each situation, examine the whole matter
realistically, then do your best to understand your
position vis-à-vis the stance taken by others. Make your
plans after taking all these matters into account. There
is a saying in Chinese that you should start your journey
from such a point that every step is a step forward.

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