02-09-19
It may be true. An artist strives for artistic perfection and so there is no compromise for what he is doing. The same case for a lawyer. He strives for justice and again there can be no compromise. Are art and justice absolute or relative? It is however unfortunate that for a man in the street, there has to be compromise every day. Living with reality requires a lot of give and take, especially when you live or work not alone. All around us are familiar human processes that after insisting on what we want, we also need to make concessions on what the other people do not offer. Look at Hong Kong, especially her current situation, and you will know what compromise and intransigence can mean.
Compromise occurs in all different situations including family relationships, political issues, social conflicts and business deals. During the process of compromise or intransigence, there are 4 factors in play: power, legitimacy, interest and emotion. Ironically, these 4 things can be real or simply a person’s insistent perceptions. Positive compromise is attained when an agreement or understanding is reached by all parties and every one felt it was the best alternative as a result of which nobody felt bullied by a superior opponent, bothered by a morally wrong approach, deprived of a fair share or emotionally insulted.
Compromise is surely an art but is Art a compromise? Our law is surely a result of legislative compromise but for a court case, it is either ‘win’ or ‘lose’ and may there be a compromise in the process of law?
Some suggested that the wisdom of a compromise is to be better to bend a little than to break. Hence, a singer should compromise to sing ‘Auld Lang Syne’ at a new year concert against her style and wish. If not, the audience would leave the auditorium to their dismay. Say in a case of assault, a lawyer may advise a client to accept a binding-over order instead of allowing his client to go through the painful court hearing process and run the risk of facing a heavier sentence if he is found guilty at the end of the trial.
Andrew Carnegie, the business magnate said, “Compromise is a sign of weakness, or an admission of defeat. Strong men don’t compromise.” Painter John William Godward committed suicide in 1922 with a suicide note that the world was not big enough for him. Lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh was sentenced to 38 years imprisonment because of her work in defending women rights in Iran.
It was expressed that compromise is about differentiating and assessing. There are things that can be compromised but there are things that can never be compromised. On the other hand, a friend told me that compromise is about dividing a cake. Once you can get a slice, you call it a compromise and should better run away.
You want but you cannot get, that is bad luck. You want and you can keep on waiting, that is already great luck because your dream is still alive. So, I am a lucky lawyer and artist waiting for my dream to be or not to be compromised.
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