48.2 Assessing the Strength

 48.2 Assessing the Strength

Question:

What happens when someone acts with great enthusiasm and without thinking?

Answer:

Many who do not know their strength begin enthusiastically

to act but fail in the middle.                               (Couplet – 473)

உடைத்தம் வலியறியார் ஊக்கத்தின் ஊக்கி

இடைக்கண் முரிந்தார் பலர்.                                        (குறள் – 473)

Explanation:

As mentioned in Couplet 471, it is essential that one should assess his strength, the strength required to perform the act, the strength of the enemy (competitor), and the strength of the supporters before venturing into action (see 48.1 Assessing the Strength). At times, people get carried away by sheer enthusiasm and begin to act without assessing their strength. In such cases, the result will invariably be a failure. History has many examples to support this assertion by Valluvar. For example, when the Americans began to fight against North Vietnam in the 1960s, they underestimated the power of the North Vietnamese gorilla war techniques and overestimated their own military superiority. The result was a dismal defeat for the USA. Recently (in 2022), when Russia invaded Ukraine, they underestimated Ukraine’s ability to resist the Russian attack. Also, Russia did not expect that the USA and the NATO countries would provide weapons and support to Ukraine. Although the outcome is yet to be determined, the conflict is taking much longer than what Russia expected.