49.1 Timing Considerations

 49.1 Timing Considerations

Question:

     Is it essential to choose the right time for a venture?

Answer:

A crow can defeat an owl in daylight; likewise, a king

needs a suitable time and place to conquer his enemies.           (Couplet – 481)

Bide your time like the stork waiting for its prey. Like

the stork, when the time is right, act swiftly and firmly.           (Couplet – 490)

 

பகல்வெல்லும் கூகையைக் காக்கை இகல்வெல்லும்

வேந்தர்க்கு வேண்டும் பொழுது.                                             (குறள் – 481)

கொக்கொக்க கூம்பும் பருவத்து மற்றதன்

குத்தொக்க சீர்த்த இடத்து.                                                     (குறள் – 490)

 

Explanation:

              Choosing the right time for a venture is very important. When discussing the planning aspect of a project, Valluvar mentions that one must consider the resources, means (equipment), time, place, and the nature of the project before commencing action (Couplet – 675). Military strategists carefully consider where and when to launch an attack on the enemy. In 1812, Napoleon Bonaparte decided to invade Russia during the winter season. The French soldiers could not tolerate the severe Russian winter. Also, the French army had many logistical problems because of the winter season. As a result, Napoleon’s army lost 500,000 soldiers and had to discontinue the invasion and withdraw. Napoleon failed because he did not consider the right time to invade Russia. So, choosing the right time is essential for victory in a war. Choosing the right time is also crucial for businesses when they consider launching a new product or building a new factory. Choosing the right time is also very important for individuals too.

 

To emphasize the importance of choosing the right time, Valluvar provides two examples. In Couplet 481, he says that a crow can defeat an owl during the daytime because a crow can see during the daytime, whereas an owl cannot. In Couplet 490, he cites the example of a stork that patiently waits for its prey and attacks it when the time is right. So, it is also very important for individuals to consider the right time to commence a venture.

William Shakespeare mentions the importance of timing in his play Julius Caesar. The relevant lines are as follows:

There is a tide in the affairs of men
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves
Or lose our ventures.

(William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act 4, Scene 3, Lines 217 – 223)