Hero Rat and Slapping Misfits

I was in no mood to write anything with all this violence and chaos across the world. But here I am, reluctantly, because there is hope in some corners of this paradise we call home.

On the day I was born, which is every day for those who understand the pun, Jan 12th, the great Tanzanian Magawa aka the ‘hero rat’ who sniffed out 71 land mines crossed the rainbow. He won the PDSA Gold Medal which is given to animals that show bravery of epic proportions in safeguarding human life. The greatest number of winners is the German Shepherd, known for the fierce loyalty and strength. Magawa would not have found his calling in life if we did not make mines in the first place. It is estimated that countries across the world spend $1.9 trillion on defense. 3% of the world’s population perished in World War II and since them a paltry 90,000 have died in wars since. That’s 90,000 too many if you ask me. A physical war in a time like this is an anachronism, if we assume people have learnt from the past and have gotten better over time. Looking at the situation in Europe it looks like dialogue and diplomacy are dead.

Speaking of wars, Raina Huang threw down the gauntlet and challenged rabbit kingdom to a lettuce eating contest. From the 700 million earthly “wabbits”, Honey 'Mega' Bunny was picked to show the human her place. Sadly, Honey refused to eat a single leaf and so the organizers brought in Precious, but she also refused to compete, letting Raina take the prize. Sometimes, winning is losing and losing is winning! Go figure.

Now for some good news and some bad news. I will start with the latter - I was in an airport recently and it looked like humans had emerged from their homes, ready to sniff fresh air, fly the skies and pollute the planet. Who let the humans out?! Sigh. Now for the good news - Covid seems to be on the wane. Like Gustave Eiffel’s iconic tower which grew 6 meters thanks to a new antenna, all businesses seem to be growing. Unemployment is down, corporate America is performing spectacularly, yet the stock market looks like it has had a Bombay gin too many. It’s gotten so bad that I read Chinese regulators have started to slap brokerages on the hand for using feng shui instead of technical analysis to predict stock market trends (not joking).

Speaking of slapping, we all saw a loved, talented artist shame himself and his family on the world stage. Did Will Smith actually think he could get away with a gimmicky, violent act? His foul language was worse than his assault on Chris Rock. I guess he knew many, many viewers (16 million!) would see his appalling behavior but did not care. Appears if you disagree with something you use violence. No wonder, all the world powers could not get Russia and Ukraine to work things out. Sometimes I wonder how NATO defines its KPIs. Or the greatest enigma of our times - the United Nations. Wonder what they do? If you gave 5 member countries out of a staggering 193, the right to veto a resolution, how does one get anything done. Said the great mumble rapper and polarizer of our times, Donald Trump, “The United Nations has such great potential but right now it is just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. So sad!” Hate him, love him but that man said it like it is!

Hard to believe but after all these years, India does not have a seat at UNSC table as a permanent member. The UK and France do, even if their economies and military might are smaller than India’s! Not to trivialize the other non-permanent members, but India has been lumped with Albania, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Norway, United Arab Emirates and some others.

On my birthday two friends gifted me a ride in a Lamborghini Huracan at the Austin Circuit of the Americas. I hit the pedal and touched 160mph and realized that abject fear is a kind of exquisite joy! It is always good to discover new things in life. After that ride I have imagined being a Peregrine Falcon. These chaps top 240mph when they dive for prey. It always help to have a good imagination when some part of the day is spent in day-dreaming, especially after numbing Zoom calls!

Race, religion, and politics are the most polarizing things in the world. It will take eons to get people to think and operate differently. Until then, we should focus on making our little world a better place to live in. Like little Magawa did – diffuse one problem at a time.

So go be a hero rat, even if it is the year of the Tiger.

Onwards. Upwards.

Your fearless follower.