December 28 , 2012
On Losing
An entire generation has grown up during the 21 st century, with rare exceptions, with a perpetual taste of losing. Its recurring pattern has virtually become the new normal and almost an addictive habit.
December 2012 once again unpacks the baggage of the Dacca debacle of December 1971. Setbacks contain within it the seeds of resurgence, provided ailments are accurately diagnosed and proper remedies are not dismissed or invalidated.
A problem cannot be attacked if there is a refusal to acknowledge it.
There has been a self-consolation that the upper crust is bad but those at the lower end are good. It appears to be an over-simplified compartmentalizing. The corrosion of values may be widespread. The nation can ill afford the 21 st century desi versions of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI running amok. Extravagant lifestyle mismatch with the surrounding misery, and indifference to it, are an explosive mix.
The format of present-day democracy is more optics than substance. The “democrats” cater to the foibles and fears of the plutocrats.
Too often, there is fear of the unknown. It is best, perhaps, to ignore the unknown. One is never too powerless to make a difference. In sports, you continue to lose unless you change the way you train and play.
It’s not difficult to conceptualize that failure, like success, is transitory and not eternal. When the will of the state is too feeble to stamp its moral authority, then the will of murderers and marauders reigns.
The impact of losing can leave an invisible cumulative effect. Pessimism can paralyze. The main battle is often fought in the mind. Yes, there are constraints; but constraints sometimes do inspire creativity. Each sunset is followed by sunrise.
For nearly 4 years, Muhammad Ali remained stripped of his heavyweight-boxing crown. On his return to the ring, he was knocked down by Joe Frazier in 1971 and, in 1973, he got his jaw broken by Ken Norton. Others had given up on Ali but he did not give up on himself. Ali did not become great when he was winning; his entry into the zone of greatness began when he started losing and then bounced back. Even those who fought against him are remembered – like the Japanese wrestling great, Muhammad Hussain Inoki, who was royally feted in Pakistan. Ali had said: “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.”
What is local today is global. The December 14 deadly rampage against innocent school children in Connecticut is a reminder that the US is losing its war on terror within its own homeland. The means for these massacres are enabled by laws that furnish easy access to weapons of mass killings. The law-makers in the US Congress – so brave and quick in urging military action in the Mideast – are simply too timid to confront the powerful pro-gun lobby spearheaded by the National Rifle Association. To quote the 13 th century theologian/philosopher Thomas Aquinas: “He who lives amongst injustice without anger sins.”
There will always be a contest of decency versus deceit. Salvation begins when people begin to believe again.
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