Have we really progressed?

The other day, I downloaded some animated musical nursery rhymes based apps on my phone for my little daughter. While the animations and the apps as such were all classy and snazzy, it was something else that struck me and made me ponder. I'd realized that all those rhymes were the same ones that I as a kid has learned and sung. Which made me do a rhyme research on the ever popular Google search engine. Almost all the popular rhymes that we are aware of, were penned/composed centuries ago. The late 1700s, 1800s, and the early part of the 20th century were sort of the golden period for rhymes. Nothing of substance has been added in the past few decades.

The same can be said of literary works too. The class and mastery of the old authors is just missing in most present day authors. Which leads us to the question -- have we really progressed? True, we have technologically grown far ahead than we were say 50 years ago, but it is not technology alone that sustains mankind. Development is a mix of literature and culture and arts and the sciences and much more. But are we moving ahead with the right mix? It's indeed a point to ponder.

The futility of the nuclear umbrella

The recent developments in Ukraine have ignited active discussions all over the globe, mostly centered around nuclear arms and their disarmament. The advocates of a nuclear weapons free world would certainly have to do some re-thinking. The development and possession of nuclear weapons have done more good than harm to their possessors.
After the break-up of the Soviet Union, the independent nation of Ukraine was left with a huge stockpile of Soviet nuclear weapons. But in a pact with Russia and the western powers, she gave it all up, opting to remain a non-nuclear state. I am very sure that had Ukraine retained those weapons, Russia would have thought a hundred times before meddling in their internal strife.
The same knowledge affects the Western powers/NATO too. Other than barking and threatening punitive sanctions against Russia, they are utterly helpless in getting involved militarily because of the sizable Russian nuclear arsenal and their means of delivering it anywhere on the globe. Otherwise Putin's logic of indirectly supporting the separatists was the same as that adopted by Hitler while invading Poland (to protect the German minority there).
So the concept of the so-called nuclear umbrella stands totally exposed. When push comes to shove, no umbrella would protect you or come forward to save you. Nations that settle comfortably under someone else's nuclear umbrella have to rethink their strategies.

Igor's Final Memories

I am Igor, a Siberian lizard, enjoying my eternal rest at the reptilian netherworld. I came here just a week ago and my earthly memories are fast fading. But the memories of the final few days on earth are still afresh, and before they fade away, I thought I would narrate it. By the way, I am quite famous here in the reptile spirit world, and that's due to the fascinating final trip that I undertook to reach here. Well, read on.

I was born some 15 years ago near the famous city of Baikonur, in the Republic of Kazakhstan. I lived with my family in a tiny cave along the Syr Darya river. This last winter was particularly harsh. The river had frozen and the cold Siberian winds kept howling away day and night. All our usual prey like flies and wasps and hoppers had long died in the severe cold and we were perpetually hungry. I guess my family was finding me a burden, because I was constantly nagged at. That's when I decided to call it quits. Anyway, I had reached my twilight years, and hence, instead of dying a miserable death due to hunger, I thought I would go away in style. The famous Cosmodrome of Baikonur, over the horizon, had always fascinated me, and thus became the inspiration for my now famous final journey.

I could see the giant Soyuz spaceship standing majestically over the horizon, getting ready for her space trip -- my trip. From my 15 years of observation and experience, I knew that lift-off was scheduled in the very near future. And I just couldn't afford to be late, because spaceships s aren't launched every other day.

D-Day. I set off early morning without saying any goodbyes. The Cosmodrome was a good five kilometers away, which would take my tiny legs a whole day or even more to cover. The cold was unbearable and the ground frozen with snow and ice, months old. Lack of food for days together ensured that the journey was slow and weary. Though weary, I was wary of predators like cats and hawks, who like me, were hungry and were on the lookout for prey.

Well, after a day and night's walk, I finally reached my destination. The spaceship, which looked graceful from my cave, looked majestic from close quarters. I was very alert now, because though there was no more danger from predators, humans were all around and looked quite menacing. After an eternal game of hide and seek, I reached the base of the spaceship. They were busy de-icing the craft and from the hustle and bustle I was sure that lift-off was close at hand. A giant display board confirmed my intuition. It was displaying the countdown timer and I could see that lift-off was a mere three hours away. So I was indeed lucky to make it on time.

I scampered up the Launchpad and made my way up, thanking the Almighty for giving our creed the power of changing colors, thus hoodwinking the many technicians around. It sure did save my day or rather my trip. Finally, I crossed across to the spaceship with the help of a restraining cable. The spaceship was quite warm to the touch, a sure effect of the de-icing. I climbed up as much as possible, because I didn't want to be on a booster rocket that would be shed off soon after lift-off. I was anxious to find some recess of sorts, otherwise I would be blown off seconds after lift-off. Even Spiderman wouldn't be able to cling on to a rapidly rising spaceship.

I was mightily lucky to find a tiny recess on the otherwise smooth and gleaming body of the spaceship. It was after settling in that I realized the rocket engines were already growling. A quick glance at the giant display made me realize that I was only 15 minutes away from lift-off! So yet another close call! My final day on Earth -- it was a clear and sunny day and I was extremely happy and thrilled. An insignificant and tiny creature, about to embark on a journey to the outer space. I was extremely proud of myself and wished that my fellow-beings who ridiculed me day and night could see me.

20-19-18-17...a loud booming voice started the final countdown. The reptile equivalent of the human adrenaline was surging all over me and I gripped the surface even more tightly. And then -- 5-4-3-2-1 -- LIFTOFF! The roar of the booster rockets was deafening and cannot be described. The initial lift-off was slow, as if we were almost reluctant to leave mother earth. And then we started climbing rapidly. The feeling was exhilarating to the core. The booster rockets soon fell away and the secondary rockets were fired up. And then all of a sudden, darkness started settling in. But how could that be, it was just around 9 in the morning. In my euphoria I had forgotten the fact that I was a mortal after all and the upper stratosphere was bereft of oxygen. I twitched my tail around and could make out that I had turned blue due to lack of oxygen. So it was indeed my final few seconds. I had one last look below -- a sight which is still plastered in my earthly memories. I could see the whole earth as a globe now, the oceans sparkling blue. Darkness covered my eyes soon, but somehow the image of the magnificent earth remained. With a satisfied sigh I gave up my final breath.

Comfort Zone

"Mind you, you are too cozy in your comfort zone". No, it’s not from a present-day manager from your next-block IT company. These were the very words my class teacher used way back in the 90s when I was in high school. Looking back, I marvel at my teacher for using jargon which were very uncommon those days.
Before you get bored and browse away from this page, wondering why am I reminiscing the past, let me come to the point. Almost similar words were directed towards me in the very recent past by my departmental head. The context was a team shift which I wasn’t particularly interested in. Which brings into question — what exactly is this comfort zone and is there really anything to it that all sundry superiors use it with abandon? Actually yes! And you will realize it only when you are dug out of your cozy comfort zone.
The first few days after the announcement were really panicky. All sort of negative thoughts come to your mind, no matter how much your friends or superiors try to cajole and motivate you. You would have made lot of plans while you were in your old comfort zone and suddenly you are in a double-mind — whether to pursue those plans or put them on hold, coz you’re unsure of what the future holds. Your self confidence too takes a severe beating. One moment you were on the top of the world thinking you are doing such a good job et all and everyone around likes and respects you. And suddenly you start thinking whether that is indeed the reality, otherwise how come this change?
The key to such a situation is not to panic but to keep your cool. Eventually I managed to pacify my frenzied mind. It’s actually a blessing in disguise. The uncertainty and insecurity generated will force you to look at alternatives/options, including, but not limited to, a possible job change. You’ll get to know where you stand and how skilled you really are. I did a self-SWOT analysis to understand my strengths and weaknesses. Mind you, if you were in your comfort zone for long, it would indeed surprise you or even shock you when you get a picture of where you stand vis-a-vis your peers out there. And it would certainly push you to brush up your existing skills and add new ones. Remember, life is full of surprises, and you would never know what is round the corner until you come face to face with it. And when you indeed face a situation, just don’t lose your self belief and get depressed. As the golden saying goes, “Where there is a will, there is a way”.