We won! We won! WE WON!!
Always a good feeling, being part of the winning side. Team India continued their new-found dominance of the sport, and people are beginning to draw comparisons with Australia in their heydays, when they won anything and everything associated with a bat, a ball and 22 players. Well, let’s relish the feeling as of now.
But the question does arise – how come we didn’t achieve much in T20 in the last decade, which the IPL went from strength to strength? This, in my opinion, was not a dichotomy but a design – the immense buildup of talent that IPL facilitated, from the ground up, has now begun to reap rich dividends.
Of course, we cannot be complacent. Here is what I read just 30 minutes ago – not in the same vein, but relevant nevertheless.
The strongest nation never wins.
Not in ancient China. Not in Greece. Not in Mesoamerica. Not in the Middle East.
Every empire in history was conquered by the most marginalized, most isolated, most resource-poor people in the region.
Because resources create comfort. Comfort creates arrogance. Arrogance creates blindness.
And blindness gets you conquered by people you never took seriously.
The same goes for companies. Blackberry built up a dominance in the corporate world few had thought could be shaken, just like Nokia did in the consumer segment. All went south in a couple of years. There are many instances of Davids who bring down mighty Goliaths, just because they are hungrier, more agile and have a deep focus that comes with a passion to achieve. Can’t be replicated in any lab. And those who let go of this passion after reaching a comfort zone – well, it’s only a matter of time before they slide downwards.
On the war, well there isn’t much to say (thankfully). There is an eerie tension in the atmosphere, and while people go about their daily lives, there are many questions that arise – how long will this last, what will be the impact on the country, what next…well no one has the answers really, so it all boils down to staying positive, alert and informed. It isn’t easy, but for now, you have just one choice. BE CALM. This too shall pass…
I leave you with something I came across during my travels across the bits and the bytes. May not be easily understood, but can sure help divert your attention for a while:)
Stay safe!