It’s not just a Friday question… it’s the last question of the calendar year. Without any further ado, here’s Dr Bhaskar Das in the December 30 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…
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Q. On this the second-last day of the year, with the threat of a recession and a possible pandemic looming large, your sentiments?
A. I have a mixed feeling- I want to say goodbye to 2022 with all its volatilities- adverse or otherwise- and welcome 2023 with lots of optimism. But in a dark corner of my mind, a cautious optimist warns me that the chaos isn’t going to be over. Too many issues of the past year would spill over to the new year too, as time doesn’t understand the difference between December 31 and January 1. Time only flows relentlessly and we as custodians of the times, albeit temporarily, get hide bound by the myopia of self-interest and the short-term. Unless with a magic wand the geopolitical tension would vanish from the world for recreation of a new balance of power, or the health scare would wither away, or climate change with its catastrophic impact would be a thing of the past, or recession would be replaced by prudent fiscal and economic policies to have a balanced global economy etc etc. There are other issues too like the increasing global divide of the super- rich and the poor, the rise of hyper-sensitive nationalism and state surveillance.
The above are all realities and I pray that as temporary occupants of the earth, we get authentic leadership to reverse all the dystopian thoughts that are coming to our minds evaporate and we move towards a more empathetic, compassionate and sustainable world for our promising future.