Unlikely Aristotle

Then and Now | May 31, 2011

It’s been over one year since I last posted anything in this poor, neglected blog. I feel bad. Im looking back at my review of Kiran Desai’s book, thinking of all the many, many books I have read since, the many world events that have unfolded before our tv screens and in the streets (most of it over the past couple of months actually). I have a surprisingly large number of conflicting feelings about this blog, but the one thought that pops out so vividly amongst the rest is that: how different was the world then, including myself?

Let me recap all the major events that have happened on the global arena:

A revolution was sparked in Tunisia, started by a brave young man. I barely blinked, and the president of Tunisia fled the country. Shock, awe and euphoria began to take hold of the Arab world. The intoxication of freedom propelled the people of Egypt to rise up against the only president most of the people have ever known, Hosni Mubarak. I was in awe of these brave and idealistic people, but battled the dark cynicism that reigns over the mind of every Arab in the world, that wicked little voice that tells us that nothing ever really changes, it’s all sound and fury, signifying nothing. I’m very proud indeed to say that I was proved so very wrong by not only the Egyptians, but by the heroes of Libya, Morocco, Syria, Bahrain, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Jordan, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Spain, Serbia, the Czech republic, France, even the football community is rising up against Sepp Blatter! Am I missing any other country? I probably am, there’s just been too many to count.

Of course, we should be wary of lumping together protestors into one group. The demands of the Libyan people differ from those of Ivorians, and even within each country, different political groups may express different demands. Yet they all have one thing in common: they’ve all realized that it’s the power of protest and the value of freedom, the struggle for some very intangible demands (dignity, self-determination), mixed up with some very tangible needs (better job prospects, less corruption, fair wages) is all worth fighting for. In any case, it’s a massive wake up call for the entire world, and I’m sure the next year is going to be hailed as a pivotal moment in history.

What else has happened in the world?

The BP oil spill: bad

Many, many, many natural disasters have taken thousands of lives: horrible

Osama bin Laden was found by U.S. soldiers…. In Pakistan. What about all that stuff about him in a cave somewhere in Afghanistan? But then again this is what the world gets for having a U.S. President like Bush. What I really love about this story – aside from the fact that the world is finally rid of his big looming beard casting a shadow over the entire Arab and Muslim world – is how Hollywood it all sounds! Soldiers barging into a crumbling compound in the middle of a Pakistani town, finding the reclusive, fearsome terrorist who’s been their target for almost 10 years, (supposedly) shooting him in and three of his cronies in the head and then…. drumroll… uplifting orchestral swelling…. He is buried somewhere in the Arabian sea! I’m not skeptical about his death, just about who actually did the shooting. I watched an interview with one of his former bodyguards, who said that all the bodyguards of OBL were given strict orders to shoot him themselves if he ever gets caught. Sounds plausible to me, and it’s clear we’re not being told everything, so this is what I believe!

A coalition government in the UK has (I feel) drawn probably the greatest amount of criticism than any other government in recent history. Of course, maybe that was bound to happen, given the fact that liberal democrats and tories now have to learn to co-exist, this has shaken up the status quo considerably.

Spain won the World Cup! Oooooh I love love love you Spain!

A prince got married to his princess! It was a fairytale wedding, perfection in every single way. I’m glad it didn’t turn into anything political. It was a gorgeous, ornate, grand and beautifully royal wedding. I’m not a royalist or an abolitionist. I think the UK has struck a pretty good balance in their constitutional monarchy, and I would go so far as to say that I disagree with people who begrudge the royal family their public presence. They don’t get involved in politics, they’re just old school aristocrats, and most importantly: they are the best PR that the UK can offer to the world. How many millions of people flock to London to learn about all things Windsor? I’m sick and tired of Posh and Becks being the face of Britain to the outside world!

Israel has just been it’s usual a**hole self. No news there. Building settlements, arresting 7 year old kids for supposedly throwing rocks whilst they kill Syrians in their own land, Golan Heights (that’s right, it is SYRIAN LAND and no one is going to forget it) with impunity. Today many protests have erupted around the world voicing their resentment at the royal douchebaggery that is the israeli army. May all their weapons turn to dust in their hands! Don’t forget Mavi Marmara. Don’t forget Rachel Corrie.

Japan has suffered greatly from an explosion in nuclear power plants in Fukushima. I watched the death toll rise into the thousands. It’s not something I can easily wrap my head around.

Qatar won the bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup!!! That makes me very happy and I hope it really does happen, because for goodness sake I think we need to have one positive thing to look forward to. I hope to God that the corruption allegations are not true (I don’t think there was anything shady, I read rave reviews about qatar’s presentation), because I WANT THIS SO BAD! And then I realize that I’m going to be in my mid-30s by the time 2022 rolls around, and my enthusiasm dampens slightly…

As for me?

I graduated from university! I am now a college graduate with a degree in law! The look on my mom’s face during the ceremony made the whole thing very very worth it.

I’m just about to complete my post-grad, but no grand ceremony here. You only get something grand once, and that’s if you successfully complete your UNDERGRADUATE course, no one cares about us post-grads! Still, it feels good to have done this.

I got a cat! I adore her more than words can say. All my friends mock her because apparently she looks like an alley cat and they think she has ugly blotchy fur, but I just adore that weird, weird thing. It’s her fault this post is taking me way longer than it should.

Im getting ready to leave the UK after calling it my home for 5 years. I’m getting ready for some serious heartbreak. Despite all the jokes I like to share about the quirks, contradictions and sometimes madness that is britishness, I have a deep affection and appreciation for British people that I think can only really come from living in their country. I’ve grown so attached to this place, I just don’t know how I’m going to adjust to being back under my mother’s rule!

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So here is a list of all the main events, now memories, that have shaped my year…

Heartbreaks, euphoria, joyful occasions, ones which I could share with the world, and ones which would only please me. The wonderful benefit of hindsight tells me now that, had I calculated with nanoscopic precision the movements of the constellations gliding around us for the entire year, neither logic, nor chance nor a hunch could have possibly prepared me for the events that took place for this year. Every single one of them took be my surprise in varying degrees. I think of all the time I wasted planning, worrying, thinking about planning, trying not to worry, talking about my plans and talking about worrying… It was really all a waste. Well, in one sense it wasn’t; it taught me how to be confident in the fact that if I never worry, stress or over-plan for as long as I live, shit’ll keep happening. The world moves on.

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