SUNDAY, MAY 19, 2024
BRYCE D’SOUZA
A couple of weeks back, I was reflecting over some key happenings and events that shook the world in the last six months. As I spent my time, in introspection of these events right from the last straws of the pandemic, to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis, the growing stagflation worldwide and the recent FTX scandal along with the massive layoffs at Meta and Twitter, it occurred to me that in all these scenarios, there was but one thing they all had in common - the never-ending ‘uncertainty’.
Uncertainty or as I would put it ‘an anxiety over what lies ahead in the future’ is usually something that we encounter in our lives. Whether it is in our lives as students, as freshers, as working professionals or even as bachelors or spinsters - there are no dearth of examples to explain these instances of uncertainty that we encounter. This so-called 'uncertainty' forms a unique characteristic of our lives and in normal scenarios stimulates us, 90 per cent of the time to accomplish the goals or desires.
This year 2022, witnessed several leaps and bounds of uncertainty we would have not ever thought or imagined. We started this year with the relentless and endless pandemic. The COVID-19 with its countless variants continued its onslaught on the population, claiming a million lives worldwide and intensified the anxiety amongst the people - both young and old before receding behind curtains towards the latter half of this year. The Russia - Ukraine war and the resulting oil crisis - a news story we all hoped would be resolved amicably, went on to occupy major headlines on TV channels and newspapers and had a ripple effect on the world economy. As oil prices worldwide soared in the aftermath of the conflict and the governments’ push towards favourable fiscal policies to revive their economies after Covid-19 crisis, the world entered into a phase of inflation. With prices of essentials rising at levels never thought or imagined, the Central Banks of major economies including the US, hiked their interest rates to curb the level of spending in their respective countries. The world economy was badly affected with these new measures as major corporates resorted to layoffs and cost-cutting to remain profitable in the short-term. With the current economic situation, a constant doubt or fear of a recession in 2023 has plagued the world and taken forth the centre-stages of major political dialogues or discourses in recent times. The recent FTX scandal questioning the authenticity of the crypto-world and the major layoffs at Twitter and Meta have made me wonder whether this uncertainty is here to stay for long or will it disappear in due course? Has uncertainty become the new certainty or the new way of living our lives?
We need to reflect over and debate this very question as we journey through the course of life. More often than ever, we wake up in the mornings, eat, go to work, come home, again eat, sleep, repeat and the cycle has become a monotonous routine so much so that we have forgotten the very reason why we even exist.
Therefore, my final thoughts as we depart from this current year and usher in the New Year: My dear 2023 - what do you have in store for us?
