PEOTUS

 Mr. Trump is entertaining, isn't he? There isn't going to be a dull moment the next four years. And I am pretty darn sure that the folks who elected him will re-elect him in four years time. You gotta admit that his unpredictability has turned status quo upside down. There is nothing sacred when it comes to Mr. Trump. Conventional wisdom was that a stable, thoughtful and deliberate executive was better than someone who was unpredictable and unstable. Mr. Trump has turned that wisdom on its head. The next eight years are going to be pretty interesting. 

Trips

As I have gotten older, the thought of leaving on a trip makes me sick. I wish we had never thought about going anywhere and spent the holidays at home. I have a few more hours to shake this malaise off and get into the mood...

An afternoon spent listening to....

...Sadhguru at the City National Civic in San Jose. I have a natural skepticism toward god men and enlightened souls, but I thought that I should at least listen to what Sadhguru has to say, before forming an opinion.

   Sadhguru says he was a skeptic in his youth. He had millions of questions swirling in his mind, but could not find anybody who could provide answers. He built a fairly successful business in his younger days. One day he went to the top of Chamundi Hill in Mysore, sat on a rock and started to meditate. He had a spiritual experience which set him down the path he has traversed all these years.

   His main message was that we should all strive for joy in our life. As human beings, we come up with a thousand different reasons to be unhappy.  He called that the "but" syndrome. I could be happy, but for my wife or I could be happy but for my boss. Kick the "but" was the core message of his lecture.

   I found his setup for why he wrote the book quite interesting. He talked about how the rest of the world looks up to America and wants to copy everything that we do. His book, he said is an attempt to provide Americans with the tools to live a life that would be worthy of emulation by the rest of the world.

  An audience member asked Sadhguru for advice on the upcoming election. It was a topic that I wished he had avoided. He talked about how America should embrace the world and spread joy, love and in return can expect the world to reciprocate. He berated past policies that led to war and instead asked voters to ask their politicians to promise not to open a new theatre of war.

   In my view, America can embrace the world, but the world needs to be ready to let America embrace it. It takes two to tango and not even a Sadhguru can help cut through decades of distrust and hostility that exist between America and its enemies.

An old man driving at a snails pace...

...last night in the mall. Impatient drivers looked to pass him and that unnerved him more. The car ahead of me tried to be patient and let the old man drive. Perhaps he had overstayed at the mall and didn't realize it had turned dark outside. The only thought I had was the hope that I'd have better sense not to put myself and others in peril when I am as old as him.

Snub

What would President Trump have done if the Chinese were to snub him and not roll out the red carpet as they did to President Obama the other day? Would he have refused to deplane and threatened to fly back to the US? And would that have demonstrated strength or been a sign of weakness?

Stat of the day

Listening to the Planet Money podcast which I highly recommend. A scientist says that the entire world consumes about 16 terra watts of power every day. If we were to produce power using water from all the water sources around the world, that would only produce a quarter of what the world consumes daily. Wind power on the other hand is the only non-fossil fuel that could produce more than what the world requires every day. 

Back

Back after a long hiatus with some random musings:

1. This election season has been anything but dandy thus far. Two very unpopular candidates. Ms. Clinton is making it awfully hard for folks to vote for her. Her tendency to stretch the truth is not exactly an endearing trait. And on the other side of the ring - well, what can you say? Words fail me. 
2. That Mr. Trump has gotten thus far reflects poorly on us the electorate as well. It is often said that "we get what we deserve". Apt for the circumstances
3. On the personal front, this parenting thing is hard. Why did anybody not tell me how difficult it was going to be? You are learning on the job from day one and boy it is one tough job.
4. Slate has an article on sexual assault on long haul flights. One line stood out and made me squirm:

” One German flight attendant stopped by to explain that “people, they move around in their sleep sometimes” and that “Indian men do this all the time.”

          Really? Is that how people think of me when I board a flight?