Blurred Lines

In 1960's, the genius Belgian economist, Robert Triffin presented a paper that outlined the existential paradox in having a single currency as a global reserve currency. This has since been famously referred to as the Triffin Dilemma. Simple in its logic but complex in practice, it essentially lays out that it is impossible for the host country to maintain an effective balance between its national financial policy and the global financial policy. For the US Dollar to be an attractive reserve currency, the US has to consistently run a current account deficit so that there are enough dollars in the market. However, this might be against its national financial policy as no country would prefer to run a deficit perpetually. On the other hand, if the US decides to limit the circulation of its currency to reduce current account deficit then there wont be enough supply of dollars which would lead to a liquidity crisis. It is impossible to maintain a rational balance between these two priorities.

Today, the powers that be face the same perplexity in trying to solve the problem of terror. Just take a look at the below infographic:

And the one below:

And the infographic below from http://www.visionofhumanity.org/:

The red ones show countries with terrorism problems. The Middle-east & Africa dominate by a fair degree.

Few connections are as obvious as the one between the above 3 infographics. The US, Russia, UK, France and Germany account for 72% of the world's export of major weapons betwen 2009-14. The middle-east and Africa account for 31% of these imports. According to the SIPRI Arms Transfers Database, Saudi Arabia was the 2nd largest arms importer for the period 2010-2014, accounting for 5% of world deliveries. The top 3 'customer' countries for the US between 2009-14 have been;

Do you see the obvious paradox? How do you maintain your commitment to fight terrorism when the same terrorism is netting you billions of dollars in revenue each year? Even though the issue of fighting global terrorism is more black and white than balancing your current account deficit, the conflict of interest is there for everyone to see. Do the powers that be focus on their national objective of maximizing GDP (which is easier to measure by the way) or the rather lofty objective of maintaining world peace? If you ask the concerned people, they'd say if we don't sell then somebody else will. It is better that we do. But that logic does not hold true at all in a globalized world.

Every year the world creates its own Frankenstein monsters which keep getting nastier and less remorseful.

In comparison the Triffin Dilemma looks like childs play. Apparently it is much more complex to solve the dilemma of choice between death and prosperity.

The Motivation Conundrum

 My 4 year old niece gets up every morning looking forward to the fun she is going to have that day. From the moment she gets up right to the moment she calls it a day, approximately 14 hours later, she is a tornado of energy. She flits from one place to the other being wildly creative in her mischief. There is no place which does not hold wonder for her. Wide eyes and a naughty smile are reserved for everyone. Many times she needs a partner in crime, but not having one is certainly no impediment.
 I look at her and think about the rest of us. There are times when we have problems getting out of the bed. The common reason all of us have is that we are not 'motivated' to go to work each day. There is a chain of thought which will suggest that if you're snoozing your alarm each day, you probably are not doing what you are meant to do. But honestly, can there be any one thing which can sustain our 'motivation' throughout the 4 decades of our working life? As we grow up, we get caught up in the ideology of the segregation of work from personal life. That ideology suggests that work and fun are indirectly related to each other. We never stop to question and are institutionalized as a result.
However, work can really be fun if you can find enjoyment in the little things. We can have fun in our work if we enjoy a part of it and a part of it is something we are really good at. We can take a lesson from my niece. Her wide eyed wonderment finds little things to enjoy in each of the mischief she decides to do. She keeps doing different stuff each day but always reverts to two things. One where she enjoyed the most and the one where she wins all the time.
 We are all motivated by success which is a result of doing something we are good at. We will be good at something if we enjoy the little things that are a part of it. If we accept that, work can be fun. Maybe its time to unlearn some of the baggage beat into us by society and go back to being a 4 year old again. 

A part of my soul in every place I go

Moving out involves a lot of work. You have to ensure that all the bills are settled, all accounts are closed and all things are properly packed. But what do you do with all the emotions which build up as you near the date of moving? The things you did, the things you almost did and the things you wish you did.
When you're busy taking life for granted, these things do not matter. You pass by the river with a bored glance at the ferries plying by. As the D-Day gets nearer, you stop and notice the waves created by the ferry. You notice the people inside desperately trying to capture all the sights they can into their cameras. As you stand there, leaning against the railing a cool breeze caresses your face and you count your blessings to have experienced this wonderful moment.
As you start counting the number of days backward, you start noticing these smaller things better. It is as if all of your senses are heightened and you want to capture everything before its too late. Just like the people on the ferry.
As I move out, I leave a part of my soul behind. I can never have that piece back, but I feel thankful to the city for taking that slice. Farewell I say and hope to come back soon. And when I do, I will be whole again.