The Trail of Unknowns Leading to Unknown

We are staring at a trial of many unknowns. In a way ‘How’ come they came to pass. I live in India and recently came to U.S. couple of years back. I will look at these ‘unknowns’ which are underway in both these countries in some measure. I will list out those which I had been observing for a while. These unknowns are in the public sphere for everyone to identify. Let me put a few crazy ones here: 

Unknown 1: Well, India has closed out its elections for the next five-year term. There is a PM out there who is 73 years old. I am not aware what runs in the minds of these old men. The PM-elect held over 206 rallies appealing to the public to vote for his party. 206 rallies in a period of 76 days. How is it possible. PM attended five events in a single day for three days, and on 22 days, he addressed four events daily. These events on the same day can be spread across different towns, cities or locations which are miles apart. Apart from holding over 200 public events, the PM also gave 80 interviews to the media. 80 interviews ! The prime minister surpassed his nearly-145 public engagements on the stump during the 2019 polls by a big margin. Does these people get better by age. For the fourth term, he may campaign in 300 locations. When you need to win at any cost in the second term, he spent less and when there is a lenience to lose, he was on a rampage. Can you imagine the necessity behind attending 5 events on one day after being a PM for 10 years. I think I am overworked and after looking at this I am ashamed as an individual who mostly works to make my day and leave it. To compare on same plane, a chief leader of congress, the party which desperately need a victory held a mere 108 rallies. Everyone is puzzled at this unknown of PM and why this unfolded this way. What prompted someone who has been head of state or head of country for more than 20 years to give the performance of lifetime and preside over third term is not known to many. We can agree that extreme campaigning itself will not get the people to vote as common man is much cleverer than politicians and can see through their actions. But a look at hindsight after the successful campaign blitzkrieg which propelled a third term tells it might have been the right thing to do. But wait here, why is it this known unknown in the open required and encouraged. When this unknown germinates in a person, it can prompt heads of country to drastic actions which can become a means to drastic outcomes. In a way, an unknown person can influence a nation, its institutions and sway everything into his way. This unknown element isn’t restricted to one person when left alone but will have a profound effect on a much larger spectrum which is a cause of worry. In short, we need to really look at the process and not the outcome. The process is simply unknown here if I don’t want to sugarcoat or tell falsehoods. Why can’t a person with fresh legs take over and rule which would be pleasing for anyone than looking at the 73-year-old slog like an extremely wearied person at helm. It is about aesthetics, democracy, freedom, tolerance, acceptance than the ordinary persons feeling like authoritarian, dictatorial and autocratic. Simply, the country, its direction and its future are at stake, and we need to call it out before the mute spectators let it drift away from the taking over by these unknowns. It would be much more pleasing if these abnormals are restricted by limiting a person from not holding more than 2 terms, like in U.S. We need not worry with anxiety about what will happen today, tomorrow or after some time when these radical elements at their highest heights preside over us. This crazy unknown element from the head of a state which I had been observing for a while is better served when sanity is brought back by praying for normal actions from ordinary individuals. For those who are staring at unknown future, the unknowns of today will come to the fore. The institutions and systems are slowly leaning towards this unknown element takeover which is more dangerous in a way than doing nothing. This extremism should be called out for draining our anxiety in anticipation of what will happen next. This takeover by spent forces isn’t very good sign for me. Why someone fresh, young and not overly tired isn’t willing to claim the top spot or winds aren’t favoring for such a rise to the top. The overly spent leaders are being driven like crazy which isn’t pleasing to sensible eyes or minds. The win signifies these leaders are representing the public who have been swayed and lured into the realm of unknown world. Simply, in a way, when unknowns find a way into society, unknown leaderships emerge which are mutually driven by each other leading to a reign of unknown. 

Unknown 2: Another unknown underway in U.S. is what will happen in 2024 elections. Or in what direction the country is heading. India has headed into the territory of its own with these elections which doesn’t give any certainty for a certain future, riding on this unknown wave. What direction is U.S. heading and who are the competitors vying to steer the nation is a question of unknown terms. A look at the proceedings will give some uncertain situations. My main point in writing all of this is the countries are galvanized beyond any normal measure and there is a ‘real’ leadership crisis at the top in spreading a real environment. When the unknown elements take over the nations, someone has to take it back and contain or suppress these forces. This never happened, giving a linear rise to the unknown aura. To illustrate, what is the age of present President and what will be the age in his second term. What is the age of the other President hopeful. The present age of Biden is 81 years and that of Trump is 78 years. The unknown element is these are the two final candidates for 2024 election. By 2026, they both will be 85 and 82 year olds respectively. It isn’t a joke that the country needs to be presided over by these ‘young’ octogenarians who are in their mid-eighties. This is the severe leadership crisis in the making, that came out in the open and about to take shape for real. To put it in the making, Biden is the oldest president in entire U.S. history who is 78 years old when he took office and now became the first President ever to cross 80 year landmark. The danger lies in the fact that if the other candidate is somehow obstructed by any of the umpteen legal challenges, the country needs to look at the octogenarian in the eighties to provide hope and leadership for the next four years. Even if not, Trump will equal or beat the record held by Biden of being the oldest president elect. The situation is when you jump out of the frying pan for being hot, you fall into the fire. Where are the men in their ripe age of 40’s, 50’s, 60’s or even 70’s and what are all they are watching from their cozy homes. This is not about a grandparent being careful living alone but about leading the most powerful nation. As mentioned, we are slowly tilting towards the takeover by these unknowns. When times are ripe with unknown, the young do not feel motivated to take over the reins or worse we will be left with no other possibility than these ‘spent forces’ presiding over us. Both these nations stare at fresh and young leader emptiness and leadership crisis which can take the bull by its horn, contain the unknown elements and give a stable, certain future for its aspiring countrymen. This is not individual but institutional, systematic percolation or the spread at a wide range which has been in the making all through these years. As mentioned, where are the young men who can take over the nation and give hope to hopeless. Clinton was 46 years old, Obama 47, Bush 54 years when they assumed Presidency and none in late 70’s or 80’s. We need these young and fresh legs in their 40’s, 50’s to assume Presidency and work dynamically to reduce these crazy equations. The element of unknown which we see on a daily basis in these nations must die down before assuming higher proportions. 

Unknown 3: On a side note, when people are losing kidneys, transplants are being made. The unknown here is doctors have begun to give a pig kidney to human who has its failure. Another unknown is even the pig kidney failed. Recently, a pig kidney transplant was removed from a human patient due to complications, particularly as the patient experienced failure of the organs. The patient is not in her 30’s or 40’s but pretty old at 54 years.