Joginder

     I got a WhatsApp message from a friend a few days ago asking why I hadn’t been writing anything and I told her I’ve just been overwhelmed with...everything. I have very little to whinge about - family, health, relationships, finances - all good. But I've not found much elsewhere in the world recently to resemble anything that might evoke a twinge of a rainbow unicorn like feeling. In January, all of Australia seemed to be on fire. Then COVID-19 broke out in China and slowly spread. Much of the world went into some form of lockdown/quarantine, some more successfully more than others. Want some good news? The EU is opening up! If you're from Algeria, Morocco, Serbia, Montenegro or Rwanda or one of 9 other countries, you can travel to the EU. But, because some rugged individualists in the U.S. can't seem to wash their hands, socially distance and wear a damn mask and don't seem to want contact tracing, well, we're not on the safe country list. No travel for us! Then there was the recent spate of police violence. Ahmaud Arbery. Breonna Taylor. George Floyd. BLM. Seems like nothing has changed since 1992 when Rodney King said, “Can’t we all just get along?” In other news, locust plagues in East Africa threaten food security for millions, a fourth generation (and that's still just in this year) is on the way. The (necessary) trillions that the Fed and Treasury have flooded consumers and business with, along with the already high trillion dollar+ deficit and 22 trillion+ dollar debt will all have to be paid back sometime, somehow.  It’s been a no good, horrible, very bad year so far. And we’re just halfway through it. So I think and worry about it all. About people who have lost their jobs and businesses that won't be coming back. About people who don't have a familial safety net or transferable skills. About lines, miles long for people waiting for distributions from food banks. In the United States. The uncertainty of it all is unnerving and depressing.
     And then I got an e-mail from a colleague in Afghanistan, Joginder. He and his wife had just had their second child. They were thrilled. There was some hope, some happiness in the world. I felt as if the tip (just the tip, mind you) of a rainbow unicorn's horn had poked out from behind some of the nasty, dark clouds that so far have been emblematic of the year 2020.

     Joginder was always a joy to talk with. He has a PhD in political science, so many of our discussions trended in that direction. There was no subject off limits - arranged marriages in India, Indra Modi, Donald Trump, the aadhaar system to track citizens in India, Republicans and Democrats, value systems, religious and racial tolerance in multicultural countries (mostly India and the U.S. though) and how/what/why a government should function and provide for their citizenry. Not the type of chats you can have with the typical employee in Afghanistan, and I was always very grateful to have these talks with Joginder after work. Okay, sometimes during work too. He seemed to be well versed in so many different areas. But I was so very pleased to hear of his happiness that gave me a fleeting glimpse of the tip of a rainbow-unicorn's horn. So here’s to hoping everyone has some more safety and contentment in life and sees a little bit more of a rainbow unicorn - than just the tip of the horn -  in their future.