The Beautiful Game (III)

I recall a conversation I had with my father in law more than ten years ago. He had this instinctive feel for the lot of the man in the street and we had discussed if introducing material goods to the aboriginals in the jungles of Sumatra constituted progress. I was younger then and viewed progress narrowly, divorcing it from happiness. I believed then that if a society strived for economic progress, the rest follows. For wealth enables investments, and the right investments help lay the foundation for future progress. 

I believe it less now. So much so, I delivered a TED talk on it. Many societies have become wealthier but they will not become happier if they have not invested their wealth wisely. This is true at both national and family levels. Hence, the truism that wealth does not pass three generations. For hidden beneath the trappings of wealth are seeds of poverty. Wealthy kids get less hungry. Less hunger means they strive less and others overtake them and they eventually lose it.

This duality is evident in everything. In fact, without this dual nature, life wouldn't be what it is. Light is the opposite of dark. Without one, the other has no meaning. And so it is with football, and in particular this World Cup. On so many counts, this is one of the best in memory. Champions are knocked out. Star players are performing. But as all things in life, such defeats or victories become so much more significant in light of the duality of nature: beating Spain, Italy or England becomes monumental because these were former champions. Similarly losing becomes all the more bitter because there has been an injustice or two, be it Dzeko's disallowed goal or a soft penalty award.

More dramatically, this duality can sometimes manifest itself in the same team, even the same person. Consider the case of Luis Suarez, who made the difference in knocking out England. A match later, as his team was on the verge of being kicked out themselves, he resorted to biting the Italian defender who had been keeping tightly constrained for most of the match. This is football. It's more than just a game. It's a real life drama, exhibiting all the good and evil simultaneously. 

Photo credit: montage from telegraph.co.uk