Join the sunshine mafia or walk alone

November 19, 2021 will be a day to remember, perhaps till my memory fails me completely.

Coincidentally, it was not only the midst of the longest lunar eclipse of its kind in 580 long years that fell amid this long, cold and dreary winter. It also marked the end of a years-long eclipse that had profound impact on my professional life, a typical day when even a stray ray of the sun is not available for you, whatever part of the room you may choose to occupy. It was an emotions-heavy farewell for our entire team in the midst of a shrinking job market resulting mainly from the COVID-19 pandemic and associated uncertainties. 

To me, it appeared as if this was the day the ‘unsinkable’ Titanic had sunk on her journey from Birmingham to New York after hitting a giant iceberg.

With horrors of that great disaster on the back of my mind, I talked a bit about that sinking feeling you get when you are adrift the high seas with no rescuers in sight, feeling all at the same time the chill inside me at the thought of that watery grave. As the occasion demanded, I stressed the need for vision even when visibility is very very low!  

Despite no sign of the sun, quite a few faces were appearing in all their radiance on that solemn occasion. They looked like those special classes of passengers on board the Titanic, whose rescue was imminent. They looked like our gods and goddesses, who never cease to radiate, regardless of whatever pass the humanity may be in. Like those deities, they were there to preside over the occasion and offer some solace to a panicking humanity. Looking back, I think it was so kind, sensitive and wise on the part of the organisers to present before the sinking humanity the crèam of the cream, so as to make sure that humanity does not lose faith in its infinite potential, even when it is in dire straits.

As far as I know, the smiling faces were not suffering from a nervous disease like Leonardo da Vinci’s Monalisa. It was quite clear that the sun had become irrelevant for them as they had found their own little suns! To have your own sun to light up your world is a fantastic idea, isn’t it?

You don’t think so? Then read this report from foronuclear.org: "China has successfully completed the first test of its nuclear fission reactor, known as Artificial sun because it mimics the energy-generation process of the Sun. Nuclear fission is a promising technology that can produce enormous amounts of clean energy with very few waste products."

The report adds: "The Sun in our galaxy produces energy through a nuclear fusion reaction. Inside the Sun, the hydrogen atoms collide with each other and fuse at extremely high temperatures - around 15 million degrees centigrade - under enormous gravitational pressure. Every second, 600 million tons of hydrogen are fused to create helium. During this process, part of the mass of the hydrogen atoms becomes energy."

No, you cannot create another sun like China’s without an extraordinary level of human ingenuity and expertise, not when your skills consist of social engineering skills bordering on sycophancy. Anyway, what use is a giant ball of fire when all you need are mini-suns, to light up your individual and narrow worlds?

Friends, acquaintances and relatives in high places can be the suns to ensure that you get sunshine streaming through to you. Social engineering skills really help you rise and shine in our work settings, so hone them.

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather. - John Ruskin

 Lack of talents does not matter much. In fact, it can be a blessing in disguise in our kind of setting. If you cannot be the source of light, try to be the black hole that absorbs all the light from light-emitting objects and hollows them inside out!

When all these things work with a clockwork precision and elevate you, then you can proudly declare the triumph of meritocracy in the presence of hollowed-out objects robbed of all light! Rest assured, no one will object to your declaration.

Remember, the idea is to not only get the sunshine for you, but also to deny it to your colleagues, your competitors and friends so that they wilt away and fade into history, leaving all the field to yourself and your cohorts! The idea is to monopolise the sunshine. The idea is to be part of the sunshine mafia that seems to be growing in our society with each passing day.

Not interested in pursuing career with the sunshine mafia? If so, prepare for a long and hard road.  

On this journey, John Ruskin can indeed inspire you with his quote: "Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather."

    - Devendra Gautam