Musings on the Human Condition

This incredibly eye-opening documentary shot at a trouble spot called Sangin explains why it was paramount for the US to get out.  And why the outcome we're seeing today was inevitable and fully expected by anyone familiar with the situation on the ground.  And why the Taliban might actually be the good guys in this story.  The Afghan forces (ANA - Afghan national army and ANP Afghan national police) are actually just another name for the northern alliance of yore.  They're lazy, corrupt, often on weed or heroin, with no desire to learn, work hard, or follow international norms like the geneva convention.  Pedophilia and child sexual abuse is a way of life and passed on from generation to generation; "I abuse because I was abused" The Taliban aren't angels, of course, but relatively speaking, they are more disciplined and have a greater sense of unity and purpose and sense of nation The US forces mostly lie to their superiors and tell them what they want to hear...

  Yesterday India won a bronze medal by defeating Germany 5-4 in an exhilarating men's field hockey game at the Tokyo 2021 Olympics. (The 2020 Olympics were delayed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.) It was a welcome end to the drought since India's last medal in men's hockey at the 1980 Moscow Olympics 41 years ago.  Many in India are fond of asking, why doesn't India win more often? Is India not competitive enough? Do Indians lack athleticism? Does India not spend enough on sports?  These questions got me thinking about a book I've been reading called Range by David Epstein. The book talks about the downsides of early and deep specialization and the benefits of generalization. I played several sports growing up. Partly because I grew up on a university campus where my father was a professor of engineering. The IIT Delhi campus has excellent facilities for almost every imaginable sport. And I played them all. I took a special liking to a few sports like tennis, ...