Opportunity, hard work, and cultural legacy

Finally I finished the book “Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell. It only confirms my conviction about value of hard work, getting/seizing an opportunity, cultural legacy and its reality. There is no substitute for hard work and perseverance. Being good at math is not an innate ability inherited by the oriental people as stereotyped by some. US school year is 180 days (with a long summer break when kids from disadvantaged families regress even more) compared to Japanese school year of 243 days (35% more schooling). My father used to use an Assamese equivalent of the proverb “A sleeping fox catches no poultry”. He had left his remote village for a town 40 miles away (almost a different planet back then) to work and raise a family. The highest IQ does not bring success without hard work. Mozart, Beatles, and Bill Gates – no one could have succeeded without thousands and thousands of hours of practice or programming. Hard work has never killed anyone.

However, opportunity or missed opportunity comes from various aspects – when, where, and to whom one is born. My biological father was born at the wrong time at the wrong place. His book published in 1938 is listed in the US Library of Congress and at Smithsonian/NASA Astrophysics Data. He left this world extremely poor at a young age and no one even remembers him.

At the same time cultural legacy of a place – fair or unfair – plays an important role in the life of a person. My daughter used a term “passive aggressive” to describe the people from the east. In Assamese context when someone offers someone something, the typical response is, “It’s alright if you don’t give me” ("Naholeo hobo" meaning “Yes, please”). People from the west have to be almost a mind reader to understand people from the east. This is what caused South Korean airline crashes in 80s and 90s.

By the same token, certain opportunities or advantages seem to come to some people because of the timing of their birth, color of their skin, etc. Many years ago, a lady at work had introduced me to the idea of “ugliness discrimination”. We all practice that to some degree. How many dark, ugly receptionists or secretaries - regardless of their qualification - we find in offices around the world? Malcolm Gladwell’s forefathers were from Jamaica and basically colored or “mulatto” folks (being a “mulatto” was an advantage). His mother was able to seize an opportunity and get out of that place. Eventually his parents moved to Canada. Malcolm Gladwell wrote the best seller, The Tipping Point.

Life and work – TIA (This is Angola)

Some people from work are getting sick. One has had stomach problem for several days, another had fever & chill, yet another came down with flu like symptom. One also has a problem with his girlfriend back in the USA. The project deadline is approaching fast. A few spend more time and effort finding reasons why the deadline can’t be met. I wish they would just keep doing what they are supposed to do. At quitting time everyday they are in a big hurry to leave, but they are not in such a hurry at starting time in the morning. It's not easy being away from your loved ones at a place like this. But it was their own choice. A few expats are stuck out of Angola because of visa problem. Some of the Angolan employees use their cleverness to find ways to come and go as they please without producing much. The place seems to have a bad influence on people’s work ethics, not to speak of other inherent issues of an undeveloped place with poor infrastructure. Power failure is a common event. The old emergency generator for the office building did not come on when needed last time because of lack of routine maintenance and we were in the dark all afternoon producing nothing. There is no concept of routine maintenance. But we shall deliver as promised regardless. As Randy Pausch states in his “Last Lecture”, I can’t do anything about the cards I have been dealt, but I shall play the cards the best way I know how.

Barra do Dande

I had not been out of Luanda since I got here about four months ago. Today Doug and I went to a beach resort called Barra do Dande (meaning Mouth of Dande River, like Bharalumukh, Tipaimukh, Gogamukh in my childhood place). To get there one has to almost go through hell for two hours – traffic, potholes, dirt road, bumpy ride, shanty towns, and trash piles. We arrived at 10:30 AM. When we arrived, I felt like it was worth it. It was a quiet beach without a big crowd. The sand was perfect. There were little kids playing in the sand. Local young boys and girls in love were clinging close to each other in secluded places. Others were simply sun bathing although it was somewhat over cast. The Sun did break out in the afternoon. I had Chicken with French fries for lunch and a Cristal beer (Frango c/Batatas Fritas and Cerveza Cristal). After lunch I walked barefoot on the beach for about an hour. The cold water and the white foam touching my feet felt wonderful. I was humming some old Assamese song as I walked.

Before lunch I read some more of "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell. I have come to agree with him that success depends generally on when and where you were born, your upbringing, historical cultural back ground. Genetic make up is only a part of the success story. Many folks I saw along the way to the beach have very little chance at success because they were born at this place to some poor people. It may not be their fault, but that’s the reality it seems.

But the walk on the beach took my mind off these thoughts. It was a simple pleasure for a change. We had a cup of coffee with milk (Café com leite) before leaving the place. We returned the same way back to the house. Tomorrow starts another week being bound by four walls of my office. But today was mine and I savoured every moment on the beach.

Back to my Ilha House

I just got back from Houston after 2-week off rotation. It was not the most exciting time I had imagined or dreamed of. Then again you only plan. Tomorrow manifests itself in its own way. Besides, I am not perfect and I sometimes manage to ruin a good moment too.In any case, I had some home cooked meal (thanks to my dear wife), a sumptuous dinner at a top Italian restaurant, watched a good movie (Inglorious Bastards) at the mall. At home, many times I was alone with Tigger (our frail old cat whose days may be numbered) as my wife was at work. So, I talked to him and I don’t think he understood a word. Then again he is a lonely old male. He may understand my dilemma as a gray-haired man although he cannot talk back in my lingo. I also went to our office for three days (which probably was a mistake as I ended up working longer hours than I had planned on). I tried to make the best of my last evening by having dinner at home - just me and my wife, couple of candles lit, and a boquet of flowers that I had picked up.

Now, I am back. Soon I will be back to my Luanda routine. Ilha has not changed a bit – dirty side walk, pot holes on streets, our senior “fraternity house” with the guard sitting by the front gate, the “Cuca” bill board and so on. Soon I will be glued to my desk from dawn till dusk for another six weeks.