Theme 2013 – “Keep Calm”

In the last five years, the world has survived the financial crises, European debt crisis, fiscal cliff, recessions and the Mayan doomsday prediction. Maybe, just maybe the world is not going to end just yet. Yes, we have panicked, behaved irrationally even, but ultimately survived the onslaught. Of course there has been damage, pain and a bit of suffering. But the important thing has been that we are making it through. The pessimists will insist that a calamity is impending and the end is that much closer. Let’s ignore them for now, and try and be positive. The theme for this is year is to ‘Keep Calm’.

I think we can now believe that Mother Earth is not going to collapse just yet.  Look around now; there are more than a few positives. The Middle East has witnessed revolutions overthrowing tyrant dictators. Starting from Tunisia to Libya and Egypt have begun a new chapter in their destinies. Syria is in the throes of a civil war. Palestine and Israel have agreed to some semblance of peace. One can only hope for a better year for these countries and the hopefully the start of many more.

Now, let’s focus on the economic outlook for different regions. Things largely look stagnant across the globe. The fast growing countries (read Asia and Africa) will moderate this year. The laggards (read Europe) will continue to chug along till they find some more stability. The basic problem of excess leverage remains. Economist and politicians are searching for the magic pill to cure the malaise. But borrowing further is definitely not the solution. Neither is a whimsical quick fix remedy fix the issue. (Read: Trillion dollar coin). It is going to take time to resolve, but we now have the confidence that we will not fall further.

Let’s be positive for a change. And in face of adversity, let ‘Keep Calm”