Random Notes | Maleccha

Jonas Jonasson consistently offers insightful commentary on international politics. While running to washing dishes and even deep cleaning the bathroom in our new home, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to his latest novel, ‘The Prophet and the Idiot,’ available on Storytel.

The narrative begins in Sweden and swiftly transports readers to the fictional nation of Condors, nestled in the heart of the Indian Ocean. This peculiar land is governed by a President who made a transition from serving the Soviet Russian regime under Gorbachev to leading a nation situated amidst the vast ocean. Remarkably, the President, accompanied by a group of cunning Swedes, managed to con rich figures ranging from Britney Spears, and Bill Gates to Donald Trump.

The story takes readers on a journey from Condor to Mombasa in Kenya, then to Malta, before finally reaching Vermont in the United States. In Vermont, the President of Condors, who is now on the run after swindling the Russian mafia, Trump, Gates, and many others with a doomsday bet, establishes a cheese-making factory. During his electoral campaign for a second term, Barack and Michelle Obama pay a visit, as Obama expresses his appreciation for the delicious cheese and recognizes the factory’s potential to create job opportunities for Americans.

The novel ingeniously utilizes satire to scrutinize the banking system and global politics, while skillfully incorporating special appearances by prominent figures such as Obama and Ban Ki-Moon. Jonas Jonasson’s adept humour and unique perspective on the world never fail to captivate readers.

Being an atheist is difficult. You have to give up on the idea that you are being looked for. You are alone and alone in the entire universe. You are your only source of power. Once you are an atheist, you are aware that there is no meaning or higher purpose in life. You have to give meaning to your life, it is all on you. You can choose to ally with those who are in power and regulate the life of others, have the power to do so or those who are oppressed, and those who believe that all human beings are equal. There is no right or wrong. You have to rely on your mammalian sociality to stand or challenge each other, and to make sense of each other. Each being has its journey to make sense of the way they live.

What being an atheist does not mean is to mock religion or the beliefs of others. As an atheist, you have to agree that all humans and at some point, all beings are equal and have autonomy and freedom to decide for themselves, or believe in whatever the f**k they want to believe as long as that does not mean encroachment of autonomy and equality of each other. Or, you accept the Nazi idea, that might be right, that is another form of atheism, that believes that some humans are better and superior to others, based on their physical and intellectual profess. For existentialist philosophers choosing between either form of atheism is a way to give meaning.

If you are the preceding version of atheists, who accept the principle of equality, then those who believe in god, gods and goddesses are still your allies, as long as they believe in the equality of all beings, or all beings are created equal by the maker or makers.

I will use religious metaphors to make sense of atheists’ existence. When the god or gods are declared dead, some of us become 2/3rd Sikhs, as we believe in giving meaning to our existence through work ਕਿਰਤ ਕਰੋ /کرت کرو, in agreement with Jewish German philosopher Hannah Arendt and ਵੰਡ ਛਕੋ/ونڈ چھکو, share whatever you earn and stand in solidarity with the other, especially those who are oppressed, as Guru Baba Nanak outlined in his writings.