2012, for the Elephants.

Just one more day and we are in a new year. 2011 is done.

Blog posts from my friends trickle into my inbox, with their year in recap, what went well and what didn't. Their posts motivate me to reflect back to my year gone by. But then I wondered what the world (through my Google eyes) had to say about 2011. So I keyed in “2011 the year of the” in Google Search and here are some of the results that appear (in no particular order):

2011 worst year in decades for endangered elephants as large ivory seizures grow (link)

2011 was the year of the restless sun (link)

2011: The year when it became the norm for the device in your pocket to be the center of your world (link)

2011: Sports year's dark side overshadowed all else (link)

Solo artists beat out guitar bands in 2011 (link)

Worldwide images highlight 2011 as Year of the Protestor (link)

Oh boy! Mother nature's wrath challenging human existence. The zombie geeks we are becoming because of our addiction to smart phones and tablets. Political protests and unrest in neighboring regions possibly pushing the world towards the brink of more wars. Is this what we have to showcase in 2011? What are we then heading toward?

I guess I am better off reviewing my own small world. Out there is scary! I'd rather let these uncontrollables be unknowns to me. Damn you, Google!

Wait, but what about those elephants? No, I can't. I cannot save those magnificent creatures. Just me and my selfish own world. That's all I care about.

So, 2011 for me, it was eventful. After having moved to the United States in 2007, this year marked 4 years of a new life. Plans of settling down in Franklin Tennessee solidified when we got our Green Card in Feb. I continued to build my base in Nashville with Toastmasters and Camps. I made my first public speaking appearance in March which opened a new world of opportunities - the entrepreneurial world. I co-founded a company.

This city continues to amaze me with it's people and a growing blend of cultures, it's entrepreneurial energy and the talent that it attracts. I feel as though I am at the right place, at the right time. I feel blessed. Then again, I have the luxury of hope for a better future.

But what about those elephants? Imagine a world where there are no more elephants. A world where the human race is on a digital rampage, cloning newer generations who would one day have to search for "What are Elephants?" and wonder what it was like to live in a "primitive world" where humans and elephants coexisted. I don't want to go there. Do you?

Friends, please raise your glasses. Here's to 2012, and hope, for the Elephants.  

Please don't ever buy Ivory. Save an elephant and make your money work for them not against them. If you travel to exotic places or even to a shopping mall near you, never buy anything that looks like ivory as it probably is. Make your voice count and say "NO" to ivory. Visit: Elephant Information Repository