Dear Friends,
Yesterday, something unusual and unexpected happened. Just before the Kerala Public Service Commission exam began in Kasaragod, an unbelievable incident took place. An eagle suddenly swooped down and grabbed a candidate’s hall ticket from their hand.
Around 300 people stood there, stunned, as the bird flew up and calmly perched on a window ledge, holding the hall ticket in its beak. Everyone watched in silence, unsure of what would happen next.
Minutes passed. Just before the final cut-off time, the eagle dropped the hall ticket. Thankfully, it was quickly retrieved, and the candidate was able to take the exam.
Imagine! The candidate must have been preparing for this exam for years. And in the most bizarre way, a bird decided the timing.
To succeed in any exam—or in life—so many things need to come together: your health must support you, the weather should cooperate, your parents and mentors need to be there for you, and the questions asked must align with what you’ve studied. If it’s a descriptive exam, even the mood of the evaluator can matter. If we were to list all the conditions required for success, we could write an entire chapter!
We saw the same unpredictability during COVID-19. I personally know families where the father—healthy and the main breadwinner—passed away due to COVID-19, leaving the family financially and emotionally devastated. On the other hand, some individuals with multiple health issues survived and are now living happy lives. How do we make sense of this?
Today, economic instability and automation are also rewriting destinies. Shantanu Deshpande, founder and CEO of Bombay Shaving Company, recently talked about the 40-40 problem—people in their 40s earning ₹40 lakhs annually are more prone to layoffs. He advised professionals to continuously upgrade their skills and cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset, or risk being among the first to be let go.
So how do we interpret this? One part—effort and skill—is in your hands. The other part—fate, timing, external events—is completely beyond your control.
This raises a big question: If so much is out of our hands, what’s the point of putting in effort?
Don’t get me wrong—I’m not saying we should give up or leave everything to fate. Absolutely not.
True effort is about discipline. When you’re skilled at something and can create value with minimal effort, that’s discipline. When you earn and live with that discipline, you can face whatever comes your way—because you’ve done your part sincerely, without shortcuts or blame. And that helps you navigate both success and failure with peace of mind.
Beyond that, we must accept: some things are just not in our control.
Let’s take a cue from the natural world:
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Have you ever seen a bird collecting hundreds of sticks just because they’re available?
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Have you seen a lion hunting when it’s not hungry?
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Have you seen a honeybee stripping flowers bare?
No. They take only what they need. They live with balance and awareness.
That’s Animal Intelligence.
Something Artificial Intelligence cannot replicate.
So, which AI do you think truly shapes our lives?
Yes, my friends—AI doesn’t always mean Artificial Intelligence.
Sometimes, it's Animal Intelligence that teaches us the most profound lessons.
Ravi Saripalle
