Random Thoughts on Random Words - Day 11 Killer Instinct

In the 1970s Indian tennis began to unexpectedly show signs of looking up. There was a star on the horizon, the Madras born Vijay Amritraj. He was  so talented and doing well in tournaments that he began to be referred to by sports journalists as one of the ABC (Amritraj, Borg and Conners) of tennis at that time. Vijay went on to reach the quarter finals of two grand slams Wimbledon and US open in 1973. On his day, he could beat the best of the best. But in the big matches, going forward he seemed to falter and the journalists gave it a name, a lack of the 'Killer instinct'. Vijay's career's  best ranking was 16 in July 1980. Many believed that he had a lot more potential than his achievements. 

A similar view was taken by the Indian sports journalists when it came to Ramesh Krisnan, another promising talent. He ended up with  8 titles and 4 runner up positions in the ATP tours. However, with a weak service and lacking the "Killer instinct',( according to experts reporting at that time) Ramesh also could not realize his full potential. So what is this 'Killer instinct' that Indians seemed to lack . It has been described as "an aggressive, tenacious urge for domination in a struggle to attain a set goal". It means having a strong will power. It is innate but if you condition yourself long enough, it can become second nature. 

People with the 'Killer instinct" are ruthless; like a lion with a tunnel vision seeking and destroying its prey. We see this trait in people who are on top in their enterprise, be it businessmen, politicians, athletes, you name it. Killers are just as ruthless with themselves. They are willing to attain what they want paying any price necessary, including sacrificing health and love. "Losers make excuses, winners make things happen" is their motto. Being resilient fighters, failure motivates them even more. They are not bothered under pressure, stay ice cool and even excel under pressure. Confidence is embedded in the  psyche of the person with 'Killer instinct', it is not something that comes and goes!    

Looked at it this way, we can easily understand why we Indians seemingly lack this trait. We were told, at least at the time that we were growing up that participation in  competitive sports is not just about winning. It is about fair play and sportsman spirit. I remember in the Santosh trophy football tournaments a special prize used to given to the player who played the game fairly without deliberate fouls and other intimidating tactics. Indians have come a long way since then, developing 'killer instinct' on the way. We are able to sledge the Australians word by word in a game that was once called " A gentleman's game" and yes, we are winning a lot more.  

When winning is all about "going for the kill" it dilutes the spirit of fair play and you find  football legend Pele being physically attacked by full backs to ensure that he is  sufficiently hurt to be not able to score goals. When it is about winning at any cost, a person like Ben Johnson is hailed as "the fastest man on earth" one day only to be ridiculed as "fastest junkie on earth" the next, on learning he took drugs to achieve the feat.. Whispers were there in respect of the famous US sprinter Florence Grifith Joyner who abruptly retired after 1988 Olympics, just before the introduction of the mandatory random drug testing in 1989.  

In India , Cricketer Sreeshant who trained under the Australian great, Dennis Lillee at the MRF Pace Foundation  learned not  just fast bowling  at the foundation but acquired  the  aggressive 'Killer instinct' associated with the Australian cricket team. The aggression  surely helped  him to succeed in cricket but whether it helped him in life is debatable. Even in cricket, many Indians felt his behaviour on the ground  was over the top and when he fell on difficult time, they tended to have less sympathy for someone known for his bad, boorish behaviour.

 Captain Virat Kohli is credited with having the aggression associated with the 'Killer instinct'. Yet, when we look back years later, at the greatest of the greats, it is  most likely that it is the face of  Sachin Tenulkar that would come to mind for his achievements,  accompanied by poise and dignity. In fact, people like him give the lie to the proposition that we cannot win in a game or in the game of  life without the 'killer instinct'.  

To my mind the 'Killer instinct' is the by product of a Western construct of "Survival of the fittest" in a cruel world with limited resources- that although we no longer live in jungles, it is all about running faster and faster for sheer survival., the deer to save itself and the lion to get its prey.  As the world experienced colonial rule for a long time followed by economic hegemony of the  US and Europe subsequently, the entire world has been sold to this idea. Therefore companies are advised to downsize their staff  at the drop of a hat,  even at the slightest of threat- make judgement/ assessment of people as "stars", "performers", "non performers" and give the boot to "non performers". Nobody talks about  the extraordinary/ grandiose  pay and retention bonus that CEOs and other key executives negotiate for themselves in case of a disruption/job loss.    

The alternative view is that universe has plenty for all the living beings. "There is enough for everyone's need but not enough for everyone's greed." What India and the whole world needs today is not so much 'Killer Instinct' but 'Human instinct' characterized by the natural feelings of love and compassion. This thought of "my progress at the expense of others" should stop. Whatever a person does for his own benefit should result in benefit in someway for others as well. The new age thinkers in the West also appreciate the thought that we are all connected. 

Unhappiness or sorrow in any part of the world is a threat to the prosperity and well being of beings in other parts of the world". The leadership in the entire world, in all disciplines (Business, politics, science, medicine, art)  have to change hands from the so called people with "Killer instinct' to those who have love and compassion, - not only for  human beings but the entire biodiversity of  our mother Earth. This alone will ensure the long time prosperity and well being of the whole world.  

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