Expectations

Technically expectations are different from hope, the former has its foundation more in facts and figures and ground realities, the latter more like expectations added with some divine help. It’s a fine line though which separate one from the other, and it requires just a few unexpected events to turn hopes or hopes of miracles into expectations. But because of its very nature when hopes don’t come true we are depressed and sad. In the case of expectations we feel let down and mad. Sorry for the horrible rhyme, but just couldn’t help it.

So to give a current example, till a month or so ago in a one-day cricket match 250 was considered a good total on most grounds, 280 a real tough one to chase, anything between 300 to 340 as good as the match is in the pocket and above that the audience thinned out even before the second innings began. In the Australia versus South Africa final one-dayer at the Wanderer, Australia batting first scored a world record 424 and the match was of only academic interest after that. Australia had already broken a bunch of one day records, and so it was to be seen if they could take care of the remaining ones too. Not a soul, not even a South African one hoped, forget about expected, that the Proteas could come anywhere near a mile of victory. The match started with some hard hitting by the proteas, but that was taken to be a flash in the pan. After the greatest four hours of one day cricket that any cricket fan has ever seen, Mark Boucher hit the winning runs and thus created history in front of our eyes. Besides the small insignificant task of creating he also made chasing 400+ targets a matter of expectations for other fans from the realms of hoping for miracles.

The box –office and the advertising world has all its hopes pinned on the long life and good health of Amitabh Bachchan. The Indian electorate, even after being hoodwinked time and again, expect their leaders to actually implement the heady party manifestoes released before the elections. This actually should be a better example of hope rather than expectations, but for once let me be a little nice towards my netas. A student expects to do well when he puts in his best efforts, he hopes to do well when the efforts are not exactly best. Boyfriends and girlfriends expect more from each other than what the world of bicycling expects from Lance Armstrong. Parents expect their kids to be better than the best. Sansui expects its audio systems to sell because of its ad line. You probably expect that the most non-sensical piece you will ever read is behind you. I expect that even though its five thirty in the morning, I will be fully refreshed when I get up for work tomorrow at seven thirty.