Another Cup, 2014-World Cup Business

An exhilarating—and escalating—business is in full swing in Brazil, with millions of World Cup fans flooding the place. Turn on your TV, and most channels are showing clips of what's happening outside and inside the stadium. Brazilian culture, arts, and artifacts are proudly displayed, mostly to make a quick buck. At the end of the day, that's everyone's dream, right?

Not surprisingly, the whole world knows about this World Cup. But there's another World Cup going on inside every person's mind: the betting cup. Here in Chukha, the World Cup business is also in full swing. I'd call it "the other World Cup"—people are having a blast making money through games of chance. Gambling is everywhere. Who will actually win? Only God knows. But the gamblers act like they know too—until their luck runs out. They focus on star players, not on teams. And we all know how that ends.

The quality of work has dropped faster than a bad penalty kick. Subordinates, bosses, regular folks, even government servants—all busy betting for their chosen countries. Fluke money is made. Real money is lost. Work gets postponed or ignored altogether. Minds are elsewhere, eyes half-closed to the day's duties.

I suspect many school students will somehow pass this mid-term. Why? Because many teacher-evaluators have decided that one person's academic future is less important than a goal replay. Running on no sleep, they'll skim a sentence or two, slap on a score, and call it a day. Or worse—they'll hand out a big fat zero if their favorite team lost, just to save time for the next match.

Coming to the office late and chatting loudly about nothing will be the new normal. Sinecure workers everywhere! Join any group, and you'll find a debate in full swing—betting in full swing. Late-night quarrels and shouting matches disturb neighbors and households alike. If we were to judge work quality this June and July, half the salary would be generous. Because that's about half the effort being given.

I even heard some people take casual leave to watch a match—for a team that isn't even theirs in any real sense. Let that sink in.