Tragicomic mystery

As frantic searches yield nothing, the case of the missing Malaysian plane only becomes curiouser and curiouser. The Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, which vanished into thin air, almost literally, this past Friday, has practically left the scientific and security fraternities twiddling their thumb, desperately looking for a clue to decipher the mystery that is deepening by the hour. The Beijing-bound plane made no distress call, and experts have conjectured that it might have suddenly disintegrated mid-air, or could have attempted to return to Kuala Lumpur before it met with the unfathomable mishap. No confirmed sightings of the jet’s wreckage have further added fuel to the fire of rampant speculations, with some even calling it a case of ‘alien abduction.’ The dreadfulness of the tragedy aside, how it is getting reported in the mainstream and alternative media tells a lot about the times we are living in. Whether it’s a covert experiment gone horribly wrong, say on the part of China, or an unbelievable security breach that has got the officials reeling in both fear and confusion. Nevertheless, what happened to the jet and its 239 passengers and crew aboard would only be ascertained in times to come, provided the mystery is ever solved. Whether it was caused by catastrophic mechanical failure, on a fatal error on the part of the pilot, or, more logically, both, the fact of the matter is that precious lives have been lost, horribly and violently. As friends and family of the victims mourn their personal losses, the tragedy drives home the point of the ultimate vulnerability of human existence and the utter foolishness of human hubris before the forces of nature.