I’m not normally the bearer of bad news, but searching for words of wisdom, I can find none. In a world that has gone mad, calling for wisdom, prudence, discretion, and even sanity seems a futile exercise and has fallen upon deaf ears. News media are having a heyday reporting sensational news of wars, earthquakes, death, and destruction. Countries are mobilizing and increasing their defense budgets by insane amounts. And they tell us that this is only the beginning! The world has truly gone mad.
Understandably, the global power struggle has affected the economy of most countries around the world. A few “lucky” countries were in a position, or managed to benefit from the situation to strengthen their economies. After the Nord Stream pipelines were blown up, Norway, for instance, became the main supplier of gas to Europe, and its economy skyrocketed. Defying the sanctions imposed on Russia, India and China now enjoy huge discounts on Russian energy bills. However, most countries are going through harsh economic times. Europe, in general, is suffering big time and a record number of bankruptcies are reported, not to mention the fears of European industry exodus to the United States. Never-heard-of food rationing, ongoing demonstrations, clashes with law-enforcement authorities, and record interest rates are but indicators of how bad the situation is.
I really am trying to think of something positive to say, but considering the current situation, and according to just about every analyst, it looks bad! The only deterrent left is the realization that should an all-out nuclear war break out, no one will be around to claim victory! It’s like a poker game, with each party raising the stakes in hopes that the other side will fold. However, not only is no one folding, the stakes are getting to an extremely dangerous point, and one wrong move or one human error, and…BOOM! The end of Earth, as we know it.
In the meantime, what choice do we have other than to try to go about our day-to-day lives, hoping and praying that this nightmare will go away and that we will somehow return to a more normal routine, not fretting about a global catastrophe.
Long live Palestine!
Por Sani Meo
