Several years back I wrote that I thought the only thing to bring the world together would be an alien invasion. I made the argument that perhaps the devastating effects of climate change would be enough, but it appears that it wont be. At least not any time soon. I guess we have to reach the point of mass casualties, property destruction and global socioeconomic devastation before we’ll consider doing something so pragmatic as cleaning the air and water of the planet.
Of course I also thought during the past two years, that a global pandemic might be enough to bring us into the realization that we are really all one species and/or race. But no. It only served to further divide us into the Pro-Science and Anti-Science camps. The conspiracy theorists and the ‘pro-truth’ cabals.
Now along comes Mr. Putin and his assault on Ukraine.
Will the specter of global thermonuclear war be enough? Maybe. But I doubt it.
The images coming out of Ukraine are beyond disturbing. The loss of life, and the infrastructure being destroyed is profoundly distressing. What’s it all for? I have no idea.
I’ve tried to discern the reason for the aggression of the Russian President, and it’s not clear. Is it all really just historical grudges? Maybe. Could he be doing this as part of a much longer game to destabilize the world order? Perhaps as a gambit to foster unrest in America so that Mr. Trump is restored to power? Possibly. I know that his actions will be used by the Republicans to further divide us as a nation.
The political consultants are likely constructing their arguments already about how Biden either was too ineffectual and perceived as weak and that’s why Putin did what he did. He “KNEW” that Biden wouldn’t stop him, but if we had Trump in power, this never would have happened. The other side is that Biden is in cahoots with Putin and he’s doing this as part of a cover-up for his son’s corruption in Ukraine,and it’s all part of a vast conspiracy to protect Biden and the Clintons, while embarrassing Trump.
If we actually get into a ground war it will be used to “prove” that Biden is an incompetent President by the Republicans who just starts war to stay in power (completely forgetting the Iraq War started by W – which was somehow justified in their minds by the absent weapons of mass destruction). Alternatively, it would be used to show that Biden is just a “warmonger like all Democrats are, who start wars that the Republicans then have to pull us out of, and yes, that’s why Mr. Trump should be put back in power – because he’d stop it, and Putin will respect him”.
I could go on I’m sure, but the point is that everything is used as a talking point to “prove” someone’s side. And what is said this week in justification and anger, is frequently forgotten and the reasoning ignored when in time it becomes valuable to take the other side. I’ve seen this lately in a person I follow who was sure that the COVID-19 was just the flu, no big deal and all part of a pretext to take greater control of our minds. They have now flipped their theories, and are “sure” it was a product of Moderna, in order to sell the vaccination to the governments and to increase their profits as part of a global world order manipulation.
Frankly, I’m getting pretty tired of all of it.
The idea of buying 10 acres in some remote place where I have no internet, and I have food dropped off once a month is looking and sounding better and better. I stepped away from the obsessive consumption of the political theater about two years into the Trump administration, and reduced my care level to “paying attention for 20 minutes a day.” When the administration changed, I dropped down to an even lower level of care. I’m at the “reading the headlines daily, maybe the first couple of paragraphs then I’m out” stage.
Will humanity pull together and solve the world’s problems? Maybe. Will the youth of the world figure out how to get along in ways that my generation hasn’t? looks like it at times. Technology is proceeding to fix the trashed oceans, clean the CO2 from the air and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels so there’s hope there. Politically, Putin is almost in his 70s, he’s an old KGB USSR relic, albeit a powerful one. His greatest threat may lie from within. Those oligarchs like their money and their yachts. Their kids like being spoiled. Russian history is full of plot twists, and I for one don’t know what chess moves are being played behind the scenes right now.
And it’s likely, I never will. We may only see the end result.
Let’s hope it’s a good one for all of us.
David Pisarra is a Los Angeles Divorce and Child Custody Lawyer specializing in Father’s and Men’s Rights with the Santa Monica firm of Pisarra & Grist. He welcomes your questions and comments. He can be reached at dpisarra@pisarra.com or 310/664-9969. You can follow him on Twitter @davidpisarra
