At the weekend I visited my son. It’s great having adult children. When you’re a parent of younger children you do have anxieties of what their future is going to be – of course it never goes away, but what does change is what you worry about.I’ve been keeping an eye on the Ukraine crisis for the previous few weeks, of course watching the stock-marketing dip, and oil and gas prices rise as the events have been unfolding. It was very clear that my son was fearful of the potential war – indeed WWIII. At 25 he’s only ever known a peaceful Europe. Personally, at just under twice his age (I started young) I’ve also ever known a peaceful world. Ukraine seems so close to home – a world going backwards – and the live feeds on social and mainstream media are simply unavoidable.
Do I worry about the long-term future? No, things have a way of righting themselves. That’s my forced positive thinking. Like when Trump got voted – I knew it wouldn’t be forever (or that’s what I hoped at the time).
This feels the wrong direction very much, but like most things, they will right themselves. Two steps forward, one step back. Of course this feels like more than one step backwards – and on the back of an unstable and tired world on the back of coronavirus and America being unpredictable (until recently).
The world needs strong and predictable leadership – which one could argue is Putin. But is also needs strong and predictable leadership through democracy – by the people, for the people.
There is no such thing as a kind and lovely Dictator – they simply don’t exist. Dictators simply want to have power and control – not for the greater good, but for their own good. The needs of the few, rather than the needs of the many and minorities.
Hundreds have people have died, over a million refugees have fled. No doubt there will be many more. Russian media portraying their military as saviours, and Western media portraying war and an attempt to over-throwing democracy. This is just the beginning. But with every beginning there is always an end. And it will end.
We have to stay strong, united, and hopeful – as my father once said to me – time heals everything.
