Politically and economically, 2019 promises to be a challenging year
It is an artificial marker, but the New Year, nonetheless, makes me want to look at the prospects for the world going forward, and how I should configure my life for the short duration.
No part of the world is ever nestled in quietude and harmony for long, but I hated to see the Arc de Triomphe cordoned off by police recently, and thick curtains of tear gas cast a pall over the city.
To my way of thinking, a government out of touch with the people was the raison d’être for the protests in Paris.
When people pay high taxes, they want to know what the money is being used for, and when the answers from the government are not satisfactory, there is likely to be trouble.
France, however, was not alone in dealing with civil unrest. In Britain, a large segment of the population is unhappy with the manner in which Britain’s divorce from the European Union (BREXIT) is being executed.
In Italy, a new government has placed sovereignty and nationalism at the forefront of politics.
In the U.S., Trumpism is doing battle with liberalism and socialism. Democratic leader in the senate Chuck Schumer recently stated that President Trump was sowing seeds of chaos all over the country.
As can be expected, Russia and China are quite happy to see the West in such disarray.
If proof is needed that Europe and the U.S. are in turmoil, one has only to look at the stock markets. The financial acrobatics are enough to make the head spin. The wild market swings do not bode well for the future.
There are many other trouble spots in the world: Syria, Turkey and Greece, Ukraine, to name just a few.
In many western countries, if not all, democracy is fast becoming the poor man’s illusion that keeps rich people rich and the powerful people powerful under a two-tier justice system that favors the ruling class.
Based on these observations, it is clear that I have a very negative view of the world for 2019.
So, how does this perspective affect my personal life?
Well, for one, if I should make a return trip to Paris, I cannot walk down the Champs-Elysees in the perfunctory manner of a casual tourist.
Nor can I stand on the Westminster Bridge and let Wordsworthian poetry hold full sway over my surroundings.
World events inform me that I have to be cognizant of potential dangers lurking in the verdure and sunshine of innocent leisure and quotidian activities.
I have to be cognizant of yet another fact, namely, that a single Tweet from Trump having to do with tariffs can send the stock market into a conniption.
Many aspects of the world have become fragile and unpredictable, requiring the smart individual to keep his eyes wide open and his thinking nimble.
In all this madness, what adds to the madness is that one cannot trust the mainstream media explicitly to paint an accurate picture of world events.
Gone are the days when one could turn the pages of a newspaper and know what was happening in New York City, Munich, or Mumbai.
Today, a meaningful inquiry into the world requires the seeker to put on a sleuth’s hat, collect bits and pieces of information from diverse news outlets, and then patch them together to form a mosaic of truth.
Therefore, in the new year, I will encourage myself to read more, for the truth is never a simple matter.
And if I should travel abroad, I shall carry a whistle to signal danger, and a mirror to see what’s at my back.
