What Will Happen Next?

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First came the pandemic and now Ukraine is at war against invading Russians. It hurts to think about it, but such thoughts are also unavoidable. It is bad enough that we have a rampant maniac sitting in Kremlin, ordering Russia’s military to invade an independent country, but that isn’t all.

These last years have been insane. Worrying and devastating. Have we humans driven everything too far out of sync? It is possible. We have riddled the world with destruction, pollution, war, and general mayhem. How is that possible? Is the only reason that we could? Are our animal cravings stronger than any philosophical or religious dogma? Yet, animals don’t destroy the world. They live and fight to live, but they don’t invent weapons, warfare, or greenhouse gasses. Yes, they leave tracks, but nothing compared to the destruction humans produce.

Shame on us. Life could be beautiful, simple, if we weren’t obsessed with power and money. With all the inventiveness that brought benefits to humans, how is it possible that we never learned to appreciate nature? How did we go so far away from a simple and balanced way of life? Why can’t we, why couldn’t we foresee that too fast a pace would lay much beauty to waste? How did we become mass-destructing maniacs? Perhaps we succeeded too fast and too widespread.

Would a slower development have saved us from becoming greedy? Maybe not. Greed is inherent in people who’ve suffered shortages. Is that so? Could it have more to do with singular personalities? There were always people who could see their way to gain power over others. These people often felt disdain for their less ‘gifted’ contemporaries. Is that where it all started? Did it start the moment the first human being grabbed a stone and smashed the skull of another human? How does competitiveness begin? Why is our ability to work together so neglected? Look at our inability to prevent catastrophes, misery, upheaval, and ruin. Vae victis.

There are no easy answers, and I can’t even try to solve this riddle. It just seems necessary to stop and think about life, about this planet, and about what we do to it.

What can we do to avoid destroying ourselves? Is it still possible to learn to live in harmony with one another? Can we find a way out of this labyrinth of destruction? We may live in hope but that isn’t enough.

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© HMH, 2022


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2 responses to “What Will Happen Next?”

  1. Millie Thom avatar

    A well-reasoned and extremely thought-provoking post, Hanne. You have certainly given your readers something to think about. Yes, life would be very beautiful, and simple, if we were not all obsessed with power and money.

    1. Hanne H avatar
      Hanne H

      Thank you, Millie. Your opinion means a lot to me. I suppose that we can dream and hope, but maybe time is running out for humanity. What can we do to turn our descent into destruction around? It seems too little to write about it, but isn’t it up to us writers to be alert? If enough people shout, somebody might hear.

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