Sadly, this reflection has to start on a very sour note.
Many of us wouldn’t have thought it would come to this. Yet now, we are facing the existential dread of another cold war.
Globalisation and the internet have made us all connected so that geographical borders, time zones and language barriers can’t prohibit us to be in close contact to people from other nations and make their stories our own. Which makes what is happening now, even more severe on a personal and emotional level. Rarely have I ever felt anger, fright and helplessness more than in these dire times, that have affected me on mental basis now that the realisation of the gravity of the situation comes hitting back over and over. My mind always picking the worst case scenario and making me relive the worst in my thoughts to a point where they are hard to shut out anymore. I want to block them out for my own wellbeing yet I can’t help but return to the news, I’ve become addicted to know what’s going on because I am still hoping for it to become better especially for the lives of the Ukrainian people.
For the time being, I continue on with my usual striving. Despite my negative outlook on the future, I still want to make the best of the present. Friends, family and time to myself are what help me immensely right now and I cherish what I have. Without this time together, I’d sink into depression very certainly. And it further urges me to demand an end to this senseless war. Aggression and brutality cannot be the means this world drives on. The cost of this war has to be made apparent to everyone to value the richness that lie in Diplomacy.
Right now, I see the most effective means to end it in the people of Russia to rise against their government and to the soldiers to lay down their weapons in an effort to stop the campaign against Ukraine first and foremost to then remind their government to act in the interest of its people and not its leaders.
This conflict has already stirred up the minds to take the nations in this world as hostile entities with the will to do harm. Expenses are made to build the military. Hate and prejudice infect people to shut themselves off and separate. The needs for power and control become the thriving factor in politics and instead of fighting the ever-growing threat of climate change, all become too self-focused instead of pulling on one string.
We are staring into the abyss of our existence and at this point, we can always come up with new ways to facilitate our demise.
It is now as important as ever to prove that humanity is beyond this point and can change for the better. Otherwise, it might just set in stone how we are not fit to live on this planet and that we would’ve been better off not coming this far.
I’m sorry this reflection is this bitter but I can’t help but talk about what is currently on everybody’s mind anyway.
Yesterday, I’ve been able to thoroughly enjoy myself for a very long time. It brought me back to when all in life was without worry and could so easily be taken for granted. Today, I realize just how important security is for my life and how it comes being a necessity to structure and creativity in everything I do.
I couldn’t help but feel disrupted in my abilities for the past 6 days, only as of very recently, started to slightly rehabilitate from this disruption and become slightly more active.
The new semester is starting soon and we all will be facing the daily routine of a new cold-war era for the first time in our lives again. Maybe it will help us to be in a connective field again together. The vocal exchange in presence is something I definitely yearn for and think will help us all to focus on our studying.
For now, this is all I want to disclose.
This is a hard time, certainly for all of us. Find some company, talk yourselves out, find a way to distract yourself and help where you can.
I am very interested how the next reflection will look like.
Until then, stay safe,
~Souvillaine