By: Miran Černec
Perhaps, dear readers, you have noticed that our planet has once again become strangely dangerous in recent years. From the war between Russia and Ukraine to new conflicts between Israel and Palestine, not to mention all the other slaughters raging across this blue globe. It seems that even in our enlightened 21st century, there is no shortage of people willing to kill and die for land, borders, oil, flags, wealth, religion, and, indeed, supposedly even for freedom and democracy.
And it is not just about wars; many enthusiasts in comfortable chairs today are entirely willing to destroy the lives of millions in the name of lofty ideals – let’s say, in the name of environmental protection, multiculturalism, or pandemic prevention – and feel quite good about it. In general, there are many individuals in this world who are always firmly convinced of their own righteousness; some believe they have been endowed with perfect knowledge by God himself; others think that the privilege of infallibility is granted by their social position, education, or political function in Brussels; and the third group knows how and what to do because they read it in their sacred books, heard it on TV, or discovered it on the internet… And all these enthusiasts out there, convinced of the justice and salvation of their cause, often want to infect others with their unbearable self-assuredness – in the era of social media, they have means at their disposal that no deranged emperor in history had before the 21st century. It is difficult to assess how much damage people who feel called to always have a 100% correct opinion on every crisis, every war, every natural phenomenon, and every human tragedy cause. Certainly, with their ideological cheerleading, they do not contribute much to solving problems.
Therefore, it seems to me that one of the graces that at least some of us are granted in the later years is precisely the difficulty in remaining passionate about anything. Taking a stance of stoic detachment from current events is sometimes a true blessing if you dare to afford it – and perhaps it does more for a better world than the fervour that seeks to create it with bombs and rockets.