Living in interesting times

The greeting, “May you live in interesting times” is an English expression that is claimed to be a translation of a Chinese curse. A curse because “uninteresting times” means peace and tranquility, and interesting times, a time of upheaval and chaos. There is really no verifiable basis on the origin of this phrase but it was contained in a letter of a British colonial officer in the early 19th Century in China, and gained traction over the years as the world geo-politics became more complicated and chaotic.

Keeping abreast with the local and world news these days in the mainstream and social media, we are being bombarded with so much news with immediate and long-term dire implications, that it’s unnerving many people and adding to their mental stress. Aside from the physical health concerns brought about by the pandemic, there are mental problems that are increasing suicides and worsening mental health issues. Psychologists/psychiatrists are already recommending detachment and limiting news media exposure to maintain mental stability, especially for people who are already highly-stressed or cannot cope with additional stressors. It’s hoped that people who have to be in constant touch with news and events due to their work and vocation are made of sturdier stuff.

Just in the month of January, over and above the developments in the COVID pandemic and the deep global economic recessions, the political/civil problems in the USA after Trump’s destabilization, the world is confronted with the realization that the environmental degradation/depletion of resources is causing severe ecological disasters, that will feed into problematic geo-political tensions in the Middle East and in the South China Sea. Greenhouse gases, global warming, and inadequate food resources are moving South American migrations, starvation in Yemen and other poor countries, and pushing China’s territorial initiatives. Even Iran and North Korea’s nuclear ambitions are leverage for them to lift economic sanctions that is worsening their economic conditions and threatening their food supply. The farmers’ strike in India that is almost paralyzing New Delhi, is about the farmers protecting their livelihood and the Indian government wanting to increase food supply.

The arrests, persecution, and repression of political activists in Hong Kong, the poisoning of Navalny in Russia and the subsequent demonstrations, the military “coup” in Myanmar and the ongoing civil disobedience are more than temporary incidents. These are symptoms and offshoots of geo-political maneuvers that will lead to more interesting times. Authoritarian governments which are preceded by populist leaders, are always stifling democratic movements by repressions and economic trade-offs. Either way, their success or failure will mean a more volatile global political environment.

Historically, the world has always experienced or moved from extreme of peace/tranquility to extreme instabilities. Wars, famines, and disasters on one end and years of serenity on the other. It could be that it might have the same longevity, but we have more information about the plague, the hundred years wars, the Babylonian captivity, or the wars of the three kingdoms in China, as history tends to record more of the wars and disasters than the peaceful times. The current advances of IT technology, social media, and faster transmission of everything makes the delivery of bad news almost instantaneous, adding to our stress faster and putting us in more “interesting times”.

We really have no choice but to survive these “interesting times”. Our objective is to survive it well for the duration. We can do our share by alleviating or not adding to the stressors, making our government responsible and accountable for their actions, living a life of truth and justice, and having faith in our God that the “world is unfolding as he wants it”.