OVERWHELMED BY WORLD EVENTS

Dickens

^I also agree with Franbern regarding the corrosive nature of religion. Many of these atrocities would not occur if it were not for people following often outdated "rules", rather than using their own sense of what is right and what is wrong to determine how they behave towards others.^

I'm an atheist - but I think the 'corrosion' is due not so much to the religion - but those who have hijacked it and interpreted it for their own agenda.

Well said, Dickens.

Callistemon21

Dickens

I also agree with Franbern regarding the corrosive nature of religion. Many of these atrocities would not occur if it were not for people following often outdated "rules", rather than using their own sense of what is right and what is wrong to determine how they behave towards others.

I'm an atheist - but I think the 'corrosion' is due not so much to the religion - but those who have hijacked it and interpreted it for their own agenda.

Very true Dickens

No God would want to see such hatred, war and killings.
It is the way it has been interpreted by mankind.

Quite.

It has to be remembered also that 'religion' has been a cause for kindness and compassion in others.

Not only that, but it's also allowed people to endure... it has brought comfort to many during times of trouble and stress.

As an atheist I don't believe in a God - but I do believe in "Godliness" if that makes sense.

BlueBelle

Well Margaret Thatcher managed to take us into one!!

I think you'll remember that it was Argentina invading British territory , threatening British lives, that caused that one.

Secondwind

All the whispers into Thatcher’s ears were from men, no doubt…

You obviously missed the series on R4 with her ministers talking about their time with her.
Nobody whispered in Thatcher’s ear. Love her or loath her she was her own woman.

MerylStreep

Secondwind

All the whispers into Thatcher’s ears were from men, no doubt…

You obviously missed the series on R4 with her ministers talking about their time with her.
Nobody whispered in Thatcher’s ear. Love her or loath her she was her own woman.

Yes, as if she was a waverer!!

"You turn if you want to. The lady's not for turning!"

It's not about gender though, is it? In the same way, we cannot blame all Italians or French, or ....well you get the idea. Just before the US and Britain were going in to create the Iraq war, I spoke online (within a UK group) and so many of them turned on me, with things like "my son's in that military...." and so on. Some years later, one of those "ladys" contacted me to apologize (Btw, I got thrown out of the group because of it). So, yes after she learned the WOMD was not real and they went in simply to avenge the Twin Towers horror, she came back to apologize. The sad part of our lives today, for me is knowing that anybody can go online, get themselves a picket and say just about anything. Talk is cheap, it ruins lives and makes the innocent guilty. If only we would do our research and find out the details of a situation, rather than continuing to run with it and spread that wrong news. As an example: The history of the so-called 'Palestinian Conflict" is not what it appears. The Britain Sir Arthur Balfour supporting the Zionists actually began the slaughter of the country of Palestine and time and time again, the laws have been ignored by Israel. It's all power play and profit. It's about the billions made from the sale of weapons that is big business and perpetuate wars. I suggest everyone should look at the stories of those living in Hebron. At least, now, others are starting to educate themselves about the truth of this sad, sad story. Cheers btw. Cheer up!

For Henetha - and "Mrs T was absolutely right to defend the Falklands". Well, several historians have analysed that, and concluded that in fact that spat was engineered, by US, as her popularity was going down the toilet already in her reign. A nice war, and she became a hero, got quite a few more years out of it.

She IS the woman who gave us the present privatised trains concept (criticised before, and ever since it happened), devastated the industry of the Midlands & North (still hated in much of them), and of course the Poll Tax, resulting in riots. Oh, nearly forgot, SHE started the housing crisis (never fixed) by selling off council houses and having no plan for replacement social housing.

For Downnotout, well, tribes and later countries have picked on their neighbours for thousands of years, sometimes travelled long distances to explore and conquer.

Sometimes it's just been greed, but at various times in the last 1000 years or so, religion has thrown its hat in the ring. Islam means 'Peace', and Christianity has 'Shalt Not Kill', 'Turn the other cheek', and 'Love thy neighbour'. Oh, and don't covet thy neighbour's anything.

Hasn't stopped Muslims and Christians killing huge numbers of each other, and opposing factions within each one. There is nothing you personally can do about the problems in the Middle East (don't forget that Iran is provoking a war in Yemen as well as Israel) -- Putin's invasions, terrorists round most of Africa, plus the Muslim/Buddhist (maybe Hindu as well?) conflict in what used to be Burma, and the Chines persecution of Uighurs. And I must have omitted some, there are websites detailing all the planet's major and minor spats, very depressing. But you can do nothing about them.

….And took the milk away from school kids
freya I m well aware why she took us to war, was it worth it ? why shouldn’t Argentine have that bit of land on their doorstep why should we ‘own’ it ?? I have no understanding of why lives should be lost and ruined for a small island on the other side of the world, we should have given it to them in good grace 3500 population, descendants from a variety of European countries Really ….

downnotout

I might be way out of my depth here and this might not be the right place to put this on but here goes .
I have watched news from ‘abroad’,(I’m in Scotland but have travelled) from a ‘comfortable distance’ and been upset, shocked, very sad about the state of the world, be it wars, acts of god etc.
I am in my 60s now. Yes I did not live through the Second or First World Wars as my parents and grandparents did. I have only seen this reproduced very articulately in many films and heard stories. Yes we have lived through a Covid pandemic - many compared it to the Spanish Flue epidemic of 1918 killing over 215,000. And then of course, after that, the War. But I have never been so, not just touched, but devastated by the last few years of actually living through and acknowledging how dispicable men who crave war can be. And yes, I think it is indeed men. What do they crave? Land? Why? Power over reserves? Why? Power over people? Why?
Why are men so hell-bent on distructing? I am not a ‘reverse-misogynist’ but it is men who seem to have to always instigate and therefore manifest this un-harmony in the world. It is men who send our sons and their own to war to give up their lives.
I have travelled - not all over the world - but everywhere - everywhere- I have gone I have respected every country I have visited - their rules, their culture - and I have connected with so many lovely people from all walks of life just living their lives and happy to talk openly, to chat, to discuss different countries and ways of living, to laugh at the same things, talk about family, friends and even to be able to laugh at ourselves and our own countries eccentricities.
I am so saddened and appalled at what is happening now. Am I being unreasonable in thinking this? Does no one remember banter and laughter?

Yes it seems a very hard part of getting older is realizing the world is still so full of violence, greed and traumas. When we are young we anticipate that we can change things and or that surely things will get better. Or we think maybe as we learn more we will it will make sense. Then later in life we realize none of that is true. I think it causes depression for many. I know for me, finding a spiritual outlook is the only thing that keeps me from being overwhelmed by it all. And from there doing what I can to lift up those around me. It doesn't make the kaos of the world any less sad, but it helps me to go on with a sense of purpose. You are not alone. Hug to you.

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

Reported

is there a sub-section for grannies who do a bit of global arms dealing on the side.
like knit and natter.
shoot and shatter, maybe.

For almost the first time in my life I do feel overwhelmed by everything that is happening now. Not just global events but life close to home where violence and corruption is widespread and almost accepted as the norm. I worry about the future of my children and grandchildren and the world they will be living in after I die. The future does indeed seem bleak.

Callistemon21

^I don't think we should let this overwhelm us^

There's rarely been a time since WW2 when there hasn't been war or conflict somewhere in the world.
Or indeed, at any time in recorded history.

We must never forget the horrors of that war which lasted for six years so let's hope a peace can be negotiated soon and that other conflicts can be resolved.

Very true! Conflict and wars seem to be entrenched in mankind unfortunately. By the way Margaret Thatcher did not start a war.She responded to threat and military action against British people.

I hope this isn't going to be long-winded but I feel we can have reason to hope, indeed we must.
First, more and more people are outraged by the waging of wars- public opinion does matter and you can see this in everyday life from people who want to change things.
In this democaracy we have the power to change things by our vote, our actions, the things we say and do. This gives me hope.
Our main enemy is the media- we don't even realise the powe these people have to send images and reports that we see on our screens and make us uncomfortable. Good news does not make money and that's the truth. I am in favour of an annual block the media day, when we put away our phones and switch off our TVs- the media is all about manipulation and I read it even in some comments made here. News pages will have images of the horrors of war side by side with the latest celeb gossip, the Windsors latest shenanigans- all on the same page! They don't care which bit your read, it is all money to them.
I gave up watching TV news after October because of all the manipulation going on. I watch it a bit more now, but I'm careful to be objective and watch different channels to get a wider perspective.
Yes, all wars are about power and land grabbing, often both. They are also about the arms trade (we manufacture arms and sell them to the Russians, Saudis , Iran etc) and no one wants to put the guns away because they make lots of money.
I want to answer the point about religion too. I find it lazy thinking to say that religion causes wars in and of themselves. I disagree, it is the manipulation of religion that brings the power, and using people's sensibilities to fool them into thinking the war-mongers are religious themselves.
You can see this plainly with Netanyahu and Trump, in Iran and Afghanistan too. Hitler was a prime example.
I have no answers, but I do think people should calm down a little. We have images coming into our homes in an instant- we just see more of these wars and devastation where previously our ignorance was our protection. We don't have to buy it! We can help our own communities, raise our families well, be understanding to people who aren't like us and most of all cease blaming all but those who are not losing sleep at night, as we might otherwise be.

downnotout

I might be way out of my depth here and this might not be the right place to put this on but here goes .
I have watched news from ‘abroad’,(I’m in Scotland but have travelled) from a ‘comfortable distance’ and been upset, shocked, very sad about the state of the world, be it wars, acts of god etc.
I am in my 60s now. Yes I did not live through the Second or First World Wars as my parents and grandparents did. I have only seen this reproduced very articulately in many films and heard stories. Yes we have lived through a Covid pandemic - many compared it to the Spanish Flue epidemic of 1918 killing over 215,000. And then of course, after that, the War. But I have never been so, not just touched, but devastated by the last few years of actually living through and acknowledging how dispicable men who crave war can be. And yes, I think it is indeed men. What do they crave? Land? Why? Power over reserves? Why? Power over people? Why?
Why are men so hell-bent on distructing? I am not a ‘reverse-misogynist’ but it is men who seem to have to always instigate and therefore manifest this un-harmony in the world. It is men who send our sons and their own to war to give up their lives.
I have travelled - not all over the world - but everywhere - everywhere- I have gone I have respected every country I have visited - their rules, their culture - and I have connected with so many lovely people from all walks of life just living their lives and happy to talk openly, to chat, to discuss different countries and ways of living, to laugh at the same things, talk about family, friends and even to be able to laugh at ourselves and our own countries eccentricities.
I am so saddened and appalled at what is happening now. Am I being unreasonable in thinking this? Does no one remember banter and laughter?

It's understandable that we feel overwhelmed by the turbulent events happening around us. However, in times of chaos, it is important to recognize the incredible capabilities of our military. Informative article agmglobalvision will highlight the best military equipment of the US Army and serves as a reminder of the dedication and technological excellence of our defense systems. Although world events can be scary, knowing that we have some of the most advanced military technology can instill a sense of confidence. Let us continue to support our armed forces as they work tirelessly to keep us safe and secure in an ever-changing world.

The thought of war (particularly WW3) is terrifying, but it will terrify world leaders too. Yes, many are megalomaniacs, but they can only have power if there are people left to dominate, and there is no point in being the only ones left in the bunker with nobody to stroke your ego or remember your name.

I think it's also important to remember that this is an election year, not only in the US and the UK, but in 64 countries worldwide. It is in the interests of leaders to have scared populations who want 'strong government' to keep them safe, and who will accept spending cuts on social services in order to re-arm and build bigger armies. I am very anti-war, but even I was starting to believe that we need to pour money into strengthening our defences.

I am more sanguine about it all now. Not because I care less than I did, but because I've lived through so many potential crises, and probably also because my children are grown and I am less protective of them in the visceral way that I was when they were babies. There are so many threads on MN from younger women who are terrified of war on our soil, and whilst I totally understand their fears (my firstborn was born during the Gulf War, and I felt similarly) I think their terror is misplaced. I don't think we can ever be complacent, but I think we are a long way from the eve of destruction, which is what the papers want us to believe. Well, some of them anyway - I was given a year's subscription to the Telegraph in the summer, and I'll be quite glad when it lapses . I have never seen so much doom and gloom, warnings of imminent war and the destruction of 'our way of life'. Their reporters clearly don't skip to work in the mornings with songs in their hearts!

Speaking of songs - this one is maybe simplistic and doesn't take account of the people who will do as they are told because they live in a dictatorship, but it's thought-provoking all the same. I was going to say that it might be worth playing to any grandchildren who are worried because of the News, but having played it through to check it's safe to post, I doubt it would cheer them up. Anyway, it's over 40 years old, and we're all still here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=flY0cubF5VY

I do not think men are any more aggressive than women. It is just that because they are physically stronger because the way life has evolve women have not been in power. I have absolutely no doubt that if women were in power, nothing would change. Look at the women leaders we have had. not just Mrs Thatcher, there has been Golda Mair in Israel,

Bangladesh has had almost entirely women prime Minsters since independence, yet that country is not renowned for its peacable quiet sustaining government.

Of course when we get strong female leaders, there strength is always condemned for being patriachal and , how they cannot shake it off, when in fact, it is nothing of the sort. The qualities needed to get to the top are the same regardless of sex and reside equally in both sexes.

Humankind would still be climbing trees in tropical countries if it wasn't for the aggressive/assertive drive that makes it want to always push onwards, work at things, thos inventor that spent all their days and nights perfecting better tools, equipment , researchers spending long hours in their Labs, the demonstrators for peace, Just Stop Oil are all driven by the same drives that leads to wars.

As for religion, It is not religions that cause wars, it is their supporters that do so. All the main religions, Chritianity, Islam, Budhism all have holy books that advocate peace and protecting and living together, but it is inevitable with the natural aggressive instincts built into all of us, sooner or later some people take over religions to use them to their purposes.

A few posts up Iam64 advocates the peace and pacifism of Budhism.

Tell that to the militant budhist monks in Myanmar, who are the driving force behind the persecution of the muslim Rohinga. Read this article about the militarist Budhist monks of Myanna. www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/monk-militia-buddhist-clergy-backing-myanmars-junta-2022-12-08/ . Even Budhists will be violent when they feel threatened.

All of us get angry when we feel powerless. It got us where we are for good and ill.

Well said with that final paragraph MOnica! It is untrue that all Buddhists are peaceful non-violent people- they are as nationalistic and territorial as the rest of us!

I’m not sure Thatcher took us into a war, correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought Argentina started the war by invading The Falkland Islands.

maddyone You are correct.

I'm restructuring my viewing and only watch news headlines instead of detail. Peace of mind much improved. I've also moved away from violent, cruel drama and explicit sexual scenes. Again making my life more content and free of anxiety. Happier days indeed.

I feel your pain, although I think there are plenty of women who are just as power hungry and evil as men...look back through history and you can see this. All we can do is be kind to those less fortunate than us, teach our children and grandchildren to look out for the vulnerable, to realise that all religions teach peace and harmony and anyone using religion to cause harm is actually a tertorist, not a muslim, christian, Jewish etc terrorist, just a terrorist. I'm not religious at all but I believe in being kind, helping when you can and if you can't help then don't hinder. I listen to very little news deliberately, with the internet it's in your face anyway. Banter and laughter are good for the soul and your mental health so I'm with you, we need more of it.

Yes, it's getting overwhelming. I'm afraid male world leaders DO have a penchant for the most destructive kind of willy-waving. No-one wants to blink first, but it's women who have to clear up the mess and bury the dead, look after the casualties......until the next time.