The World around us is moving at lightning speed. At times, it pays little heed to its destination. Unintended consequences of the actions we take are rarely identified but often prove to bring negative results.
In a World like ours, little attention is paid to those who have decades of life experience. These experienced (synonym old) people are ready to share what life has taught them. But where is the interested audience? Even the adult offspring of elderly parents avoid conversations that could help them correct a course of action; condemning themselves to making the same mistakes their parents and grandparents had made.
Who, if anyone, does listen? Elderly people talk to and are listened to by other elderly people. There is a shared resignation in these conversations. We tell each other that, “Our own young people don’t value our life experiences. They seem intent on learning everything the hard way. Oh well, we will soon be gone, and they may come to regret their failure to listen and learn.”
We elderly must settle for knowing that we are relevant, if only to other elderly citizens.
Bill, I cannot agree with your final point. For that reason, I keep sending letters, hoping young folks will get the message. For example: An Intolerable Reality
During the decades-long Cold War, the USA/Free World and the USSR were unambiguously mutually deterred from attacking each other by the Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD) policy. When the USSR moved to place air defense missiles and IRBMs in Cuba in 1962, a resolute – and highly respected — President Kennedy responded by launching a sustained stream of hundreds of nuclear-armed SAC B-52 bombers to fly menacingly close to the Soviet Union. As a result, the Kremlin quickly backed down and the so-called Cuban Missile Crisis came to an end. Some years later, the vaunted Russian Communist Empire collapsed and the Cold War came to an end.
Fast forward to today. A greatly-diminished Russia (from the heydays of the USSR) is undeterred to launch an unprovoked, sustained and bloody invasion of the Ukraine, a democratic, freedom-loving former member of the USSR. Brutally focusing on civilian targets, the invading Russian forces commit outrageous war crimes. The whole world (except for China, North Korea, Iran, Cuba and Venezuela) is appalled and recoils in horror and disbelief. What has changed?
When Vladimir Putin announced that he is placing his “nuclear forces” on alert status, US and EU officials reacted with dread, quickly giving assurances they will avoid any provocative actions. The mutual deterrence policy that served so well during the Cold War, obviously no longer exists.
As a result, we are presented with an intolerable, deeply regrettable international reality: By being nuclear-armed, an aggressive international pariah, guilty of unspeakable war crimes against a democratic nation, can apparently consider itself undeterred and largely immune from any direct military retaliation.
Solution: Restore a determined, principled brand of American leadership that will — once again– deter aggressors and be a source of confidence and inspiration for the world.
Duke Woodhull
Brevard 19 March 2022
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A quote from my Grandfather many years ago”Too soon old, too late smart”. Should have paid more attention to him.
Johnny
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