This is not the first time in history that mankind has stepped to the edge of destruction, but it is the first time when so many have the means to bring us over the brink.
In the past, the capacity to inflict unimaginable harm on others has been limited in scope, by community, country, region, and even beyond. Yes, millions have been killed and wounded, but the capacity to do unlimited and fatal harm to mankind has been contained, for whatever reason.
But this time is different: those who have the power shown little interest in protecting basic democratic ideals. They are drawn to crony capitalism or other ways of corruption and, whatever they call themselves, they are charlatans. They have learned to manipulate social media and messaging, so that most of the body politic are asleep — sheep that are too self-interested to recognize they are endangered.
Consider the following:
Putin, conducting his war against civilians, convinces Trump not to provide needed weapons at the expense of Zelenskyy; Orban in Hungary is happier with Putin than with NATO, and others such as Modi in India, Erdogan in Turkey, and Abey in Ethiopia, are each in the same mold, e.g., absolute or de facto dictators.
Alas, the Western “democracies” that emerged after WWII have failed mainy the global institutions that reflected the promise of a new global order. These are now largely sidelined or decimated, whether the United Nations, Bretton Woods, or others. Current leaders in many places reflect the worst of human nature, with fear, hate, and greed proving more potent than compassion, coexistence, and equity.
There is a way out: Our collective fate can be changed if people around the world recognize they need to speak up, for their own good. It has been done before, in the Philippines with the ousting of Marcos years ago, for example. In the United States, the “No Kings” marches across the nation were a beginning. People elsewhere can find their own way to demonstrate resolve against tyranny. And act!
