We used to say, “we’ll let the history books decide,” but I don’t know that to be true any longer.
After nearly 80 years of cooperation to maintain a post-WWII peace in the Western world, the allegiance between the United States and its European partners seems to be coming to an end. A historian yesterday said that this is unprecedented in history: A country purposefully tearing down a thing it had invested so much energy in building and constructing. He said that relationships often implode from internal pressures or succumb to external forces/pressures, but never has a country just elected to so dramatically change course. In the matter of one month, the United States has decided to ignore a free trade deal with its neighbors to the north and south, withdrawn from the World Health Organization, ceased sending international aide, and simultaneously cozied up to an authoritarian regime in Russia while publicly dressing down the elected president of a democratic Ukraine.
Austin and Victoria are growing up in a post-truth world, and I don’t know what to make of it. Donald Trump has spoken glowingly of Vladimir Putin while calling Vladimir Zelensky a dictator. He said that Ukraine started the war. He invited Zelensky to the White House then yelled at him for daring to ask how trustworthy Putin might be when negotiating an end to the conflict. Since that time, Republicans have called Zelensky disrespectful and unappreciative; in retaliation, the United States announced yesterday that it is pausing all military support for Ukraine while leadership in the Republican senate and the president’s cabinet call for Zelensky’s resignation. The United States is extorting and humiliating the president of Ukraine so that he will bend his knee and kneel to Donald Trump and sign a mineral rights deal that will sign over much of his countries natural wealth to the United States. In exchange, Donald Trump will permit Putin to keep the 20% of Ukraine that he has stolen, Ukraine will be denied consideration for membership in (a now weakened) NATO, and relations with Russia will be normalized. And if there is ‘peace’ in the next 2-3 years, Donald Trump will portray himself as a hero and a master negotiator. But what of Ukraine? What of Europe? What of the standing of the United States throughout the world?
Who will write the history books? From which perspective? Does it matter? It feels like it matters today, but I suspect that it felt like it mattered when Nero decided to go to war against the Parthian Empire for control of Armenia too. Meanwhile today, people would ask who, “Who is Nero and what is a Parthian?”
I recognize that I am feeling things now much as I did 8 years ago, only now more intensely (not without good reason, by the way). I find that I am anxiously checking the news countless times per day and it seems that I become further stressed, angry, and frustrated every time I do. The preoccupation prevents me doing what I am supposed to or need to do. The news cycle is a constant distraction and I need to exercise better self-control, both of my actions and my reactions. It is abundantly clear: I am being a less-than-stellar stoic.
This morning, I am choosing to be better. I am deleted my news feeds from my phone. I am purposefully budgeting a fixed duration of time for reading news in the mornings only. I will not consume news at night. I won’t visit youtube unless I willfully choose to watch content from a particular content creator or seek information on a specific non-news-related topic/subject. I am choosing to put up some guardrails to help constrain myself.
None of these choices are going to make the world a better place, but the choices I’ve been making until this morning haven’t made the world a better place, either. What is happening is supposed to happen. I can’t change that. I can only change how I choose to respond to it.
I am done looking at the news today. I will work diligently while on the company clock, take Victoria to get new eyeglasses this afternoon, and enjoy the kid’s orchestra concert tonight. I’ll try to go to sleep on time and with fewer burdens on my mind.
All the stuff that I don’t have control of? It can wait until tomorrow morning.