Marty and Hank on Survival

The preacher man says it's the end of time,

and the Mississippi River she's a-goin' dry.

The interest is up and the stock market's down, 

and you'll only get mugged if you go downtown.

I like Country music. I like Hank Williams Jr, or simply Hank Jr. as we Country and Western mavens refer to him. I hope he'll forgive me the use of his song in a manner I'm not sure he would approve.

The italicized bit above are the first lines of Country Boy Can Survive, perhaps his signature song (although Family Tradition ranks, perhaps, higher with me). I use them because the world has apparently become something more of a dangerous place in recent days.

Or has it? There will be wars and rumors of wars, the Good Book reminds us. Exactly how afraid are we supposed to be of what may only be passing events?

Sure, the Russian invasion of Ukraine is bad. It's very bad indeed. But is it all that bad?

I don't mean to put down or belittle the event, and certainly not the suffering of the Ukrainian people. Yet what can we do about it anyway? There's really no way the average American, the average citizen anywhere truth be told, can affect it.

There will be wars and rumors of wars. Do your best to get your house in order, say a few prayers, urge our leaders and decision makers to act rationally (good luck with that) and live your life. The fear mongers, and they're all fear mongers, I don't care whether it's Fox News or CNN or your local paper or news outlet, or particularly the government, want your fear. Government above all is nourished by your fears. It preys on them, has them for food. 

Don't give it to them or anybody else. Take everything they say with a grain of salt. Your panic won't help any more than your fear. Indeed, it may feed the dragon all the more deeply, that he should grow more fierce and fiery. And out of control. I'm ready to argue that COVID demonstrated that.

There will be wars and rumors of wars. That's just how it is. The calmer you respond, the more peaceful your inner life is, the better you will handle them.