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Page added on October 8, 2022
How the world became overwhelmed
We all feel it. News is always about the unexpected, but this cycle of news is uncommonly grim, and we are all exhausted by it. Look around at the world, starting with Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed treaties to annex parts of Ukraine following a manipulated referendum carried out at gunpoint. In defiance of international law, Putin says Moscow will protect these newly incorporated regions by “all available means,” code words for putting them under his nuclear control.
The last time the word “annexation” was used was in the lead-up to World War II, when Germany annexed Austria in 1938 and then held a plebiscite that was manipulated to show 99 percent approval among Austrians. Sound familiar?
We are entering the eighth month of this ghastly war. We have become numb to the daily losses, destruction, death and dangers that plague the citizens of a nation being torn apart by an unhinged dictator across the border.
What about Iran?
In another part of this fragile globe, Iranian women are protesting the unfair treatment of a heinous theocracy that demands that they remain veiled — stripping them of their human rights, dignity and self-determination. For four decades, since the fall of the shah in 1979, citizens of Iran have had to endure crackdowns on freedom, economic dislocation and isolation from sanctions, restrictions on the free flow of information and a ruthless morality police and security service that makes daily life like a hostage situation. Now citizens – women, girls, men and boys in multiple parts of the vast country of Iran – are demanding their rights, and a brutal regime is determined to stop them.
Here at home, as if mother nature were furious at how Earth’s citizens are behaving, a historic mega-storm has been bearing down on parts of Florida and now the entire northeast coast, bringing death, destruction and damage unseen in centuries. The angry waters of lakes and rivers are overflowing into homes and businesses, thrashing against infrastructure and leaving loss and misery in its wake.
So how do we make sense of this global despair, not to mention the domestic upheavals at home in the United States with a polarized society grappling with inflation, and economic pain?
Overload seems to be part of the world’s problem today: We are still reeling from COVID-19, which took 1 million American lives and could still kill at least 100,000 a year. Despite fast work on vaccines, Americans proved stubborn about taking them, and social divisions ripped apart any hope of a national consensus on how to deal with COVID.
In the other parts of the world, COVID swept like wildfire, and countries like China cracked down hard to bring its population under control with zero-tolerance policies that further stressed the global economy, which was feeling the weight of supply change shortages and disruptions to trade and the movement of goods. From chip shortages to staff shortages, the global economy ground to a halt.
Human beings, when overtaxed and overstressed, get worn down.
Truckers went on strike in Canada. Railroad workers almost stopped working in America. Teachers quit. Hospital staff walked off their jobs. Americans engaged in a “Great Resignation.” People just wanted to quit or rebel.
People have their limits. We get anxious when too many balls are in the air. Emotional problems become overwhelming and, in some societies, like the United States, we recognize it, label it and try to address it. But there aren’t even enough trained psychologists and psychiatrists, let alone facilities, to treat mental illness. The result is often random violence. We act out because we are mad and overwhelmed.
Then there’s the resource scarcity problem. Populations are growing in some parts of the world and shrinking in others. We have gone from 4 billion to almost 8 billion in just 48 years.
That means that in places where populations have exploded, resources are constrained. The United Nations projects that 85 percent of the world’s population may live in the grip of stringent austerity measures by next year. That means fewer social programs, economic gains and resources for natural disasters.
Add to that climate change and you can see where, in a state like Florida, which has seen a massive influx of new residents in 2022, a hurricane could take an enormous toll on human life and overload power grids and the capacity of emergency responders.
So, what can we do to address human overload?
First, conserve. Conserve our own energy, and the world’s energy. Pause. We need time to reflect, time to think, time to stop moving.
Second, we need support. For some, that is emotional support, for others it is better health care infrastructure to provide physical support. And for some, it is support from neighbors, friends, faith communities and family.
Third, we need patience. 2023 is going to be a year of recovery, and we will need the fortitude to face it with resilience on a human and societal level.
Thankfully, we have holidays at the end of the year — designed to force us to settle down, give generously and take a deep breath.
10 Comments on "How the world became overwhelmed"
Zeke Putnam on Sat, 8th Oct 2022 8:36 am
The world is overwhelmed because America will not stop war mongering. I’m 80 yrs old and cannot remember much of my life when we weren’t screaming danger about somebody. Putin never threatened nuclear usage. What the said waw “if we attacked, we will respond accordingly”.
makati1 on Sat, 8th Oct 2022 4:08 pm
Zeke, Amerika is a war mongering country. It was started with genocide and has never stopped killing and plundering for its entire history. A murderous, thug, mafia called a “free” country.
The US is the only country to ever use nukes (2) against an enemy and on civilians no less, not a military target. Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians killed because the US was losing the war.
In my 78 years, I don’t remember when the US was not looking for “enemies” or making them. The US would not exist without its Military Industrial Corporations churning out killing machines and making the elite richer. It has no other useful industry and all they can make is overpriced junk.
The world would be a better place without the US. I cheer on its demise. Soon, I hope.
Theedrich on Sun, 9th Oct 2022 2:27 am
Exactly, Mak. The U.S. loves genocide. It has no higher value than money. But it looks like this pursuit of lucre at all costs is leading to its end. Gaia cannot tolerate this massive crime syndicate any longer.
FamousDrScanlon on Sun, 9th Oct 2022 5:10 pm
I’m not the least bit overwhelmed, but then again I’m not an ignorant who expects things to never change.
Change is the one constant.
If most of your info comes from the MSM then anything negative that happens is always just temporary and it’s never the fault of our leaders and overlords or our system NO NO it’s China’s fault or Russia or the bad guy du jour. That should make one suspicious, not relieved. But many love our phony culture the same way an incel loves the first girl to touch his dick – now he is her puppy dog and slave even though she is only a 4-5 with a chronic stinky cunt.
And the mess in Flordia from the latest climate change Jacked hurricane Ian is your future.
A big fucking mess. Almost looks like the place was bombed.
They will never be able to give a real estimate of the damage because it won’t all get fixed since there were many who did not have insurance more than the bare minimum required to get a mortgage.
Ian’s uninsured flood losses could exceed $10B because many Floridians have no flood coverage
“CoreLogic released a projection of $10 billion to $16 billion in uninsured flood losses in Florida. That is in addition to the firm’s estimate of $30 billion to $48 billion in insured wind and flood losses in the state. Residents who have mortgages on properties in designated flood zones are required to have flood insurance, which is mostly purchased through the National Flood Insurance Program. But most Floridians don’t have flood insurance, exacerbating problems from Ian, which caused flooding across the state.”
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/article266969896.html
Not looking too smart now are you climate deniers?
Where’s your swagger now?
Y’all can put up a go fund me page, just don’t let em know prior to Ian you were a loud mouth know it all climate denier……stupid fucks.
There’s still people who have not recovered from Katrina, Super storm Sandy, Hurricane Harvey and many of the ones who have is because of federal money. Texas got $4 Billion in bailout money from hurricane Harvey. I think the guys who talk about pulling yourself up from your bootstraps put their phony ideals away when bailout time came around. They had their hands out same as every one….and a week later they are back to yelling about bootstraps and still take that FEMA BIG GOV flood insurance subsidy, year after year after year. Y’all a bunch of socialists, but won’t admit it.
Speaking of FEMA, I’ve been jabbed 3 times now and my head has not exploded, I have not been shipped off to a FEMA work/death camp, nor has any of the 99 other stupid fucking predictions anti vaxxers made come true – same as climate deniers.
It’s time to come clean and admit that you were wrong wrong wrong……again. Or at the very least shut the fuck up and do not speak again until spoken to. Now go sit down at the kiddies table.
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Banjo on Fri, 14th Oct 2022 9:16 am
America is the biggest criminal country on the planet. Read Killing hope by William Blum.
There should have been incredible peace on earth after the Soviet Union voluntarily disbanded but instead the psychopaths running America decided to go down the path of regime change and take over the world, using The project for a new American century as a blueprint.
Oh and on the topic of Nuclear and Chemical weapons try the American double detonation on civilian targets Hiroshima and Nagasaki plus a good dose of Agent Orange dumped on civilians in Vietnam and depleted uranium used against Serbia and Iraq.
Tor Danielsen on Fri, 14th Oct 2022 11:02 am
macatil1 So agree with you. You are wise (old) man.
paultard on Sat, 15th Oct 2022 10:16 am
muzziesupremetard MadKat loves trashing the USA while at the same time he screams bloody murder if Uncle Sam’s monthly direct deposit does not hit his bank account on a predictable schedule. MadKat’s sugar daddy is what allows him to live in luxury in contrast to his Filipino neighbors.
if MadKat believed what he says, he would disavow USA’s monthly welfare check.
MadKat talking smack.
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