On more than one occasion, someone has asked me if I was concerned about events in the world today. It has been more than one person, and at different times, so they weren’t connected. It makes me wonder, is there a prevalent sense of dread out there? Terror is in the news and talk of war is in the air, but I feel oddly indifferent. Are things any different now than they were ten years ago, or twenty. Sure, last fall was a significant event, and it has had a lasting effect on some specific aspects of my life; but my day to day life seems unchanged. Sure, its a little more inconvenient to travel, but I don’t travel that much. How else is my life different? My answer: it isn’t. Furthermore, when aren’t we at war? Since 1991 we have fought in Iraq, Africa, the Balkans, Afghanistan, and now possibly Iraq again. Forgive me if I’m a little desensitized, but I have an overwhelming sense of deja vu. Sure, an invasion of Iraq is a little different than our minimal involvement in Africa, but this still isn’t the first major military engagement of my life time (re: Vietnam and the Gulf War). And who can forget Grenada!
Of course something important is happening in the world, it just seems like business as usual, that’s all.