This is not the first time in history that our world has experienced drought, floods, wild fires, a worldwide life-threatening disease, or a war that affected the entire world, but not all at the same time.
We have watched friends die prematurely from health problems that our health care system had the knowledge to cure or repair but because the total health care system was short staffed and partially burnt out due to the tremendous strain placed on it from more than two years of dealing with covid diseases.
This situation has led to some beds in hospitals being . . .
closed and some emergency rooms also being closed at some times. Some nurses and even doctors have taken sick leave because of mental stress. Imagine being yelled at by someone who claimed that the covid diseases were just a hoax when you had just watched a patient take his last breath after fighting for his life as it faded away from a covid related death.
During previous wars, some able-bodied men hid in the woods rather than be conscripted to fight for our freedom. Recently we have watched people give up their jobs because they refused to be vaccinated against covid . Those people were advised to be vaccinated because of close contact with many, many people and some even from different countries.
We are all affected by increases in fuel and food prices. I can vividly remember my parents and grandparents talking about the many shortages during the previous wars.
There was such a shortage of rubber used to keep war trucks and artillery rolling that when you bought a new car during the war, it came without tires which maybe didn’t come for another year. Food was also rationed so that the soldiers and people in other countries affected by war could be fed. Sugar, eggs, gas and other common food stuffs could only be purchased if you had a stamp to purchase that product. Stamps were only distributed when the government decided that the war effort didn’t need them. Farmers could keep only one fighting age son at home to help farm and produce food for Canadians and to keep Europe from starving.
Previous generations have witnessed people get so frustrated with the way that their country was governed that they voted in a dictator or communism. (Germany, Russia, Cuba, Italy, etc.) We have seen recent frustrations in North America because of covid lock downs that were recommended by world health experts. We did not see the same frustration in communist countries, some of which have more people living in one city than the entire population of Canada. The people there had lost their right to complain.
Some of the losers in previous North American elections used this frustration to try to have the present democratically elected government over-thrown. There are groups that are anti-democratic, antisemitic, white-supremest, pro-Nazi and have a multi-country presence. Some of their members have been captured on video both at the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol Hill attack and at the Canadian Parliament Hill protest. We have even witnessed a prominent leader cheer on Russia’s attack on Ukraine and the Freedom Protest on Parliament Hill!
Just as we witnessed food deprivation used as a weapon of war in World War Two, when many ships were bombed while trying to deliver food from Canada being delivered to Europe. Even though Ukraine has silos full of grain destined for other European countries, Russia is blocking its delivery.
There have been record increases in mental illness and suicides during the last two years when people just couldn’t cope with lock downs, job loss, the effects of long covid and disruption from normal. (Just ask your doctor or your minister.) Most of these stress related problems are caused by worrying about things that you cannot control, or even get your mind around.
We must not worry about what we have no control over. If there is a course offered on how to deal with stress, please take time to attend, if not for yourself, it may help to see a change in your neighbour or another family member.
