Opinion

The war

photo_camera guerra-ucrania-rusia

A war is a war. Death, hunger, pain, loss. Something incomprehensible no matter how you look at it. But we do not learn. History repeats itself. We know what we should not do, but we do it. We also know the consequences it brings and will bring, but they are ignored. Interests, power, glory, madness, who knows what, dominate other values such as harmony, peace, love and respect. Nobody wins in war conflicts. No one, no matter how many winners and losers there are in the end. No one can be satisfied with a result achieved with rivers of blood. And yet, this statement is misleading, because there are those who thrive on cruelty, those who exercise it and who empower it. 

The war that Russia has provoked by invading Ukraine is being experienced day by day as if it were just another TV series. Chapter by chapter for many months now, too many. A live war, broadcast to the whole world through all channels, official and unofficial, institutional and personal. One day we celebrate the departure of the Russian army and the recovery of Kherson by the Ukrainians, and another day we lament the new cruise missile bombardments in Kiev. One issue among many. 

It is horrifying to contemplate how war has now settled into our homes as an everyday occurrence. The tension is no longer felt as it was in those first weeks of February or March, with that sensitivity to observe and see what we were seeing.  We went from talking about losses, innocent deaths, destruction of civilian buildings, casualties among the youngest, forced and heartbreaking farewells and exiles to focusing on the also terrible economic crisis resulting from the conflict, on the problems in the food chain, on the rising prices of electricity and petrol. Then Russia's invasion of Ukraine took on a different image. It affected us more directly. It touched our pockets. For Europeans, this war has raised our prices; for other countries, what it means is more starvation. 

Now the tension is again felt more acutely. The fall of two missiles, apparently Russian-made, on Polish territory, with two deaths, has set alarm bells ringing. Poland is NATO territory, and the scenario changes completely. The darts and accusations go in all directions. Nothing is certain, nothing is ruled out, everyone knows that Putin is capable of doing anything, even making good on his nuclear threats. After the storm comes the calm, and this, calm, is precisely what the G20 is now calling for. 

Day by day we will continue to be informed about what is happening in Ukraine while the wars in other countries are forgotten. We are not interested in looking to other continents. 

Everything has changed and we have also changed. We are supposed to be a more committed and caring society, fighting against climate change, wanting a healthier world, a better future, and however, it is inevitable to feel that our hearts are getting colder and colder.