I admit that I struggle with this.
When should we return to “normal” during an international crisis? How much time should we allow to pass — while people are still fighting and dying — before we (who are fortunate enough to live in remote isolation) go back to posting pics of our lunch or sharing funny cat videos? Admittedly, I don’t know the answer to this.
But I do have some strong feelings.
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THE ONE THING THE REST OF THE WORLD GOT WRONG, BUT CAN STILL GET RIGHT
Looking at the ghastly Russian invasion of Ukraine and all the death and destruction it’s caused, it’s easy to say what we should have done. And by “we” what I mean here is — the rest of the world.
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We need to be very careful with optimism when the stakes are so incredibly high. Overconfidence can be a dangerous thing.
Nonetheless, when Yuval Noah Harari writes something — or anything for that matter — it’s always worth reading and pondering.
Here’s the latest take from Harari:
READ:Â WHY VLADIMIR PUTIN HAS ALREADY LOST THIS WAR
“Less than a week into the war, it seems increasingly likely that Vladimir Putin is heading towards a historic defeat. He may win all the battles but still lose the war.”
I hope he’s right.
__________
Yuval Noah Harari wrote two of the best books I’ve read in the last ten years: Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind and: Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow
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Note:Â I didn’t write this, but I’m sharing it here.
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UPDATE: I’m “sorry.” See the updated info about this film below, with a link to the original.
If you follow my writings and have read my movie reviews over the years, more than likely you’ve also seen my annual tribute to the Oscar-nominated short films.
Oscar-nominated short films — uh, what?
These are the categories supposedly that “nobody cares about,” as I’ve heard one cynic succinctly put it. “No one ever sees any of these movies, so why bother with them?”
Let me address that ignorance and correct this common misperception in this article.
I’ve expressed my passion for short films because they are often so moving and impactful. I make an effort to see every nominated film, each year. These films can sure pack a punch, sometimes within only a few minutes. If you don’t think it’s possible to become emersed in a story and tear up in less than four minutes, then I challenge you to try the following experiment.
Fair Warning: Get a box of tissues ready.
Consider this recent Oscar winner, titled Sorry. It was filmed in Albania in 2020. It’s about a boy who is late each day for school and gets punished. Words aren’t necessary. Understanding and forgiveness are universal. Human kindness is an international language.
We can all learn a little something from this whether we are parents or children. Please take 3 minutes and 54 seconds and watch this short film that should leave you with something special.
We can all use a lesson and a reminder of goodness and decency and here it is:
NOTE:Â If you enjoy this short film, also check out an amazing television commercial from Argentina, with an amazing twist at the end, also sure to leave you in tears (CLICK HERE)
Read my article on 2015 Oscar-nominated short films here.
Read my article on 2014 Oscar-nominated short films here.
Correction: This film did not win the Oscar. It was mislabeled as such in the video. I regret the error. However, the short film is still very much worth watching.Â
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“There was not such a thing as a 15-minute conversation with Larry. We always needed hours.”
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Were clips of FOX clown-gofer Tucker Carlson really being aired on Russian state-controlled television to aid and assist Russia’s criminal invasion of Ukraine?
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It’s early, but we need heroes. All wars need heroes. And they don’t always fight on the front lines.
Sometimes, the front lines mean something very different. A front line can be a hospital, a newsroom, or even a city street.
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We’re less than 24-hours into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and already the level of mass ignorance on this subject has reached epidemic proportions.
So typical, especially of many Americans who apparently have never cracked open a history book, or come within thousands of miles of Eastern Europe, or ever heard of the longstanding acrimony between these two nations/peoples, or ever talked to a real Russian or a Ukrainian, here’s an important lesson:
*Getting your talking points from Facebook memes and useful idiot commentators on FOX amounts to a willful disregard of facts.*
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I find it very puzzling that so much of the world is holding its collective breath right now, but there’s been relatively little discussion about the (imminent) Russian invasion of Ukraine and/or Ukrainian territories.
Does anyone care? Is the public so fatigued by foreign conflicts that we don’t recognize a major transgression? Do we ignore global events until they reach our doorstep? I’ll be kind and ascribe widespread American apathy to this conflict being complicated. I also presume we might agree that other nations (including the U.S.) can do little to stop the incursion. Nonetheless, it’s important to try and understand things.
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