Arquivo para January, 2023
Joy in hard times
03
Jan
It seems counterintuitive to have joy in difficult times, many have difficulty, the
Pandemic depressed and the world situation does not help, it is not even about alienation much less irony, it is about spirituality.
We indicate the book of the German monk Anselm Grün: Living with Joy (Vozes, 2014) he indicates in the introduction his intentions: “My goal is to draw your attention to many situations that we can rejoice” (p. 9) … ” I’m talking about getting in touch with the joy we all have in the depths of our souls” (p. 9).]
He clarifies that many people think that there are few reasons in life to rejoice: “thus they tend to regret themselves and life itself, in which they see no reason to rejoice” (idem).
He is convinced that this negative posture hides a great yearning and clarifies what was also the reason for choosing this book: “in the conjuncture in which we live, there are more reasons for sadness” (p. 10), although he speaks of a personal conjuncture it is possible to extend it to the social.
Thus, it invites us to observe “life in a different light”, in my case I operated on both eyes, to change glasses, not only to see more deeply, but from the perspective of other values and motivations.
It says in the introduction that it is a decision: “consciously choosing joy or regret in the face of difficulties”, it does not eliminate the negative aspects of life, but it avoids groping in the dark, light is created.
Even a small beam of light is enough to eliminate total pitch.
Grün, Alselm (2014) Viver com Alegria (Life with joy). Brazil, Petrópolis: Vozes.
What would be the possible offensive of Ukraine
01
Jan
While the peace negotiations are still at square one, Russia and Ukraine
are drawing up their strategies, Russia continues to carry out scattered bombings throughout Ukrainian territory, last weekend it was in the city of Uman, south central Ukraine.
In September last year, while the Russians were expecting attacks in the south near Kherson, Ukraine attacked in the northeast near the region of Lugansk and Donesk, everything indicates that the great Ukrainian offensive will follow a similar tactic, Russia withdrew its military bases in the Crimea region (as satellite images show), so a new attack to the north is expected, but it will be.
It would be logical from the previous confrontation, the bloody battles of Soledar and Bakhmut in the Dontesk and Luhansk region, that the great offensive of Ukraine promised for the spring (here in the south our autumn), that the attack could be there, but everything indicates that it could be to the south.
The serious problem is what would be the Russian reaction to a new Ukrainian advance? Can it go beyond the limits of a conventional war? worst case scenario Finland and Sweden launch an offensive in anticipation of a likely Russian attack.
It is not a war fatality, always and every conflict is avoidable, the question is to put this or that population at risk of a total war and not think about the likely retaliation, after all it is true that Ukraine went to the extreme for having its territory invaded , the other side will be the same.
