The sentence — May you live in interesting times — is often taken as a curse.
If so we are cursed.
There is no proof that the sentence originated from the Chinese philosopher Confucius.
The globe and our country face challenges on political, economic and social fronts as we enter 2025.
Politically there has been a tendency to elect populist leaders with the goals of reducing government programs and reducing immigration, even deporting immigrants.
The uncertainty and potential upheaval from new leadership is most astonishing from president-elect Donald Trump in the U.S.A.
The unpredictable Trump promises high tariffs on imports to bully countries to agree to his new policies.
Canada could stand to be hurt substantially as the U.S. is our biggest market.
The drive in many countries to eliminate immigration from poorer nations might lead to an explosion of refugee camps around the globe.
Loss of immigrants could reduce labour supply and could drive up inflation.
The mixing of different cultures under one flag seems to have ignited this issue.
The economy is threatened by the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI). AI makes business more efficient by replacing employees with technology, but also holds great promise for advances in medicine and science.
The potential for global war is ever present.
On the social front, countries have to find out how to stop social media from turning our youth into attention-deficit personalities from constant screen time on their smartphones.
So many young people are being educated by “influencers’’ on social media instead of by teachers and parents.
Technology has brought immense benefits but now we are experiencing the downsides of that revolution.
In the 1960s, George Orwell wrote a book called 1984. In this novel, he foresaw a world where Big Brother represented total control and constant view of everything citizens do.
Today’s technology allows government to exercise that kind of intrusive control.
No wonder 39 per cent of Americans believe the world is near the end.
Somehow we will muddle through all these challenges, make some changes and not make other changes.
We’ve been living this way for centuries.
Happy New Year to all!
Ron Walter can be reached at [email protected]
challenging year faces us on all fronts
By Ron Walter
Forv Moose Jaw Express
The sentence: May you live in interesting times is often taken as a curse.
If so we are cursed.
There is no proof that sentence originated from the Chinese philosopher Confucius.
The globe and our country face challenges on political, economic and social fronts as we enter 2025.
Politically there has been a tendency to elect populist leaders with the goals of reducing government programs and reducing immigration, even deporting immigrants.
The uncertainty and potential upheaval from new leadership is most astonishing from president-elect Donald Trump in the U.S.A.
The unpredictable Trump promises high tariffs on imports to bully countries to agree to his new policies.
Canada could stand to be hurt substantially as the U.S. is our biggest market.
The drive in many countries to eliminate immigration from poorer nations might lead to an explosion of refugee camps around the globe.
Loss of immigrants could reduce labour supply and could drive up inflation.
The mixing of different cultures under one flag seems to have ignited this issue.
The economy is threatened by the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI). AI makes business more efficient by replacing employees with technology, but also holds great promise for advances in medicine and science.
The potential for global war is ever present.
On the social front, countries have to find out how to stop social media from turning our youth into attention-deficit personalities from constant screen time on their smartphones.
So many young people are being educated by “influencers’’ on social media instead of by teachers and parents.
Technology has brought immense benefits but now we are experiencing the downsides of that revolution.
In the 1960s, George Orwell wrote a book called 1984. In this novel, he foresaw a world where Big Brother represented total control and constant view of everything citizens do.
Today’s technology allows government to exercise that kind of intrusive control.
No wonder 39 per cent of Americans believe the world is near the end.
Somehow we will muddle through all these challenges, make some changes and not make other changes.
We’ve been living this way for centuries.
Happy New Year to all!
Ron Walter can be reached at [email protected]
