Josh Benner

Tag: Ukraine

  • We can complain and know that others have it worse

    We can complain and know that others have it worse

    There’s a meme that I’ve seen on social media that criticizes complaining about the surging gas prices in lights of the sufferings of the Ukrainian people.

    The meme says: “Instead of complaining about gas prices going up, try feeling grateful that you aren’t sitting on a concrete floor in a train terminal, holding your cat, wondering if your home and everyone you love has been blown to bits.”

    I find that view to be utterly unhelpful, condescending, and impractical.

    There are real struggles right now. Inflation is a problem. Gas prices were already high and they’re now the highest they’ve ever been. And they’re gong to continue going up and with shipping costs going up, more prices will increase. I don’t think it’s helpful to be dismissive of those very real challenges people are facing. It’s emotional tyranny to tell people how they ought to feel.

    Of course the people of Ukraine have it worse. But challenging situations are not a competition. You don’t only have the license to acknowledge difficulties if you’re going through the most difficult circumstance on earth.

    Furthermore, a person can be stressed or frustrated about these current challenges and also have empathy for the people of Romania and how much they’re suffering. It’s heartbreaking to know that families have been separated, that women and children are refugees with nothing, that an entire society has been turned upside down. I think about the people who will be at risk of exploitation in human trafficking. I even get sad when I think of pets that have been left behind.

    But how does it help to suggest that Americans shouldn’t complain?

    What adds further insult to injury is the knowledge that America has vast supplies of oil that we choose not to drill and the average citizen gets stuck paying more. That’s a legitimate frustration.

    This all comes after two years of having our society and lives turned upside down with Covid. During the earlier stages of Covid, if a person had the audacity to dare question public health policies, it was that they were anti-science and selfish.

    Now if a struggling person acknowledges the difficulties of our economy, they’re told that their feelings don’t matter and they should just look at Ukraine? It’s madness.

    For anyone who shares that meme, I hope you never complain again. Because there’s a war going on somewhere at almost all times. Refugee and humanitarian crises are sadly all too common. There are any number of evils which people in our world suffer. And whatever you’re going through, if someone else has it worse, you shouldn’t feel bad about your circumstances.

    There’s nothing wrong with lamenting a difficult situation. Yes, it helps to have perspective that there are others who are less fortunate. Yes it is good to also be mindful of our blessings. It’s not ideal to dwell and constantly focus on difficulties and complain. But we also can’t ignore them when they arise.

    Thanks for reading! If you liked this post, please share and subscribe.

  • Russia and Ukraine- Where is it goiing?

    Russia and Ukraine- Where is it goiing?

    It’s crazy how fast the world can change. While the Russian invasion of Ukraine last week was not a surprise, I still find it surreal that there was relative peace over there a few days ago. 

    Like so many, I’m struck by the senselessness of it all. Russia has invaded another sovereign nation in an unjustified and unprovoked attack, and the exact reasons why still aren’t entirely clear. Was it purely for conquest and to take back former Soviet territories? Was it to make a power play against NATO? There’s no obvious reason (that I’ve heard) as far as natural resources or great strategic advantage that makes this move make obvious sense. 

    The opening days of this war have been a debacle for Russia. Even if they overtake Kiev, it already seems apparent that they will never be able to occupy Ukraine among fierce resistance efforts and a global community who is increasingly coming to the support of Ukraine. It seems that Putin underestimated Ukraine and overestimated his military. The Russians were ill-prepared and ill-equipped for this invasion and to weather a strong resistance. 

    Putin’s miscalculation has done incredible damage to Russia. Looked upon as one of the world’s super powers, this botched invasion has made Russia’s military look incompetent. 

    But what happens next? Putin has talked of a nuclear alert in his military, though many see this as little more than saber rattling. It’s still a scary prospect. 

    All the while, the people of Russia will suffer for this. I feel bad for both Ukraine and Russia. I feel sorry for Russian soldiers who were thrown into a pointless war. It’s estimated that the Russians have lost more soldiers in less than a week in Ukraine than America lost in nearly nine years in Iraq. The world has ratcheted up economic sanctions against Russia. Russian citizens are going to suffer consequences for a war that I have no doubt that the average Russian never wanted to fight. 

    And certainly, I feel bad for the people of Ukraine who have had their lives and country turned upside down. 

    In America, for the first time in a long time, I feel like we all agree on an issue that matters. Russia had no right to do what they did. It cannot get much more clear cut of a country being in the wrong. 

    I’m not an expert. I’m just sharing my thoughts and observations today. On this day, I’m hopeful that it won’t escalate into a massive global war, but sadly, I could be wrong. But the concern that I have is still that it’s going to get worse before it gets better. What happens with Russia when this is over. Do we just absolve Putin of war crimes? 

    Will the western world cut Russia out of the club? I mean, after we figure out how to get away from Russian oil and gas. Or will we continue to condemn and sanction Russia and still be a customer? 

    Wisdom of the Crowd

    There’s this idea called Wisdom of the Crowd which is about how a greater number of inputs from people is closer to the right answer than what the average individual person would be. The classic example is if you have a jar of jellybeans and are asked to guess how many beans are int he jar, you might end up being way off. But if you have 50 guesses, 100 guesses, and if you average those guesses, it’s often pretty close to accurate. 

    I feel like the average person knows that we need to get off of Russian oil. Sadly, politicians often do not have the wisdom of the masses. 

    Thanks for reading.