On War, and Big Booms.

Typically, I'm not one who keeps up with the news very much. About the only engagement that I have with the news is watching The Last Leg, which I very much recommend to people who enjoy comedy/Adam Hills/taking the news a little less seriously. But there are a few things that you can't miss no matter what, if you're on social media at all. Things like this.

I find it amusing that this is literally the first result when I Google "trump card" in images. Anyway.

Ever since this guy came into power, there's been a bit of a.....reaction, from the majority of people worldwide. If you're not familiar with it, it's somewhat like when you've just vomited, and there's a bit left in your mouth, and you involuntarily swallow - that combined taste-and-burn feeling. That.

But now, there's a bit of a different feeling coming around. This one more like when you're out for a walk, and you suddenly realise that walking towards is you is someone with a very large, rather energetic dog. And you attempt to give them as wide a berth as possible, and hope to God that the leash doesn't snap, because you darn well couldn't outrun it, and it has teeth about as big as nails. Big nails, that is, not the smaller kind. That sort of feeling is more of what we're getting now. Mainly cause of this guy.

Look at that smile! Isn't that a great smile? Much nicer than the other guy. Anyway.

To say that America and North Korea have never been on the best of terms is kinda like saying that the Grinch was never on the best of terms with Christmas. While somewhat true, it's rather lacking. Like, a lot. These days, though, things seem rather more....tense. Stretched. And people are starting to compare it to the Cold War between Russia and America, or saying it might be the lead-up to world war three. Which is....yeah, pretty crazy.

For those playing along at home, there are pretty much always wars happening these days. But, for the most part, these are minor skirmishes, civil wars, and guerrilla groups. There hasn't been anything like the world wars since....well, since 1945, funnily enough. We've had some big ones since then - the Vietnam War, the Korean War (hang on, that rings a bell....), but nothing on quite the same scale.

And, that's because of a few different factors, that Kurzgesagt explain quite nicely in this video. Essentially, though, it's a combination of globalisation, democratisation, fixed borders, and better international law.

And so, quite rightly, the idea of potential thermonuclear war is kinda ridiculously scary, if we think that's a definite possibility. Given that I don't know Mister Un particularly well, I can't really make a call on whether I think he's just grandstanding and showing off, or if he really doesn't care what he says because he thinks he has that much power, and he's happy to swing it around at whoever addles him a little (particularly if their name rhymes with McDonald Bump).

When we look back at the big wars, or back to the London blitz, or to rationing, or conscription, or Gallipoli - and we think about that potentially happening in our world, that scares us. Rather a lot. And rightly so. It's a lot to be scared about, particularly when it's something that we feel we can't do anything about - it's just something that happens to us. And for many of us, we don't know what we'd do, or how we'd act, in that situation. Would we run? Would we fight? Would we die? It's hard to tell until the shells fall, and the guns start firing. Personally, being on the set of a war was more than enough for me. If they ever manage to get conscription back in again, they won't be able to get me onto the battlefield. It's just....*shudders*....yeah, no.

But, at the moment, thankfully, it's a big If. Does North Korea have the weapons, and the military strength to make an attack? Quite possibly. Will they? That question is a lot harder to answer. Because it seems like such an attack would simply be a bit of a suicide attempt, unless they can manage to get some allies happening, because everyone would just play the nuke version of stacks-on. It's rather less fun.

In conclusion - I don't really know. But what I do know, is this: that worrying will not help. In fact, it will do the opposite. A rather nice little recent quote illustrates this point rather well.

Stop worrying about what might be, or could be, and start holding on to what is. Then, I think, we'll get through today fairly well. :)