My family was supposed to go on a family trip this Holy Week, but Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu’s war in Iran put the trip in danger of cancellation, especially as our airline was from the Gulf states, and the layover in Dubai, which is one of the most affected airports and industries by the ongoing hostilities.
When the war broke out, just like Trump, we were hoping it would be quick and clean. But when it became pretty obvious that the Iran war wasn’t going to be as easy to resolve as the great American’s surprisingly victorious act of war in Venezuela, we knew that we had to decide whether or not we were going to cancel our trip.
The airline, which couldn’t decide if it was cancelling and refunding flights that were still a month or so away, wasn’t very helpful when it came to that decision so it was entirely up to us. By the time the war broke out, we were basically ready to go. The airline and hotel bookings were confirmed, visas approved, train, bus, and museum tickets purchased.
During that time, it made sense to cut our losses and cancel everything, because as the saying goes, it is better to be safe than sorry. On the other hand, there was also a solid argument to push through, because even if we got refunded for the cancelled flight, a lot of the expenses had already been paid and were uncancellable.
In the end, we decided to push through, because I figured that in this brave new world, we don’t know if there will ever be peace on earth anymore. After all, even if we do wait another year, Donald Trump would still be one of the most powerful men on earth and he could very well be embroiled in another war, if not two or three. Going on the trip now means we don’t waste the money we already paid, even if we pay extra for the fare difference for booking with another airline that doesn’t pass through the active war zone. After all, nobody knows what the world is going to look like anymore, so the thinking is that we might as well go ahead with our plans that were 90% ready and mostly paid for.
They say there is a fine line between a stupid man and a risk taker. In our case, I am hoping that by deciding to push through with our family trip, we are not stupid. Just taking a calculated risk.
My justification is that stupid would be planning a trip after the war broke out. On the other hand, our calculated risk is choosing to use our active Schengen Visa that cannot be rescheduled; along with the hotel, train, bus, and museum advanced tickets and bookings, knowing that the war is in the Middle East and our destination is a few thousand miles away from the war zone.
So here we are, on our way to the other side of the planet while wars are raging. Some people can wish that the wars will magically end, world leaders will become decent and competent, and that world peace is going to be something everyone will work for, but there is also the distinct possibility that our world has already permanently changed, and it doesn’t look like it is going to get any better any time soon. It may take an entire generation for this mess we are in to undo itself, and all we can do is adapt, try to protect ourselves and our loved ones, and keep on keeping on.
Before we left, I was talking to my sister, who is at the tail end of a home renovation project. She was worried that the war would break out and spread to Silay City. She was fearful and seriously considering pausing her project, and we were talking about it. I told her the same thing I told myself when we were deciding the fate of our family trip. She is 90% done. There is no guarantee that waiting will result in better conditions because of this brave new world we are in where despots, pedophiles, and lunatics rule. My advice was for her to finish the project ASAP so she and her kids could at the very least hunker down in a comfortable, newly renovated home.
The world is certainly falling apart. There is no sign that things won’t get worse before they get better. Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu, Kin Jong Un, Xi Jin Ping, and any other world leader who wants to join them know that they can commit war crimes, human rights violations, and enrich themselves with impunity. We are going to have to be more careful and more conservative when it comes to making plans, but we cannot put our lives on pause and then hope and pray that next year will be better.
For now, let’s just finish what has already been started, and then be more conservative when it comes to making future plans. That way, we can manage the risks without being stupid.*
