“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible but in the end, they always fall – Think of it, ALWAYS.”

Mahatma Gandhi

The phrase “end of days” – once so silly to me – whispers from the shadows of my mind.

For so long it was global warming – abstract and years away – and the occasional drought or storm. Now we have hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and forest fires, one after another.

The frightening but mostly remote threat of Islamic terrorism now seems like a secondary concern as our president and his North Korean counterpart threaten each other like angry schoolboys but with nuclear annihilation in the balance.

And that’s not to mention the mass murders within our borders.

We are living in a world where murder and mayhem are commonplace. Where the horror of a real war seems not just possible but imminent. And while we wait hundreds die every day.

Yet most of us must go about our daily routines. I do. But with a slightly different feeling in my gut. An alien emotion. I feel vulnerable.

I suppose it’s how Israelis and Palestinians feel. Notwithstanding the constant threat of terrorism, war, and even annihilation, they find for themselves a new normal. A way to do the things we’ve always done in the USA without fear: working, shopping, eating, and even attending outdoor sporting and musical events.

It’s unlikely that the massacres and acts of terrorism will subside unless we do something different than we’ve done so far. Which has mostly been to spend money stupidly. Stupidity, they say, is doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome.

As for the natural disasters… it’s impossible to say with certainty whether they will continue or abate. But so long as they continue, we can be certain that this shadow of doom will be upon us.

The big threat, of course, is World War III.