Author Archives: Doug Griffin

The sky gods of unintended consequences

Of all the delusions we entertain in our lives, both individually and collectively, that we are the ‘masters of our own destiny’ has got to be one of the grandest. It is emboldening to feel we are somehow ‘in control,’ ‘in charge’ of the myriad forces and influences that surround and inhabit us but in reality we seem more like high-stakes gamblers than gods, playing a numbers game not fully aware of the odds that, as often as not, are resolutely stacked against us. Continue reading

To end all wars

At the end of World War One, men rejoiced as “the war to end all wars” appeared to reach its agonizing conclusion. It is hard to imagine, nearly a century on, the sense of relief that must have been felt in the immediate aftermath of that terrible conflict. In the even bigger scheme of things though, putting an end to ‘all’ wars, military or otherwise, was to remain but a distant dream, an idea, sadly, whose time had not yet come. Continue reading