Author: Lawrence Terlizzese

     The world moves forward through the process of trial and error. Science and technology need to make mistakes before it gets it right. How many different sets of wings did people try to fly with before the Wright brothers were “first in flight.” Werner Von Braun performed innumerous test flights before he perfected the rocket that reached the moon. Even in our daily routines and jobs we commit many errors in our performance. This leads us to be better workers. In school spelling, grammar and pronunciation inaccuracies help us to the correct use of language. In raising children missteps with our first child cause us to do better with our second. Wisdom means learning from our faults and blunders, not making the same mistake twice. We can only grow through recognizing our short comings and taking the appropriate steps to change them.

     But we face a serious quandary with twenty-first century technology namely: genetics, nuclear power and an entire planet dependent on a very fragile computer system. Gaffes, inaccuracies and oversights are the least thing we can afford. Genetic slip-ups can lead to horrible mutations. What happens when errors are made when genetic engineering is applied to humans? Faulty equipment and human error at nuclear power plants can cause meltdowns that lead to radiation poisoning of the environment and the death of thousands. Chernobyl is a case in point. A lapse in judgment or miscalculation might initiate a First Strike. Some believe that the use of nuclear weapons by any one of the nuclear powers is inevitable over the course of many decades and centuries. How wise is it to entrust the safety and security of our lives to a giant computer system that if it fails even a little will do untold damage? A solar storm, although rare, can affect GPS satellites. A few years ago sun spots interrupted cell phone service. People went running for the pay phones. Today those phones are gone. What will happen to our ability to communicate and preform simple transactions without our smart phones?

     I have no ready answer to these problems. I don’t think anyone does. How are we to grow in knowledge and wisdom to protect ourselves and make the world a better place, something I firmly believe in, without mistakes? We need to limit our dependence on technology use, something nearly impossible to do in this society. But if we don’t find a way to do so we could be setting future generations up for disaster.   

     I am a child of the Cold War, as such I grew up with an innate fear of Russian aggression. The fear of global nuclear war was rampant in the 1980’s, especially during Regan’s first term in office. Some described him as a warmonger who would enrage the Soviets with his war rhetoric and nuclear bomb building programs. Others felt he was a hero who would stand up to Russian expansionism. In either case he would not be bullied by the bear.

     Today with the war in Ukraine the old fears of the Russian empire have returned, even the threat of use of nuclear weapons has not been ruled out by the Russians. Putin has laid down the challenge that he would use nuclear weapons on any nation interfering with his “special operation” in Ukraine. The whole notion of nuclear war with the Russians is unthinkable, even for Putin. There are no winners in a nuclear war. But Putin has seized upon this opportunity to flex his rhetorical might to scare us. He sees himself as a liberator cleansing Ukraine of Nazis and resisting Western exploitation. His military machine is formidable. And his nuclear stockpile has over two thousand more warheads than the US. His invasion of Ukraine demonstrates a reckless willingness to accomplish his objectives by any means necessary. He is an unstable force in the global political scene. It has even been suggested that the war in Ukraine will encourage the Chinese who have set their sights on Taiwan. He is a scary person and these are perilous times for the cause of peace, but they are not any worse than what we have experienced before.

     The NATO alliance must hold fast to its resolve to expel the Russians from Ukraine and protect the safety and integrity of its borders from aggression. Fear should have no place in our hearts. The West won the war of words before. We will do so again!