War and Dominion

I hesitate to share my thoughts. They are not particularly encouraging. They are not solution oriented. I have concerns. The political reactions to the Corona virus have caused economic instability, uncertainty, and the western world is on halt. Here we need time, political control, ability and will to repair. Large sums of money have been allotted to the project of restitution. I see many, too many, grabbing for more in this basket. We need time, in all countries with the lockdown, where people have been unable to work and contribute, since they are in mandatory or voluntary quarantines. We need time to sort out details in fair restoration.

I heard, yesterday, that Norway was among the countries under the protection of the US dollar, meaning there is a guarantee from the US that we will not go bankrupt. Can the US give such guarantees? Are they able to be like the big brother to many? As a nation, Norway has been in good shape economically and has had a surplus, no national debt, and a wealth fund to cover generations. This fund is most likely considerably down in value now, following the plummeting indexes. In time, it may recover, if the world economy stabilizes, if it is given time to recover.

The price of oil is down, and that hurts Norway’s economy, but this in not virus-related. It is not due to national politics. There is a trade war in oil, where the Saudis want to control this market, want the price to go up, and therefore use their surplus to flood the marked – causing too low price now, and forcing many smaller competitors to close down. They are particularly aiming at Russia.

Could this lead to a real, global, economic depression?

Could it all lead to a new world war?

Or will it simply pass?

It seems unreal, as I sit here in my comfort zone, in beautiful natural surroundings, looking at the morning sun touching the mountain tops. There is peace and tranquility. All my needs are met. We read the Psalms together these days, as an evening routine. So, I tell the Lord of this universe my disquieting thoughts, my concerns. Most of it I cannot do anything else with, but to leave in in the hands of our God. This I have learnt from the psalmist.

sharing my view

Not An Evil Intent, But A Virus

It will be interesting to see what the long term effect of this corona virus outbreak will be. I think many will consider how vulnerable we are to international trade, international relations in economy and health. Perhaps there will be a push for being more self sufficient, or perhaps to spread out the contracts for production of vital parts or products. I was told that more than 90% of Ibuprofen I USA is manufactured in China. An unspecified amount of other vital drugs are produced there, too. I have seen videos explaining the economic dependency of Chinese productions plant, from high tech electronics to car parts. Naturally the halt in production creates a domino effect in the supply line.
The surprising part was how vulnerable the whole system seems to be.

It was a virus that caused countries to shut down, make businesses to go bankrupt or to lose value on the stock market. The index has plummeted. People are scared. They may lose their jobs, and may not be able to meet their economic responsibilities. Perhaps they will lose their house.

It was not any evil intent, like a terror act or a war that caused the western world to stumble. It was a virus. As we all take measures to curtail the spread of this virus, we have some time to think.
We have time to pray.
We have time to be kind and considerate.
We have time to see that life is precious, and our true wealth is not in the stock market. It is not in our ability to earn more than others.
It is time to come close to God, with our fears and frustrations, with our losses, and find comfort in his care. He never promised us a smooth ride through life, but he promised to be with us in it all.