End of May, 2026.

The war with Iran which erupted on February 28 in an attack by America and its “stalwart” ally, Israel, (is it the other way around?), seems to have ground down into a stagnant affair of threat and counter-threat, occasionally punctuated by a missile strike on a facility by Iran or a boat sunk by the US. Israel doesn’t appear to be an active part of the conflict at this time, but is concentrating on destroying southern Lebanon in an attempt to eradicate Hezbollah in the same way that it has with Gaza and Hamas. The Strait of Hormuz is still restricted to traffic with only a few ships squeezing through the stranglehold imposed by Iran and the blockade imposed by the US. The Trump administration produces nothing but sound and fury, headlined by his incessant Truth Social posts, while the Iranian side posts its own version of the “negotiations”, refuting and denying everything which comes from Washington.

The war, which we were told would last only a few days (or a few weeks at the most), is now three months along and there seems to be no end in sight to the hostilities. Each side appears to be hanging on with determination, expecting to outlast the other and win by default. In the meantime, the world situation concerning the supply of oil gets worse and worse, with the dread day of “tank bottoms” looming closer and closer all the time. Even if the strait were to be completely opened to shipping tomorrow morning, oil inventories would not begin to be replenished for at least a couple months due to infrastructure damage and the length of time it takes to move oil from wellhead to gas pump. The chances that the strait will be opened soon, however, are still quite slim, so the shortages caused will probably continue to worsen, along with world-wide economies which are highly dependent on the free flow of oil. Severe, even catastrophic financial collapse is well within reason, bringing with it its own troubles.

All the while, the war in Ukraine still grinds on, one day at a time, with no clear end in sight and the distinct possibility that the European nations of NATO and Russia will officially come to blows in a hot war, potentially including the use of nuclear weapons. Donald Trump continues to blow up fishing drug-running boats and make noises about invading Cuba. The Taiwan issue is simmering on the back burner, but could explode at any moment. International tensions are rising everywhere, it seems, with peaceful life on Earth becoming more and more tenuous all the time.

There will be wars and rumors of wars. It’s the end of the world, at least as we knew it. What are we to do?

Is it really the “end” of the world? Are we doomed to violent extinction? Will we be enslaved in an AI-driven system of machine control with robots doing all the work while useless mouths are eliminated in one fashion or another? Are we rushing headlong into Armageddon? Will Jesus really come back to snatch rapture us, that is, the “true believers” out of the chaotic mix just before condemning all the others to a state of eternal punishment? Who knows? ¿Quien sabes?

Life can be peaceful once certain things are understood. I am going to die. I have no control over geo-political issues. Some things are certain, anything is possible. The pension promise from the US government, a.k.a., Social Security, could be wrecked at a moment’s notice…or without any notice at all. An EMP or massive solar flare might take out the entire electrical and electronic grid, forcing me to carry water from the local river in five-gallon buckets–just to survive. Yes, anything is possible, yet, in all this turmoil and unknowing, there is peace because I am learning to simply put my faith in Almighty God, trusting that whatever happens, I will be all right and I do not have to worry about how I’m going to pay the bills.

That being said, I intend to continue on as I have been, reducing my debt load, building personal and neighborhood relations, working in my garden, developing my CAD skills, preparing my household for the future in the only way I know how, and encouraging others to act in the same manner, in their own way, with what resources they have. And, perhaps more importantly, I am going to speak the truth as I see it, even if I do run into resistance from others or encounter a bad case of writer’s block, as has happened recently.

After 67+ years of inner strife and turmoil, I am learning what peace, real peace, is all about. It is a good thing and life is beautiful.