Last commutes

Yesterday, I decided to run back to Sävar as my bus card had expired and the winter felt slightly less cold. Speeding up turned difficult though with plenty of snow on the road but at least I was able to keep a steasy pace around 5:30 min/km as I made my way to what has been our home for the last few months. Today I will pick up a rental car and start moving our things to Ålidhem.

Running in the snow, I once again came to think of JFK. Back in June 1963, he gave a commencement speech at American University in which he said:

“While defending our own vital interests, nuclear powers must avert those confrontations which bring an adversary to a choice of either a humiliating retreat or a nuclear war. To adopt that kind of course in the nuclear age would be evidence only of the bankruptcy of our policy--or of a collective death-wish for the world”

As the war in Ukraine rages on with ever more hawkish statements, I am genuinely frightened about how it will end. While it is obvious that Putin grossly miscalculated the situation and now finds himself in a trap of his own making, all possible courses of action are fraught with great risk. If I had one wish, it would be that leaders in the West would more clearly communicate that this is not a war against Russia or Russian culture, and that the Russian people would be warmly welcome in Europe if the Putin regime were to fall.