“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.“

– George Santayana

In recent years I have made a concious effort to consume war-related media around this time of year. I do it out of curiousity and interest in the subject, especially the content of combat journalists. But mostly, I do it for perspective, to remind myself just how fortunate I am to live when and where I do.

This year I took a step back and focused elsewhere. Because there’s no need to actively seek this kind of media today — it’s happening in real time.

Up until a few weeks ago I’d been working on two separate long-form articles that I was hoping could bring some clarity to two very murky situations. One focused on the current state of Israel-Palestine, the other on the looming threat of a global war.

I have since shelved both projects because, quite simply, they were getting to me. They’re part of the reason I decided to avoid all media this month.

To shift this away from me, now, I’m bringing this up today to pause and acknowledge that, as isolated from it as many of us are, wars continue to rage on around the world. The death and destruction and untold horrors of these conflicts take their toll daily as we sit in our warm offices writing — or reading — about them.

Today I pause to focus on this, but not with a negative outlook. It’s because we continue to remember that the world is getting better. Although such conflicts continue, on a global scale we’re living in the most peaceful time in recorded history.

And while tensions appear to be escalating from the outside, I believe that we haven’t reached that dreaded tipping point because we remember — because even the villainous architects behind these conflicts remember.

It’s why we must never forget.