Welcome to my “Octogenarian” blog
Born of a lifetime spent observing and living through the changing tides of time, this blog is a space where I hold a conversation with myself — a place to reflect on the world as it is, and as it might yet become.
Here you’ll find reflections, musings, and essays on life, politics, culture, nature, and humanity. It explores the cultural treasures that make life worth living and voices concern about the future of our global society. Through it all, it advocates for universal values — as a compass to help guide us through this century’s defining challenges.
In a time when emotions often sweep away the most basic realism — and when even the crudest media propaganda finds eager ears — these writings seek to explore, question, and occasionally challenge the dominant narratives of our time. Not with the goal of persuasion, but to offer a quiet counterweight: a place where truth and reflection might still find room to breathe.
This blog is a journey across four landscapes:
🌍 World Affairs
Critical reflections on international relations and the ever-returning cycle of war — a constant in history which, as Will Durant noted, has not diminished with either civilization or democracy.
From the promises and failures of Pax Americana and Western hegemony to today’s uneasy global balance of power: the Transatlantic relationship, the Russian–Ukrainian war, the Middle East, and ongoing questions of international justice.
📚 Culture & Humanity
Explorations of books, poetry, and music that accompany life’s journey. Reflections on aging, memory, wisdom, and wonder — drawn from eight decades of living.
Also included: conversations with our new artificial intelligence companion, the Prompt — sometimes playful, sometimes philosophical, and occasionally provocative. A few essays, by readers’ suggestion, have been gathered under “Favourites” for closer reading.
🌿The Fables of Power – Old grudges, new costumes, timeless quarrels
A satirical series in the spirit of Brother Inconvenience of the Abbey of Perpetual Delay, where nations become eccentric relatives, leaders turn into fairy-tale figures, and politics plays out as family drama. These fables are not predictions but parodies — reminders that behind the speeches, treaties, and quarrels, power often behaves like the oldest story of all: a family that cannot stop arguing.
🏛️ Politics & Society
Observations on national politics and the battle for the soul of nations — from the challenges facing the United States and its presidency, to the evolving role of the European Union and the political shifts in the Netherlands.
Also discussed: broader societal questions such as gun control, capital punishment, and what I call the American Paradox — the coexistence of liberty and injustice.
👤 About
A few words about the blog’s origin and its author.
I invite you to explore wherever your curiosity leads.
And I thank you — for reading, and for your unseen, but ever-felt presence.
In what kind of world do we wish to live 