“Stand out of my sun.” Imagine that, said to the most famous conqueror and king of the time. That was Greek philosopher Diogenes talking, in ancient Greece, Corinth, to be precise, so legend has it. Talking to Alexander, who is still called the Great. Diogenes had become famous for his life style and believes: He refused all wealth, riches and luxury and is said to have lived in a barrel most of the time.
The barrel is most probably a synonym for extremely reduced living conditions. By choice, in Diogenes’ case. He was founder of a concept that circled around good deeds, and a ‘return to nature’. The natural state of living. These ideas since have frequently cropped up in the history of mankind.
People are not all the same. Sounds simple, but it is not always. Some you’d rather not meet, such as those similar to the present president of the US. The ancient legend around Alexander and Diogenes of Greece makes that point, in very simple terms:
What really counts is to train your thoughts.
For many, wealth and fame as a goal in life often are considered to be the basic: The ‘pursuit of happiness’ it is also called, sometimes.
When people start looking for happiness in wealth and fame, because the applause of others seem to make them happy – or content, you may find yourself in ‘queer street’, as that old saying goes. In war, actually, which is not as funny as that ancient ‘queer’ phrase makes it seem, but cruel.
Greed and cruelty very often come with hunger for wealth and more wealth and power. But happiness people often miss out on.
The story “How Much Land Does a Man Need?” by Leo Tolstoy, great Russian 19th century writer, is just as eloquent and clear on the subject. Although it may seem obvious, the way Tolstoy renders it, it is compelling in its vivacity.
“Stand out of my sun.” There are people, who harm others just for their own good. I’d rather not have to meet them if I can help it.
Image: Radio Deutschlandfunk (Germany), “Nach einem Luftschlag auf eine Raffinerie in Teheran ging sogenannter Schwarzer Regen auf Teheran nieder (Bild vom 8.3.2026) (AFP / ATTA KENARE)”
Prices are rising… well, what would one expect. People are being killed. Now the ‘black rain‘ over Tehran is another step towards destruction. The region going up in flames. The country scarred already and becoming another Iraq…?
It’s good to see that they are starting to act again, NATO, EU: ‘Trump’s war’ is not his doing alone, of course.
As a ‘figure head’ he ‘works’ based on the interests behind him too: The industries, most importantly the one producing weapons. The population, who as a majority depend on their ‘way of life’, namely cars for moving across country in the USA, with cheapest prices of all… they trust that any president will observe this concept, this idea, and the government will take care of petrol.
War is no heroic deed of people doing the good thing. War is not only a ‘costly affair’… it always is part of a framework of interests and needs of those in power, those with money and those with ulterior motives. Such goals are not always easy to ‘dig down to’, define.
In the news we usually get the actual event. What we need to do is more reading, to get at the facts behind the ‘images’. Reliable sources. Remember that news have statements in them, which in turn are based on interests and needs and – very often also on diplomacy.
What also helps to understand the ‘goings-on’ behind the scenes, the real motives, is this age-old concept:
“Cui bono?” – “Who benefits?”
If you ask that about anything, it will get you farther in understanding.
This is no ‘piece of cake’, especially not for those being killed and wounded every day. Being scarred for life by health risks and cruelty and greed.
We need to prove that the international community is stronger holding out against one or another country and their selfish, incompetent and greedy ‘potentates’.
Images licensed via Adobe CC, my graphics, no AI involved
The president of the USA, Donald Trump, is a criminal ruled guilty on 34 counts of bribery and corruption as well as molestation before a regular court of law of the US. At the same time ‘leader’ of one of the most powerful nations today, yet. War means death and destruction, always. No exceptions. None.
Landscapes and living areas are laid waste, people deprived of home and livelihood.
Although all the motives are clear and have been for decades, still the international community lets him and his administration act as if he was the only one around?
This is indeed a crime, because it’s killing people for no other reason but profit:
He and his administration cancelled the Uranium enrichment control contracts without reason. They were working, according to official reports of the IAEA at the time. They had been reached after ten years of negotiating.
Internally the reign of the Iranian government is nothing to write home about. But, about how many governments, especially the larger powers today, can you say that? China? Russia?
The US?
The USA where money is the sole defining attribute of a person. Where close to no protection for workers/employees exists to this day. Where weapons are sold to minors and people killed in the streets into the bargain, thousands each year. Where people from one day to another will lose house or home and live in cars, with their few belongings right there, searching for employment.
Now this country of Iran, whose conflicts in the area are heavily intertwined with the Israel-Palestine conflict and so many adjacent countries is supposed to be bombed back into the stone age? Just like Iraq?
Iran: A tradition and history that reach back thousands of years, far beyond Islam and its first advent?
Because the US need oil, cheap and fast? Because cars in the US have to be kept rolling, with cheap petrol, if as a president you want to stay in office?
Because the weapons’ producing industry is the largest and most powerful over there?
Where are EU, UNO and NATO these days? What if another member would do the same…? Any of them?
Russia and Putin are scorned for their attack on Ukraine, for other internal reasons. Have been so for years? And Trump does the same thing now… To cover up, too. As so often has happened throughout history: Make war on a ‘common enemy’ to distract attention from internal affairs and shortcomings.
Netanyahu of Israel was and is a well-known hardliner against Palestinian territories. He has driven Israeli settlers there for almost a decade now. He has lost the support of his own parliament as well as the majority of the people of Israel. Which is a fact even on platforms such as LinkedIn.
Stop this madness now! Start using reason again. Stop selfish, cruel and completely ruthless people such as the present president of the US and his administration.
Note 16th March 2026: Acting like the true ‘scary’ ‘deal maker‘ he has publicly declared himself to be: Trump, this sorry excuse for a man, of course, uses every lever he can get hold of. Beware, and just wait a little… Neither NATO, UNO nor EU will bow to your conditions:
You have all the oil you need…? Now…in dependence on Russian oil, for the time being… but it is only reasonable that in the long run this will not be sufficient or satisfying to an economy as dependent on oil and fossil fuels as the USA:
Rather make Iran succumb and get oil from the largest fossil fuel recovering industry in the world on the cheap… hey?
Who do you think you are fooling here…?
We all know by this time that messages in front of cameras are one thing; but often just as much marketing and boasting or pressurizing as anything…
Setting the whole of the Near East on fire – nice and calm sitting in front of screens thousands of miles away.
Some stunt.
Really…? – Rather embarrassing if it wasn’t so cruel – one is reminded of just so many boys playing at tin soldiers…
Israel was founded after WW II as a means to finally provide a new and old home after centuries of Jewish suffering and recent events during the Nazi regime and its collaborators.
Yet, in what was then ‘Palestine‘ – suddenly and without warning new borders and a new nation were created on a territory that had been home to many people, also for centuries.
Painfully, Arab states and Palestinians on the one hand and Israel’s population on the other through attacks and counterattacks, wars, some only a few days each, tried to come to some sort of peaceful coexistence. To this day they did not succeed.
So, the South of Lebanon, where the Palestinian guerrilla had found refuge for a time, was attacked by Israel in order to prevent them from attacking Israel. Those attacks ‘found’ peacefully living Shi’ite Islamic people there, too.
(Shi’ite Islam is a far more peacefully minded branch of Islam, shortly put – and around 90% of Iran’s population is based on it as well.)
The 1967 war between Israel and Palestinians ended in two parts of the land designated to Palestinians coming under Israel rule: The Gaza strip and the West Bank.
This is the situation that makes it so desperately difficult. But
when Israeli settlers are sent into those parts of ‘Palestine’, which still is no internationally recognized state after all these years;
when Israel’s hardliners such as Netanyahu (in particular) repeatedly attack peaceful Palestinians;
when in south of Lebanon the Hezbollah and in the south of Israel the Hamas are founded to support Palestinians;
when one of the superpowers of this world supports Israel, with backing them – and with weapons, namely the US;
when we all know that war costs not only lives but money…;
when Arab states support ‘Palestine’;
is it really surprising that at some point the present Iranian government (s.a.: 90% followers of Shi’i Islam as well) started supporting the Hezbollah and the Hamas?
War is no destiny! War is man made! Too often more than ‘just’ religious ideas or ownership are involved!
Look at mankind’s history: Wars always have long periods of time where conflict starts to build and eventually boils over – because someone, some ruler… did not do their ‘homework’!
The principle is as easy as pie: Whatever your colour, creed or conviction, you are not supposed to kill, torture or bother other people! Period.
“Yes, but…” — Not buts.
“But…” — No buts.
“But there…” — NO buts.
The Hamas in October of 2024 attacked and took hostages cruelly; no doubt about it.
But the suffering of Palestinians goes on and on and on…
And even inside Israel for years support for Netanyahu has been waning; won only by 2 votes in the Knesset many Israeli people post in social media about their being tired of his kind of politics.
This ‘conflict’ has gone on far too long. There is no reason why an agreement couldn’t be reached if only the rulers, the people concerned started to negotiate.
With patience, knowledge and lots of humane ideas and thinking; amends but also forgiveness, at some point.
The concept of war being a solution for – war, has proven to be false.
