The 1990’s—A Decade of Uncertainty
THE dawn of the 1990’s has brought with it new hopes for world peace. But it has also brought with it unparalleled uncertainty and confusion.
For example, there is great uncertainty over what will happen in nations that are abandoning centrally planned economies that have failed. A number of these lands are moving into free-market capitalism. But many nations that are already capitalist have widespread poverty and unemployment, high inflation and debt. Even the United States has a huge internal debt—some three million million dollars—and is also the largest debtor nation in international trade.
One result of the world’s economic woes is noted by a New York Times editorial, which said: “There are more desperately poor people in the world than ever before.”
Partly because of growing uncertainties, many have retreated into selfishness: the me-first attitude, material greed, the desire for instant gratification regardless of consequences. Rampant drug abuse is an evidence of this. Christopher Lasch, a professor of history at the University of Rochester, put it this way: “The moral bottom has dropped out of our culture.”
Internationally acclaimed economist Arjo Klamer states: “Artists, economists, businessmen and families have lost faith in modernist certainties. . . . Disillusionment turned out to be an emotion shared by people across fields and disciplines.” Stating that “confusion prevails,” he added: “Fragmentation. Emptiness. Irony. Chaos. These are some of the words in vogue. They define the intricate web of post-modernism in which modern people are lost.”
It is painfully evident that this world’s political, economic, and social systems do not have permanent remedies for today’s immense problems and uncertainties. But this very situation was foretold in Bible prophecies for our time. Note a few examples: “In the last days critical times hard to deal with will be here.” “On the earth anguish of nations, not knowing the way out . . . while men become faint out of fear and expectation of the things coming upon the inhabited earth.”—2 Timothy 3:1; Luke 21:25, 26.
[Picture Credit Line on page 31]
Fotografía de Publicaciones Capriles, Caracas, Venezuela