This might be a good topic of discussion in a few college courses, but it can apply to us all. As we approach a new year with some interesting observations, the answer to the above question will vary differently. Even more thought provoking would be how age impacts the variance.

Let’s look at 2025 as we observe the world from mid-January. AI is becoming either our best friend or a most serious threat to our lives today. Venezuela and our invasion of that country will raise more than a few eyebrows even for people who have never heard of the Monroe Doctrine. Russia v. Ukraine should continue to garner some attention as well.

Then there is the economy, tariffs and how the dollar stands in the world. Does it matter if you have a good job, have a sufficient retirement plan, or have your house bought with little or no mortgage payment? Probably not as much to those who are struggling through life before retirement.

Then comes whether we should worry about the world outside our present borders? Should we lower our international concerns and focus more on America?

As I thought about the issues I raised above, it occurred to me that my age will determine my concerns. A small background in the military and the intelligence bureaus make me pay more attention to the topics of world peace and chaos. My years of studying WWII, Col. Kasler’s friendship teaching me so much about Korea and his Vietnam experiences, and my own experience, through that Vietnam debacle, gives me some bias. Without that history what is happening in the Ukraine and weakness we are seeing in our European allies might not seem so concerning to me.

France, Germany and the U.K. enter this year with somewhat weak and unpopular governments under siege from both the left and the right in their countries, not to say that what we are seeing in our own country is just as divisive. Can those countries and their shaky economies fill the gap we left in pulling our support from the Ukraine? If that country falls after the years of defending itself, who will be next for Putin? Poland with the same assets that Hitler drooled over? That would be a nice returned asset to the former USSR. But we see from history that giving Czechoslovakia to Germany did not help bring peace to the rest of the world.

No doubt, regardless of your political views, our President has been systematically dismantling the checks and balances of our country, be it federally or with the various states. For those who feel it is working out for the best of our country, there should be no concern. The logic of the Monroe Doctrine in that the U.S. is the primary mover over the Western Hemisphere certainly supports his action in Venezuela. But many feel that that Doctrine was only the wish of one President and not of the full government and Congress. What started as tactical norm-breaking has become a systematic transformation. Should we worry or not?

Another note that most may not even be realizing is the deflation in China. Will Xi Jinping prioritize even more control over consumption by his citizens in order to avoid a bigger catastrophe? But this will most likely be at the expense of the young and might end up putting them even further away from the Chinese Dream. Probably China will try to export its way out of the problem. However, flooding global markets with cheaper than ever prices will affect the economies of many countries, including ours. How the President views these concerns will more than likely be reflected with his tariff program.

One consideration that will give parents some real anxiety is AI. Tie that in with podcasts and the cell phone, and our younger generation will be subject to much more subtle information than their formal schooling. It will be far more subtle than FDR’s address to the union about Pearl Harbor or JFK challenging the young to make a difference and suggesting those ideas in a human-to-human speech. AI could adapt practices for business models such as burying a political thought or potential product value inside a clever presentation rather than the straight forward traditional approach. In the long run, will education like college become a thing of the past and with many of those children seeking quite different paths of post-high school lives.? Will AI stay safe and can it be controlled by humans? That is even scary to us old guys, not for ourselves but for all the young of today’s world.

But let’s end on a happier note. Based on the U.S., the Western World is dealing with XI and has followed our early lead in dealing with the Ukraine crisis. We remain the global power. No currency is stronger than the dollar. Whether we believe in what America is doing is wrong, it is still powerful. We have the means to back up most of our errors in world diplomacy. And we do have the right to vote and elect or reject candidates for office. Let’s just consider ourselves the luckiest people of the world as most of us have enough food, a place to stay, and clean drinkable water everywhere. And we have the ability, if we so decide, to help those who don’t. Let’s continue to be America strong.

· Dennis Marek can be reached at llamalaw23@gmail.com.