Most year-end story ideas feel tone-deaf

I sometimes feel like my own writing has already been tone-deaf in recent months. Running, travel, music, movies, food, and drink — I’ve left a lot of notes on these topics.

When I look at my friends’ social media posts, I often think that too — we’re all tone-deaf, aren’t we? Sending New Year wishes from our cozy homes. Sometimes beaches. Sometimes skiing resorts.

Life goes on.

If I start soul-searching, it feels a bit hypocritical. All those topics I mentioned — I wrote what I wrote. I shared what was on my mind. At this very moment, I’m in Tucson, Arizona. My daughter is playing in a tennis tournament. I’ve been enjoying a few laid-back days (notwithstanding the emotional roller coaster that my daughter’s tennis career often brings to our family!), lots of running in perfect weather conditions, and good food too.

Amidst this comfort, this privilege, how do you write about what remains the most horrific tragedy of recent years — Russia’s war against Ukraine? The suffering continues — death, displacement, destruction, blackouts, and ruined livelihoods of tens of millions. Terrorism of unprecedented proportions.

I don’t know how you write about it. You can’t ignore it but any attempt to write anything meaningful is a dangerous path, smelling of hypocrisy.

Now that the war is going on for many months, we have all gotten used to it, to one degree or another.