When giants fight, the children suffer

Three giants emerge, one from the East, drapped in oil, the other from the West, clothed in wealth and power, the third giant, seemingly small in size but formidable. The giants are fighting, none wants to concede. Each is ready to show its military prowess and strength. They have been training for years.

Farther East, there is another giant, not part of the war but intimidating. From time to time,  the children hear that this giant is seen training, testing its weapons. This one is itching for a fight. At least for now, it has not been invited.

The world of giants is complex. There are many other giants,  not directly part of the war but backing up the giants in the war or watching from a distance. Some are in the East, others in the West. One sits somewhere between the West and East, its tentacles stretch far beyond. This one is scarred by many wars and is currently engaged in one, for years.

Far away, in distant lands, the ground trembles, echoes of the fighting can be heard. The loud shouts and grunts of the giants as they fight reverberate through the land. Rumors are that the giants are fighting, no one knows for how long. Can you really predict a war, how long it will span?

At first, some simply ignored it, in the faraway lands and thought it would have little to no effect at all. “It is far from us”, they said.

It starts slowly, the price of fuel goes up, the price of bread follows. Who knows what will be next. Yet the giants continue to fight. The children worry, hunger is beckoning.

One day they heard, the famous land in the East, the one with the powerful airline, the desert of safaris and falcons, the one everyone wanted to visit at least once, had shut its skies. The children started to worry, if that airspace could be shut, then nowhere was truly safe. 

This was no longer a distant fight between giants. The tremors of fighting had reached their doorstep. They could be heard in the rise of the price of fuel, shortly after, the price of bread went up. An air of uncertainty filled the atmosphere.

Still, the giants continue to fight. Relentlessly.

Other giants, not actively in the war, continue to watch from afar. Calculating. Whispering support. Supplying strength without stepping into the ring.

But the children, vulnerable as they are, will suffer most. They live in fear. Futures uncertain. Even long after the fighting has ceased, the children will  continue to feel the after-effects.

In a perfect world, there would be no war. The giants would resolve their issues amicably. The children would not suffer. But this is not a perfect world. So the giants fight and the children fight.