Winter

Some people think that men shouldn't be afraid of anything.

This conviction stems from various beliefs:

* The perception that humanity has attained a level of technological advancement big enough to ward-off any threat from nature or man-provoked disaster

* The belief that 'God' is on our side and so divinity guards us against danger of all proportions

* The audacity with which some men conduct their affairs: call it 'bravado', 'temerity' or the 'macho' belief that danger can be avoided.

In the first current of thought (technological advancement) I would situate thinkers like Malthus. We should not fear overpopulation (the reasoning goes) as long as progress in agricultural techniques allow for an ever growing food output.

I am not a religious man, so I will largely bypass the second argument. As for the 'bravado', this is, unfortunately, very commonly seen in state leaders. Remember Saddam Hussein firing a rifle into the air? The talk about the 'infidel' and the 'Mother of all wars' while his people was facing the wrath of foreign armies?

In fact, my purpose in this post is to discard the three arguments all together. Technology is not the cure to all troubles. The complicated system of dykes and levees that prevent New Orleans from sinking collapsed with Hurricane Katrina. The entire computer systems of banks, governments and health institutions where jeopardised by the 'Year 2000' problem. Though most of the systems were fixed in time, y2k revealed this large dependency of societies on fragile computerised systems. Rather than a solution, technology became an issue, a cost to corporations as they tried to update computer software.

If there is something I personally fear that is winter. Every year the Eastern United States is blanketed by heavy covers of snow. Airports across the country are paralised, people stranded and air travel, along with the commercial movement of merchandise, come to a halt. Last December, most European countries saw their airports become inmense dormitories as travellers saw flight cancellations and disruptions. Secondary (and primary) routes in Belgium, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, were closed for days as the snow piled up to unseen levels.

Researchers from the Brookings Institution recently wrote a book on how a long winter affected the economy of the former Soviet Union, weather ultimately contributing to its demise in the early nineties (Hill & Gaddy, 2003). Entire cities of thousands (even millions) of people were built in the snow deserts of Siberia (some boomed in the 50s and 60s but eventually collapsed).

Winter is a double-edged sword. In some dry countries like Spain, the snow that piles up in alpine mountains feeds rivers and water reservoirs as that snow melts and flows downstream thus alleviating some of the water scarcity seen in summer.

Winter is also the postcard of children ice skating in front of the Rockefeller Plaza Christmas tree; the beautiful landscapes of painter Jean-Paul Lémieux, the cozy living rooms illuminated by a fireplace, jazzy music to the ears...

But I personally keep terrible memories of winter. A snow storm can bring all city activity to a halt. In Québec city a few years ago, a powerful storm decreed the closing of schools and offices. Daring to drive in this conditions is bravado: I nearly killed myself in a car accident as I defied the elements. Fortunately I'm still here safe and sound in front of a computer screen.