As I write, the earth has moved beneath Venezuela, but was the ground already not trembling from deeper, more structural faults? A 6.8 magnitude earthquake has struck a nation already in ruins, a place where the term “failed state” has become cliché.
The epicentre near Caracas serves as a grotesque metaphor: here is a country that has been economically shattered, politically orphaned, and now physically ravaged. We speak of the fall of Rome, but Rome fell over centuries. Venezuela has managed a faster collapse, a Super Mario of civilisational decline.
One cannot help but notice the timing. At a moment of profound crisis, with inflation galloping like a horse flogged by a madman, with refugees streaming across borders, nature decides to add a flourish. The gods, it seems, have a dark sense of humour.
The question is not whether Venezuela will rebuild, but whether it can even conceive of rebuilding. For to rebuild, one needs a functioning state, a sense of national purpose, and an economy not based on the whims of a decaying regime. The earthquake is a tragic event, yes, but it is also a reminder: the worst disasters are not natural, but man-made.
When the dust settles, what will remain? A population already hardened to suffering, a government that offers rhetoric instead of rescue, and an international community that has long since checked out. This is not a breaking news story; it is a parable of our times.
Watch how the world responds, or fails to respond. That too will tell us everything about the intellectual decadence of our era.
