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Firstly, an explanation: John Hanscombe is on holiday for two weeks and I have been given the difficult task of matching his elegant and thoughtful Echidna. His quill was sharp and I'm sharpening mine.
So here goes with a bit of serious reflection.
For those of you old enough to remember - which, of course, is very few of us - 1968 was one of those years when the world changed. The ground shook and once the dust had cleared things were different.
Soviet tanks invaded Czechoslovakia to stamp on "socialism with a human face" (as the reformist communists in the country themselves called it).
In the US, Martin Luther King was assassinated in Memphis and Robert Kennedy was assassinated in Los Angeles. There was widespread rioting prompted by the assassination of the black, non-violent civil rights leader, and by the escalation of the war in Vietnam.
In Australia, 50 students were arrested during an anti-Vietnam War protest in Martin Place in Sydney and 45 people were arrested in Melbourne.
In May in Paris, there were riots, occupations of factories and universities, and a general strike.
Call me gloomy, but I wonder if we are seeing a similar build-up of explosive tensions.
Everywhere, the existing order is under threat. There's a rumble in the ground.
In Iran, women are protesting - on pain of death - after a young woman died after being arrested for not wearing a veil.
In Russia, people are also protesting on pain of severe imprisonment (and perhaps death).
President Vladimir Putin, formerly of the KGB, is sacking some of his generals - those not among the estimated 25,000 Russians killed on the battlefield.
Now, the old adage is that the first casualty of war is truth, and that is true. But nobody doubts that body bags are returning to Russia in large numbers.
President Xi in Beijing watches with interest - and ramps up the People's Liberation Army
There is a fight for democracy in so many places, including perhaps Italy now that the far right has won an election. One of the members of the triumphant Brothers of Italy party is Rachele Mussolini who is proud of her grandfather, Benito.
In the United States, Donald Trump's rallies increasingly resonate in bad ways, with his adoring followers encouraged to raise their right arms as a pledge of support.
But, to temper the less-than-gloomy view, there are hopeful signs, too.
The wannabe autocrat Trump may face criminal charges of a very serious (jailable) nature, though nobody knows how Trump on trial would play out in utterly polarised, heavily-armed America.
The fight for democracy is on everywhere.
And I should say that this is not a right-left fight. It is a battle between those on both right and left who believe in democracy and those on both extremes who don't (whatever lip-service they pay to it).
We all have parts to play in maintaining democracy.
We should stop seeing views we disagree with as abhorrent. Opponents aren't always enemies.
We can stop demonising people in the other camp. Disagreement over, say, tax or an integrity commission or policy on climate change can be tolerated in a democracy. But the undermining of democracy shouldn't be. Democracy is the thing we have to preserve.
Wherever you are in that middle part of the right-left spectrum, you have more in common with your corresponding person on the other side than you do with those who would weaken or destroy democracy.
Let me end with a pat on the back for Australia. There is less political madness here than virtually anywhere else in the prosperous world. At our election, power changed hands seamlessly. Nobody questioned the result.
Let us hope that our way is the way of the future.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Has the world gone mad? Am I being too gloomy? And if you're on the democratic left or right, do you see the other side as the enemy or just as an opponent? Email us: echidna@theechidna.com.au
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:
- Australians are being urged to walk "side-by-side" to give Indigenous Australians a Voice to Parliament, in the first major advertising blitz of the referendum campaign. The Uluru Dialogue's History is Calling ad campaign calls on Australians from all walks of life to help make the proposal a reality.
- The far-right Brothers of Italy looked set to form a government in Italy. Its leader, Giorgia Meloni, said: "Italians have sent a clear message in favour of a right-wing government led by Brothers of Italy." Ms Meloni would be Italy's first female prime minister.
- Former Australian surfing star Chris Davidson died after being punched outside a pub. Police said he was hit in the face and fell, striking his head on the pavement. A 42-year-old man was arrested and charged with assault causing death.
THEY SAID IT: "Democracy is the worst form of government - except for all the others that have been tried" - Winston Churchill.
YOU SAID IT: Thanks to you all for sending your views (and your thanks to John Hanscombe).
A few of you praised the people protesting in Iran and Russia.
(Another) John put it well: "I think most of the time resistance to authoritarian rule or unfairness or injustice is like an arrow on a rhinoceros's hide - it has little or no effect in the short term.
"But somehow it changes things; and the cumulative effect of many people dissenting creates change, even if we almost always see its effect later, after the change has happened and in hindsight."
Darrell said: "My message for people standing up against tyranny is, hold the faith of your conviction, remain totally honest, do your research and know that you're not alone!"
David had an observation closer to home: "I remember in 1992 I was working as a volunteer for the Aboriginal Legal Service. I was sent to Brisbane to cover a protest march to their state parliament house.
"I was standing on a bollard taking pictures when the camera was literally slammed into my face by a policeman wearing no identification. None that covered the march did. This was in Australia. Well, Queensland, at that time."
Road trips are still inspiring your thoughts.
Deb says: "I don't have a favourite, I loved them all; road trips both in Oz and USA. I still have Route 66 on a motor bike on my bucket list, but not sure I want to go back to the US.
"Driving is a kind of mindfulness because you have to concentrate on driving and not all the extraneous stuff going on, so a good way to unplug."