NORMAL LIFE: Do we know too much about the state of the world?

Sometimes I wonder if the Internet is a good thing - not only are there undesirable websites popping up everyday, but even the News websites are capable of striking fear into the very heart of you these days. Log on and, every day, there's a new story about a tragic natural disaster, the oil shortage, Iran's resumption of its nuclear program, the ongoing political correctness between Muslims and Western values. Not to mention coverage of the devestating Tsunami, last year's outbreak of SARS and the arrival of Bird Flu. Do we know too much?

I have all these theories about the state of the modern world in this 'information age'. I predict that the European Union will collapse within 50 years - the smaller countries will get sick of being lead by the larger nations, leading to the fragmentation of the Union and the European currency. A disaster in the Middle East is just waiting to happen, be it in Iran, Syria or Palestine. With HIV, SARS and bird flu, an epidemic of some kind is imminent with the experts claiming that one is long overdue.

Where does this leave people like myself who are living in foreign countries? If the EU collapses, what are the potential problems concerning residency? Would such a collapse result in a surge in nationalist pride give rise to deporations on a mass scale? If a nuclear disaster erupts in the Middle East, will the effects be felt in Europe? Similarly, if there is a bird flu outbreak on a mass scale, will all air travel be cancelled in a bid to prevent its spread?

Surely there must be people out there who share my concerns. I mean, instead of waiting for oil to actually run out, shouldn't we already be converting to alternative sources of energy? Instead of depending on rogue nations such as Russia for gas supplies (isn't it sort of wrong that WE are paying THEM?!), shouldn't governments be subsidising those sources of energy NOW to avoid an energy shortage which will no doubt become more expensive the more scarce it becomes? Only two weeks ago, Ukraine saw how dismal life could be when Russia cut off its gas supply during a snap of exceptionally cold weather. I could go on and on, but I won't!