Every now and then I remember Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Jean-Claude Juncker, Emmanuel Macron, Angela Merkel, Narendra Damodardas Modi, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, Donald Trump, and Xi Jinping, in alphabetical order of their family names. The last time I sent them a few postcards each was three months ago (“To Be Repeated,” March 9, 2019). Should I send them a few more words of wisdom? If so, what should I select from my magnum opus for this purpose? And what postcards should I use this time around? How about a standard tourist one showing Motovun in its medieval glory? I mull all of these questions for a brief while, and then I dismiss the whole idea. “Nah,” I mumble to myself and wave my hand dismissively, “a waste of time!” But the idea keeps popping up in my mind time and again. Which is why I am ever more convinced that I will not be able to resist it much longer. To be sure, the mighty eight do deserve some attention on my part. After all, the future of the planet is in their hands. All things considered, a wise fool of worth could occasionally divert the mighty few for the benefit of all…

In memory of Nasrudin Hoca

Addendum I (June 21, 2019)

After much hesitation, I could not resist my temptation any longer. I found enticing postcards of Motovun in the post office, and I sent them to the mighty eight several days ago. The piece of writing I wished to share with them concerned my ruminations about Greta Thunberg, a climate activist of world renown in spite of her surprising youth (“In Praise of Asperger’s Syndrome,” April 28, 2019). Still in her teens, her foremost message to politicians and business people around the globe is that climate change is a global calamity of unmatched severity and that they should pay attention to what climate scientists have to say. There. Message from another world, as it were. I dare guess that Nasrudin would have been proud of me.

Addendum II (June 24, 2019)

Hard to believe, but yet another batch of postcards is on the way to the mighty eight. This time around, it is my lament that they never meet to discuss world affairs, which are squarely in their hands (“Remembering Yalta,” May 14, 2018). And the postcard I used came my way by sheer luck. Namely, Jackie Chan’s “Armor of God” (1986) was shown in Motovun a few days ago, and a postcard about the event was available to all. Given that some of the key scenes were filmed in the hilltown, I made sure not to miss it. Projected on a screen erected on the upper square, it was available for free. Many locals and quite a few tourists came for the event, too. As the tourists hailed from all around the world, I could not resist sharing the postcards with the mighty eight. But I promise that this is my last postcard of this ilk. Even good old Nasrudin would be shaking his head at this point, I am afraid. Enough is surely enough.

Addendum III (June 27, 2019)

Well, well. Against my better judgement, not to mention my recent promise, I just sent postcards to Narendra Damodardas Modi, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, and Xi Jinping. The piece I chose for this particular occasion is “Humans are Too Stupid to Prevent Climate Change” (November 16, 2014), which celebrates James Lovelock, who is very close to my heart. These mighty three control about a half of the human race at this juncture. For some reason, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Jean-Claude Juncker, Emmanuel Macron, Angela Merkel, and Donald Trump struck me as kind of irrelevant this time around. A waste of time, to be sure. At any rate, Lovelock’s challenge is loud and clear for all to hear. I can only hope that the mighty three will do whatever is in their power to prove him wrong. When it comes to power, they do wield it without any compunction. If anyone can do anything about climate change, it is the three of them. Returning to my postcards, I will do my best to stop this foolish attempt to communicate with the potentates of this world. By now, Nasrudin must be twirling and giggling in his grave. Of all the fools of this world, wise ones are so few and far between that it is foolish to even mention them any longer.

Addendum IV (July 3, 2019)

Amazingly enough, I just received yet another reply of sorts from Juncker’s office in Brussels (Addendum V of April 10, 2019, to “To Be Repeated,” March 9, 2019). Signed by the head of his unit once again, it refers to one of my recent postcards. The first letter only acknowledged the receipt of a postcard, but the second one goes as far as thanking me for sharing my ideas on current world affairs with the president of the European Commission. Wow! Delighted, I decided to send Juncker one more postcard. And the very last one, I hasten to add. This time around, I went for my piece mocking the human tendency to ape their many gods (“Homo simia dei,” May 14, 2019). I pasted it on a piece of cardboard cut from the front of a box of panna cotta, which I happened to have in my stack. My only hope is that the last missive will make him laugh. In the spirit of Nasrudin, I cannot possibly hope for more. Laughter is our best bet at this juncture. Heartfelt laughter, too.