My six-week 'burnout break' culminated in a trip to Moscow

I will soon be writing on my observations and epiphanies

Dear Friends,

Six weeks ago, I had announced that I needed a six-week break to take stock of my priorities in the days, weeks and months ahead.

I have been suffering from a severe burnout from December 2024 onwards but managed to plod along — by God’s grace — till mid-March. During this period, and thereafter, God had opened up certain vistas which hinted at the directions I should take. It was obvious that my analyses on the global crises du jour were sapping the life out of me. During this period, I was constantly reminded of the core warnings behind these verses:

And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. (1 John 2:17 ESV)

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. (2 Peter 3:10 KJV)

This is a perishing world and it is in rapid self-destruct mode. Pursuing the things of this world, and excessively analysing them — except for our immediate necessities ahead – is a sure recipe for disaster. For the past few months, I could barely read the news, and when I did peruse through the headlines and skim past a few select paras, I could see right through the plots, subplots and how all these end. And these burned me out further!

I kept asking myself these questions: Isn’t this a mortally futile pursuit? Do I have to expose every evil deed being planned by those destined for perdition and exhaust myself beyond repair in the process? King Solomon once did that under the theme of “evil under the sun” and his wisdom and insights ultimately led him to spiritual distractions and all sorts of abominations. Should I just not adopt the biblical injunction encapsulated by the parable of the wheat and tares (Matthew 13:24-30) and thereby spare myself from those endless sleep-deprived nights and more burnouts?

Trust me, there are many in power today who embody the spirit of Sodom. They will persist — even to the point of groping in utter darkness — to fulfil their satanic agenda.

An Escape Hatch?

This period however was not without its surprises. I was unexpectedly interviewed by RT which led to another unexpected invitation by a local university to talk on the darker implications of Artificial Intelligence. (I am actually neutral on the subject of AI). Towards mid-March, I also stumbled upon an international essay competition organized by a public diplomacy entity in Russia and immediately felt that I would be picked as a finalist. I wrote a rather simple entry as if I was guided by the hands of God. But to what end, I still do not know

A few days after I submitted my late entry — the deadline was extended as if by divinely-decree — I received confirmation that I was selected as a finalist, earning me a fully funded trip to Moscow. Yet, I was constantly having doubts and reservations about making the physical journey. There were two psychos in Moscow I was particularly concerned about. Thankfully, one has exiled himself to Lithuania while the other still orchestrates dark machinations in the international scene.

At the end of the day, I thought that if God had paved my way, who was I to refuse this opportunity? At the very least, I would be meeting interesting experts from all walks of life.

And now I am writing this less than 12 hours after returning from the trip and I am thoroughly knackered. I will soon be writing on what I had observed in Moscow and certain epiphanies I received while I was there. But allow me to recoup before I write them up.

The weather in Moscow was not really salubrious. Moscow’s mid-spring in 2025 was akin to mid-winter in Leeds, Yorkshire, United Kingdom in 2001. Therefore, I did not explore Moscow as much as I would have liked. Nonetheless, I am attaching some photos during my trip to the Red Square. There was a lot of security around the square per se as it was closed in preparation for the May 9 Victory Day parade. My hands were also shaking from the intense cold, so pardon the quality of these photos.

If you like, I will also publish my essay in a few days. It is a trimmed down version of what I actually foresaw.