If the surprise outcome of the recent UK referendum - on whether to leave or remain in the European Union - teaches us anything, it is that supposedly worthy displays of democracy in action can actually do more harm than good. Witness a nation now more divided; an intergenerational schism in the making; both a governing and opposition party torn to shreds from the inside; infinitely more complex issues raised than satisfactory solutions provided. It begs the question 'Was it really all worth it' ?

mistakes poverty fear breakup lies inspirational-quotes worth empowerment growth choices separation regret decisions identity power breakups control neighbors blame leadership breaking-up friendship-quotes education lessons deceit racism protection enmity worth-it life-changing democracy left-behind introspection protect break-up stronger power-of-thoughts power-of-words teachings self-harm danger security disaster fascism currency politicians english unity peace-of-mind conviction breaking-free race jobs debate prosperity peace-making peace-movement rights life-changing-events elections surprises issues status-quo campaigning safety choices-and-consequences surprise economy decision-making political-philosophy complexity capitalism results reform political-parties warning british political nationalism political-commentary irish employment persuasion error wales welsh errors lessons-learned debates result division terrorism philosophy-quotes peace-quote introspective generations lessons-learnt worthwhile remain right-path immigration historians democracy-gone-wrong economics-society britain lessons-learned-in-life crossroads scepticism collaboration quote-of-the-day empowering-quotes warnings growth-ideology lessons-for-man lessons-of-life quotable quotable-quotes quotes-about-life judgement-day blame-game team-building england decision-quotes educational-quotes cooperation decisions-in-life teamwork controlling conviction-quotes leadership-quotes teaching-quotes identity-crisis mistakes-quotes unity-quotes wealth-creation poverty-quotes team-spirit choices-quotes integration powerful-quotes unity-of-all-people teacher-quotes stronger-quotes inclusion separation-and-union life-challenges regret-quotes leadership-styles politics-quotes youthful-optimism scotland scottish vote antagonism schools collaborative fear-quote new-dawn election-results new-day-quotes racism-quotes neighbours hospitals confrontation jobseeking self-inflicted outcome-quotes uk voters european european-history judgement-quotes enemy-quotes safeguard choices-based-on-faith harmful cultural-identity deprivation right-wing-politics united-kingdom reformers dangerous-minds campaigns divorce-quotes national-security lies-we-tell-ourselves results-quote trying-times war-on-terror poverty-alleviation antagonistic austerity better-in better-off boris-johnson breaking-rules brexit british-history british-people brussels budget-cuts campaign-contributions campaign-promises choices-you-make clash-of-civilizations clashes co-operate-leaders co-operation complexity-and-information confrontational cultural-diversity currency-trading dangerous-liaisons dangerous-world david-cameron debate-quotes deceit-quotes democracy-criticism democracy-voting devolution devolve disaster-quotes discord disenchantment disenfranchised disengagement divisions divisions-in-society divisiveness economic-collapse economic-crisis election-promises employment-laws enemy-of-the-state enmity-quotes eu euro euro-eurosceptic european-civilization european-economic-area european-imperialism european-union europeans euroscepticism fascism-in-europe generation-gap going-it-alone history-repeating-itself identity-confusion identity-politics inclusive introspective-quotes leadership-contest left-wing lies-politics life-changing-quotes little-england little-englander national-identity northern-ireland persuasiveness political-quandary political-quotes politicians-quotations politicians-quotes politicians-tradegy politics-observation poor-choices poverty-and-politics poverty-inequality prosperity-quote quotability racism-and-culture referendum referendums regression regrets-in-life remain-quote right-wing sceptical schools-of-thought self-harmer self-inflicted-misery self-inflicted-pain separation-anxiety separation-of-powers separations sovreign sovreignty squabble squabbling take-back take-back-control tariffs torn-apart torn-from-the-inside-out tory tory-party vote-for-the-truth vote-leave vote-remain votes warning-quotes

Casting a curious gaze down on planet Earth, extra-terrestrial beings could well be forgiven for assuming that we humans are programmed in every move we make, by a palm-sized, oblong, slab of glass. More perplexing than that, who on earth could convince them otherwise ?

humor despair humanity intelligence human-nature humour intellect universe life-quotes worrying life-philosophy mankind life-lesson curiosity humans slavery evolution earth forgive machine perception brain manipulation fake-friends extraterrestrials assumption satire assumptions human-condition satirical curious prediction robots humanity-and-society universal-truths galaxy futuristic fake-people brainwashing dumb-people programming persuasion slave watching movements glass planet big-brother perceptions humourous skills reversal reverse universe-quotes artificial-intelligence homo-sapiens society-denial convincing quote-of-the-day brainwashed assume otherworld convince move humourous-quote quotable quotable-quotes quotes-about-life skill-sets skills-quote society-quotes future-prediction intelligent-design automaton watchers extraterrestrial-life manipulate robot satire-quotes quotes-on-life intellectual-capacity brainwashed-society conviction-quotes humor-quotes intelligence-quote universal-truth despair-quotes forgiveness-quotes skill-quotes future-quotes assumptions-quote universe-quotations move-forward glass-half-full earth-quotes worry-quotes galaxies artificiality contrary losing-it lost-souls perplexity globalization persuade convinced cellphones mobile-phone mobile-phones cell-phone quotology earthly-possessions perception-of-life palm perception-of-reality human-revolution perception-and-reality predictions subservience society-problem curiosity-quotes lost-generation persuasiveness regression dumbing-down dumbness cell-phones worrying-about-the-future life-on-earth planet-earth device devices planetary virtual-reality evolutionary-process palms robotic planetary-shift programming-quotes programming-your-mind backwards perplexed mobile mobile-device moves manipulation-quotes slavery-quotes earth-citizen monitoring artificial-life assumed backward-step brain-drain brainwashed-generation convinced-that-we-re-living convincing-ability convincing-others deskilled device-set-up device-sync earthlings earthly-task earthly-things galactic glass-slab global-warning globalisation governed homogeneity homogenous human-regression human-weakness humanoid impersonal impersonal-world laugh-at-yourself life-beyond life-on-other-planets losing-yourself machine-autonomy machine-man manipulation-of-others manipulation-of-the-masses manipulative manipulative-people mobile-app-development mobiles move-backward neanderthal neanderthal-marries-human oblong obsessive-compulsions obsessive-compulsive-disorder obsessive-interests other-world other-worldly other-worlds overrun perception-of-others perplexing persuasive planetary-exploration powers-of-persuasion programmed-to-receive programmers quotation-collections reverse-worlds robot-world robotic-humans robotic-machinery satirical-humor satirical-quotes slab slate slave-to-the-machine subservient telcos telecommunications telecoms to-the-contrary tongue-in-cheek virtual-cubicle virtual-world watcher

Mounting tensions in Eastern Europe send shivers down the spine. Barely a quarter of a century after the end of the Cold War we seem to be sliding inexorably towards another.