Troubling pandemics. Diplomatic crises. These events continue to jumble our lives and tame our aspirations. The recent outbreak has, of course, impacted The Orient Express literary magazine. The Brunswick Upper School was planning to send an expedition of students in January to Dubai, where they planned to discuss the future of sustainability in our complex world. Unfortunately, verbal blows exchanged between two rival states led to the cancellation of the conference. We were dismayed, but not all was lost. We lamented our setback and discussed the underlying historical factors. Admittedly, the conflict between the West and the East is not a new phenomenon. The harsh words being exchanged today painfully reminds us of less tolerant times. Regardless, we hold an optimistic vision for our world. The progress that the two societies have collectively achieved considerably outweighs their squabbles. We dream of a bridge between two of the most diverse regions in the world over which ideas and information can flow unimpeded. Fortunately, the West and the East have already started building that bridge. The latest pandemic, rather than stifling the transfer of information, has encouraged more people to share their ideas. This is where our literary magazine comes into play: we hope our readers can develop connections with both the new and the old, realizing that our society has been expanding on connections that developed long ago.

 

Best,


Julian Trahanas '21