German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock attends a news conference during a meeting of foreign ministers of Nato member states for discussions on the war in Ukraine. Picture: HANNIBAL HANSCHKE/GETTY IMAGES
This applies whether you are playing sport or in any other endeavour in life. If you go on to the playing field with your friends and some of them are kicking the ball around while others are picking it up and running with it, it can only be chaos. People will get hurt, and almost everyone will get frustrated. It certainly will not be enjoyable.
There are also some significant consequences for the rest of the world — even though these pale into insignificance when compared with the suffering of the Ukrainian people. How does the world respond? In most instances, as the world responds to assist Ukraine, it is also hurting itself and its own citizens.
Sadly, I believe this is a watershed moment. It is rather like when the football was picked up and the game of rugby was born. In this instance, I am not sure the old game survives. Those rules will no longer exist. Business and investing will now have new rules. If you want to play by the old rules, the probability of success will be at best remote. This war has brought about a new set of global rules in all the major dimensions.