The older I grow, the less I seem to understand. How, for instance, has the world suddenly found itself in this parlous financial state? Some American banks foolishly granted mortgages to thousands of people who hadn’t a hope of repaying the money, and some British banks did the same.

The upshot has been a veritable financial tsunami sweeping across the face of the planet, toppling age-old mighty business institutions, undermining economies, putting millions out of work and calling into question the very future of the capitalist system.

And it all happened so suddenly, catching everyone by surprise. How come such a head of steam could have built up without any politicians, pundits, captains of industry and commerce and highly-paid bankers and financiers becoming aware of it and sounding the alarm? Were they all too busy feathering their own nests and riding around on their gravy trains, to spot early-warning signs?

We are all, now, in uncharted waters. And nobody in any position of power sems to have a clue what to do about the problem other than throw billions of pounds of public money at it.

Most of us will be worse off when it’s over (there will always be some who turn every situation to their advantage). The question is, by how much?

l Another thing that defies comprehension is the 2012 Olympics. Everyone seems agreed now that Britain can’t afford to stage them. Even the Government admits that if the global downturn had been foreseen, this country wouldn’t have bid for them.

So why are they still going ahead? Hand them back to China, which has all the facilities still in place from the last lot. Or give them to France, which wanted them in the first place (but probably doesn’t want them now).

So what if it causes us to lose face? Far better for that to happen than to lose what’s left of our public services as the money is increasingly diverted into this vain-glorious venture.

l And so to the third imponderable. Why has the world let Robert Mugabe bring Zimbabwe to its knees? He’s destroyed its economy, turned its farms into wasteland, emptied its shops, wrecked its hospitals and ravaged its population.

Those who can flee, head for South Africa’s refugee camps. Those who can’t, risk dying of starvation or cholera.

Why on earth has no-one put paid to this madman and freed the country from its nightmare? America and Britain were quick enough to invade Afghanistan and Iraq, both relatively prosperous, well-armed countries.

Surely a quick raid on impoverished and enfeebled Zimbabwe to take out a despot isn’t beyond the combined resources of the planet’s many other nations. But what do I know?