The spiralling cost of living is a persistent refrain that haunts Barbadians like a bad but unforgettable tune.Every trip to the supermarket, corner mart or village shop is more costly, prices at the pump have been up more than down, and many who have been battling to keep their heads above water face more financial hardship and abject poverty.A little under a week ago, Prime Minister Mottley made clear that more “discomfort was on the horizon as Russia’s continued invasion of Ukraine triggered record inflation by driving up prices on food and oil.“That is going to lead to discomfort in many of our countries with respect to prices or with respect to access to those commodities. It is going to lead therefore to the potential risk of us having to be able to settle our populations and to get them to understand that the world is going through a difficult moment, but it is not the first time it has gone through and it will regrettably not be the last because of the nature of just human civilization and our natural made environment”.