Here is the ugly truth about the world we live in: human life is cheap, but rocks are expensive. Especially wet rocks in the middle of the ocean. We were reminded of this again recently. Chinese authorities—the same folks who usually spend their time building fake islands and yelling at clouds—announced that a boat flipped over in the South China Sea. It wasn't a warship. It wasn't a spy boat. It was a fishing boat with 21 Filipinos on board.

Two people are dead. Four are missing. The rest were pulled out of the water. Now, if this happened in a lake in Nebraska, it would just be a sad accident. But because it happened near the Scarborough Shoal, it is not just a tragedy. It is a political football. And everyone is trying to score a touchdown while the bodies are still cold.

Let’s look at where this happened. The Scarborough Shoal. It sounds fancy, but it is basically a triangle of rocks and coral. At high tide, most of it is underwater. It is nothing. It is a hazard to navigation. Yet, nations are ready to blow each other up over it. China claims it. The Philippines claims it. I am surprised Elon Musk hasn't claimed it yet. Because that is what powerful people do. They see a blank spot on a map and they want to put their name on it. It does not matter if people die in the process.

So, the boat capsizes. The water doesn't care about politics. The ocean is the only honest thing out there. It tries to kill everyone equally. It doesn't ask for your passport before it pulls you under. But the reaction? That is where the stupidity starts. China says they organized a search and rescue. They sent aircraft. They sent ships. Isn't that nice?

But let's think about this for a second. Why were there so many Chinese ships nearby in the first place? Were they just out for a leisurely cruise? No. They swarm that area like flies on a picnic sandwich to keep everyone else away. They are there to bully, to block, and to intimidate. But the moment a boat flips, they put on the superhero cape and pretend they are the Coast Guard of the world. It is performative nonsense. They want a pat on the back for saving people in waters they have turned into a danger zone.

And let's not let the other side off the hook. The Filipino government encourages its people to go out there. They talk about "sovereignty" and "rights." They wave flags. But who is actually out there in the flimsy boats? Not the politicians. Not the generals in air-conditioned offices in Manila. It is poor fishermen. It is regular people trying to catch a fish to feed their families. They are the ones risking their lives. When they drown, the politicians issue a sad statement and then go back to their expensive lunches. The people are pawns. They are just tiny pieces on a game board that the rich and powerful are playing.

Think about the four people missing. Just gone. Swallowed by the sea. Do you think their families care about the "Nine-Dash Line"? Do you think they care about historical maritime claims? No. They care that their dad or brother isn't coming home. But watch the news. The story won't be about the people. It will be about the tension. It will be about how this affects the relationship between Beijing and Manila. It will be about what the United States is going to do about it.

It is sickening. We have turned the entire ocean into a battleground for egos. These countries act like toddlers fighting over a toy in a sandbox. Except the toy is a wet rock, and the toddlers have nuclear weapons. And the people getting hurt aren't the ones fighting; it is the bystanders.

The saddest part is that this will happen again. Next week, or next month, another boat will sink. Or a ship will get rammed. Or someone will get shot with a water cannon. And the spokespeople will come out in their nice suits. They will use big words like "unfortunate incident" and "regional stability." They will talk until they run out of breath. But they won't fix anything. They won't stop fighting over lines on a map that don't actually exist.

We have satellites that can read the license plate on your car from space. We have missiles that can hit a window from a thousand miles away. But we can't keep 21 people safe in a boat. We can't share the ocean. We can't act like adults. Two people are dead because nations are greedy and leaders are proud. That is the real story. Everything else is just noise.