Violence... The story so far

Op-Ed: Doug Snedden 2002

The human race now faces its greatest challenges and complexities as we seek to find a balanced peace in the world.

Our tendency, traditionally, has been for melodramatic summations and predictions, but the reality, in spite of what is perceived as irreconcilable differences between cultures, is one of massive proportion. The masses of the world are being woven together in a very fundamental way that provides power and prestige to the few and disregards the many. This phenomenon has exacerbated all of our existing problems, including the deterioration of the standard of living across the world for the masses.

Most people now find the world too complex to contemplate as their suppressed animosities are emerging as friend against friend or neighbor against neighbor, escalating and extending into hate against religions or peoples from different walks of life. Perhaps our priorities of building vast military arsenals and defending globalization should be directed at new avenues of human development to address issues like cross-cultural understanding, socioeconomic inequalities and poverty.

Our world grows in knowledge and yet fragments in its wisdom as we witness widespread dissension creating extremism and its deadly brood of terrorism. We must realize there is a greater responsibility toward humanity in developing a new view or code of conduct by securing peace and eliminating the threat of any further violence. As individuals, we have the power to make a difference through our democracy, which is the essence of peace and positive change.

You must believe that your voice is heard, and that it can make a difference on a global scale, no matter how large or small your contribution. It is the call of every man and woman to exercise their respective rights as citizens by engaging their government representatives in a meaningful dialogue regarding their individual concerns.

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