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The failure of morals, ethics, values and ideals to bring anything remotely
resembling peace to this fair planet is legendary. Indeed the recently fashionable ideal of ‘Human Rights’ serves to reinforce the rights
of various ethnic, religious and territorial groups to firstly hold conflicting beliefs and secondly to fight for those beliefs. Similarly the
notion of ‘Justice’ gives credence to retribution thereby ensuring grievances between rival groups are rigorously maintained for
generation upon generation.
When appeals to morals and ethical values fail to end human conflicts, temporary
ceasefires are maintained – ultimately at the point of a gun. Whenever conflict erupts again a truce is then renegotiated and a
ceasefire reinforced and the whole cycle of suppression, revenge, justice and retribution is set in motion yet again. Indeed, given the human
genetic-heritage of animal instinctual passions, it is a tribute to the human perseverance and stubborn will that the species has survived and
flourished as well as it has.
It is obvious that a new solution needs to be found, for the traditional solution of
instilling unliveable ethics, preaching pious morals and maintaining law and order at the point of a gun has clearly failed in the past, is
still failing, and always will fail to bring actual peace on earth.
The next great challenge for human beings in this time of increasing safety,
comfort, leisure and pleasure is to eradicate and eliminate human malice and sorrow. To do this means to actively challenge and confront the
‘mother of all beliefs’ – that ‘you can’t change human nature’. |
