Whither the human race in a world of contradictions?

Amidst the abundant signs of technological progress and advancement, the most sordid manifestation of human contradiction is the plight of the human race itself.

Even as human tentacles, remotely in many cases, reach into space probing Jupiter, and humankind demonstrates its capacity for limited survival in space, the survival of the same species on Planet Earth is itself increasingly threatened. What a contradiction!

Any examination of the world as it is today will point to the massive contradictions on our planet. Tiny minorities appropriating massive fortunes at the expense of billions of others; greed and waste on an unprecedented scale while millions virtually starve and die daily; huge sums spent on sophisticated weaponry which can destroy the earth itself, ignoring the basic human needs of the majority of the earth’s people.

The insanity of the situation around the globe is harshly revealed by what is today acknowledged, reluctantly in some cases, as Climate Change, threatening the very existence of Planet Earth and its inhabitants. Though the reality of the bleak future facing humankind is an unpleasant reality, forcing massive international conferences and pledges to deploy resources to deal with the Climate threat, many of these pledges have yet to materialize, at least on the scale needed.

Instead, armed conflicts not only continue to fester but as in the case of the Ukraine and Russia threaten to envelop the world, not just their region, with nuclear annihilation. The resources being expended militarily in Ukraine, if deployed to fight human hunger, disease and misery, can make a significant advance in improving life for hundreds of millions of people in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.

Even in these parts of the world, already pillaged under colonial rule, there are local conflicts with devastating consequences as in Ethiopia, the Middle East and Southeast Asia. The aid mustered by international agencies to save those perishing daily is woefully inadequate, making mockery of all the humanitarian concerns expressed by governments and global agencies.

Mankind has had centuries of experience to demonstrate that in the long run, armed conflict and war does nobody good. As the late Singing Sandra sang prophetically, “Nobody wins a war” whether in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan or Ukraine. It still remains the most wasteful manner of settling human conflict.

Love of the planet, love of the children of the world, love of peace, justice and happiness, not selfishness, racism, greed, exploitation and power, are the only guarantees of our survival. Yes, as the recently honoured Dr Alston “Becket” Cyrus sang nearly four decades ago, “Love Is The Only Answer”.