When I was born in 1932 the world was in the grips of the Great Depression but eventually it recovered and life went on. We didn't have a lot but we were happy.
From when I was 7 until I was 13 World War 2 was being fought in so many countries including our own.
I remember there being trouble in Malaya but was too young to understand what it was.
Then there was the Cold War. I don't think people in the southern hemisphere were affected as much as those in England and European countries. Here we were being told there may be a communist under very bed and in the US that was taken even further with many being proven to be sympathisers even if they were not.
The Korean and Vietnam Wars came and went and nobody really understood what they were all about and of course communism was, I believe, at the base of those troubles.
In later years came the invasion of Iraq and then Afghanistan and in both cases there is ongoing trouble in those areas, trouble I feel will never be completely resolved. Phil's grandfather fought in the Afghan wars in the mid 1880's and they seem to have continued on ever since then, in one form or another.
Now we have ISIS and the terrorist attacks in so many places where innocent people are being killed, maimed and displaced.
We had the dreadful terrorist attacks first in London and then in Paris and now Belgium is suffering.
Why have I listed all these events? Because it makes me wonder what makes mankind tick!! Why so much hatred and so many killings. When I sit and really think about it I find much of it is caused by regimes that want to take over places or in other cases by one religion or another. I am not a religious person but have never criticised what another person believes in as I feel that is their right to have those beliefs. I don't expect them to try to indoctrinate me and have never had a friend do so for which I am very grateful.
Are these present happenings worse than any that went before or just different? Will mankind ever agree to resolve its differences and learn to accept each other as they are instead of constantly wanting to change them or take what is not rightfully theirs?
When I have these type of thoughts my mind always returns to John Lennon's song "Imagine". I do think John had it all worked out and I can't help agreeing with him,
Hari OM
ReplyDeleteMore thinking of this type must be allowed, Mimsie... I too looked at the current event in the bigger picture of history. Am inclined to the thinking that there always have been and always will be these sorts of ... 'scuffles'; the problem we have now is that what would once have been local to a specific geography or regime has become global. What has happened is no worse than what has been happening continually in many parts of the world - but now places unused to such are being faced with it. Does this excuse it? Of course not. However, I do think we need to guard against too much righteous anger, for, as long as we didn't have it in our own back yard, it was convenient to 'not know' (I refer here to government and society as a whole and not to aware individuals).
As ever, it will require the quiet and stable personalities of the world to continue living their quiet and stable lives in order to maintain a balance. ...being just that bit more alert in their quietness and stability; therein lies the core of peace we can imagine... YAM xx
Yamini has expressed my thoughts.
ReplyDeleteHow I wish we would/could ALL realise that there is no need for us and them mentality. We are, or should be, a community. A world-wide community.
I think the present happenings are worse, simply because they are happening in spite of past experience showing that war brings nothing but death and misery.
ReplyDeleteGreat thoughts to share Mimsie and they mirror so much of what 'most' decent humans think and believe. I'll retun another time to catch up with your previous posts... but great to catch up with you and see you are well.
ReplyDelete... I agree with what you say here Mimsie.. and with the comments already made..... the world is full of unrest and 'war' all the time..... we know about the horrors and disasters instantly now due to technology.... but sadly it hasn't lessened the frequency of them.
ReplyDeleteWe can only pray and lead good caring lives.
Sadly the unrest grows quicker than the caring..
Hugs... Barb xxxx