As The World Turns

My husband and I were discussing the problems of the world. Once over lightly.

That is about the best I can do lately, since I find things horribly depressing and unresolvedly problematic. From post-apartheid South Africa to Iraq …. the news just goes from bad to worse.

South Africa of yore was a travesty of human rights, yes…but what is it now? One of the foremost ports of human trafficking. Slavery. Exporting to other parts of Africa and Europe, continuation of the degradation of humans from many points of the world. Purportedly officials there don’t feel there is anything they can do.

Now why is that?

Well, for one thing, none of the South African countries “have domestic legislation outlawing human trafficking”. Imagine that. You would think after the struggle to abolish Apartheid there would be an effort to protect human rights.

You’d think.

Iraq worries me. I have never believed it could be democratic on the scale of Western countries, but I have thought that it could be stabilized with protections for the various ethnic groups. Perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps there is no heart for it.

Maybe someone could explain to me how the insurgents feel it helps their country to sabotage efforts at building its infrastructure. Kind of looks like the man who divorces his wife, but then shoots her and himself . Destruction for the sake of destruction, the final exhibition of control and hatred.

But there have always been people who cut off their nose to spite their face.

At some point, what can be done? What can be done to persuade people to move their country forward for the betterment of their children? Why can they not eat or sleep until they have vented all their spleen upon their enemies?

There is a difference between vile spleen-letting and honor, between revenge and justice; who will define the difference? Who will choose a higher way ?

Right now, it doesn’t look like anyone is much interested. Power grabbing is all that matters, and hang the consequences.

But consequences have a way of catching up with one. Or with us all.