Monday, April 30, 2007

Who is thy brothers Keeper?

"Where is the US, Where is the UK where is the United Nations?!"

This was a cry from a citizen of Somalia re the ongoing conflict there....
This cry has been echoed in Darfur and Zimbabwe and countless other nations that have been torn apart by war.
Valiantly, the almost impotent UN try to send aid... but it is either not enough or the sadistic rulers of countries such as Darfur try to block them at every turn.

Many times when I hear such pleas for help I wonder; why cant Africans save Africa? Why should the west take it upon themselves to save Africa from Africans? Why?
Of course the good book tells us why."Do unto others as you would have them do unto you".
You never know when it will be your turn to be saved from yourself.
And so it is incumbent upon us, as citizens of the world to act......

But this leads me to a BBC program titled "Death To America" , where they explore the reasons behind the hatred many countries have for the United states.
In looking at a number of conflicts I have found that America serves its own self interest.... not democracy, or liberty or freedom like they would have you believe.... the are primarily interested in their own well being.
Having said this the next question one must ask one's self is; Is this wrong. Is it wrong for a country to look out for its own self interest first? is it crime to want the best for yourself and your family?
I put it to u that there are no truly benevolent countries on this planet. And each and every single nation has its own wellbeing as the highest of it's priorities... Why then should we expect the richest and most powerful to be any different?
What right do we.. or Darfur or Palistine or Zimbabwe or anyone for that matter, have to demand anything from anyone?

Dont get me wrong... I believe it is imperative for a country in a position to help to do so.. and I believe that when in need of help... But as much as it is incumbent on one nation to help another it is equally important for the nation requesting help to know that this is a request... It is not their place to demand.


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