Freddy, I don't think we can rule the world, but I hope we are a positive force in it, something that couldn't be said for those U.N. peacekeepers in Mozambique. And I think all of us have had a friend or two who decides that the thrill of living on the edge in one way or the other justifies the risk of death, and so of course some of our friends are no longerwith us, but we are comforted to some degree by knowing they led incredibly rich lives, and died having weighed the odds. All grief is ultimately selfish; I feel the loss, my dead friend does not, but it still hurts, and if as a result we reexamine our lives and make them richer or better somehow, our friend has given us one final gift.
Every individual has to decide for themselves how to keep some of the horrors of the world away, try to be happy every day, and still feel the ups and downs of life on this planet, not just be totally numbed out. Everyone balances that out differently, according to their own sensitivities and willingness to effect change. And much of the child prostitution plague is driven by economic inequities that will have to be equalized to some extent if we are to survive as a species. It's late and I'm not sure I want to get into multiculturalism and absolute moral truth; some of you real philosophers might want to jump in and discuss that. I just know that the world is too small a place to have all these totally destroyed child prostitutes, and all the other children everywhere who are born poor, with so many strikes against them, used as slave labor to make lovely clothing for my child, who by an accident of birth has never gone hungry, not one meal, ever, or even worn a cheap synthetic fiber. None of that means we won't get up tomorrow and totally enjoy the day, but somehow change needs to take place on global levels, without much evidence of the kind of world leaders who could exert enough force for change even grappling with these issues. So I guess we should pass the Prozac, but I hope we are able to come up with real solutions instead, quickly.
Christine |
