I don't know what I want to write, I do but my heart is clouded and my soul despairing. The loss of life in Paris and Lebanon is horrific and now I wake to news that Boko Harem have taken more innocent lives in Nigeria. Added to this is the confirmed news that the downed Russian plane was bombed out of the skies with all on board lost. Families have been ripped apart and millions of innocent families have been forced to flee their very homes in Syria. I struggle to imagine the pain and anguish of a Father who will never hold his son or daughter again, the son or daughter who will never hear the calming and loving voice of their parents. I am at a loss to explain how a difference of ideology, of belief can be so all consuming that it is turned into a motivating force for such evil. Of course none of this is new and as anyone who even casts a casual eye over the annuls of history, its a never ending loop of blood shed and hatred. World War 1, the war to end all wars, didn't and led to World War 2 and an even larger loss of life. ISIS are a world wide threat that wish to convert all to its warped ideology or kill those who stand in its path. It is a menace that is not isolated to just one country and cells now exist in every country in the World. Their hearts cannot be turned and they will not listen to the eloquent words of a Politician, neither are they disgusted by the senseless killing and rivers of blood that they cause to run through our streets. It has always been this way and humankind seems expert in destroying itself, heedless of the many warnings throughout its dark history.
Elements of our Media are not innocent either and, in their never ending crusade for bigger viewing numbers and larger newspaper sales, they seek to increase the paranoia of the very people that secure their jobs. News stories are reported in black and white or one sided with scant regard or respect shown for the tragic loss of life. In the worst examples, Journalists fabricate stories to make their reporting more sensational. Sick minded and diseased, surely this sort of behaviour shouldn't be allowed to continue, yet it is championed by small minded editors who don't care who they hurt. My friends, if we lose our hearts in this mess then we are truly lost! We all have a responsibility to ease the suffering of the displaced refugees and the disgust that rises in me like bile for those in American society who slam their doors on those that reach out in despair is total. Whilst Politicians debate endlessly the protocols and checks that need to be put in place, fearful that a terrorist will slip through, their hands grow ever more bloodied with the life force of those whose lives they have power over. Power, ah yes that heady draft that most of our privileged society elite crave above all else. The lack of compassion that so called Christians have shown on social networks over the last days should be shocking were it not so absolutely true to form. How can you claim to follow Jesus when you turn your back on the very people you believe he came to save? Atheists too are not without their hypocrisy, with some taking great delight in heaping the blame for the atrocities we have witnessed at the feet of religion. Do you not realise that by attacking others belief systems in such a generalised and bigoted fashion you are exhibiting the very thought patterns that terrorists adopt? Using anothers murder to champion your own opinions and to propagate your world view is just about the most abhorrent thing I can imagine. People are being murdered, slaughtered while they enjoy the freedom that many before them have fought and died for, protecting the right to live whilst taking away anothers breath. The hypocrisy of war!
I am not anti military action and sadly, I have come to believe that the only way to remove the ISIS threat is to remove ISIS themselves. Cutting off the head and praying that the body dies with it, although the real danger is that another head grows from the stump. France's knee jerk and vengeful bombing of Syria will not achieve anything and yet Russia follow their lead and so to will the US and UK forces. Yet, without a cohesive plan and direction the bombs dropped will achieve nothing than further sharpen ISSIS will to destroy the infidel. We will see more atrocities like those witnessed in Paris and soon in London, I fear. Yet, to sit back and hope that peace can be achieved by diplomacy, harsh words and financial sanctions seems to be naive in the extreme. If we cannot control our bankers how do you expect us to cut of the funding of terrorist factions? My heart aches with the thought of the families who, even now, are moving closer to the moment when a happy trip to London is blown asunder by the loud ricochet of a bullet or the explosive force of a bomb. It could even be me, it could be you.
I passionately support the right for each of us to believe what we wish to and to speak openly about what we hold dear. But when that right cuts across anothers freedom or threatens to destroy human life then we need to stand, together and shout with one voice "this will not stand" We have lost any sense of community, save for when events like those of recent days occur. I was moved by the show of unity last night during the England VS France football match, held at Wembley Stadium. It was truly an astounding moment when the 80,000 strong crowd rose with once voice and sang the French National anthem. But why does it take brutality to bring out the best as well as the worst in us? Why wait until people start dieing to show compassion and love? Can we not make a difference every day? Perhaps I'm just being stupid and naive, but I see so much beauty and love that the terrorist will never understand. The forces of darkness will always threaten to extinguish light, so we must burn all the more brighter. I understand the concerns about assisting refugees but to ignore their desperate need is to forget your humanity. If we do not ease the suffering of those who are as much victims as those who lost their lives in Paris then we are no better than the terrorists who take life. To turn a blind eye when help is so urgently needed is an evil that cannot be tollerated either.
Oscar Schlinder turned from war profiteer to saving hundreds of lives from the evil of the Nazis. Schlinders List tells his story and I want to finish my writing with this scene. Please, let us not make the mistake of shutting out our humanity and sacrificing our souls for our own security and warmth.
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