Like with so many other issues, the human race always has a tendency to stand with its nose right against the tapestry of life, studying the detail of the few pieces of colorful wool worked into the canvas, instead of standing back and glimpsing the bigger picture.

The War against Terrorism is a complex issue, and probably a devious one at that. Looking back at the history of mankind, wars were always unnecessary evils. From the days of Egypt, Greece and Rome, up to the more recent Second World War and following proxy-wars - episodes of conflict arising from one party/ country invading another due to greed or downright pig-headed ignorance and refusal to reasonability. It is also more than often the case that; those who start wars, never fight them and never experience their true horror. The 'emperors' usually sip their wine and eat their grapes in cool and tranquil gardens, while their young soldiers die gruesomely on battlefields. And the so-called collateral damage of wars are always far larger on scale: many soldiers die, it is true, as it is indeed a war and they knew by signing up that the chance of dying or loosing a limb is very real; but the thousands and often millions (Vietnam for instance) of women and children killed during wars are completely uncalled for. So far, an average of 150 000 civilians died since the Iraq war began according to WHO statistics. Imagine a football stadium filled with the mutilated corpses of innocent men, women and children who never wanted a war; and you will get an idea of just how many die without just cause.

Not only is the killing of civilians avoidable; it is preventable by not starting a nonsense war in the first place. By using the critical thinking tool in our heads, we soon will find that the seed and root of this so called War against Terror - or any war for that matter - is an unnecessary evil. Think about it: why is it only the US and UK that are under threat by terrorists? Why does the rest of the so-called First World - from Australia to New Zealand to Mainland Europe - not invade the Middle East? Why are they not threatened? And speaking of invasion: invasion is not a form of defense; it is an act of aggression stemming from greed as shown so many times in the history of mankind.

We need to come to our senses. Critical thinking and the voice of reason and accountability should be reawakened within all of us. The typical primate alpha-male 'fight and kill without using your brain' response from two countries or more should be replaced by diplomacy, transparency and acceptance of other cultures. There is a place in the sun for everyone.

But without the intervention of the 'masses', our so-called leaders (rulers are more appropriate), will continue with their ill-witted primate responses. They will indeed continue up to a point of tyranny. In the words of one of the United States' founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson: "All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent."

Learn more about this author, Jean Erasmus.
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