An old work colleague of mine once stated to me that in his opinion “humanity has proven itself to be a failed divine experiment”.

I must admit that when I first heard this unsolicited comment I was shocked and rather dismayed. How could this possibly be I asked myself as surely all human beings or at least most of us adhere to some sort of ethical and moral standards of conduct particularly those persons we have elected to political office and upon whom we have bestowed certain privileges that go with their offices as stewards and guardians of our countries?

Recent events around the world and in particular Syria are fertile ground for supporting the notion that a significant proportion of those in power have got it horribly wrong. So lets look at what now seems to have occurred:

1. On the ground independent observers in Syria have discovered that atrocities have been committed by both sides in this conflict and that fundamentalist extremist groups are being armed by Western powers. Apparently there is alot of money to be made in manufacturing and supplying weaponry to those who are prepared to pay regardless of their intentions.
2. The same Western powers who are supplying the weapons to the so-called resistance denounce the violence and killing in Syria.
3. Ten months after the conflict breaks out the UK approves the sale of chemicals that can be used to make the poisonous gas Sarin to the Government of Syria.
4. The Syrian regime uses Sarin on its own people causing widespread death.
5. Both the US and UK denounce this barbaric action and threaten an immediate armed response. Weapons manufacturers rub there hands together with glee at the prospect of another war. 
6. The UK Government is surprised when it cannot get the numbers it needs to ratify support for the US lead intervention in Syria. The US is on its own and is quickly backtracking.
7. Other countries such as Iran threaten acts of violence against Israel should the US attack Government targets in Syria. Russia increases its military presence in the area.
8. The United Nations Security Council proves to be toothless in the face of opposition to intervention by some of the big players such as Russia and China.

This stuff is far too crazy and farfetched to be believable fiction yet it is playing out in real life on the world stage! If you were to ask a visitor from another galaxy/planet what they thought about all of this it is most likely they would shake their heads (if they had heads that is) and use words that when translated meant “insanity”, “bonkers”, ‘fucked-up” and so on…However, these events are not isolated – look at what is happening in Egypt and elsewhere, look at the violence being perpetrated in the name of political, religious and economic expediency, look at the poverty of many and the wealth of a few, look at the extent that the freedom of expression of individuals throughout the world is being impinged upon by state sanctioned spying. One could be excused for thinking that “its all going to hell in a handbasket!”

There is a cure for these malignant dis-eases and it simply requires a daily does of Integrity, truth, compassion, kindness, forgiveness and love for each other regardless of race or creed. Ironically this all has coincided with the recent celebration of Dr Martin Luther King’s famous speech “I had a dream..” and that historic rally that was held to promote inclusiveness rather than separation and divisiveness.

We all have to be prepared to awaken from our apathy and to speek our minds. Ignorance is no longer an excuse. We are now more connected than we have ever been before and we can find out what is going on around the world at the click of a button. What matters is what we do in our own lives that promotes the cure for our global malaise.

Peace is and has always been the answer we just need to embrace it.