Decadence of Europe

The new millennium is the harbinger of several early indicators. Across the Atlantic, the mighty United States find that military might and high standard of living are not the defence, offence, or solution in many cases, and that human misery or prosperity cannot be tamed or untamed through bursts of fire from cold gun barrels. Satellite monitoring is not enough, when there is no meeting of the minds.

Universal human brotherhood is lost in the wilderness of the concrete jungles. The human bonds need a different kind of cement. Capturing natural energy resources in the four corners of the globe is also no solution.

Humans have feet, and it is a tool of locomotion. It means footprints are created, and there must be space for these imprints. 'Peaceful coexistence' has become a political jargon. Where is the living space, however small? The headlines are confined to the undersea earthquakes called tsunami, but what about the constant political growling and undercover operations? Man's inhumanity to man must be revenged (equalizer tranquilizers) in some way, for lessons to be learnt. It is so difficult to unlearn!

The sine wave of history is shifting (Toynbee). It was from East to West: now it is from the West to the East (the ice is melting in the N and S nodes, thanks to the delayed Greenhouse Effect created by the original defaulters). The conscientious objectors have no ground to feel uneasy. Share and let live. The Americans (standard of living above US$ 20,000 per head) should experiment to live on a dollar a day for a couple of weeks (voluntary pilot project), and taste the stark realities of ordinary defaced lives. The poor are nameless; but the rich are faceless.

Why the majority of the UN projects are out of tune in field operations in the third world countries? Planned by those who live in affluent societies. The background and the basic parameters are not in tune. Micro-credit is a new experiment in Bangladesh, and its success is encouraging, although more fine-tuning is required. How the top ten per cent of the super-rich are helping?

Notice the lack of competition, and interest, in the silent, ruthless wars between the MNCs and the SMEs. Dhaka is now paying more attention to the cottage and small industries, but the backing of the rich is lacking (the evil hold of black money, and easy money-laundering escape routes available anywhere). Contrast the multi-storey urban jungles, and the shattered tsunami hovels. There is a moral in this morals-shattering experience.

The will to live means the will to intervene--by the majority of the marginalised civilisation.