Letters | Loss of humanity

The Persian Gulf is seething with anger. One slight miscalculation could result in an inferno that will rage out of control, catapulting the price of oil to higher levels. Peace is balanced on a knife edge.

War changes our parameters. In the face of actual or perceived threat, acts that would normally be abhorrent become acceptable. The biggest loss is the loss of humanity.

A consequence of war is the creation of hatred, and the loss of values. Millions will struggle to survive as animals, plants, trees and insects are under threat as entire ecosystems are decimated. Under the pangs and fangs of conflict, habitats are destroyed, cities are erased, economies are destroyed.

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The United Nations, like its predecessor the League of Nations, has failed to ensure global peace. It has proven to be a ceremonial debating club and acting contrary to the essence and purposes of its charter. The brutal and draconian ferocity of the current conflicts continue as the potential for massive wider conflicts unfolds with grim consequences for innocent civilians.

We must ensure dispute resolutions by reason and dialogue rather than belligerency and aggression. The sanctity of human life is grounded in the tenets of moral and intellectual leadership and being open to listening to the voices of reason. The Doomsday Clock created in 1947, which every year ascertains how close we are to midnight, a metaphor of global annihilation, asserts we are close to Armageddon. It is tragic that modern societies have marshalled the resources of the state for purposes of war amidst an ocean of despair and abject poverty.

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