Humankind's Worst "Pandora's Box"

It occurred to me today, humanity's biggest and worst "Pandora's box" must surely be gunpowder, first, so many centuries ago but explosives in general.

Certainly drugs are another and they destroy lives but it seems our ability to shoot and kill each other and blow each other up has become far bigger. And a far bigger problem and threat to humankind.

I look around the world today, city to city, state to state, region to region, here in America but across nations, too, and the world, and it seems clear we seem to be exploding and so, imploding.

From our neighborhoods and the streets of Kansas City, indeed, nearly every city of our own nation, we see shooting after shooting, nearly daily.

Senseless, needless, totally unnecessary shootings. And far too many killings, from all that.

Same, as I said above, in all our big cities.

It divides us, too, the rest of us who aren't shot and killed. We have our opinions but so many don't know what to do about it.

Then, all those guns and the desires and perceived needs for them and for more guns ends up creating now companies and corporations. And these corporations, by their nature, must not just exist but must grow and grow, perpetually, and thrive and grow more.

And this corporate growth and the demand for more infinite growth means all they want to do is sell more and yet more weapons, guns. So there are yet more and more and more guns---on our streets, in our homes, in our society.

And guns are no solution. Guns don't solve problems. Far from it. Quite the opposite, in fact.

So we have guns, expanding in numbers all across our own nation then they are expanding across the world.

And one of the worst places on Earth they're expanding in numbers may well be the Middle east where, along with bombs, people are shooting and killing enemies but also strapping bombs on themselves in order to blow up and kill their enemies.

The most bizarre of these situations that destroys the very societies they're in is that of Sunni Muslims killing Shi'ia Muslims.

From what I understand, to people of cold, straightforward logic, the differences between the two groups, even though they're both Muslim, is extremely small. And yet, even though small in differences, they are committed to annihilating each other and their numbers, along with anyone and everyone else they disagree with or whom they find "in their way."

Insanity.

With the world seemingly blowing up, so to speak and no pun intended, certainly, Pope Francis recently said this:

Pope claims Christmas is a 'charade' 

due to continued war

We have wars breaking out now in Europe, more in the Middle East, still in Afghanistan, Syria, so many places.

Then there are the bombs. Always the bombs.

Still the corporations build more.

We learn nothing.

Link:  Peace can only come from the heart not guns and bombs

Side note:  I'd thought about this article for a couple days, anyway and decided to write it yesterday, last evening. By sheer coincidence, after having written it, I discovered that on this day, November 25 in 1867, Alfred Nobel patented dynamite.

Remember when the US led the world?

I'm not that old--unless you're 18 or younger--and I certainly remember when the US led the world in all that was moral and right and good. A lot of things, anyway.

So now this, today:

"111 nations adopt cluster bomb treaty, but not U.S."

(The link to the story is here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080530/ap_on_re_eu/ireland_cluster_bombs)

Yeah, we USED to be moral. We used to do the right things. No longer. Not right now, anyway.

The United States lead the world in reducing pollution? Sure. In the 1960's and 70's. Not now. We famously/infamously bailed on the Kyoto Protocol, with this administration. We have to protect corporations, instead. Clean air? Clean water? Clean earth? Maybe. If it absolutely doesn't interfere with corporate profits.

The United States also famously/infamously jumped ship on what seemed to be a good idea to eliminate land mines in the world. You'd think we'd want to, since they kill and maim civilians--including children--particularly after the wars are over, right?

But no, that would hurt business.

Seriously.

That's the one, big, glaring reason we don't do "the right thing" anymore, nationally and internationally, on a range of different topics: we don't want to curb business--actual or prospective, of any kind.

All we can do right now is contact our legislators for change. That and vote and hope that the "next leadership" for the country and our own locales are more moral and right and good than they are now.

The way we used to be.