The whole world, it seems, is in a tumultuous state. Escalating evil around the globe in satanic scope: wanton brutal indiscriminate killing of hordes of innocents by suicide bombers, terrorist groups and nations; the rising quantity of WMD's: nuclear, biological, chemical and the growing clamor and threat of their immediate use; train derailments; ship piracies and kidnappings; worldwide economic chaos; personal iniquities and indiscretions; distrust of strangers causing deeper separations, isolation; growing pessimism.
Heads of nations rush here and there talking of political, military and economic solutions...but so far to no avail. Zero avail. None are working. Why? A cloud of evil encircles our planet and man seems impotent to halt it.
Strangely, these thoughts of what is happening today in the 21st century skipped my mind back to Biblical times. The Bible (and I refer to it solely as a history book) relates that our distant ancestors, too, fell from time to time under clouds of evil that would destroy them. And each time, God is believed to have saved His people the same way.
He sent a Prophet to serve as a role model and to spread the word of the beauty and glory of righteousness, of living an ethical life, as the only path to personal happiness, and as the essential force to combat and conquer evil.
And that, I realize, reveals what is missing today and what is needed to reverse the course of our world. Not more and more political, military and economic solutions... though they each can have a role to play...but an ethical solution, a respected spokesperson who can inspire us toward a life of righteousness and goodwill. What amplifies our problems today is the popular but erroneous belief, taught in universities, that there is no one proper ethical code of conduct, that one person's code is as good as anyone else's...which misguided view destroys the whole idea of ethics and makes the spokespperson's job even harder.
And who is it today to be that spokesperson? I know of no one. The leaders of the world today stand on political expediency, not on ethical principles. Their speeches appeal only to those with similar views, and inspire no others. They contribute to the evil we face and will never be the solution to it.
I believe that what is neded today and will work today is what our forefathers needed and what worked for them: an uplifting of ethical, moral, standards, and an affirmation of the value, the treasure and the majesty of human life. Perhaps, hopefully, our Prophet now lives.
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