Forgivness? Forget it! How can be the world fooled by those power hungry generals in ugly uniforms...

Asking for forgiveness

GABRIEL A. LEVICKY

Cyclone and earthquake - the two natural, apocalyptic disasters, mercilessly striking our planet since the time immemorial. It would be quite easy and simple to blame the actions or rather non-actions of the governments of China and Myanmar (Burma) of negligence and lack of concern for their own population. This is nothing new in those two countries. From their perspective - in light of these recent catastrophes, in the overpopulated country such as China, and rigidly controlled Myanmar’s China’s military client – the loss of so much life is but a mere drop in the bucket.

The tragedy is enormous and it is touching us all. Even though China appears to be superficially concerned, it’s mostly due to their upcoming 2008 showcase Olympic Games gala, just as that little corporal with tragic-comic mustache and bad hairdo did in 1936 in Berlin in order to legitimize his cannibalistic, world-domination appetite. It appears that China doesn’t want to spoil this occasion to demonstrate its long and desperately desired position to join the rest of the civilized world, regardless of their left ideological and right world-market economy maze.

Cyclone and earthquake - have stricken those two countries with a typical vengeance of unpredictable nature. The number of the victims is staggering; their suffering and angry confusion is overwhelming. We are talking about thousands and thousands of lives lost, injured, missing, or displaced.

The unfortunate Chinese parents are still digging today (far away from that dizzy glitter of Shanghai and Beijing) their children from the rubbles of local schools and buildings cheaply built (with an insufficient amount of bad quality cement), hoping and praying that their only child (the direct result of the official, arbitrary one-child policy), will miraculously survive in the ruins. Meanwhile, the ‘mysterious’ Myanmar junta is holding world’s necessary help at its borders. The power-drunk generals rightly fear that this time the world community has a great opportunity to get rid of them on account of playing chess with the national tragedy, while their country is turning into a mass grave. One might even ask: Where is the UN resolute action when needed? Doesn’t this gross negligence constitute a crime against humanity?

Sure, we consider dying a natural part of our existence – all living matter must die one day, just as it is given all optimal conditions to start a new life. Nevertheless, we are also capable of extending our longevity as well as providing decent care for our aging population. There are many problems of how to cope with a slow decline and many a time with a vicious, debilitating, and incurable diseases. In addition, we still have a problem dealing with our psychological, social, and cultural taboos and restrictions.

However, this is all a composite of our human mortar, a glue binding us together in our effort to find the most optimal response and solution that corresponds to our positive values, such as respect of life and death, aging and nurturing, paying a tribute to many who struggled and still do struggle, etc.

But when an Iraqi father boastfully slaughters his only daughter because her unpardonable ‘sin’ was talking to a handsome British soldier, while her two brothers helped him to cut her throat by holding her down (after which the whole family was invited to gather and spit on her tortured body before they threw her into a grave) - this is another horrifying catastrophe threatening mankind.

What then of our resolve to protect and save life – from a tiny tropical frog to a majestic elephant or polar bear?

If we can’t protect a human life under threat, then we somehow forfeit our rights to be representatives and protectors of life on this planet with dire consequences.

The wise, ancient sages knew that very well when they formulated a supreme, moral axiom: ‘If you kill one person it is as if you have killed the whole world!’

As to that, so called father (a criminal, committing premeditated murder) who brutally killed his own daughter, pray that there is a kind of justice out there that will put him and his sons on trial and open their eyes with an eternal question: Why did you do that? This question should stay with them - the Chinese executives’ comrades, and their Myanmar generals on the leash, on their march to Hell - until they will be capable of understanding the enormity of their crimes and ask for forgiveness - for the sake of all of us.

(Written a few days after the horrible tragedy and before all the results became available.)