environment | God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

12/30/2021 • 9:10 am Comments Off on At the end of the year….

At the end of the year….

I guess, most of us agree: this was a specific difficult year for societies and in politics. Looking around in our world, there seems to be little hope for 2022:

In the USA, we see a country struggling to keep democracy alive and fight off a sort of white male fascism driven by a Republican Party not ashamed to base politics on lies and deception.
In Great Britain, the Brexit promises have failed in a big way and the current Premier seems to have difficulties with truth and honesty, let alone clear policies.
In Russia old demons of power and might through military means aka Putin style becomes dominant and endangers world peace looking at Ukraine.
China demonstrates its willingness to go the extra mile to kill everything which smells like civil rights; only look at Hong Kong.
Europe throws part of its values into the Mediterranean Sea by letting people drown in exactly this sea and looking at Covid-19, the switching on and off of parts of Africa without common sense does not give the impression that values are universal.

The corruption in South Africa continues, and those fighting within the ANC for power are still pretty safe of prosecution. Even the admission of the President that state coffer money was used for party politics does not draw any consequences – business as usual.

Covid-19 and the vaccine story has divided families and societies – and the virus laid open the impossibility for the human race to act jointly and with common sense in a complex world.

Environmental questions remain to be answered with urgency if the human race wants to survive and have a future.

So 2022 starts with an exceptional package of “needs to be addressed” – and if we would only look at the big picture we could fall into depression.
But there is always our small world within the big picture. There is always the magnitude of kind acts, of friendly and supportive smiles, of acts of goodwill, and if the late Archbishop emeritus Desmond Tutu is to believe – all those acts will at the end form the safety net rescuing and changing the world to the better.

There is hope, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, but we can’t wait for any divine force to make it happen here on earth, we have to do it ourselves with our hands and our hearts.
Let’s be honest:
the world will exist even when the human race disappears – the world, our environment and the universe does not need us – we need to relate to all of them in a healthy way. And we only can do this, if we learn much more to understand each other as one human race only being able to thrive and survive if we limit ourselves not only in the amount of human beings living at the same time on earth with limited resources, but also much more share common values not only in theory but in practice.

We have to be much more attentive to this – and we have in church, politics and society to understand much more, that being a leader is not about a career and power play but service; we have to examine our systems of governing and our structure of living whether they serve life and well-being of all or only an elite. We have to understand ourselves as a part of nature, and our fellow brothers and sisters rather as a support system we depend on within our environment. Furthermore, we have to watch out, that our systems and AI are not so perfect, that they don’t allow any more for the diversity human mankind represents. Perfect systems, or rather almost perfect systems, are endangering individual lives and livelihoods.

There is light at the end of the tunnel; there is the prospect of a good future, there is the constant dream not only of a rainbow nation, but a rainbow world, a rainbow human race – a unity in diversity – a connectivity which can be felt when one is attentive and open to it. We can’t leave the world to the doomsday activists nor to the Querdenker or those using and abusing the world and humans for their own advantage only.

Let’s welcome 2022 with open arms and hearts but also knowing that the majority of people of goodwill have to connect more to advance humanity, decency and civil freedoms carried by joined values for all.

Filed under: General, Networking, Politics and Society, Reflection, Religion and Ethics, Society and living environment, South Africa, Uncategorized, 2021, china, civil freedom, civil rights, Covid, environment, europe, Hong Kong, human dignity, human rights, Russia, south africa, Ukraine, usa, virus, world

08/15/2021 • 8:13 am Comments Off on A human “mea culpa” needed – and then action

A human “mea culpa” needed – and then action

Hurricanes, heat-waves, fires destroying big chunks of nature and habitation in California, Turkey, Greece, Russia and so many more parts of the globe. And looking at Germany, the big floods still are making headlines, destroying the livelihood of so many while having killed others in their way of destruction.

In all the tragedies, with all the sympathies and with not stopping to help and assist those in need and those having suffered or mourning the loss of a loved one or their sheer existence; we have to ask the hard question about responsibility in particular cases and wider scenarios.

I recall as a youngster, scientists left no doubt that the way we treat nature, the way we get closer to the rivers while at the same time straightening them out to serve our purpose, will hit back. We know since ages, the way we live is unsustainable; we know that climate change is happening and will, if not tackle, destroy us as the human race. Earth will not care about it – the small little ball within the universe will continue without us until our solar system will change dramatically in ages to come.

Additional, there is a clear limit to what earth can take on human population – the verse in Gen 1,28 of the bible “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it” might find a line drawn into the sand now.

We not only have allowed to continue our path of destruction – millions of people elect and support politicians and leaders worldwide, who simply deny climate change – who simply ignore the well-being of nature for greed and power reasons. And this ignorance is entangled in the whole question of white male dominance, which makes it even harder to tackle. Add to this the birth control debate within, for example, a church with 1.2 billion faithful: then you get a full picture of what we are facing.

Much of it applies to Covid-19 and other virus related incidents, where transition from animal to human occurs. We are all aware that nature has its own life full of bugs, not really hurting their animal hosts. We come closer, we destroy their habitat and ignore their rightful place in our world and force them to find another place to live – with deadly consequences.

We as humans are our own worst enemies – no other creature in this world is more destructive, more ignorant and more willing to go the extra mile on a path which will end with a new dawn without human beings. Those who have the most maybe will survive a bit longer – but all money, all greed, all power of the world will not prevent the final outcome.

The alternative is really to change course dramatically and radically – but not naive, as one hears it sometimes from younger activists who mean good but don’t overlook always the whole picture. But the mix of young and not so young activism with the wisdom of more matured and experienced professionals can open a new chapter for humanity. It can end the “keep it up” strategy and turn lots of words and promises from political and economical leaders into meaningful actions.

We are as humanity in this together – no country can go it alone, no government can solve it alone – which also means to strengthen political bodies like the UN and other international entities. We need a universal “mea culpa” and the intelligence to choose our leaders wisely in this respect. Furthermore, we can’t afford to have those proclaiming their country first, we can’t allow for those more concentrating on stealing from the public purse, and we can’t allow any more for those in charge, who prefer ideology and “the party is always right” instead of a public discourse allowing all meaningful voices to be heard.

And we need the buy-in of churches and religious institutions – make no mistake: Most of them are more involved in the economic deals of current times than we want to admit and acknowledge. Amassing wealth is certainly an important goal of many so-called “prophets” and prosperity churches; and also the mainstream churches are not immune when it comes to investments. Here also, a “mea culpa” would be appropriate and a new outlook needed.

Whatever the future will hold: nobody can say, we have not been warned many times.

Filed under: Catholic Church, General, Politics and Society, Reflection, Religion and Ethics, Society and living environment, Uncategorized, churches, climate change, Covid-19, creation, environment, fire storms, flooding, humanity, mea culpa, politics, prosperity churches, religious institutions, UN

09/24/2020 • 10:16 am Comments Off on Why preventing a second Trump term might be a global necessity

Why preventing a second Trump term might be a global necessity

Elections are national affairs and the saying goes that national affairs remain national. Nations insist on it; especially for totalitarian governments it is a happily used tool to defend actions against their own citizens which don’t match human rights or human decencies. And under normal circumstances elections are indeed a national affair when free and fair. But there are exemption of the rule and the November elections are falling clearly cut out under the exemption.
Why?
The reasons are divers of nature, but to name a few:

Environment: in our global connected we can’t afford any delay in changing our attitude towards climate change. The refusal of the US American President to come to the table has consequences which are far beyond national affairs. Environment is not national any more.

World Peace: The unilateral withdrawal from the deal with Iran regarding nuclear weapons is a clear sign, that international contracts are at liberty to be broken for no valid reason. We see already in Boris Johnson and the EU treaty a follower. Peace between countries is not national, but a global issue in our inter-connected world.

Truth and lies: In a world battling with the fall-out of social media imperia, which have changed the dynamics of every days’ life for almost all connected via internet, promoting obvious lies and so changing a narrative as one goes along in dramatic fashion is poison for the global village. It is an international concern if and when the boundaries between facts and distortion of magnitude becomes the new norm and is copied around the world.

Racism: The human race has come to a point where there is no justification any more for racism, white domination or the promotion of white genes as “good ones” – defending and standing for an artificial concept which has brought hurt, pain, suffering and injustice in the past is against global human and civil rights and no national affair any more.

Gender Equality: Fighting a womaniser is part of a fight for human rights, which are universal. Using and abusing women and young adolescents or making friend with people who do so – and even defending such people is a no-go. Leader of democratic societies have to be on the right side of life, when it comes to this topic. The #metoo wave has provided the clearest indication, that macho behaviour with disregard to women is no national affair any more.

Fascism: History has taught us where this leads to in a society and in a country: a leader, worshipped by followers cult-like and appointments to positions serving society with the only criteria “blind loyalty” and inflated by pseudo-religious blessings, all before mentioned items are magnified. Being one of the most powerful countries in the world, such tendencies would be a danger beyond “America first”.

The question of Trump is not a question of party politics any more, it is not about different ways to find a way forward in a complex world. The question of Trump goes deeper and touches on core values of the human race, Trump becomes more and more an ethical problem as he is not a leader of any small country hardly noticed in world politics but a major role player in global affairs.

The people of the USA have the right to abolish their dream of “of the people for the people”; they have the right to change their experience of democracy to whatever governmental form they wish, but in the times of global connectivity the question of environment and the value of truth as well as the abolishment of racism and inequality in all forms are not national items any more. It has become an ethical question that countries of leadership in the global village must be held to higher standards than others.

Trump has also become a symbol of a world system exposed and rattled by a digital future just beginning with social media and information exchange around the world almost in real time – nowhere to hide any more. His twitter account shows the ugly face of an unrestrained white dominant reality insisting of keeping the world as it has been.
Trump also has exposed that human mankind is not that far advanced as most of us thought we are – lies and conspiracy theories find fertile ground in so many people who feel overwhelmed with the new brave world entered by the digital revolution. So maybe a one-term presidency has the benefit of exposing the lack of human development and taught us a lesson needed.

But now we are at a point where the balance of benefit and disadvantage shifts, not only for the US American people but for the global village. Time to keep things in check – and for the sake of humanity, for the sake of the planet, for the sake of the future of the human race on this planet to avoid a second term by all reasonable means possible.

Filed under: General, Politics and Society, Reflection, Society and living environment, Uncategorized, democracy, Donald Trump, environment, ethics, fascism, gender equality, lies, politics, racism, truth, usa, world peace

01/22/2020 • 7:21 am Comments Off on FridaysForFuture

FridaysForFuture

Even if it is questionable whether it is healthy for young lady Greta long term as a young girl using the world stage to therapize herself there is no doubt that the topic of climate change has reached a multitude of young people. And it has galvanised a youth long been seen as completely a-political and not really interested in anything than their own little pleasures. And as in every generation current youth is allowed to overdo it, put all emotions in it and indeed think that their order of the day is the most important and most essential as the world goes around. When I was young, the use of nuclear warheads and their storage in Germany as well as nuclear energy have been those topics moving us to the core of our young existence.

I would like to see FridaysForFuture reflecting a bit more on another reality that generally hinders the development of realistic changes towards dealing with the climate of our planet: the rise of egocentric and unreasonable politicians and the war between those wanting to preserve a male macho self-serving disturbing ignorant world order and those understanding, that the world has changed. With politicians like Donald Trump, McConnell and others in the USA, Boris Johnson, Viktor Orban, Sebastian Kurz in Europe, MBK in Saudi-Arabia or Vladimir Putin in Russia – to name a few – there will be no future for a world society tackling the climate change as a challenge for the global village. Simply because they don’t see beyond their power-hungry desire let alone understand the need for global social cohesion as a base for real change.

FridaysForFuture will only succeed if their action is framed by a global conscience shared by political leaders and enacted in forms of government recognizing the dependency of every country on each other. Make my country great again slogans and similar arrogance are stumble blocks for any joined action of a world, in which via social media, economics and travel people have reached a point of togetherness besides all existing differences. The more in-depth realization of this togetherness to overcome remaining inequalities in the world order, in countries, societies or even between human beings related to sex, gender or human dignity is the base for any meaningful global action. Therefore, the movement will have to dig in deeper and political more fundamental if it will have merit and a successful place in the history books.

FridaysForFuture is a child of the digital era which at the moment changes fundamentally the world in a way most people even don’t start to imagine. Only when they understand their role within this scenario they will be a force for good, and they will help to shape a future for the human race which will be so different from the past ways of life. For this to happen, they need the maturity of the older generation giving a helping hand.

Filed under: Networking, Politics and Society, Reflection, Society and living environment, Uncategorized, Boris Johnson, climate change, digital era, Donald Trump, economics, environment, FridaysForFuture, global village, inequality, MBK, McConnell, Sebastian Kurz, social cohesion, togetherness, travel, Viktor Orban, Vladimir Putin

08/28/2019 • 3:42 pm Comments Off on Greta and the voice of the church

Greta and the voice of the church

Listening to the debates about the now famous Greta – all the questions asked and criticism voiced, praises sung – I certainly have formed my own opinion but what really get me thoughtful is a complete other question I am asking myself: The hype around a topic which the Roman Catholic Church has on her agenda since ages – 1.2 billion faithful of this denomination were not able to make it a headline worldwide over decades. Why? Since ages the church is looking into the question of environment and protection of the creation.

Is it because of the social media possibilities alone? The means in our days to put your energy and dreams in tweets, Instagram, Facebook and other means of internet communication – triggering so the worldwide hype? Even if the real consequences of such a hype is still questionable – in Germany the amount of people flying is increasing despite protesting on a Friday for the future – the question remains: Why were 1.2 billion Catholics not able to bring a topic to the forefront?

Or is it that most Catholics did not care – that all the information, booklets, declaration of bishops and popes have no real voice anymore – maybe heard, but immediately put aside as impractical or far away from reality?

Or was it too prophetic – too early to really catch the eye of the public and those in charge of society and politics?

Whatever it is – I find it amazing how little impact a billion strong community has on essential questions of human mankind in our lifetime – and it seems to me so different from the old times where church was minting questions and values in a way, which lingers even today almost genetically in people. I sense changes we still not have realized with all the consequences for our institutions, for our life and that of our societies.

There is more to reflect … signs of the times…

Filed under: Catholic Church, Reflection, Society and living environment, Uncategorized, catholic church, environment, Greta, impact of social media, social-media

God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

At the end of the year….

A human “mea culpa” needed – and then action

Why preventing a second Trump term might be a global necessity

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At the end of the year….

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A human “mea culpa” needed – and then action

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Why preventing a second Trump term might be a global necessity

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FridaysForFuture

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Greta and the voice of the church

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