Ideology vs. Humanity*

Although history recounts many inhumane acts perpetrated during times of conflict it also records acts of humanity and compassion. In 1914 some of the soldiers on the front lines of the war in Europe agreed to a Christmas cease fire. There are stories about playful verbal exchanges and soldiers tossing food and tobacco into enemy trenches. Unfortunately the war went on and many of those young men died. More recently, a Dutch warship on patrol to combat piracy off the East African coast rescued a boat full of heavily armed Somalis who had been adrift for days after their engine died. After the Dutch sailors disarmed them and sunk their boat, they gave them medical attention, food and water. Maybe we should put world leaders together in a situation they can only survive through collaboration and then let them decide how to resolve our differences.