A lamentation!

I noticed when I returned after a week of travel that the Rambutan trees in our garden are in the flowering stage. In another two three months, the trees will have fruits. They flower once a year. During the rest of the year the trees prepare for this season. That is the story of other trees like Mango, Cashew nut, and jack fruit. ThePapaya, Guava and banana tress bear fruits during all seasons in the year.

One reason why birds are resident in the garden or visit the garden is because of fruits that they can feed on. During the summer months the birds look out for water for bathing rituals. 

The flowers, fruits and the birds make the garden a refreshing sight and a  hospital place !

My thoughts turn to the disturbing news in the west Asia, with the war intensifying! I feel that the United Nations as an organisation set up after the League of Nations failed to prevent the second world war, is following a similar journey of its failure in global negotiations.  

The earth is a garden of life for humans. We turn it into a violent place of enmity, conflict and confrontation to pursue partisan purposes. The situation is alarmingly explosive! 

I wonder if the global leaders would carry the vocation to restore the earth to be a human garden of people of all nations in a common journey of co-dependance and collaboration! The attitude of countries like USA, Russia, China, or Israel to rule over others because they are militarily resourceful is a 'mean theory' in a post civilised world. 

I came across a theory on clash of civilisations by Samuel Huntington who theorised that 'in the post Cold War era, the primary source of global conflict is not between nations or ideologies, but between major cultural and religious civilisations'.

How disturbing it is to think that global political leadership engages promoting such an attitude and not a dialogue based approach to human existence on earth. The climate crisis, global economic stability, opportunities for all, mindfulness towards those who live marginalised and socio-political participation were the dialogue issues between nations in the last 25 years or so. We expected this dialogue to continue. But the current president of the USA pulling out of the Global climate forum and dissociating from few international action plans that had a humanitarian purpose, the chaos in global affairs was initiated. First it was the signal to consider a sovereign nation of Canada as one of the states of the USA, then it was a public proclamation to occupy Greenland and now it is to settle score with Iran who became a nuclear power house. 

What is life on earth without peace, cordial co-existence, neighbour friendly gestures and affirmation of wellness for all! I feel even more disturbed, when Israel disregardful of history of about forty years, displaced the Palestinians from their territory of Gaza and buried the two-nation theory agreed upon after the Second World War. The holocaust the Jews suffered from is a major psychological trauma that makes Israel as a nation to live in a fear phobia. The neighbouring countries do not help in Israel recovering form its loss and grief, as a result of which, that nation has become a threat to other nations!

I watch our garden as a place for flowers, fruits and birds! I wonder when the nations of the world would collaborate to live on earth as neighbours sharing our common heritage and destiny and make our earthly living a pleasant experience!

From the little I understand from history, I wonder why we return to the culture of  hunters and gatherers who lived 10,000 years ago who fought to survive!  

I read sobering reports from people's movements in some countries who speak and plead for peace and conciliation! What a reassuring step in troubled times !

M.C.Mathew (text and photo)