Enabling War...

There are no words to describe the evil that Putin has unleashed on Ukraine, and, by extension, on the whole world. Right now, it is the Ukrainian people who are bleeding and dying in the streets, some the victims of shelling, others, the valiant defenders trying to ward off attacks on all sides. But wars are seldom contained. History has shown us over and over again that wars have a habit of dragging others into the conflict — mercenaries, or individual nations, or coalitions of nations. The more the players, the greater capacity for conflagration.

Mythically speaking, Putin has opened Pandora's box, but unlike the curious Pandora, the Russian despot is fully aware of the evils and suffering he is letting loose on humanity — not only that, but he is even brandishing his arsenal of nuclear weapons as a deterrent to opposition. Never has the world been in such a perilous situation, nor so close to the possibility of a nuclear winter. No one, anywhere, is safe.

But while Putin is clearly the mastermind behind this unfolding tragedy, the rest of the world has been complicit in empowering him and others like him. We, the world's citizens, have accepted the principle of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) and have used it to justify the proliferation of our own terrible weaponry. We, the world's citizens, have been too slow in ending our dependency on fossil fuels and other resources; this has not only been catastrophic for the environment, but has meant making diabolical pacts to ensure supply, ignoring human rights violations in the process. We, the world's citizens, have been too willing to compromise truth and integrity for the sake of maintaining the status quo, keeping silent when action was called for, tacitly acquiescing to genocide if this served our political or economic concerns.

Yes, Putin represents all of us — all our own twisted, self-serving, self-gratifying, "don't stand in my way!" tendencies. He is made in our image — or, at least, made in the image of what is worst about us.

We need to pray for peace — peace in Ukraine, peace in our hearts, peace everywhere... At the same time, each of us must examine how our own consumerism, silence and apathy have contributed to the present global crisis.

What can we do, moving forward, to ensure a new world order based on justice and mercy?

May there be peace!