With the world going through a turbulent, critical political stage ,together with the back drop of an economic crisis .Could we be one computer click away from a catastrophic nuclear Third World War? History shows us that over the past four decades there have been many ‘near misses’, mainly involving the USA and the Soviet Union. Fortunately each time disaster has been averted.
The global development of nuclear weapons means that a conflict anywhere in the world may trigger a chain of events that could lead to World War 3. This would be unlike any previous World War, as many millions of innocent people could be potentially affected, with devastating effects on our civilization. Man has harnessed the power to set the world on ‘fire’, like never before.
There are many world regions affected by conflicts and hostilities. eg USA, Israel, N. Korea, Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Middle East, Ukraine, Russia, Pakistan, China, India in addition to other places. Add to this the growth of global terrorism, religious extremism, cyber hacking and we have a recipe for disaster. World War 3 could potentially start and escalate rapidly from any of these conflict ‘hot spots’. It is likely the world would then split into two factions of ‘Allies’, striving for power and world domination. Would this moment be the ‘latter days’ that world religions warn us about? The time of a decline of moral fabric, extensive corruption and extremism.
I apologies for painting such a shockingly bleak and dark picture. What can the world do to prevent this devastating scenario?
The way ahead has to be through fair, just politics and diplomacy. Violence and inequity causes further escalation of disputes, a vicious cycle of constant abuse. There is a great responsibility on all the world leaders, especially the powerful nations. We all have a duty to preserve peace and harmony, avoiding conflicts at all costs. Together we can make the world a better place.
From personal experience, the ‘core’ values of all the world’s religions are very similar. They are all pulling in the same direction but in parallel routes. I have learnt a great deal through organizing Inter Faith meetings and Peace conferences, that we all have a lot in common. There are good and bad people in all walks of life and in all religions. Having respectful dialogue with people of other faiths or atheists is extremely enlightening. It is OK to agree or disagree. There doesn’t have to be any hostility or ill feeling. All faith groups should have equal right to peacefully practice their beliefs.
We should never be influenced by hate preachers and misguided religious extremists. Do we not have a responsibility to read, learn, understand our religion and make up our own minds?
The United Nations General Assembly has declared the 21st September to be International Day of Peace. 2014 was the 30th anniversary of Peace Day. The theme was ‘Rights of Peoples to Peace’. The UN has marked this day devoted to strengthening the ideals of Peace internationally.
All nations, all governments, all religions need to actively campaign for tolerance, peace and justice for all. Together, united we can make a positive difference. The world can be saved from ‘fire’ and destruction. The stakes and the threat of World War 3 have never been greater. We owe it to the future generations to preserve our world, through campaigning for Peace.
