With so much material to comment on, it is difficult to know where to begin.
First up, the United Nations. Is it still relevant? Was it ever relevant? If it was once relevant, and it is not so now, why is it not relevant? The answer[s] will be determined based on which side of the fence one stands. For those countries that harbour ill-will towards the West, in particular the USA, [and that seems to be the majority] the UN is relevant and is a working model of how to instil hatred in the minds of these countries' citizens. For instance, many of the Muslim countries simply detest the USA for apparently no more reason that the USA is a prime example of what personal initiative can and will do both for oneself and one's country. Granted, the USA has not always worn the White Stetson and rode the White Charger but more often than not, it has and does. So, why do some countries demand the destruction of the West in general and the USA in particular? We are left with a conundrum: What is it that causes some UN nations to rail against the West and USA? If it is religion, then they ought to explain that their religion is sacrosanct and simply leave it at that. There is no need to conduct jihads against those who are "non-believers." There probably is a rather real reason why such people are "non-believers." Perhaps they ascribe to another religion that is more all-encompassing. I number among my acquaintances Muslims, Vedics [Hinduism] atheists, agnostics, Christians and Jews. In Canada, in our part of the country, we manage to respect each other's religions and get along rather well. If we can, why cannot the nations of the United Nations?
Then there are those countries of the UN that appear to have no soul. They manage to run roughshod over their citizens with no regard for human rights. A check of a newspaper on any given day will reveal which country is trampling on its citizens at any given time. And these countries are members of the UN? This is folly in the extreme.
This space has suggested that the United Nations is a toothless tiger and that it ought to be put out of its misery and sooner than later. Some readers have agreed and some have not. Personal opinions are just that - personal opinions; but when the UN continues to abuse the citizens of the West and does nothing to curtail or eliminate the horrible massacres that seem to be a daily occurrence in some parts of the world, then it, the UN, has outlived its usefulness. The League of Nations - established in 1919 by the Treaty of Versailles to promote international cooperation and achieve international peace and security - failed within a short time because the members failed to put international interests before national ones. The League was powerless to stop Italy, Germany and Japanese expansionism that led to World War Two. The United Nations is following in the same mould. It has failed to act accordingly and thus, we have Muslims seeking the destruction of the West in general and the USA in particular.
It is recognised that certain aspects of the UN have performed well just as certain parts of the League did well. For instance, the League accomplished much of value in postwar [WWI] economic reconstruction. Some of the UN's divisions have performed well but as with the League, the prime reason for the UN's existence is to prevent wars; to put international interests ahead of national ones. The UN has failed this litmus test!
Next, the so-called global warming. Is this a real or imagined phenomenon? A recent reading suggested that much of what is happening - at a rather slow pace, it appears - happened previously. The ice age that covered much of the world receded and the creatures that roamed its surface at that time became extinct. In other words, the earth warmed over millions of years. Perhaps that is what is happening now. I do not profess to be an expert in this field but I do read material from both sides of the equation and I am of the mind that those who profess we are all in peril because of global warming are a bit too fanatic in their supposition. Those who seem to take a more measured approach strike me as being more level-headed and appear to have conducted research beyond the fuzzy stuff that many spout as gospel.
Do carbon emissions harm the atmosphere? I suppose they do but carbon emissions are not new. Research suggests that carbon emissions have been a fact of earth's existence since - well, since a heck of a long time ago.
There is one inescapable fact - God created our earth. If it is in God's domain to bring on an end to Earth by our use or misuse of elements that we - with God-given skills - have produced, then that is it. There is nothing more to concern ourselves with. I, for one, do not believe that God intends to dump us all into a vat of fiery liquid after having so lovingly created Man.
How that squares with other religions I do not know; but a reading of Revelations will show that in the end we who have governed ourselves according to His word, will be okay while those who have not, well, they will not be okay.
In conclusion, the United Nations seems to have outlived its reason for being as a majority of its member nations appear to have either ignored or simply disregarded the precepts of the UN. As to whether or not religion ought to be a basis upon which a national agenda is based is moot but it ought not to be a basis upon which a country's international agenda is founded. Will global warming bring an end to Earth? A moot point that cannot be resolved in one or two decades of discussion and research. Faith in mankind is paramount, in my opinion, and a trust in God's will, will prevail.
Bob Orrick is a retired private tutor of English grammar, literature, poetry and Canadian history to off-shore youngsters. His pupils hail from such places as Taiwan, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea and Venezuela. He was previously in international marketing, was a ministerial assistant to a provincial cabinet minister, spent a few years as a reporter then editor of a community newspaper and enjoyed a career in the Royal Canadian Navy.
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