Various ideas float around about global issues, but the real question is: What is humanity’s core problem and is there a real solution to it?
According to the site Global Issues, “almost half the world … live on less than $2.50 a day.” In addition, 22,000 children die each die due to poverty.
The list of wars and conflicts seem to be endless. The United States alone had deployed troops to 135 nations in 2015. In fact, the site Anti-Media earlier this year ran with the headline “Only 10 Countries in the Entire World Are Not Currently at War“. The United States and made and abandoned various promises over the years, which has led to the rise of Russian and other types of nationalism to an extent not seen since prior to WWI. Terrorism has made the world more dangerous rather than more safe, and the short vision of a world at peace at the end of the Cold War quickly evaporated on 9/11.
AIDS is still very much a threat, and it is not just a gay disease. In fact, it is still highest in nations where it is spread by heterosexual sex. In addition, West Nile seems to be making a comeback, and Zika and new viruses never heard of before have become threats here in the US.
Speaking of the US, black on black crime continues in many neighborhoods, and the police have lost control of the situation and have themselves become targets of violence. The narrative of the white cop vs the black suspect has been shown to be false, yet accusations of police racism persist. The truth has been ignored, and violent clashes continue to escalate.
Speaking of truth, I heard today on the TV that moderators should point out Donald Trump’s lies, according to the Clinton camp. They do not want a “double standard” in spite of the fact that everything Donald Trump says is taken out of context (as though his words are not ridiculous enough standing by themselves) and distorted to mean things they do not. This is from a woman who continues to deny any responsibility for a wide variety of scandals, corruption and even deaths that follow the Clintons everywhere. Blaming the DNC on “Russian hackers” strains credulity, and it was very convenient that a staffer named Seth Rich died around the same time.
One of the largest lies, of course, is Hillary trying to reinvent herself as caring about families and children, in spite of the fact that she would gladly coat-hanger every single one of them given the chance.
And, Trump claims to be a Constitutionalist. What does that mean any more? For that matter, what does conservative or liberal really mean any more? The two-party system has become severely dysfunctional, and even the rise of Trump and “fall” of Debbie Wasserman Schultz proves that party bosses have lost touch with what is going on. The Republican bosses hated Ted Cruz so much that they bolstered Trump, and the Democrats are so determined to elect the first woman president that it does not matter if it is a person of any character or ability.
Meanwhile, the “solutions” both are spouting are anything from complete nonsense to total demagoguery and are as out of touch with reality as the party bosses are.
Meanwhile, people are dying in the streets, innocent people are targets for lunatics and people are dying abroad in wars often not of their own choosing.
What is the root cause of these global issues? What is humanity’s core problem? Is there a solution?
Many solutions have been proposed over decades and even centuries, and most of them can be distilled down to:
- Science — Science has successfully been used to target malaria, smallpox and more, so surely science can be the key to the answer to our other issues.
- Politics — Solutions can be achieved through talk and negotiations. Peace can be achieved by simply sitting down and talking, not to mention being part of a larger global community such as the United Nations.
- Free Press — Although it perhaps belongs under “Politics”, as it is referred to as “the fourth branch of government”, it is supposed to be the final check in the checks and balances of a representative democracy. Free from government interference, it is supposed to be an objective voice even when all others run into demagoguery.
- Economics — Prosperity tends to promote a type of egalitarian environment, which will promote a shift to peaceful attitudes in governments and populations alike.
- Religion — After all, don’t all religions claim to lead to peace?
- Education — In a similar vein to science, people often suffer because they don’t know any better. Surely educating them and eradicating ignorance is the answer.
Each of these will be investigated further, and they will be found wanting. After all, all of these have been tried from time to time, but we still have war, disease, famine and overall suffering.
Lastly, I want to challenge the notion that all it takes is God’s Holy Spirit. Many seem to believe that a person receives the Holy Spirit, and that makes everything OK. In this view, the Millennium is the end goal, and all will be well. I intend to challenge that because more is needed.
Finally, is there an answer to humanity’s core problem? What good news can come out of all this suffering? What is the “good news”, anyhow, and how is it achievable?
I don’t think the answer will surprise too many, but I do expect some will take exception to it. In my mind, that itself is a dangerous opposition to exactly what the basic issue is, and it is a good example that people can be “in the Church” but not make it to the Kingdom at all.