Now that Thanksgiving in Canada is over, I reflected on the many things we need to be thankful for in our safe little corner of the world. When I mentioned that to Camp, he ruefully shook his head of grey curls.
“You’re right but being safe is no excuse to be complacent. In fact, the opposite is true. We need to advocate from a position of safety, decency and respect, attributes that are sorely missing in today’s polarized world.”
“I knew I could count on you to shatter my so-called complacent happiness with a dose of world weary reality.”
“I come by it honestly. I just read an interview with Mirjana Spoljaric, the head of the I.C.R.C., the International Committee of the Red Cross who is the sole, neutral guardian of the Geneva Convention. Not an uplifting or optimistic read by any means but a realistic look at today’s world.”
“That would be a tough job, especially being neutral when speaking to today’s leaders like Netanyahu and Trump. Did you know that there are at present 130 armed conflicts that are classified as wars? The highest number since World War II. Ms Spoliaric says that we now live in a decade of war and that’s why the rules of war, outlined in the Geneva Convention are ever more important.”
“It seems to me that leaders like Trump or Putin don’t give a rat’s ass about rules of war. Most of today’s conflicts or wars don’t seem to have any rules.”
“Because these guys are after total victory which is impossible. There has never been total victory in all of history, only more death and destruction.”
“Then why pursue it?”
“Mostly because of hubris and political objective. To be seen as a man of war seems to carry more weight with the people than being a man of peace.”
“Because peace is usually negotiated while wars can start with the drop of a bomb or the firing of a missile. Also, peace makers work from a moral foundation of responsibility and respect for humanity, much harder to do than grandstand and pull the trigger. There has never been so much power of destruction in so few people’s hands. We had Ghengis Khan and Alexander, Napoleon and Hitler but today’s villains have unimaginable destructive tools. A push of a button or a command click on the computer can unleash mayhem and misery on a massive scale.”
“Are some human lives more valuable than others. It seems to me that we apply a different standard to people let’s say of Somalia than those of Denmark?”
“That’s true but you never know when the circumstances change and suddenly you are on the other side of the line. It happened to the Jews and it’s happening to the Palestinians in Gaza and the migrants in the USA today. One day you have a job and a reasonable secure life, the next day you’re an illegal and on the run, detained, imprisoned, deported or even killed.”
‘Yeah, I knew you’d turn my beer stale Camp. I should have never brought up Thanksgiving. It’s supposed to be a harvest festival and a season of plenty.”
“Of course, it is, for us so far and most Canadians but let’s not forget the less fortunate. Tell you what, I’ll make it up to you and buy the next round.”
“That’s the spirit Camp.”
