You do not need me to tell you that the world is rife with bubbling conflict. Much of it is fueled by old hatreds; much by transformed animosities -- most by religion. So one wonders ... is God worth it?
Ivan Karamazov declares, "Without God, all is permitted." Thus: Anarchy, amorality, atrocity. Though God is ubiquitous in today's political landscape, it seems much anarchy and atrocity has followed in God's wake. Domestically, the Religious Right has systematically wreaked havoc on our freedoms: speech, separation of Church and State, the freedom to "think," as the Right seeks to trump science with religious rhetoric -- in short, the freedom to behave in a way that does not conform to its beliefs.
Across the globe, conflict and hatred seethe under the surface, burst with vehemence, or merely put on a threatening face so as to instill fear in the hearts of all.
Without God, we are doomed, says Ivan. With God, we are being doomed now, says I.
You, me, the world, life, the Bush Administration (especially) are all lost in an abysmal, theological Catch-22.
The world needs a doctor's check-up:
On the Wars on Terror, Iraq and Afghanistan:
Bad news: Violence ensues in Iraq. 2,730: American military casualties, to date, in the Iraq war. 43,546: Minimal estimated civilian casualties.
Bad news: The New York Times recently reported that "The intelligence ... assessment by America's 16 intelligence agencies found that the war in Iraq, rather than stemming the growth of terrorism, had helped fuel its spread across the globe."
Good news: Bush recognizes the Geneva Conventions. Bad news: He still refuses to comply. Good news: Some in Congress are doing its best to redeem the Bill of Rights. Worse news: Bush threatens to shut down the CIA interrogation program if he does not have his way. Bottom line: Our president is a three-year-old.
Bad news: The Taliban-led insurgency is gaining strength in southern Afghanistan. Afghanistan is at risk of becoming a failed state, warns Condi Rice. NATO convenes ... and resolves nothing.
In inextricably linked news, the Israeli-Arab conflict:
Good news: The Israel-Hezbollah war ends after 34 raining-down-fire-and-brimstone days. Bad news: Southern Lebanon is in shambles; Israel loses the P.R. battle to terrorists; and Israel did what it thought it had to do. (Horrors are horrors even when deemed necessary.) Worst of all: Hezbollah survives.
Good news in Palestinian territories (seriously): Hamas and Fatah form a national unity government, hoping to motivate Western nations to resume aid to the Palestinian Authority, currently despondent without it. Bad news: Hamas clarifies that the move is not an implicit recognition of Israel's right to exist, and Hamas-Fatah violence continues amidst negotiations.
Cigar Country:
Mixed Bag: Fidel lives.
Inconvenient truths:
Good news: Al Gore and Tom Friedman diagnose the world's addiction to oil. Bad news: Chevron breaks records in completing a deep-water oil production test in the Gulf of Mexico. (Headline: "Junkie finds alternative source for crack in record time.")
Good news: Bush hates enemies of democracy. Bad news: Bush loves oil-rich countries. Worse news: Bush loves oil-rich countries more than he hates enemies of democracy: Oppressive President Nazarbayen of Kazakhstan accepts an invitation to the White House; our nation loses another shred of its dwindling integrity.
Speaking of dwindling integrity, in African news:
Bad news: South African President Mbeki's Administration maintains that the HIV virus does not cause AIDS. Good news: More than 60 internationally-recognized HIV scientists have called on South Africa to reverse the policy. Bad news: Millions continue to die. Good news: We Westerners don't have to watch because AIDS in Africa is decidedly not "newsworthy."
Sudanese news (a.k.a. bad news): The Islamist regime battles an ever-bolder resistance, as it continues to deny access to U.N. peacekeepers in Darfur. Rather, the government has allowed the paltry 7,000-strong A.U. force to remain. Good news: U.S. government to impose sanctions on war criminals in Sudan. Bad news: The sanctions have come 200,000 corpses and 2.5 million homes too late.
Also in the East:
Bad news: Military coup in Thailand. Good news: Bloodless coup in Thailand. Good news: Military junta promises elections soon ... Bad news: ...But the regime will remain "for now."
Bad news: North Korea joins elite club of nuclear-armed nations. Good news: The world is in uproar and sanctions are sure to follow; even North Korea's greatest ally, China, condemned the test.
Religion straight up, on the rocks:
Bad news: Pope makes rookie faux pas, quoting a Byzantine Emperor's negative views of Islam, instigating an uproar in the Muslim world. Some violence followed, as is usually the case when the Muslim world is offended. Good news: Vatican offers rare apology for its remarks, and the Pope plans to visit Turkey in November.
Miraculous news: World War III avoided for yet another day.
Thus, the diagnostician concludes: You, me, the world, life and especially the Bush Administration are all lost in an abysmal Catch-22. God or no God.
One last thought -- because the doctor, even when diagnosing you with cancer, always throws you a bone. Albert Camus wrote, "I can say that, pessimistic as to human destiny, I am optimistic as to man." The world is beyond redemption, but it doesn't have to be this bad, and man has the potential to make it better.
