Peace ambassadors

[arpad]

I am greatly impressed by Albert Schweitzer's life and achievements. He is a human being of higher caliber than my humble self. And still I can't get rid of a feeling... feeling of complete futility of his cause.

The same thing I feel about the unlucky peace activist from Italy.

It is not a logical feeling. Neither it is anti-Christian.

It is just feeling that what we see as "unselfish help" can actually be harm. Feeling, that there are times when a wall can better a bridge. Feeling, that honest exploitation can better welfare. Feeling, that honest rejection can better compassion.

Because that compassion is somehow very very false.

Comments

[arpad.livejournal.com]

Of pretence - certainly not. But somehow I can't forget that European civilization come into two bloodiest wars right after he left it. May be, not only people of Gabon needed urgent help...

As for sharing goals - really - Shweitzer just throw out his previous life and picked up a new one.

[mstislavl]

I wish it was as simple as "leave the natives alone and let them hack the heads off each other". In XXI century "uncivilised" societies are not quaint coloured people dancing half-naked after a successfull hunt, these societies tend to export their ideology and other unpleasant stuff to the West. for example, 3/4 of UK heroin had been grown in Afghanistan under the Talib regime. and this is the best scenario. the worst - Chechnya's invasion to Ingushetia, Iraq's invasion to Kuwait e.g. intervention. even if 'we' leave them alone, 'they' will come to get us. and the military solution is not ideal - just look at US-led occupation of Iraq or Russia's straggle in Chechnya. in the long, very long run "Shweitzer's solution" is better. Incidentally, Gabon is not in the news - there is no civil war or famine. it would have been to simplistic to attribute this fact to Shweitzer but think his life have helped