A World Federalist Comments On The Row Over The Cartoon Depictions Of Muhammad

Recent events, relating to the row over the perjorative depiction of
Muhammad and the reaction provoked (particularly in Syria) have only
served to demonstrate that perjoratives can just as easily become
invocations.

It hardly serves to defend the honor of an idea, institution, culture
or civilization by acting out the very depiction even in protest of it!
Is there no sense of irony or, for that matter, lucidity?

Of course (and regrettably), it's human nature. Call a woman beautiful,
and she turns into one. But call her a bitch, and spend the next
fraction of a second following the utterance, while experiencing the
stinging sensation of a slap on your face, pondering the fact that
having done so, turned her into one.

Challenge a creationist in the United States on the issue of evolution
and sit back and watch the resemblance to apes in the arm-flailing
response. Accuse someone of being mean-spirited, and watch as the reply
plays out your very accusation.

Part of this may be age and maturity. Indeed, there are certain parts
of the world where, because of recent previous history of high
birthrates, the population is quite young. Notably, this includes
places like Palestine and even Iraq where -- because of the youth of
the general population -- the death rates are actually amongst the
lowest on the planet (the Gaza Strip and West Bank actually being in
the lowest 10 of regions on earth, according to the International
Database of the US Census Bureau).

So, all the more, does it come to bear, that it's time to tell certain
segments of the world at large, and those segments in particular where
the youth (mostly young men) run around at the slightest provacation
like headless chickens -- GROW UP!

There are more people in this world than there are of any one
affiliation. The majority of this planet doesn't care either way about
what one group regards as sacrosanct -- the very sanctifying of which
(whether one likes to admit it or not) is, itself, idolatry.

There are some traditions, which have been in this world much longer
and have acquired a greater deal of maturity, where it is recognized
that even one's own scriptures, sacrosanct ideals may from time to time
need to be torn up when too much pharisaism has accrued around them.
This is, for instance, what is behind the saying "If you see the Buddha
on the road, shoot him." All the more ironic, then, that recent times
have also seen protest in Thailand over the depiction of the Buddha in
a recent installment of a beauty pageant. Such protesters were
violating the very spirit of the religion, itself, never mind the
irony.

Under no circumstances must we allow for a world where 1/6 of it
(ignoring the persistent tendency toward the inflation of numbers) gets
to have an in-your-face "sensitivity" that provides it a pretext to
restrict the remaining 5/6 on what they can not say or do on the pain
of violent protests.

But, having said that and having made this stand on the issue clear,
there remains an outstanding question that needs to be addressed
regarding the sentiment that lays behind the outrage.

The outrage felt by many is very similar in spirit to that one would
feel when having been slandered.

In a world where law and order prevail, the natural recourse would be
to take the matter to court, pressing charges of defamation. No such
authority exists in the world setting at present, on Earth.

The real problem underlying these events is that we live in a world of
anarchy, with no governing authority worthy of the designation. When
disputes arise, there is in fact no system in which to address or
resolve them and no recourse other than the violent ones that were
supposed to have been left behind when humans evolved from apes.

A famed sage once said in the 16th century "the world will be smaller
around; there will be travel by sky, by sea and over ground." But
noting the implications of this, he went on to state "the lands would
be long inhabited without a fight, but then wars would resume with new
vigor and might".

Whether we like to admit it or not, we're stuck in a world where
everyone is now crammed up elbow-to-elbow and in each other's faces.
There are nearly 3 times as many people in the world as there were when
people as young as 60 were born; about twice as many as when a 40 year
old was born.

Whether we want to or not, whether it requires dragging everyone
kicking and screaming to the round-table or not, the time has rapidly
arrived where the world must come together into a more cohesive order
than that provided by the de-facto present-day confederation that is
now the UN.

There is no venue for the voices of the people to be collectively heard
-- no "Chamber of the People". There is no place for representation of
the world's faiths -- a "World Ecumenical Chamber" (though there is a
world parliament of religions, but not part of the UN). There is no
integration of the various justice systems of the world, other than the
embryonic form it exists in today in the form of various laws and
treaties on sanctuary and extradition. There is no body for the
representation of trade and labor that sits alongside the chambers of
the people and religions; no representation for businesses (many of
whom are as large and extensive as nations, but yet proceed without any
governing authority).

The order that exists today -- the Old World Order -- is little more
than a dysfunctional anarchic order governed by a ruling pentarchy
comprising and perpetuating the alliance of a war that is now more than
60 years past and 60 years beyond relevance.

This is the true problem of our times that the recent developments are
really nothing more than an outcropping of. And it is only with the
resolution of this problem, even in the manner just described, that
matters will finally come to a semblance of order.

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