h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Are human beings so mean, violent, and red in tooth and nail as the proponents of survivalism would have you believe? History is a pretty grim and horrible record of man's inhumanity to man. Prejudice,bigotry,hatred and lack of trust are prominent in everyone's news sources. Murder,genocide,ethnic cleansing,victimization of children,human trafficing, hunger and war are all present in most countries. Is there so much of these present that we have become desensitized to it and really believe that that is what life is all about? Is this really human nature? If it is, I'd rather be an animal.

The United Nations International Day of Peace was September 21 two days after Talk Like a Pirate Day. Between then and October 2 which is the United Nations International Day of Nonviolence a website at http://www.voicesofnonviolence.org/

is showing a Documentary film called 'Little Town of Bethlehem'. It is 77 minutes long. It is meant to foster ' nonviolence, peace, humanity, equality, love, and hope.' Through creative artistic endeavours, Global Voices of Nonviolence seeks to encorage these traits.

It would be nice if h2g2 could likewise encourage international peace and harmony with creativity and good s by being patient and kind to our members and cutting each other some slack as well as just using the forums to send our friends smileys. What do you all think?

Peace occurs a lot more often than violence, don't you think?

Hi there Elektra and KB! You're right KB. I live in South Africa. This country is said at present to be 'burning' and 'at war'. There are something like 20 000 murders here per year, I think comparable to America even though we have just an eighth of the population. We have police firing live ammo at protestors like back in the worst days of Apartheid. Oh, and I've grown up during those days.

And yet, I've not ONCE seen an incidence of serious violence between adult people. I've only seen a few awkward fistfights between kids at school.

I've been there when folks broke into our house. They ran away the instant we spotted them.

Violence is actually rare among humans BUT the effects of violence is traumatic for us because we are so intricately interconnected. A guy getting shot during a protest? He has a mother who lives him ... a father too if he's lucky ... he might have a wife, a girlfriend (or several), he might have children ... friends ... colleagues ... he was part of a community. Say a person has 100 to 200 friends or acquaintances. They're all affected, in some way.

For instance the extremely high rate of violence against white people living on farms in South Africa. There are only a handful of white people living on farms compared to the city and town folks, and yet, because of our history we all somehow identify with the farm life. The name 'Boers' by which we are called means 'farmers'. Most of us had or have an uncle, or grandparents, or maybe even parents living on farms ... in my case my mother's brother, and I loved our visits there. So we identify with farm folks and it is extremely shocking to use when they're brutally attacked, tortured and murdered. This and other forms of violence is why many white Afrikaans people are leaving the country. Almost everybody who can afford it, who can get a good job in Britain, Canada, Australia or New Zealand. So because of this our people is eroding, our language and culture is becoming threatened for real ...

Most people are friendly and loving and wouldn't hurt others ... which is why it is so shocking that some people DO hurt others. Well that's how I see it.

peace is an illusion, chaos is a reality

until "mankind" can remove the DNA sequences that formulate the presence of hate,creed,envy,lust for power. Mindless killings/wars and all that's associated, will continue while "mankind" is on the planet

Misery is the River of the World - Tom Waits
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDjEDmgytOA