FEARFUL HARMONY

Remember the years when the two -then existing- superpowers of this planet were running against each other in an endless competition of inventing and perfecting all those called "mass destruction nuclear weapons"? The world was living under the status of the so called "Balance of Terror". Nobody could ever be sure that the final button would not be pressed, by some future leader's hitleric lunacy or by accident. Finally the leaders proved, so it appeared, worthy of their position and the nuclear nightmare seems today like a bad dream of our childhood.

Nature behind bars! The climate changes are the threat of the new century...

Some years ago, in the fertile imagination of a famous science fiction author, the superpowers' competition ended abruptly, because of the arrival of an alien spaceship that conquered earth and lead mankind to a new era. In an istant the alien domination turned every fight for power over the earth, every nationalistic animosity, every religious conflict into a pointless and meaningless process, and eventually stopped it. The alien presence led human kind to a higher level of existence putting an end to its childhood.**

Nuclear war seems to be a past fear and the world is fastly moving into a new era. We were not saved by an alien intervention and we most certainly are not living in a higher level of existence as a whole. But isn't it obvious that we are experiencing a progress that seemed, only decades ago, part of a science fiction novel? We are certainly making fast steps towards broader knowledge of our surrounding. Every day we discover secrets of life, new dark corridors that we manage to enlighten in our quest to get closer to the essence of things. The globe is becoming a smaller and more familiar place and people of the earth feel more than ever as close neighbours, sharing the same place for living. But... it looks like the sperm of creation is coexisting in a fearful harmony with its destruction counterpart. It seems that humanity is destined to live constantly under a threat, a different kind of threat with every different time passage.

Some might say that the deeper the knowledge we obtain the bigger the threat. The fruit of knowledge was a forbidden one by God and tasting it would mean nothing but endless pain. On the other hand the Supreme Being called God, allwise and possessing all knowledge, is supposed, according to the Old Testament, to have created mankind in his image with the purpose to improve and reach perfection, and this cannot be done without knowledge; knowledge of human essence, of nature and of the universe, to speak of the most important.

The new threat for planet Earth is called "Climate Changes". Knowledge does always walk side by side with greed. And greedy are usually those who can pay to have advanced knowledge; and those who have already a lot and are hungry for much more (materially speaking). The danger is already visible to a lot of people. The fact that nations all over the world are making their first steps and efforts to face this danger is proof of its existence. The fact that those who have the power and the means to eliminate it are so narrow minded and greedy for more and for the moment block any progress in making plans for confronting the future disaster, is a reason for grave concern. The fact that governments of all those states responsible succumb to the superior will of the financially dominant corporations, who help their election and demand their payback when time comes, is an indication that fear for our future on this planet is not at all unjustified.

Sahara conditions in the climatic paradises of the Mediterranean, melting of the frozen underground of Russia, extended floods in Britain, drought in China, uncontrolled expanding of malaria in Africa, will be the first symptoms of the oncoming changes in the planet's climate conditions. Fifty years from now nothing is going to look the same, if those who are responsible do not do something about it. Growing economies, peace and stability are OK. It is may be the way of the powerful ones to keep us practically content and asleep. But they should know that, if no steps to improving this situation are taken, there will come a season of a new "Balance of Terror" in the world. And noone knows if then there will be leaders like Reagan and Gorbatchev with the "balls" to put an end to this lunacy.

Of course, to some people, the possibility of an alien intervention allways exists... But can we count on it?

**Arthur C. Clarke: "Childhood's End"

Feel like writing something extraordinary in an article form? This is your way to go public...