Dear Editor,

Every morning before we start work one of my workers would engage me in discussions on social issues, politics, religion, and science. A brilliant young man. One day he said to me, “If we post to the universe, ‘We come in peace,’ we would be lying. We are not a peaceful people.”

I thought at length about how profound and accurate his statement was. I thought about the ancient civilisations in which towns and villages were protected by walls, not to keep out ferocious animals, but to keep out man. I thought about the many holy books that praised warriors and soldiers, supposedly aided by the supreme being in the destruction of men. I pondered on religions that had special courts to persecute those who dare to believe differently — the many burnt at the stake and tortured, the many killed in religious wars, the bombers that kill with the belief that such acts please God.

Man has been the only being responsible for killing millions of his fellow men for almost every possible reason there is — religion, differing ideas, property, women, power, greed, etc. We have created swords, guns, bombs, knives, and now weapons of mass destruction with one aim, that of killing another human being.

We pursue every possible reason to justify our desire to kill and destroy — race, religion, tribe, location, culture, gender, politics. These and much more are put forward as reasons or justification for killing another fellow human occupant of this planet.

If we were to ever enter the wider universe, our message of: “We come in peace” or “We are a peaceful people” would be baseless.

Imagine for a moment there were some angelic beings in a place called heaven. Since they may be much more intelligent than we are, it’s fair to imagine that they would have had the ability to observe us throughout our short existence on Earth. They would have seen religion used as an excuse to kill people and take their lands. They would have seen millions killed simply because they were different culturally and ethnically from others. They would have witnessed our preoccupation with inventing more dangerous and deadly weapons and centuries of savage slavery, which reduced fellow humans to a status less than dogs.

One can only imagine the disgust and disappointment any superior being would have after looking at mankind. Blessed with an abundance of food, clothing, and shelter, man’s greed has prevented him from ensuring that his brothers and sisters enjoy a better quality of life. Man’s desires have led to the partial destruction of the very planet on which he exists.

As we continue along this path of war, hate, greed, and self-righteousness, we hope that somehow, somewhere, some supreme being will reward us with eternal life in a place of peace. Until we learn to love and live peacefully on Earth with each other it is unlikely that many of us will be ascending to a peaceful place.

Steve Alvarez

Trinidad and Tobago

bilcoa@hotmail.com