Conflagration

In this book I hope to share with you my trepidation, worry and fear for the future of our world. Wherever I look, I see a dismal picture of a world in disarray - of a world in turmoil. We have betrayed our inheritance. No matter which religion or race we belong to, we are all guilty. Everywhere you look, there is murder and mayhem; there is toil and trouble; there is betrayal and death. We murder, we bear false witness, we corrupt our Holy Books - - the Bible, Quran and Torah as well as Buddha's guidelines. All these Books and teachings advocate tolerance, respect for life and for other people, yet if we look at the world around us it is the opposite we see. Buddha insisted on not harming other living creatures and for example, in Buddhist Myanmar the opposite is happening - murder, rape, violence, displacement of whole communities is the order of the day, not tolerance and amity. We are the generations that are guilty of meaningless crimes. No place in the world is safe anymore and the most innocuous of places - the hearth, the home, school, church, mosque, synagogue, temple, restaurant, playground, classroom, hotel, concert hall are all death traps. At any time death may walk our way and stalk us. And we seem unable to learn the lessons of the ages - hate begets hate; murder begets revenge/murder; and most importantly - the one we should follow - love begets love or forgiveness. Perhaps only a conflagration can purify our corrupt world.