Reflections upon planetary catastrophic events
Written by David Brittain

For whatever reasons the numbers of traumatic events taking place in the world are increasing in scale, frequency, and in intensity. Some of these events are natural planetary tectonic adjustments, and some are the side effects caused by man's thoughtless selfishness, a selfishness that must include all of us who have passively remained silent even when in full knowledge of what was being caused.
The great drawback with any competition is that everyone in the competition has to ignore the hopes and dreams of all of the other competitors. Unfortunately the majority of Mankind has become trapped into a selfish, competitive way of life and has been mind-conditioned into believing that no other way of life could possibly be feasible. Whilst this selfish, inter-dependent system is able to continue to function mankind will passively and helplessly cling to it. I use the word helplessly because even if we wished to do so most of us don't have the means or resources to remove ourselves from a worldwide-established system. This is a system that existed before we were born into it, and will probably continue to exist long after we’re dead.
Without indulging in a labyrinth of mysticism it is worth noting that the 'End Days' scenario depicted in the various ancient holy books has nearly always been regarded by mankind as irrelevant because that scenario is set in the far, far, distant future. It remains to be seen whether the years leading up to and following 2005 qualify as that distant future into which the long-ago foreseen scenario fits.
More optimistically we know that amongst many others the Mayan 'End Days' prophesies also refer to the ending of one period and the beginning of a new period of general enlightenment for mankind, and this has to start somewhere. I have heard it suggested that the wide-scale coverage of these traumatic events is also a form of cheap, dramatic filling of television time and printed media news space. I hope this is untrue. Even so as the traumatic events are undeniably increasing in frequency almost daily with their accompanying widely publicized suffering and anguish, mankind on the individual level is called upon more and more frequently to cooperate instead of compete, and to act individually as channels of compassion and unselfish generosity. In a world filled with growing uncertainty no one knows from one day to the next if he or she will be the next givers or the next receivers of this increasing flow of compassion and generosity.
Most rescue workers at the scene of these catastrophes would agree that no matter how ghastly and heart rending the rescue work became amid the carnage, anguish, and grief, there would also be experienced a feeling of great satisfaction, with all working in cooperation towards the common aim of bringing relief and no one competing with anyone else. Maybe this is how mankind deep in its heart longs to be. A wise man once said that competition is the way of the ignorant, and that cooperation is the way of the wise.
In my heart yes I believe these traumatic events will increase in frequency and scale. Quite apart from naturally occurring cataclysms, for too many decades now those who have the power, influence, and resources to make this a safer, better, fairer, and cleaner world have studiously and selfishly ignored the scientifically based warnings of the scientific experts about manmade abuse and damage to our planetary ecosystem. Sadly all of existing mankind, and the generations that have yet to be born, are called upon, and will be called upon, to exist with the effects that needn’t have been caused if we hadn’t all been so busy competing with each other.
I long for the arrival of the day when everyone chooses as the only acceptable way of life to live the virtues of humanitarianism and cooperation. For too long now those virtues have been all too briefly awakened when tragedy strikes somewhere on our planet only to slumber again when the tragedy has been dealt with.
David Brittain
Le Village Brezilhou
Campagne-sur-Aude
11260 France
Tel No: 4 68208291   e-mail to david.brittain@worldonline.fr