On June 26, 1945, sixty-one and a half years ago, representatives of fifty countries all over the world, ravaged by the second world war, signed probably the most important document which proved that human race is a race of hope. The document was of course the Charter of the United Nations and its introductory text (the preamble) is probably the single most important piece of writing on this Earth. It deserves to be cited:
“We the peoples of the united nations determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom, And for these ends to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours, and to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security, and to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest, and to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples, have resolved to combine our efforts to accomplish these aims Accordingly, our respective governments, through representatives assembled in the city of San Francisco, who have exhibited their full powers found to be in good and due form, have agreed to the present charter of the united nations and do hereby establish an international organization to be known as the United Nations.”
Today, sixty-one and a half years after the adoption of the UN charter and two thousand and six years after a man was nailed to the cross for saying that wouldn’t it be nice if we all just got along, people – to the best of my knowledge – still die or suffer in the following countries and regions around the world, listed alphabetically: Abkhazia-Georgia, Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Basque Country (Spain), Bosnia, Chad, Congo (Zaire), Chechnya, Colombia, Cyprus, Darfur (Sudan), Eritrea, Guatemala, Haiti, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel-Palestine, Kashmir (India-Pakistan), Korea (North), Kosovo-Serbia, Lebanon, Liberia, Mexican-American Border, Myanmar (Burma), Nagorno-Karabakh, Northern Ireland, Peru, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tibet (China), Turkey-Kurdistan, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Yemen and Zimbabwe.
While I do not share the faith of the Catholics who believe that the son of God was born on December 25th (nor do I share beliefs of any other religion whatsoever), I do believe that the message of Catholic religion (or of any other religion, for that matter) is one of peace. And that is my wish fo all of us:
Let peace rule this Earth once more.
