THE conflict in the Middle East is escalating and people around the world are anxious and fearful that this could accidentally lead to World War III, which could literally annihilate mankind in a miscalculated and unintended nuclear Armageddon.
It is most vital for everyone, especially the younger generation, to know history and fully understand the situation before reacting. While our First Amendment rights guarantee our freedom of expression, let us not contaminate the issue with misinformation and fake news and add the wrong fuel to the fire.
Allow me to share with you some of the quotes I have crafted for my newspaper articles and speeches I have given over the past six decades:
- Knowing what to say is intelligence; knowing when not to say it is wisdom.
Where prudence dictates, silence is wiser and more erudite.
- Silence is the loud thunder of wisdom that mutes the noise of ignorance and impertinence.
Although not always ideal, an act of unselfish compromise to achieve a noble goal is productive wisdom and dignity as their best.
- Bigotry is the curse of primitive ignorance and human insensitivity. Tolerance is compassionate civility with intelligence and wisdom.
Dwelling on the past with persistent retrogression will only preclude our success in achieving our noble dreams for tomorrow.
- As descendants from one original parent, dating back to the very first human couple in East Africa some 500,000 years ago, why can’t all the 8.1 billion of us, peoples around the globe, not able to live as family with tolerance, understanding, compassion, love for each other, and in peace?
We, Homo sapiens, are all literally citizens of one world, with mankind as our nationality.
- Either we finally learn how to live with each other in harmony or we all eventually perish together in a nuclear Armageddon.
A nuclear war will only show how stupid we, suicidal humans, are, and justify our final destruction from this good earth into shameful particles of dust vapor in the galaxy, where peace without humans shall then reign.
- Remember, the next global war might be our last.
If the world would only agree to have fifth-graders, or even kindergarteners, from all nations manage our current global conflicts, I am certain we shall finally achieve goodwill and peace on earth in no time.
Tolerance and peace
“Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one’s own beliefs. Rather it condemns the oppression or persecution of others.” – John F. Kennedy
The turmoil within the United States is most disturbing. For a peace-loving nation with its wonderful people, I am perplexed and perturbed about the radical woke movement to defund the police, the rampant unruly political riots, flag burning, desecration of historical landmarks, looting stores in broad daylight, anti-Catholicism, anti-Semitism, anti-Islamism, anti-gay movement, and extremism in general.
The cry to “kill all Jews” by protesting students in the Ivy league universities, liberal students harassing speakers with conservative views to prevent them from exercising their First Amendment right to free speech at their campuses, having a gang of our own legislators not condemning but even supporting the unprovoked attack on Israel by the Hamas on October 7, 2023, that killed more than 1400 innocent civilians and soldiers and 32 Americans.
How could this same gang of “American” leaders support the brutal beheading of babies, the shooting of children in front of their parents and parents in front of their children, the killing of helpless seniors, and the raping of women and using innocent civilians as human shield? And when Israel decided to defend itself from those wanting to annihilate every Jew on earth and erase Israel from the map, this same gang in the U.S. Congress and radical students in those woke universities are suddenly against killings and hostilities.
How I wish the bombing of Israel on October 7 which killed 1,400 Israelis and 32 Americans never happened and Israel’s counter attack on Hamas not necessary.
Most of the Palestinian people in Gaza and elsewhere are for peace and co-existence; only a small handful are violent extremists, evil fanatics who relish bloodshed, who are chanting “Death to America and death to Israel.”
In my daily prayers, I have always included my hope for global reconciliation and world peace. While I am not holding my breath because I know the issues are most complex, I still dream of a new world order, where compromise, tolerance, and compassionate sharing for mutual preservation prevail among all nations, their leaders, and all peoples on this good earth, to allow our peaceful coexistence (as an initial step towards final global unity) and achieve a safer and more secure future for our children and all generations to come. Please join me in these prayers.
May God bless all nations and all peoples of the world.
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The main objective of this column is to educate and inspire people live a healthier lifestyle to prevent illnesses and disabilities and achieve a happier and more productive life. Any diagnosis, recommendation or treatment in our article are general medical information and not intended to be applicable or appropriate for anyone. This column is not a substitute for your physician, who knows your condition well and who is your best ally when it comes to your health.
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The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints of the Asian Journal, its management, editorial board and staff.
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Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, a Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus based in Northwest Indiana and Las Vegas, Nevada, is an international medical lecturer/author, Health Advocate, newspaper columnist, and Chairman of the Filipino United Network-USA, a 501(c)3 humanitarian foundation in the United States. He was a recipient of the Indiana Sagamore of the Wabash Award in 1995, conferred by then Indiana Governor, later Senator, and then presidential candidate, Evan Bayh. Other Sagamore past awardees include President Harry Truman, President George HW Bush, Muhammad Ali, and Astronaut Gus Grissom (Wikipedia). Websites: FUN8888.com, Today.SPSAtoday.com, and philipSchua.com; Email: [email protected].
