Glynn James

http://www.glynnjames.co.uk

I've never been able to forget those images of people jumping from the trade centre towers, never.

And seeing all these faces you posted is another reminder of just how many people we've lost that gave their lives to fix everything that followed afterwards. Everything that is still going on and still needs fixing.

Who were all these people? What were their dreams?

I read somewhere recently about a plan by the UN for the world to agree on a truce. Worldwide. In reality I'm sceptical about that actually happening, but always hopeful.

But really - Isn't it about time?

Michael

Glynn - thanks for this. Thoughtful as always.

I'm with you. I'm massively pro-military, and fairly Manichean in my outlook, and feel very strongly that evil must be opposed (by force), and frankly a bit of a war junkie.

And still I've been thinking the same thing a lot lately: what a horrifying, sad species that we devote so much of our efforts to ripping one another to pieces. Think of what a world we could have if all of that effort went to productive things. Think what we could build. (Well, look at the Chinese - they've spent the last decade building, while the U.S. has been at war. Results awesome (in China).)

There was a great line in P.W. Singer's amazing book Wired For War - The Robotics Revolution and 21st Century Conflict: "War combines the maximum of horror with the maximum of waste."

I remain hopeful that one day not too far down the line, the awesome U.S. (and perhaps UK) military will have evolved into a global humanitarian and rescue outfit (with some light peacekeeping and policing). They're damned good at it.