This personality usually has a sense of honour which prevents it from accepting insult or loss of face, a pride-driven conscience if you like. There is however,definitely no constant equality in relation to the degree ofcivilization or strength between the nations ofthe world. The ancient law ofsurvival ofthe fittest, still clearly evident in the business world oftoday, dictates that the weaker, more primitive nations are still subject to the potential danger of ill-treatment and extinction at the hands ofmore powerful foes. Ambitious,emerging narions may also be eager to assert and firmly establish their dominance. Anorher thorn in the eternally exposed flesh of peace is that occasionally the intense rivalries of both commercial and economic origin are too deeply rooted to be extinguished by mere good inrentions, arbitration or international intervention. These stubborn attribures persist even whilst the rest of the world might be striving for a state ofrelative peace,and inevitably result in war. Today,sensibly, the courtroom has replaced the duel, providing the opposing parties with a means oflegally settling the dispute, bereft of any bloodshed. The issue of National honour can be resolved in much the same way,through the intervention of national law. There is however,always the possibility that a small war may escalate into something catastrophic, yet the development of nuclear warfare and the accompanying cataclysmic threat prevents such a progression. The value ofhuman life and the attitude toward it is evidently maturing, fuelling hope of the emergence ofa rational society through which human kind can survive at peace with itself. Man's perseverance and faith in this belief has never falrered and there is no reason to believe that it will in the future. Will mankind ever befriend human narure? W SWANEPOEL - GRADE 11 EXTRACT FROM... "It is only reasonable in today's scientific world to be an atheist" Methodists, Catholics, Protestants,Lutherans - the list goes on. The question that one must ask oneself - do all Christians not worship rhe self-same God? In man's quest for individuality he has created so many "divisions",even in faith, that he has "turned" against himself. Jihads and Holy Wars, claiming rhousands of lives, were fought to sate man's need to prove that he was right after all. Yet, what did this prove? There is no physical evidence ofGod's existence 62 and scholars continue to highlight flaws in the supposedly infallible Bible. Does this not cause you to wonder,whether rhere is actually anyone out there? With all the technological advances that have taken place over the past few decades,the human race has losr irs need for an omnipotenr, allseeing deity to ensure its well-being. Medicines, computers and weaponry have provided the elements ofcare,securiry and righteousness that The Almighty once provided in the time before time. No longer does a man afflicted with cataracts seek a miracle healer in the streets - he visits the optometrist. The "birth" ofnumerous fairly new religions has caused us to question the validity ofcertain aspects ofour chosen faith, leading us to believe that the "grass is always greener on rhe other side". For a Christian to take part in a suicide bombing would mean an automatic ticket to the sulphurous pits ofHell, but for a Muslim it entitles a passage into paradise. People opt for the religion that best fits their needs and basically "fits their schedule" - indicating just how "shallow" the majority of us have become. Soon churches will have to launch advertising campaigns to retain their "customers", emphasizing how fickle and obsessed with worldly possessions our race has become - all as a result of the loss of the "fear" of God. Discipline is needed for any system to run effectively and ifour generation were ro become arheists and reject God,it is very possible that chaos and anarchy would ensue. The ropic of religion is one thar will plague us until the end ofexistence. Hopefully, whichever deity created the planet will appear soon so that the bickering will end, rhose who believed in rhe correct religion will go ro their private "Valhalla" and those who were wrong will "burn for eterniry". Maybe then we will have true peace on earth. To believe or not to believe - the questions and "answers" of religion are left to you. H PRIESTAAAN - GRADE 12 EXTRACT FROM ... "A case against outside intervention" The situation depicted in this image is one which is prevalent in many countries throughout Africa - a continenr which has been plagued by some of the bloodiest and most violent conflicts of recent decades. One need look no further rhan Rwanda where rhere has been genocide on an unprecedenred scale.»
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTc3MDU5Nw==