The Solution To All Of The World's Problems

By Sicebise Msengana

Pic: sodahead.com

In retrospect, suffering is our greatest teacher


When you turn on the TV to watch the news and to your shock you learn about the Paris terrorist attacks or the little Christian girls that were kidnapped by the Boko Haram in 2014 or a vicious rape and murder of a ninety year-old nun. You cannot help but feel angry and sad at the same time.


People look to different places for answers. Some look to religion,  some to science--whatever crutch you lean on. Some people promise us if we worship their god as depicted in their holy books, then we could achieve world peace and tranquillity. Some people brag about science having all the answers to life's toughest questions. Only to feel disappointed after years of a fruitless search for answers. We look everywhere for answers and ask difficult questions that demand answers.

What if I told you that we can solve all the problems of the world?
What if that solution was not complicated as following some religious rituals filled with half truths, lies, mumbo jumbo stuff? Or heartless naturalism that tells us we evolved out of nowhere and heading to nowhere?


Suffering is the greatest hostis humani generis. We live in a world that is not a "free for all" dish where we are paid for simply existing without any effort or work. It's a dog eat dog world. Hoc est bellum! The comforts (technologies and luxury) we enjoy now are a result of thousands of years of evolutionary struggle. The peaceful democracies we live in are a result of centuries of slavery, wars and bloodshed. There's so much to cry over in our world. But science is the only salvation of the human race. Science comes to the rescue and brings light and hope in this gloomy picture. In fact, it seems pretty clear,  that everything humankind has dream of has been turned into a reality. Whether it was taking man to the moon, finding cure for diseases or building skyscrapers etc. We made it despite the odds.The problem of evil and suffering points out the work that still needs to be done.

While technology has increased by hundred fold in the last century, it has not translated to a better, healthier and purposeful life for all. With the enormous amount of information and technologies available to us, the pressures also have increased--world hunger and poverty, increased terrorism (radical Islam), economic meltdowns, the rise of Aids and Ebola, nuclear weapons, global warming, and many other global issues that are a threat to the existence of humanity. If humankind is to survive another 10,000 years, it simply needs to find a way share the resources equally and learn to create a common identify among its races made up of diverse ethnic groups. Black, white and yellow, Jewish, Christian, Hindu, Sikh and Muslim. Chinese and American, African and European peoples need to unity as one. All people scattered around the world should toss away divisive ideologies that hinder our development as a specie. I believe more than anything else, humanity itself is the greatest threat to a civilized society and a civilized world. At a time when issues such as climate change, wars, nuclear weapons etc., are threatening to end human life completely we should not be debating let alone fighting over futile things like religious beliefs, racism, bigotry and refusing to grant same-sex people rights.

I also find it quite a shame that we sweep these issues under the carpet. The refusal to deal with these world problems will result in us repeating the same mistakes. For example, after the Holocaust the world swore "no more." Worse yet, genocides, mass rape, ethnic cleansings and many atrocious acts continue to plague our world and rendering humanitarian organisations like the UN, NATO and AU ineffective.

With that said, the greatest ability we possess as human beings is freewill. And with that freewill comes the power of making real choices with real consequences. Whatever great mystery that drives the universe--be it God or a supernatural entity. Or perhaps evolutionary process, we have the power to make real choices that will lead to a better world. If you cannot do it for yourself, then think about the future generations who will one day inherit this world. We owe it to our children to leave them the best world imaginable.