By Mark Antony Rossi

Any student of history will recognize a vicious rumor morphs into a witch hunt. How does the human condition allow such baseless nonsense to flourish? One method is to bestow credence on generalizations about people until a rationalization is formed and prevents the full truth from being examined. Moral laziness is the mother of all stereotypes which ultimately gives birth to sinister prejudgments. And these wicked perceptions quickly become reality in a modern day of instant internet communication.

I am concerned about the quality of the human condition in the 21st century. Superficially, we have conquered deadly diseases of the physical body only to fail to conquer the diseases of the metaphorical heart. The hatred for our fellow humankind is universally practiced and in some areas codified as religion. Capital punishment hasn’t decreased murder, assassination or terrorism. Diplomacy, absent a gunboat in the harbor, is purple poetry uttered by failed dreamers.

Technology has improved the quality of our lives; yet places us in the twin vices of moral quandary and mortal jeopardy. And what say you human condition? Are we better as a civilization than five hundred years ago? Some argue progress such as Democracy, Emancipation, and Medicine. These are clear sign posts in the direction of building a better world.

Yet how can we build a better person? And I don’t mean through soulless human cloning or mechanical/chemical performance enhancement. Does it start at child rearing? Raising kids to be smart and respectful. Does it start at the government level? Reminding lawful citizens of their civic responsibilities. Does it start at church? Resisting the urge to lay claim to special religious knowledge. Does it start at friendship? Realizing inner peace begins with external trust. Does it start at marriage? Recognizing love for each other moves motivations beyond ourselves.

I can’t say for certain if these pathways are the best creative conditions to build better people. But I am confident that Alcohol, Drugs, Human Trafficking, Terrorism and War are decidedly in the opposite direction. Humanity is fast closing in on rocket technology that will allow us to explore and live on distant planets. Pity if we export the poor traits of humanity and ruin new worlds.

We owe it to our species to fix it here first. And how do we do that? By giving a damn about the stranger who just moved in across the street. By ignoring color and focusing on character. By stopping the false controversies involving privacy in bedrooms and private parts in bathrooms. It starts there. It starts by making good a priority in one’s actions so that ultimately it influences the greater community. This series of positive habits holds the most promise in establishing and maintaining peace on the planet.

About the Author: Mark Antony Rossi is a poet, playwright and author of the bioethics volume “Dark Tech” now available from Amazon. His most recent plays have been produced in Liverpool and New York.

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