Sometimes it’s hard to focus on things when so much ‘bad’ is happening around you. We Humans have been on this planet for a while now, and for as much as we have ‘evolved’ and moved forward technologically, we really have not evolved much past the killing each other phase. Sure the technology used to kill each other is more advanced, but in the overall scheme of things, is it really so different from using spears………guns and bombs are just more effective, the barbaric thoughts behind the use are the same!
Just because we grieve for one atrocity does not mean we grieve any less for the others, it’s just that there is so much, sometimes we become numb to it all and it takes one ‘close to home’ to make us take stock. People yell and scream their disgust, their outrage; I am still just numb, shocked, but numb……………when will the violence ever end? It is violent, shocking and senseless………….doesn’t Mother Nature cause enough loss of life, that we have to kill more? I often find myself just shrugging, because I know it will never end.
I am an atheist, for a damn good reason, I am sorry to say it but religion causes a lot of wars. Is your God really any better than theirs? My Believes are as valid as yours, but when your beliefs ask you to kill innocent  people for your God, is that really a God you want? Honestly I don’t care what colour your skin is, if you believe in a God (any God), if you are male or female, straight, homosexual or bi………..I really don’t care what country you come from, your cultural beliefs, how much money you do, or don’t have, or what job you do…………….if you are nice to me, then I will be nice to you! It’s that simple.
I do not hate you because you like oranges more than bananas. I would never start a war because I am envious of your house or car (or whatever). Please don’t tell me I am over simplifying this……….I AM, because so many are complicating the issues…………STOP KILLING PEOPLE! There is no excuse………..I’m sorry but it is as simple as that.
We are all different, that is what makes us interesting, if we were all the same, just clones it would make life so boring wouldn’t it? This planet is a big melting pot, with lots of different spices, that make it all so good…………please don’t poison it for everyone else.
That is all, rant over…………..thanks for reading and in the words of nananoyz…………….peace people.
-Julz
Julie Powell - Photographer & Graphic Artist 
Great rant!
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It’s a good argument but missing one important thing. The conflict is not because someone likes bananas rather than oranges . . . it’s that someone has bananas, someone else has oranges, and someone has neither.
True, religion can make things worse, but most wars are fought for resources. Hitler rose to power because (to simplify things) he promised to give people bananas and oranges, and then he went out to get them.
Our own politicians get elected by making promises to people who lack something or other; they promise that they will deliver. The problem is that often that means getting it from someone else. Nothing in this world is free, and greed and self-interest are what drive nearly everything.
That’s true on a personal level, corporate level, and national level.
I know; not an optimistic view of the world, but so far it has served me well when trying to make sense of things.
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Yes you are right, I did forget greed, and in most cases you are right, but in recent events I don’t think it is so much greed as fear, persecution, my way or the highway………..still the bottom line is stop killing people! Someone will always promise you more than they can deliver, it is life and government bureaucracy, I may not agree with the guy next door, I may (or may not) have a rational discussion about the divide, but I would never physically hurt them over it.
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Just for the sake of argument, imagine they hold something you don’t have. Something that would cure a loved one, or feed a loved one or that is needed for their survival. Now, imagine they have much more than they need, but they do not want to share.
. . . would you still hold the same resolve? Would you let your loved ones die, standing on principle?
It’s an unfair question, of course, but imagine it anyway.
Or, imagine you become convinced your neighbor means to ultimately kill you and yours. Would you take preemptive action? Would you raise your head and fight, thus descending into a different frame of mind?
Although not exactly equivalent and somewhat simplified, ISIS and their ilk grow in ranks by exploiting those very sentiments. Really, if one tries, they are not that difficult to understand.
The bigger question is whether we can ever do anything about it other than wage perpetual war. Looking at humanity’s long and bloody history, one can easily get disheartened, and yet as a species we are getting better. At the same time, our sheer numbers will ultimately either force a complete rethinking of the way we live or plunge us into more of the same.
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true, until faced with such dilemmas it’s easy to get on one’s soap box, but I still don’t think I could resort to killing, however I hope I never have to find out. I usually like to believe in good in others, simple and naive yes, but it has to start somewhere………if I only saw the evil in all people, I think I’d go mad. As for the sheer numbers of humans on the planet, that is another concern as well, perhaps a re think on the way we live is too much to ask. The speed at which we are expanding, using natural resources and killing off the planet……….they may not be anything worth fighting over? WOW this got depressing fast didn’t it?
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Here’s something to lift your spirits . . . always works for me.
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Brilliant, especially love the seal, many thanks……it did put a smile on my dial………I think I’ll share that one!!
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Here’s the one from 2008 . . .
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Your bold joyful colors are so welcome during these dark times…Wonderful response to the challenge.
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Your thoughts are like mine… Killings in the name of a god has been plaguing mankind since these gods “appeared”. As you know, I’m also an atheist and my rule is very simple, “do unto others what you would want others do unto”. A morality I follow that I think is timeless and can be applied to all unlike those I read in “sacred texts” where morality changes and may only apply to the believers of a sacred text specific to their system of belief. Hahaha! I’m now ranting!
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hehehe………..that’s OK you can rant with me
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Hahaha!
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Hear hear. Great rant.
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Thanks Raewyn, I was feeling particularly peeved about it all yesterday
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