Saving Syria's Children

[OZCUBAN]

Stephen Hawking: Saving Syria's children

'It does not feel intelligent to watch on as 100,000 are killed or whilst children are being targeted.' - Professor Stephen Hawking.

Aristotle, one of the most famous Greek philosophers, believed the universe had existed forever. The reason he believed why we are not more developed was that floods, or other natural disasters, repeatedly set civilization back to the beginning.

Today we are developing ever faster. Our knowledge is growing exponentially and with it, our technology. But as humans we still have the instincts, and in particular the aggressive impulses, that we had in caveman days. Aggression has had definite survival advantages but when modern technology meets ancient aggression the entire human race and much of the rest of life on Earth is at risk.

Today in Syria we see modern technology in the forms of bombs, chemicals and other weapons being used to further so-called intelligent political ends.

But it does not feel intelligent to watch on as 100,000 are killed or whilst children are being targeted. And it feels downright stupid to prevent humanitarian supplies from reaching clinics where Save the Children is reporting that children are having limbs amputated for lack of basic facilities and newborn babies are dying in incubators for lack of power.

What's happening in Syria today is an abomination, one that the world is watching coldly from a distance. Where is our emotional intelligence; our sense of collective justice?

When I discuss intelligent life in the universe, I take this to include the human race, even though much of its behaviour throughout history appears not to have been calculated to aid the survival of the species. And while it is not clear that intelligence has any long-term survival value, unlike aggression, our very human brand of intelligence denotes an ability to reason and plan not only for our own but our collective futures.

We must work together to end this war and to protect the children of Syria. We have watched from the sidelines for three years as this conflict rages, engulfing all hope. As a father and grandfather, I watch the suffering of Syria's children and now say: no more.

I often wonder what we must look like to other beings watching from deep space. As we look out at the universe, we are looking back in time, because light leaving distant objects reaches us much, much later. What does the light emitting from our earth today show? When people see our past, will we be proud of what we are showing them? How, as brothers, we treat each other? How we allow our brothers to treat our children?

We now know that Aristotle was wrong - the universe has not existed forever. It began about 14 billion years ago. But he was right that great disasters represent major backward steps for civilization. The war in Syria may not represent the end of humanity but every injustice committed is a chip in the façade of what holds us together. The universal principle of justice may not be rooted in physics but it is no less fundamental to our existence. For without it, before long, human beings will surely cease to exist.

Stephen Hawking is the former Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge and author of A Brief History of Time.

[Maplepie]

Not to completely **** on your article, but every few months, I see an article as well written as this one with hopes to 'do something about it'.

But after a while, the reader's initial enthusiasm fades into the background of his mind. And sometimes, even the author's once enthusiastic mind dims.

Let's face it. The internet's way too lazy [with an attention span of a small dog to boost] to really be influenced by these anymore.

As for the conflict, if all the world diplomats can't end oit, what would?

Certainly not China and Russia arming Assad. And certainly not us arming the FSA.

Ah well... just more food forr thought that'll be forgotten in a minute or three

Sent from my BlackBerry Q10 using Tapatalk for Android.

[MIKA27]

As for the conflict, if all the world diplomats can't end oit, what would?

Tell 'Some" governments there's oil and watch them run over there with AID.

Unfortunately, if it's not worth anyones while the bother such as 'OIL" or other resources to reap and plunder, some people just don't give a damn. Look at whats happening in Africa for such a long time, mass rape, murder, butchery to name a few, yet no one bothers about it.

The UN is useless. All they do is say "I condemn this" but that's it... words, no action and whilst war is not good, something must be done.

It's becoming hard to watch the TV without seeing kids suffering - I wish something could be done.

[CaptainQuintero]

These things will never end while governments benefit from them. Purposely crashing economies, destabilising nations etc etc etc

When we get rid of the sociopaths who run our countries at the moment things might change. While money not love rules the world it won't happen.

[Fuzz]

Problem is, no-one has the stomach to do what is necessary. March in with guns blazing, you're a war monger. Watch and wait on the sidelines for a peaceful outcome, you're a gutless bystander. Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

As long as we identify ourselves by race, creed, color etc, these things will continue to occur and little will be done to stop it. The cycle has been going on for thousands of years and will probably never cease as long as identify ourselves by separate groups instead of as one race.

[Optic101]

Well said.