A cannon without ordnance is nothing more than a metal ornament. Similarly, a plan without action is hot air. Museums and people in power thrive on such delectable‚ items. The rest of us would rather melt the cannon and make pots while living from day to day without needless plans.
Our world is loaded with impotent cannons, either with or without ordnance. We use them ceremoniously to greet a visitor or to signal the time to break our fast during Ramadan. We also thrive under numerous plans made by others, especially tailored for you and me.
Why then are we not grateful that someone is taking care of us with such attention and ceremony? Are we inherently ungrateful? Why don’t we thrive in the comfort of knowing that in herding us into faceless numbers the powers to be might be offering us safety? After all, it does work for wildebeest and zebras — safety in numbers, that is.
The obvious answer, though not the only one, is that we are not numbers and there are (technically speaking) no carnivores that see us as food. Yet we have within our species some big cats that we need protection from. In most of this world, the cats with or without a mane, the spotted and the striped, are the ones “protecting” and feeding on us.
There is no dignity in such a fate no matter how “safe” it is made for us, and there certainly is no human honor to keep us within the tender arms of gratitude. Protection for humans should come within the framework of the law. That is the only way it is appreciated.
Ceremonial cannons and fancy plans appeal to human emotions. Emotions, by definition, are in a state of constant flux and can’t be relied upon. The law, by contrast, appeals to human reason, and reason does not change with the shifting winds.
All this comes to mind as Arab leaders are preparing for yet another summit. They keep reminding us that we are “under attack” and that our existence is in jeopardy. That broken record has run way beyond its expiry date and is emotionally flat.
The truth, obvious for all to see, is that in spite of the violence, the only Arab country kicking violently with the agony of rebirth and liberation is Iraq. Ironically, Iraq is the only Arab country that does not have a head of state to send to this meeting.
