SENTINEL WATCH May 24, 2004 Issue

Fighting the common enemy

By Barbara Vining

Degrading mistreatment of others, such as the recently publicized abuse of Iraqi POWs by some of their American guards, is devastating. Nevertheless, the exposure of this inhumane treatment is necessary so that future abuses can be prevented, and so those responsible can be brought to justice. To this end, investigations are in progress. Meanwhile, all humanity is crying out for solutions to this tragic situation.

While news of these events has been very disturbing to me, I have also recognized an opportunity here for a turning point in world progress. It has to do with being able to identify humanity's real enemy, and learning how to defeat it.

Most people believe that human beings are inherently both good and evil, in varying degrees. Based on this belief, people tend to categorize individuals by race, religion, culture, nationality, or political party. These groups are then labeled as either evil or good, either friends or enemies. But the fallibility of such categorization becomes painfully obvious when individuals in one's own group display the evil tendencies associated with one's enemy.

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