Education is the key to stopping cycle of violence
I AM just back from that beautiful city of London. I visited the Wiener Holocaust Library and the experience has a profound effect on you. The present exhibition is on the attempted genocide of the Armenian people over a hundred years ago and also the Yazidi people ten years ago.
Presently we have an attempt to displace the Palestinian people from their homeland. We see what is going on in South Sudan. We cannot forget the genocide of the Jewish people by the Nazis. I could go on and on.
All of this is caused by hate and fuelled by the lack of basic education of our fellow human beings along with the major lack of international solidarity amongst all of us. It is time public media bodies and political and school institutions devoted time and money to start a programme of educating everyone of the OTHER – ie. the person in front of you. Treat the person in front of you as you would like to treated. We need to turn around all of this murder and create something positive.
PAUL DORAN, Dublin 22.
More Power to you
I HAVE not always agreed with Brenda Power’s past comments on the Catholic Church.
That said, it was refreshing to see she believes in the need for the Church to reassert itself (Mail). One problem the Church faces are bishops who ‘cancel’ priests for speaking out on basic Catholic teachings.
Since Vatican II the Church has become more secularised to appear ‘inclusive’. But I don’t see people flocking to services of other dominations that would be more secular. Priests must reaffirm the unchangeable dogma and teachings of the Church. If you don’t stand for something, you stand for nothing.
JOHN FINN, Ballincollig, Cork.
Meat is murder
TODAY, as I drove home, I passed a truckload of slaughter-bound cattle. Knowing the painful deaths they were soon to endure, my heart ached for them.
Why is it that when innocent members of other species are brutally and needlessly murdered, the majority of us seemingly turn a blind eye to it?
Each year here in Australia, 600million life-loving sentient beings are brutally killed for nothing but taste-bud pleasure. As a vegan of 45 years I can assure you no cruelty to animals is justified. Please open your eyes, and hearts, and switch to a healthy and humane plant-based diet.
JENNY MOXHAM, Victoria, Australia.
Retirement plan
SHE was beginning to panic; it wasn’t long now. In fairness he went on a course and got books from the library. The titles varied but it was all about retiring.
A month to go and he was still all talk. The retirement do was a great affair. For the first few weeks he hung around a lot, followed her like a puppy. He did the shopping with her, taking over the trolley and the list. She had to do something to get him out from under her feet. He was neither use nor ornament.
Chatting to a pal she got an idea. She bought him an allotment. Well! Before this, he did a little gardening and knew what the weeds were. However, he was a disaster with the clippers, and ruined many a good bush.
The allotment was viewed together. A friendly bunch welcomed them. Advice was shared about seasons and what to sow. As an extra she bought him a shed, wellies, and tools in abundance. In time both were happy.
Her with the house to herself, him out making pals digging away in God’s fresh air.
When a man retires, his woman gets twice as much husband for half as much money.