Humanitarian Principles

This world of mankind is such
an awkward, disjointed living space,
where some are blessed by fortune to
live with security to prosper yet the larger
balance live with fear and exploitation,
conditions reflecting the basest instincts
of humans to violate one another in every
conceivable way as vile predators.

Minds that have been enlightened and
liberated from venality and tribal enmity,
hubris and hate initiate life lessons to aid
the victims of tyrannical monsters; the
virtuous humane challenging the vile
monsters among us. Someone must respond,
the victims plead, to come and stop the killing.

Government troops launching rocket attacks,
sending snipers to rooftops to target women,
children, the elderly when they cannot engage
the rebels. They must come, they cry to the
outside world, on the basis of humanitarian
principles. "If they do not, we will die". Rape,
shelling, sniper fire. Taking sides in a civil war.

These pleas are deeply moving. Who can fail
but to respond? In Libya, a respected elder
speaks of humanitarian and Islamic principles,
"for someone to come and stop the killing".
Islamic ears of his neighbours have gone stone
deaf. Only Western ears appear to have
become attuned to this dreadful dilemma.