For many long and painful years, world peace has been a utopian dream held in the highest regards by philosophers, religious leaders, politicians and activists. Every generation has sworn to pursue the dream, but they have always failed as some new war or crisis arose to shake their ideals to their foundations and dash their hopes and dreams to smithereens.
But no more.
The key to world peace is in the hands of this generation. We have the power to make a world without war or genocide, a freer world, a better world. We must not throw away this chance as previous generations have. It will require much hard work and painful sacrifice, but ultimately we will be able to leave the world in a much better condition than it is now.
The secret is in the confluence of the two most powerful forces known to man: the internet and cute animals doing cute things.
Don’t laugh, just think to yourself how many times you’ve gone online and been reduced to baby-talk and smiles by looking at a cute little puppy or fuzzy kitten playing with a ball or some string, or it’s so small it can fit comfortably in a show with just a fuzzball sticking out. I bet just thinking about it you’re getting that warm feeling spreading around your body and a soft smile is coming to your face.
Now imagine that you’re a terrorist or warlord or Pentagon brass and you’re interrupted in planning your next action because someone has e-mailed you a picture of fluffy bunny rabbit curled up on some bedding sleeping soundly. Or it’s a picture of a baby dressed as a bunny rabbit. It’s going to be hard killing someone or ordering someone else to kill someone after that.
Even better, while some religions or ideologies might reject conventional means of achieving peace – disarmament, negotiations, the continued existence of Israel as a pre-requisite – not even the most depraved ideology or militant fundamentalist interpretation of a religion can object to cute animals.
If we have the tools for achieving and insuring a lasting peace for all our posterity, what would the method be for implementing them?
Firstly, we would need to guarantee good internet access to everyone on Earth, starting with those already in conflict zones. This could be accomplished either through the extension of currently existing technology or the development of a wireless network that truly reaches around the globe through a combination of existing internet infrastructure and satellite technology. It would have to be fairly high speed and inexpensive, as well as capable of penetrating deep into armored bunkers and caves.
Next, all these people with intent to disturb the peace and freedom of the rest of us will need computers to access the internet. Thankfully, that can be accomplished very easily: the $100 laptop is already available and in the process of being distributed around the world. It would be simplicity itself to commercialize it and probably even make them cheaper. Digital cameras can be had for around $20 at Wal-Mart.
More importantly, satellite internet technology may enable us to get around political obstacles such as the Great Firewall of China, although I don’t think fluffy muffkin fuzzy kitty poses any threat to the People’s Republic of China or the Communist Party.
Peace is indeed within our grasp.
The ability of cute animals to melt even the hardest of hearts is not something we can pass up. The world has been waiting for this chance, this unique moment in history when we have the technology and the will and the skills to accomplish this calling of peace. It must not be wasted.
Jimi Hendrix once said that “When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.” He lived in an age before the LOLcat, but had he survived to the present I am sure he would have revised the saying to, “When the power of cute overcomes the desire to kill the world will know peace.”
Matthew M. Robare is a Collegian columnist. He can be reached at [email protected].
