We Need Jedi
2004-05-30
Category: philosophiesOver the weekend, some al Qaida goomers attacked a housing area in Khobar Saudi Arabia. The Saudi authorities intervened and rescued most of the hostages. (Read the story here.) This is, I believe, just a sign of things to come. What can we do? What should we do?
I think it's time for the Jedi Knights.
Ok, that's a bit absurd, sort of. The idea of the Jedi is that of a group of monks with martial arts and diplomatic skills. They are dedicated to keeping the peace and protecting those who need it. Each Jedi is capable of dealing with all but the biggest problem.
We could use a group of people like that. It may be difficult to get that whole "Force" thing to work. As for Lightsabers, I'm at a loss. That's not the point. We need a group of people who wander about and set things right but are still answerable to a governing council.
Imagine a world were militant morons rise up to cause mayhem. Now imagine the look on their faces when the robed guy calmly suggests that they don't want to engage in violence. Now picture the look on the militant's face when the good guy puts a boot to his nads.
As a general rule, vigilante groups are bad things. Historically, religious fanatic groups are no better. That's one of the main reasons we don't sanction such organizations. Besides, who would run or fund them?
We could establish a creed and some procedures for the group. Then we can establish a private island just for them. The U.N. would be forced to feed them (under threat of retaliation from an irate U.S.) and ensure there is no outside coercion. Finally, carefully trained and monitored teachers would be picked to do all the instruction for the first batch or two. With everything in place, countries from all over the world could send orphaned infants to be trained.
Of course, we would never get all of this done, even if it is for everyone's good.
So we're stuck with the same old problems we've always had. Politics and human nature will always be our bane.
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