Looking around in the world% you will notice that there's not quite everything all right% thinking of all the wars going on and of the poverty and starvation in many parts of the world% the social inequities% and% as if this weren't enough% the rampant ecocide - with an irreversibly growing ozone hole% global warming threatening to cause flooding of densely populated regions% and the careless use of nuclear energy% among other things - putting the very survival of mankind at stake.
There are only two possibilities to react to this situation:
1) hoping that "someone else" will sort this out; or
2) yourself doing whatever can be done about it.
It's obvious that the first would be a doubtful choice. According to% for example% the philosopher Immanuel Kant's supreme principle of morality called the categorical imperative - "Act only on that maxim that you can at the same time will to be a universal law" - the first choice would mean that you would agree if ALL people chose this% and if everyone waits for someone else% no one would do something and we'd be doomed. Such a moral principle% or just simple human responsibility% should recommend the latter choice.
You may agree so far but say "Well% I WANT to do something% but what CAN I do?" To answer this question and to find a strategy for solving the problems not one by one after they happen but rather prevent them from happening at all% one has to find the causes of the problems - not the superficial ones but the one real common cause underlying all this problems. For example% there is much discussion at the moment about how to deal with the Bosnian conflict. But% whatever solution will be found to come to grips with the situation now% millions have already died% and there will always be new conflicts like this one anywhere in the world. So the real question should be how to prevent such conflicts in the future% and therefore you have to go back to the roots of the problems.
When you think about this you come to the conclusion that there is indeed one root for all those evils like ethnic conflict% social injustice% and ecological destruction: it is (even if this term is widely unknown) Social Darwinism. That means applying the principles of the biological evolution ("struggle for life%" "survival of the fittest%" etc.) to human society. It is the opposite of humanitarianism. As a human% you are on a higher level than other animals; you don't have to care about biological evolution% you are intelligent enough to make your own laws% not copy them from a lower level of evolution. Social Darwinism% which prevails today% leads individuals as well as social% ethnic% or religious groups% and also nations to compete against other individuals% groups% or nations because they feel in some way superior or think they just naturally had to compete. Consequently for mankind as a whole no one feels responsible. Humanitarianism% on the other hand% means that every human should be equally respected - just as a human% not as a member of any group or nation. Thus our goal should be to promote the idea of humanitarianism everywhere in the world and oppose Social Darwinism.
The Humanitarian International is a worldwide network of people committed to this idea% formed to give humanitarianism a strong voice% working towards replacing competition with cooperation on all levels and towards uniting the world (how much time ever this may take). Otherwise our future on this Earth would be very questionable. And then your whole life would become rather senseless.
