The population that has gathered here together on this small blue planet, finds that the globe is shrinking by the same rate that our numbers expand as well as our scientific development increases. Much of this is due to a new age that has come upon us, the "Information Age."

We are seeing the light of development expanding and just perhaps chasing back another age, "the Age of Ignorance." This can be accomplished by allowing the citizens of planet Earth to interact with each other no matter where they live. I sight much of our ability to interact by the use of the new slave of man, the computer. Before we can go further we must see what man is doing with this new tool and then scrutinize our actions as a whole. At that point we will endeavor to know where our shortcomings are, so we can proceed forward together.

Twenty years ago, I never dreamed that I would one day manage to communicate with another citizen on the other side of the world in near spontaneous action and reaction.

When we observe the occurrences of the past 10 years we come face to face with the reality that we must analyze not only our individual presence on this globe but that of the whole human race. Then we begin to ask questions like, where are our scientific endeavors taking us, for good, or bad? I have come to a conclusion, after scrutiny, that the human race is mad, an almost jovial statement until scrutinized.

Using just the events of these past few months as a microcosm of the world's sociological development we can view in brief that our existence in history hasn’t changed at all.

We find increasing numbers of young children committing atrocities on other children, something that has not come to my attention except in this last decade. I find the general populace accepting the immoral behavior of our politicians and the clergy, and these people are on a march to new worldwide highs in depravity. Then the individual governments seem to be on the same collision course they have always been on. With these thoughts, I must ask, does this planet really need us, or is it us who needs the planet?

The next instantaneous newsworthy item I find concerns more violence, can you believe? These events are perpetrated by supposedly prudent, well educated, civilized adults who all acclaim an affinity to a higher order in the cosmos, through Buddha, Abraham, Mohammed or Yahweh. One faction stands up and vaporizes, kills, maims, women and children in small out of the way places like an island west of Great Britain or in the middle of the Great Indian Sub-continent, while other individual powers force their devastation upon a Republic on a continent that most people can’t even point to on a globe. They then utter the words, "in the name of a deity" and in their demented minds, it is all justified.

On the other hand, another power broker takes advantage of his position and orders retaliatory strikes and calls them punitive measures to protect the citizens. Now, "We the People" must bare the brunt and repercussions from all of these actions and calamities caused by these person's barbaric acts. We should perhaps contemplate the motives of these uncivilized barbaric actions.

Now, to examine barbarism closer: the barbarian of ancient history is traditionally reviewed and believed to be the driving force behind the destruction of all the great civilizations of antiquity.

This thought, though, after examination, is an erroneous statement in today's structured societies. When you have to ask yourself: who are the barbarians? Where are the barbarians? We have to understand that barbarism is not a lack of social development, in most cases. Therefore, we tend to review all these perpetrated acts as conditions of unstable sociological development.

The breeding conditions are in the quagmire of influence caused by the power brokers. Neither is a demented or cruel mind imperative for the conjuring of barbaric thoughts to be possible. No, supposed civilized beings perform barbarous acts on humanity and they exonerate their actions with the promise that all is forgiven in the hereafter. This philosophy propagates more and more barbarism which could change human history for all times.

Quite often, we are seduced into thinking that these actions are necessary sacrifices in the name of sectarian freedoms, protection, or an 'Islamic Jihad' even. The people of the world must understand and learn that power-manipulating individuals throughout history have used the name of a compassionate loving being to carry out sick, depraved ravings found in their demented nature against defenseless ethnic groups. Unsheathed, the burden of these actions always seems to bare witness with the innocent.

I find it difficult to perceive that any of these individuals truly believe in anything. Most people choose to view a "Supreme Being" as one with love, compassion and benevolence.

Barbarism? It is easier for a civilized person to act as a barbarian than for a true barbarian to act in the fashion of socially accepted graces.

The human animal in perusing their perverted activities for one reason or another always seems to utter, "It is someone else's fault." Now, I am not going to be so lenient with affixing responsibility. We, the fair-minded human majority must look to our leaders, whether political or religious for an appropriate answer.

When our many leaders lash out, using the mighty powers at their disposal, advocating an accepted loss of innocent life as acceptable we sit idly by saying nothing to the contrary, and in this act, we encourage death and more destruction. By these actions, we become accessories to murder by afterthought and we and our leaders with our bloodstained hands must assume the responsibility equally. Through this writing I personally exonerate my conscience and I have hopes of stirring others into realizing that there is no race or creed on the face of this globe that they personally carry any animosities for.

Finally, the murmured ramblings of some combatants are making a comparison with Crusaders. I make this statement in the form of a quote, "Cry, 'havoc!' and let loose the dogs of war." As the unruly clouds of dissention gather on an uncertain horizon of a world theater to produce conceivably scene three; "The finalizing acts to the end of human history." Perhaps these events are destined to happen and nothing we do or say can stop the spurring on of these cataclysmic occurrences spoken of only in the various prophecies. We now look to a doubtful future at the start of a new millennia, that promises so much. Once these events begin to fall; it will be impossible to stop this snowball effect thus producing the new "Knights of the Apocalypse."

This is an epoch time in human history that we can herald as the "Information Age." It may already be too late to communicate or change destiny so we might dance together to a new beat of the drum. It is imperative that we the citizens strive and walk hand in hand with each other to make a better world for all; whether we are Arab, Jew, Christian, Indian or whatever beliefs or ethnic group perpetuating peace and tranquility. Now is the time to give proper credence to the respect of life and recognize each other as citizens of planet Earth. We should seize our Earthly rights to foment our own destiny in peaceful manner in this new age of reasoning, information, knowledge and understanding through communication around the globe.

Therefore, to these ends we must push our new electronic slave and transmit our ideas and feelings through this new information highway, to all parts of the world. Once we, the citizens of Planet Earth begin to dance to the same beat of the drum we can then lean on our leaders to get in step. So the atrocities that lend promise in the near future can be averted. We at that point take an even bigger step into the future by learning from the past so that our histories have been for something. The innocent will never again have to pay for the next wrong beat of the drum.

We need to become one with planet and communicate with each other through the WEB for the future of us all and our world.

(W. Anthony lives in Colon)