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s the year drags itself wearily towards its ending, it is perhaps time to reflect on its many events. Overall it must be one of the saddest years in recent history, as the number of horrendous atrocities has far exceeded double figures.

That is a reminder that humanity can easily revert back to its barbaric past, or does it tell us that with the right motivation we are capable of much worse?

You would be hard pressed to argue against the latter as 9/11, horrendous as it was, could be easily surpassed, as we have the technology and capability to exterminate millions.

All we need is the motivation or reason to press the buttons, and we have a few of those simmering at the moment. I'€™d far sooner be a realist than a head-in-the-clouds optimist, especially when so many people worldwide have almost given up on humanity.

I am currently reading a 720-page book entitled Jerusalem, about the holy city with a history that makes War of the Worlds look like Winnie the Pooh.

The obvious observation as I read this book is that today, much of that horrendous violence is still with us, as are the same divides, the same horrors, the same thinking and the same misery, and yet we are talking over 1,000 years ago!  

Of course we have progressed, as now we have scrapped the mangonel catapults, deadly crossbows and swords and moved onto ballistic missiles, nuclear subs and hydrogen bombs, all of which would have been very useful in 1100 AD.

But the saddest thing is that the '€œthinking'€ in some respects has not progressed, which is why there are over 150 dead school kids in Peshawar, Pakistan.  

Also unchanged is the power thing; although it is wrapped differently today, it is still poignantly prevalent.

The year 2014 has clearly been a wretched experience for millions of people, human beings forced into captivity or involuntary confinement as they escape conflicts that appear to have no solutions.

It was a year of constant fear, death and misery and, unfortunately, we cannot yet see the way out. Arguably people could say that our history repeatedly comes up with periods of turmoil and violence and so this is just another of those blips that will come and go, and although they could be right, this year may just be the start of something considerably bigger.

But no matter the carnage, at the end of the year the corks will pop, the glasses will be raised and we will shout out '€œhappy New Year!'€, which is great, but for millions of people their glasses will be as empty as their stomachs, so take time out if you can and wish them well as they need a little happiness and most certainly a lot of help.

David Wallis
Medan