“The wars that rage about us at the moment are a dreadful stain on our collective humanity, a failure of our better selves and an offence to the Prince of Peace whose birth we celebrate at this time of year.” – Bishop Michael Reflects on the World Day of Peace 2024.
In the 1950’s and 60’s, “Video Games” emerged alongside the development of computers.
Over the years, the “Video Game” market has grown to become a giant in the modern entertainment industry. It is three times the size of the global music industry and four times that of the film industry.
The modern “Video Game” is now a hyper-realistic multisensory experience whereby the distinction between the “real” world of the player and the “virtual” world of the game becomes ever more blurred.
Since its beginning, the video gaming industry has always had a genre of games that were centred on destruction or warfare. The games “Space Invaders” or “Battle Tanks” come to mind.
With advances in technology, “Video Games” like these now immerse the player in a virtual world of violence and warfare.
Here, success is often achieved by inflicting wanton death and destruction.
Although not “real”, such “Video Games” tend to glorify warfare and run the risk of making us less sensitive to its dire human consequences.
Each New Year’s Day marks a new beginning – the opening out before us of a year of new possibilities.
It is no coincidence that, in 1968 at the hight of the Cold War, Pope Paul VI declared New Year’s Day a special day of reflection on the idea of world peace.
Each year since, the Pope has issued a message to mark the day.
This year, Pope Francis has chosen to address the idea of the development of computer based artificial intelligence or in other words the development of computers that can think and act like humans.
He notes the benefits and challenges of such technology and calls for a profound reflection on how to ensure that it will be used in such a way as to prioritise the dignity of human persons and humanity as whole.
When it comes to the application of such technologies to the dark enterprise of war, Pope Francis notes how nowadays “the ability to conduct military operations through remote control systems has led to a lessened perception of the devastation caused by those weapon systems and the burden of responsibility for their use, resulting in an even more cold and detached approach to the immense tragedy of war.” (Message for World Day of Peace, 2024, 6)
As the cogs of time turn over and we move from 2023 to 2024 – many places of our world are not at peace – the immense tragedy of war abounds.
Day in day out modern communication technology brings what is happening in Gaza, in Ukraine, in many parts of Africa to our television screens and to our mobile phones.
We could easily risk falling into what Pope Francis describes as a “cold and detached approach to the immense tragedy of war”.
We could easily become desensitised or indifferent to it all and give into an attitude of helplessness.
The wars that rage about us at the moment are a dreadful stain on our collective humanity, a failure of our better selves and an offence to the Prince of Peace whose birth we celebrate at this time of year.
We cannot and must not let ourselves become numbed when it comes to war – even other people’s wars. We must continuously remind ourselves that what we see portrayed on our television screens from the hospitals, the schools and streets of Gaza is not a “Video Game” – it is appallingly real.
These are real people - people like you and me. While we are revulsed at the attacks in Israel on October 7th and desire the immediate release of hostages – surely the horrendous loss of life and the enormous destruction of property in Gaza is disproportionate in the extreme.
When history is written this war will not be one of humanity’s triumphs. Neither will the wanton destruction and loss of life we have seen day in day out for over six hundred and seventy days in Ukraine or the wars that rage in places in Africa like South Sudan.
Today – New Years Day – the 57th World Day of Peace also coincides with the Feast of Our Lady Mother of God. It is the oldest of all the Feast Days where we honour Mary. We look to her as the one who, in a most special way, opens up the world of space and time to the transforming presence of God.
As Christians we are called, like Mary, to open up in our world spaces where the light of God and his transforming positive presence can enter in.
Against the current backdrop of war – instead of letting ourselves become desensitised or indifferent to it all – instead of throwing our arm up in the air in exasperation – let us make a concerted effort this New Year to connect with our brothers and sisters who are being brutalised by war.
Let us raise our voices to condemn such wars. Let us do our bit in welcoming those seeking shelter from war and let us find ways to practically assist those caught up in terrible conflicts.
In this most pressing venture – let me paraphrase that ancient prayer of blessing we heard in today’s first reading so dear to Jews and Christians and Muslims alike.
Let us invoke the Lord of all time to – bless us and keep us! The Lord let his face shine upon us, and be gracious to us! The Lord look upon us kindly and give us peace! (Numbers 6) Amen.