It doesn't have to be that way

Last night, I watched a drama about child runaways in the U.S., picked off one-by-one by disease, violence or drugs.

And again, the sad thought came to my mind: It doesn't have to be this way.

We may or may not be able to control whether a giant meteor slams into our planet. We may or may not find a way to cure the common cold or prevent aging.

But, theoretically, it is absolutely possible, right now, right this minute, to cure poverty, to end war, to end crime. The billions of dollars wasted on police, penal institutions, military, judges, lawyers and courts -- it could then be put towards eradicating polio, the guinea worm, malaria and birth defects. The broken homes, the haunted eyes, the fear, the anger -- all of it could vanish like a bad dream.

All it would take would be one collective decision by humanity, every human being, to do right, to live at peace, to eschew power.

Don't hold your breath.