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Everything in the World is Going to Change

As I wrote in the Folha de S.Paulo newspaper, on February 8, 1987: Soon the biggest names in radio, the press, and TV (and today I would include the Internet), summoned by their human survival instinct, will be talking about Christ’s...

The Ozone Layer and the Plagues of the Apocalypse

When commenting in previous articles about the planet’s ozone layer, I promised to return to this subject, which is intrinsically linked to our survival. I begin by quoting an extract of an article from Agência Estado written by Jamil Chade...

Good Companionship ― an Everlasting Banner

On July 30, when we celebrate the International Friendship Day, it is important to acknowledge a figure who, from a very early age, had his heart touched by the Doctrine of Jesus’ New Commandment, as found in His Gospel according to...

Apocalypse

Armageddon on the Table

Let us learn to respect Life, if not the goddess of death will multiply her work. This is what I restated in 1991 in Serra do Pilar, in Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal, when recording the Good Will Program for the Bandeirantes TV network from Brazil.

Many people think that Armageddon (Apocalypse 16:16) refers just to the possibility of a nuclear, chemical, bacteriological, or cybernetic war. But Armageddon is disrespect for human beings, who cannot even defend themselves in the maternal womb. Armageddon is organized crime. Armageddon is material and spiritual illiteracy. Armageddon is the implosion of the family. Armageddon is technological progress without a spirit of social solidarity. Armageddon is religious fanaticism. Armageddon is immoderate materialism. Armageddon is hunger. Armageddon is on our table: vegetables full of pesticides and meat full of antibiotics and hormones. Armageddon is reflected in the polluted waters of our oceans, lakes, rivers, and even springs. Armageddon is the suffering of those stricken by drought. Leaving for work, for school, or going out to have fun without being sure you will return home safely in view of the violence and insecurity which is manifested everywhere today; what is that if not Armageddon? Armageddon is hearts lacking in Love. People are always waiting for Armageddon, but it is already here. . .

Contaminated food

Incidentally, Lucí Andréa, a Foreign Trade Specialist and a reader of ours, sent me a warning issued by the World Health Organization (WHO), the content of which has to do with what we are discussing in this article. We have separated these significant extracts from it: "Unsafe food is linked to the deaths of an estimated 2 million people annually — including many children. Food containing harmful bacteria, viruses, parasites or chemical substances is responsible for more than 200 diseases, ranging from diarrhea to cancers. New threats to food safety are constantly emerging. Changes in food production, distribution and consumption; changes to the environment; new and emerging pathogens; antimicrobial resistance — all pose challenges to national food safety systems. Increases in travel and trade enhance the likelihood that contamination can spread internationally."

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Respect for Life

Divulgação

Henry Ford

However, all problems have a solution when human beings are really willing to solve them. It is a matter of respect for the divine privilege of existing. For this reason, this quote from Henry Ford (1863-1947), who once defined Goodwill as the greatest force in Life, fits here like a glove: "Times of wealth do not appear by chance. They come about as the result of perseverance."

José de Paiva Netto is a writer, journalist, radio broadcaster, composer, and poet. He is the President of the Legion of Good Will (LGW), effective member of the Brazilian Press Association (ABI) and of the Brazilian International Press Association (ABI-Inter). Affiliated to the National Federation of Journalists (FENAJ), the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the Union of Professional Journalists of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the Union of Writers of Rio de Janeiro, the Union of Radio Broadcasters of Rio de Janeiro, and the Brazilian Union of Composers (UBC). He is also a member of the Academy of Letters of Central Brazil. He is an author of international reference in the concept and defense of the cause of Ecumenical Citizenship and Spirituality which, according to him, constitute “the cradle of the most generous values that are born of the Soul, the dwelling of the emotions and of the reasoning enlightened by intuition, the atmosphere that embraces everything that transcends the ordinary field of matter and comes from the elevated human sensitivity, such as Truth, Justice, Mercy, Ethics, Honesty, Generosity, and Fraternal Love.”