I worry sometimes what effect modernism will have on Swaziland. By modernism I do not mean antibiotics, near-instantaneous electronic communication, rapid transportation, or any of the other many life-enhancing benefits of contemporary technology. I mean a mindset that centres solely on the benefit of the individual, and that makes life an activity concerned solely with the maximization of pleasure and the minimization of pain. Such a mindset locks people into a highly self-centred mode of existence, one which is ultimately unsatisfying. We are made not to live only for ourselves, but for others, too. When we generously look out for the interests of others, we find our own lives enhanced.
Sadly, abortion represents the selfishness of modernism at its worst. Abortion pits a mother against her own son or daughter; when the abortion is carried out (many times due to pressure from the father or parents and against the wishes of the mom), this selfishness reaches its murderous conclusion.
Let Swaziland keep the benefits of modern conveniences while protecting the rights of all her citizens, born and unborn. By doing the latter as well as enjoying the former, we will build a community where we all prosper.
Rudy Poglitsh
rpoglitsh@live.com
more letters at http://letterstotheTOS.blogspot.com
