Author: Arthur Zulu Contact Author: mailto: controversialwriter@yahoo.com Copyright: Copyright © Arthur Zulu 2002 Word Count: 663 Web Address: http://www.1stbooks.com/bookview/10975

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WILL A NUCLEAR “ARMAGEDDON” BE THE LAST WAR? (Part 1)

By Arthur Zulu

There is a mad competition going on right now at a closed petrol station by a bunch of rascals. Each one is clutching a box of matches. Who will be winner of contest? The first person to strike a match!

Now, suppose you were a spectator at contest. And suppose rascals not wanting to be beaten in game, lit their matches simultaneously. What will happen to you, rascals and filling station? Everyone will vaporize!

But that’s a small thing -- a picnic in a park, when compared to threat of coming thermal nuclear “Armageddon”.

Nuclear apologists believe strongly that a nuclear holocaust is greatest threat to our survival. So when you talk of Big Crunch, Asteroids, Space aliens, or a plague wiping out civilization on earth, joke is: “Here comes dreamer!”

True, idea that man will self-destruct -- destroy himself in an all - out war, is not new. “War”, according to a historian, “is a constant in history”. Right from ancient times to present, it has been an instrument for survival of nations. No wonder it has been said that if you want peace, prepare for war.

But soon, that old adage will change to: “If you want to end world, prepare for war”. Forget United Nations. Their work does not include prevention of war, nor prevention of world’s destruction.

Look at these quotations and you will find out that this is not a joking matter:

“We are perilously near to a new international anarchy” -- The Washington Post.

“The proliferation of super weapons is now most dangerous specter facing this planet” -- CRITICAL MASS by Williams E. Burrows and Roberts Windrem.

“There are now more than 50,000 nuclear weapons, … enough to obliterate a million Hiroshimas… There is little question that our global civilization would be destroyed” -- Carl Sagan.

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WILL THE UNIVERSE COMMIT SUICIDE?

By Arthur Zulu

Once upon a time, there lived a madman who wanted to die a horrible death. He thought of two options for final exit. Option one: Make a gigantic camp fire hotter than sun and jump into it. Option two: Dive into a sub zero degree ice and bury himself with glacier. Either of choices seemed appealing to him.

But hold on, before you think that this is a folk story from Mars. The story may soon play out, say some school of thought, who believe it is world’s fate.

Only that characterization is wrong. Because madman is not human race but universe. And mankind has no choice. The universe will decide which is a better choice--fire or ice. Either choice is period for life.

How did we come to have such destiny?

It is because of how universe started, they say. And how did universe begin?

Scientists believe that in beginning, space was one small dense point. Then suddenly this singularity expanded at a terrifying speed, spewing out gigantic stars and galaxies, and has continued to race to Heaven knows only where, ever after.

As to how life eventually began, well, this is biology made easy. Out of this non-living world, someday a micro-organism sprang out of one warm chemical soup in ocean. And by some kind of clever maneuvering, yielded abundant variety of living species today, including man. Interesting story.

Now, it does not matter whether you believe this story or not. Or whether you even fully understand. In fact you are not supposed to understand it. So, ignorant you are, better.

You know that these things happened billions of years ago. And in those times, before man learnt to write, things happened spontaneously. Just like that, without any outside help.