Might is Right – or is it?

In so many ways, the human condition is getting better and better. It is thought that average life expectancy in the Bronze Age was about 26 and it was little better in classical Greece and Rome. By the late 1700s, in Britain it had risen to 37 and for the wealthy it was nearer 50. By 1950 it was about 60 across Europe and now it is over 75 for women and 70 for men averaged across the world, but with substantial regional variations of course. These changes flow from many factors, but improvements in healthcare, diet, and more peaceful lives are prominent. When we find ourselves despairing about the world and hankering for earlier ages, it is worth reminding ourselves of this direction of travel.

But undeniably we are seeing changes which do not seem so positive. The post-war international consensus in the West towards a rules-based system and a respect for international law does seem to be fracturing. But if the strongest can get what they want with impunity on the international stage, will it be long before we absorb this into our way of thinking as individuals? Entitlement flowing from strength. Since I can get more than you can, it follows that I am entitled to have more than you have.

This is not the Kingdom of God of which Jesus taught. It was the poor and marginalised that Jesus championed. Sharing rather than accumulation is what Jesus modelled. And he taught us that it is the meek and those who hunger for justice who are blessed. This can still be the direction of travel. This is the kingdom for which we pray and which we believe will come.