A commentary written by an independent journalist named Mvemba Phezo Dizolele. The story was about the Mushangi area in eastern Congo's mountains, far from Kinshasa, the capital of Congo (Africa). The hills of Mushangi are abundant with strategic minerals such as coltan, cassiterite and wolframite that are essentials to cellphones and other electronics. For the last 10 years, Mushangi has been at the crossroads of a conflict that claimed more than 4 million lives. The flow of small arms has emboldened militias to challenge the central government authority. The illegal exploitation and trade of natural resources generates large sums of revenue. At the core of the conflict is the militias struggle for control of natural resources and mineral wealth.
Congo holds 80 percent of the world's reserves of Coltan. Refined coltan yields tantalum, which is used for the production of mobile phones, laptop computers and video games. The writer called for actions from United States and Western countries to send a message to corrupt Congolese government officials that the resources should be used to help the people of Mushangi so they could live in peace.
After reading the commentary, I ask myself should I stop using my cell phones or my laptop? Am I indirectly adding to the conflict by my purchasing of these products? Should I write letters to the leaders (U.S. President and United Nations) asking them to take action or should I make monetary contribution to organizations that are helping the people of Congo?
Another article was about an auction of watercolors and stretches, mostly landscapes depicting cottages, churches and pastoral hillsides. The auction took place in Lostwithiel, England drew special attention and protests because the artist was Adolf Hitler, the dictator of Germany who ordered six million European Jews murdered. The unknown artist was the same tyrant who plunged the world into a war that took over 40 million lives.
Adolt Hitler was thought to have done hundreds of paintings as a struggling artist during breaks from the front while stationed in Flanders, Belgium during World War I. According to the book entitled, "The Most Evil Dictators in History" by Shelley Klein, Adolf Hitler applied for a place at both the Vienna Academy or Art and the Vienna Academy of Architecture, but to his life-long fury, both Academies rejected him.
Adolf Hitler became the dictator and the master of mass emotion, able to manipulate eighty millions people to the point of hysteria simply by the power of the spoken word. Like a skillful magician, Hitler used technical devices such as the radio and the loud-speaker at mass rallies to cast a spell over the audience and deprived them of independent thought.
I would like to know whether the professors at Vienna Academy of Art and of Architecture who rejected Adolf Hitler's applications ever felt responsible for creating the evil dictator. If Hitler was accepted, he could have been a famous artist. He would have been a professor of art, encouraging his students to be patient in learning the art of paintings and not the dictator who hypnotizing thousands upon thousands of young people to become soldiers all dressed in identical uniforms, all marching in unison to the same beat and all become poisoned in their heart with hatred and crimes against humanity.
If Adolf Hitler was never rejected by the Academy of Art, would another person take his place and become the dictator with different name? How would we know if our minor decision would cause major changes in others' lives? We don't have the power to know what the future will hold when we make our choices today.
I often think of how my late father working so hard driving the taxicab in New York City. He always had a positive outlook and unwavering spirit. He told me that he tried to be nice to his passengers with his friendly smiles and being courteous. And that in turn would help the passenger to be positive when he arrived at his office or in good spirit when he came home to his family.
There are so many conflicts and causes in the world that I wonder if we ever truly live in peace. I don't know whether it is good to gain knowledge and not able to make any changes or not willing to take the risk and fight for justice. I admire people who stand up for their belief. Each of us in our own limited ability is making a contribution. How we take care of our family and how well we do our job will determine how society as a whole will maintain its stability. This is something to think about.
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