Sociologist Steve Matthewman (“Trauma centre”, February 11) refers to Christchurch and its environs as “a living laboratory for investigating the resurrection and rebuilding of cities and communities”.
Personally, I’d like us to contemplate the many natural disasters the world is facing, as well as the man-made disasters – wars and conflicts – that end in lives wasted. Consider also the devastation wrought by earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. There are signs the rising death toll was seriously aggravated by the criminally inferior construction of so many high-rise buildings. Additional slaughter ensued from the actions of government officials and building firms.
There’s a grim irony in this particular disaster following so soon after the Christchurch article was published. More “living laboratories” of loss and lamentation?
Matthewman can also add Putin’s invasion of Ukraine to the list. A man-made disaster that the world largely sits back and watches, while a nation of heroes led by a resolute commander witnesses their homeland and its inhabitants being systematically targeted and destroyed.
What happened to the international campaigns for peace that followed World Wars I and II? Add to this the ongoing fight against the ravages of climate change, happening now and worsening.
Wouldn’t it be a miracle if Turkey and Syria, in the face of such drastic losses, begin to regret the time, energy and money wasted in waging war on one another? They could declare an amnesty
