Many years ago a young Israeli told me a joke which he found funny, probably because it dealt with an apparently absurd situation. However, I believe that it has an underlying message that can teach an important lesson to the "civilized" world as well.
It is said that a cannibal once reprimanded a very cultured individual from Europe in these words, "You 'civilized' people claim that we cannibals are barbaric, but it is you people who are truly barbaric. After all, we only kill as many people as we need to eat; but you 'civilized' people, with your advanced weaponry and sophisticated bombs, kill many more people than can be eaten. So it is the 'civilized' nations who are killing for no purpose, and are therefore barbaric!"
I hope that everyone who reads this sees the underlying moral lesson: As long as the "civilized" world is using its advanced science only for weaponry and war, than indeed it is at least as savage as the primitive cannibals. It is only when humankind's advances in all fields are used to further the Tselem Elokim (Godly image) within us that they have true value in making us more civilized!
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