COLUMNIST and broadcaster Simon Jenkins wrote an article that underlines the thinking that would lead to the kind of human behaviour that would enable fair societies to be developed and maintained.

If we cared to study the range of human beliefs that there is a super power beyond that of humans, we would find that all of them were based on people using their abilities to contribute to a constructive society.

Given such common beliefs there should be no problems respecting the approaches of any groups.

Unfortunately, humans modify beliefs in order to gain personal advantages. The process of gaining those advantages often results in confrontation that lead to the kind of wars that we see in the Middle East today.

The outside powers that attempt to bring about changes to a humanitarian approach are confronted by violence. This structure will continue to exist until we resolve to bring about education that can change distorted beliefs to beliefs that carry respected actions that meet human needs.

Changes take time and are often endangered by the loss of patience that results in violent action that either destroys or delays the changes. An example is Simon’s description of the Iraq situation.

Bill Morehead, Darlington