Episode 1016 A Plea for Peace: Addressing Global Tensions

Hi everyone. It's a good morning where I am in Central Australia, Alice Springs, and I'm Murray Stewart. I'm your host and your presenter. This is episode 1016 of Blind Magic in Alice Springs. I'm worried. Yes, I am. I am worried by the state of affairs across the world. I am. I don't think we've been in more dangerous times since the Second World War. And I so wish we could diffuse some of the world's leaders' egos and get them to retreat from their current trajectory.

Yeah, their current position, which appears to be that Putin wants Ukrainians to be Russian again, and Xi Jinping wants the Taiwanese to be Chinese again. But I ask the question, why? I do ask that question because, you know, when you divorce and separate as people do, then surely the other party goes on to create a new life and to be independent and they should be allowed to do so. And providing it doesn't affect your life, what's the big deal? And that is exactly what's happened in the case of the Taiwanese and also in the case of the Ukrainians. They have developed a new life and they are essentially now independent. Taiwan from China and Ukraine from Russia. So let them be. Let them be.

You just do what you do well. And wouldn't and has not made any difference to the Chinese people in China or the Russian people in Russia. You can still be a great nation and be independent from those emerging countries like Taiwan, like the Ukraine. I have no understanding as to why the egos of the leaders of both China and also Russia want them back, and they're prepared to kill people to do it. Of course, this is a foolhardy mission, an extremely foolhardy mission, particularly in the case of Taiwan. Because it is a known fact and has been known for a long time that if China moves on Taiwan, then NATO will swing into action. It will. And it pains me to think that Australia, that is a part of NATO, would then be at war with the Chinese. It pains me.

It really does pain me because I love the Chinese people. I've never met a bad Chinese person, never, not once. They're wonderful people. So the last thing I want for our nation's young people and for all of us is to be at war just because of the mission, the frolic and the ego of a leader who is determined to drag, in this case, Taiwan back into the Chinese. is full. Why? Why is it that important that you're prepared to plunge your own nation and the world into war? And of course, we know the consequences of that with countries that have extensive nuclear weapons. We know the consequences of that. They talk about the Third World War. Well, because there is sufficient nuclear arseholes now that would effectively end life as we know it in the world. I don't want that. I'm sure you don't want that. I cherish our young people and I want a future for them without war.

Someone needs to pull Xi Jinping back from this absurd approach that he currently appears to be taking. And when I say that, he has not come out and said that he's actually going to go in anytime soon. Why would he? That would be a tactical blunder. but he has made it clear that he does consider Taiwan as being Chinese territory. Well, Xi, it's not. It's not. That was settled many years ago. Taiwan is now an independent state and should be left alone to be so, to make their own way. And what's it to you? China's doing fine. thank you very much. Why don't you ensure that your people can live in peace and harmony for the rest of their life, and so do the Taiwanese people?

And so that's my appeal today, for what it's worth, to leaders like Xi Jinping, and even to President Putin from Russia. I mean, that horse has well and truly bolted. He has gone into Ukraine and it appears that he's not for turning. But I have no understanding as to why this is so important to him that he wants to drag Ukrainians back into being Russian. So I would ask President Putin to take a different course of action, to bring his troops home and to just continue being a strong Russia and allow Ukrainians to be what they want their country to be. Yeah, allow them to be independent, allow them to be free, and allow them and, of course, your country and your country's people to live in peace and harmony.

I think the Middle East conflict is the least of our concerns. But in respect to that conflict, it's all up to Hamas. Hamas started this back in October last year. We know that. And so therefore, they should also surrender. They should surrender and they should return all of the remaining hostages and then it would be all over. So yeah, look, from my position sitting here on my chair here in beautiful, peaceful Australia, of course, I can make these pleas and make these pronouncements and it probably will carry absolutely no influence whatsoever, but that is my plea today. It is my plea to all of those leaders.

The leaders of Hamas surrender and give back all of the hostages. Xi Jinping, pull back. Pull back from this idea that Taiwan should be a part of the Chinese nation once again. Pull back from that. Let them be free. Let them be independent whilst you remain free and independent as well. And the same goes for Russia and President Putin, as I said. Look, it's troublesome times. It's unsettling times. And you know, I do care about our young people. I do. I care about their future very, very much. I want us all to live in peace and harmony. But these are unsettling times, there's no doubt about it. Reflect on that, reflect on that and don't be afraid to express your own views around your kitchen table and to the leaders beyond your kitchen table.

This has been episode 1016, a Blind Magic Communications production.