Our ability to defend ourselves against an aggressor, be they a foreign state or terrorists, has always been little more than token. Nothing has really changed since the World War II days when the Home Guard patrolled the coastline, ready to repel Japanese invaders with their .303s and very limited ammunition. Our armed forces today might well be among the best-trained in the world, and our Army in particular has a magnificent reputation in terms of peace keeping, but when bullets start to fly we will be vastly outnumbered in war, or, in the event of the lone lunatic, as constrained as the forces of law and order in every other country where human life isn't cheap.
One-time MP Richard Prebble famously noted post-9/11, after a Labour government sold the RNZAF's Skyhawks, that if someone took it into their head to fly a Cessna into the BNZ building in Auckland no one would be able to stop him. His point is as valid now as it was then; if someone really wants to hurt us, they will.
Perhaps Australia was always going to be the more likely terrorist target in this neighbourhood - and even if Man Haron Monis was a 'lone wolf,' as has been claimed, rather than a servant of the Islamic State, the Taliban or anyone else, he was a terrorist by every measure. Australia is bigger than us and more gung ho about meeting its obligations to maintaining global law and order, which is not endearing it to some especially dangerous factions, while we seem to be generally perceived as relatively benign, or perhaps harmless. Long may we remain so.
But if Sydney was bad, the shooting of 141 people, 132 of them children, at a school in Peshawar defies every concept of humanity. The fanatics who committed that atrocity were dispatched to Paradise, but the Taliban has warned that there is more to come, apparently in revenge for the killing of Taliban children by Pakistan's Army. And, in case another excuse was needed, the Taliban does not approve of education, believing that it opens the door for Western culture to pollute young minds. Western culture might have its shortcomings, but it doesn't condone the slaughtering of children, or anyone else, as a political statement.
Thank God this is all happening a world away from New Zealand, but that hardly reduces the horror, or our obligation, with other countries, to side with the defenceless. If indeed such an obligation exists. Plenty say it doesn't, and any attempt, notably by the United States, widely regarded as the world's self-appointed policeman, to intervene will no doubt be derided, and ineffective.
At the end of the day the existence of the Taliban and IS are issues for the cultures that host them, and that they prey upon, but consider the problems we in New Zealand have in dealing with gangs, for example. Anyone care to ban the Taliban? Pakistan is meeting force with force, but even if it is successful, and that's a big if, the war will only be won at the cost of countless more innocent victims.
The Taliban made it clear last week that it had no interest in currying favour with Pakistan's general population. It doesn't care what fellow Pakistanis think of it; it will have its way, whatever the cost of that might be.
Peshawar puts Martin Place in some perspective, although this kind of abomination is new to Australia. In Pakistan killing has long been a way of life. Mind you, Martin Place will probably resonate with the West more than Peshawar will. The death of Australian cricket player Phillip Hughes prompted a delay to the test between New Zealand and Pakistan. The deaths of 132 children and nine adults in their own country warranted no such reprieve for the Pakistani players in last week's ODI.
Perhaps Americans are not alone in believing that the life of one of theirs is worth much more than any number of others.
And so, as we prepare to celebrate Christmas in our little bastion of peace and sanity down here in the south-west Pacific, perhaps we could spare a thought for the countless millions who are experiencing Hell on Earth. Perhaps we should re-assess our problems, and give some thought to whether we should be more grateful for all that we have, and the peace, tolerance and safety that we take for granted.
We are blessed with a country where children come home from school. Where those who offer no threat to others are generally tolerated in their beliefs and cultures, and are allowed to live their lives as they see fit. Where our most pressing problems are whether a foreigner with a criminal history should be able to buy a political party, and whether breweries should be allowed to sponsor sporting events.
Life can deal some fairly harsh blows here too, but rarely via the hands of a malicious lunatic. Most of us face life confidently expecting that we will die peacefully in our beds, not at the hands of a murderer for whom life has no value or meaning.
Perhaps we could put aside for the moment the avarice that has become such a big part of Christmas. Perhaps we could put aside the sense of entitlement that feeds so much dissatisfaction. Perhaps we could stop pretending that we can read the minds of our long-gone ancestors, and concentrate on doing the best we can for ourselves, our families, and above all our children and generations to come with all the God-given advantages we have here, free for the taking.
This Christmas, perhaps we should count our blessings. Think of those around the world who are in mourning as the result of needless, mindless violence, and those who have good reason to fear the gun, the knife and the bomb. And if there is any chance at all that God might defend New Zealand we should implore Him to do that. No harm in asking.
Merry Christmas, and best wishes for a wonderful, peaceful 2015.
