Hilary Robertson-Hickling

Last week the new seven wonders of the world were announced. They had been selected by 100 million persons with internet access. In spite of the controversy about the method of voting the announcement reminds us that there is wonder in our world, and that our collective ancestors have given us much of which we can be proud.

The wonders are Chichen Itza in Mexico, Christ The Redeemer in Brazil, The Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu in Peru, Petra in Jordan, The Roman Colosseum, The Taj Mahal in India and the honorary wonder Great Pyramid of Egypt. The wonders explode the myth that the only people capable of greatness are the Europeans and that Napoleon's efforts to blow off the broad African nose of the Nubians has bequeathed a disfigured Sphinx in Egypt.

His modern day counterpart the American Donald Rumsfeld spoke with glee and the kind of the abysmal ignorance displayed by those who think that 'they have the whole world in their hands' as the antiquities were looted in Baghdad during the most recent attempt to conquer Iraq . The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers have seen many conquerors come and go and the sad thing is that they never learn from the mistakes that their predecessors have made.

China and India which are retaking their places as world powers each boast one of the wonders; and the Aztecs and the Incas have reminded us that in spite of the efforts of the Spanish to destroy them, they have overcome and outlasted their conquerors in South America. Jordan, Italy, Brazil and Egypt are the homes of the rest. One of the lessons I hope is that there is no superior race and that the contribution of the great and small is valuable. No war should allow a group to destroy our collective heritage. It is a terrible shame that the Taliban destroyed the figure of the Buddha in Afghanistan and that modern day malcontents and others who are confused about their greatness destroy a heritage that reminds us that we are capable of more than just brutality and greed.

If we fail to inspire the new generation

If we are unable to inspire the present generation and those yet unborn with a sense of hope and human possibilities we are in deep trouble. This leads us to think about the wonders of the Caribbean and of course the wonders of Jamaica. I would like us to have an Internet selection process and I think that this might help us to realize that we do have wonders which are part of the world's heritage. Many of them are the natural formations which stand to be destroyed by modern day malcontents and conquistadors. The wonderful white sand beaches will no longer exist after global warming and pollution have drowned them. After we have dumped rubbish and raw sewage and the sheer number of people have placed so much pressure on the delicate ecosystem that we have to share, little will be left.

We need to understand that we are creating deserts by our own action and that we can do much more as stewards of a potentially wonderful world.