The poet W.H. Auden pointed out that while all things horrible take place, dogs go on living their “doggy life and the torturer’s horse Scratches its innocent behind on a tree”.

The spectacles that were the organized protests last week against the very real possibility of war, again, made one wonder about humankind. More specifically, the two extremes present in all of us - the capacity to love and the willingness to hate. Public protest against anything is hardly an expression of love or support; rather it is perhaps the only means available in a free society to express displeasure, a united front of opposition to ideas and actions. And on the fringes of any of these protests we have the rabid zealots, blinkered lunatics whose passion is fueled not by reason but by hate.

Much more insidious and scary, from a western perspective, are the protesters who hide behind the shield of morality and agitate against war, clamour for reform, without even being aware of how they are arguing for the loss of that same shield. In a way they can be likened to Auden’s horse.

Freedom is something that must be fought for, once gained, it must be protected. For such is human nature. It only takes one evil man to gain power, and a nation is enslaved. Pol Pot, Stalin, Mao, Ho Chi Minh, Saddam Hussein - tyrants who feared only the sword of the righteous. This Christian concept has been perverted now by the left to mean the sword of the right wing.

US bashing is the world’s most popular sport. None of the opponents of the world’s most powerful nation seem to care that without the Americans the rest of the world might be enslaved in Africa, China, North Korea, and yes, Russia. The protesters last weekend in Moscow, carrying the stars and stripes emblazoned with a swastika sure had short memories.

This is the time that Bush backers trot out the unchallengeable fact that American military involvement has ensured freedom for Europe twice over tha last 100 years - yet in Europe abusing Yankees is fair game. This is also the time to point out how past American foreign policy allowed hundreds of millions to be yoked to the communist plough. And this is also the time to point out the ineffectiveness of protest against powerful regimes - historically, martyrdom results. The obvious exception is to be found in the American revolution itself. Idealistic to a fault, the foundations that built a country are still not available to all today, yet it is better than any other system.

No argument can be made against the principled protest. Just as none can refute that change can be brought by a principled few uniting the many against tyranny. The present protests are not such a cause, and western agitators should be warned to be careful -you just may get what you wish for. That would be a world where the North Koreas and Iraqs rule - the leaders of both countries live a sybaritic existence unknown and unavailable to their people. In America - the country defined by excess - pleasure can be sought by all, for the country is free.

Yeats wrote the famous lines - “The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate in tensity” in the aftermath of the war to end all wars, WW I. The poet’s point - much suffering and death could have been avoided, if national leaders had understood what war can wreak. It was the passion, the zealots, however, that made the war last as long as it did.

One is also reminded of the great ethical philosopher Benedict Spinoza, who preached tolerance, love of God and of all others. Spinoza had every cause to be bitter - a Jew whose family was chased from Spain (or Portugal - history is not sure) by the Inquisition, Spinoza was excommunicated by his own people. - Orthodox Jews had no truck with Spinoza’s theology. Spinoza’s theory of the emotions applies to war and the present day.

Everything, argued Spinoza, in so far as it is in itself, endeavours to persevere in its own being. Hence arise love and hate and strife, examples of an egoistic psychology. One that was later echoed by de Tocqueville’s analysis of American democracy, where equality will never be found for the competitive nature of humans will fight to deny others the level that they have attained. Spinoza commits a cop-out though, - one that philosophers, with their desires to attain and define absolutes often do. He felt that hatred is increased by being reciprocrated, and can only be destroyed by love. But so long as the wicked have power, it is of no use to use love (or “absence of hate”) to convince them of your motives. For it is hate that drives the tyrant, not love. On an ethical level, Christian level, the other cheek should, be turned. Yet, that is not an option for anyone when millions suffer. Spinoza effectively sought in his writings to liberate men from fear. That is the bailiwick of the philosopher, but it is more the responsibility of the politician, leader of people, and if the means to attain freedom be war, then sometimes, it must be said, as in the Bible - so be it.

War is never kind. If we see - as we should - the universe gradually improving, higher living standards and freedoms becoming available to more people than ever before, we cannot forget what Spinoza did not - the sum of good and evil are the same today as in the past. In the balance, kindness does not erase cruelty.

But let’s leave the last thought not to a philosopher but to a painter - Pieter Brueghel. His depiction of “Icarus” holds a powerful and unexpected message. Icarus soars in the sky - to God, to freedom, to love - , but his wings held by wax melt in the fierce heat of this love, and he falls into the sea. Yet, Brueghel’s Icarus is painted into a corner of the canvas - the rest of the painting depicts everyday life going on. Icarus’ death brings no change. The plowman may have heard the splash - but it concerns him not. Leisurely life continues away from disaster, Americans hear not the bombs over Kabul, or soon, Baghdad.

Gengis Khan, Torquemada and Beria listened only to the sword, not the sermon of love. Saddam will not listen to love but will heed hate, no matter how the impassioned intensly protest against it.

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