The world gone mad

"Could it be that I am the only sane person in a world gone crazy?"

The question was posed by a fellow blogger. He cited a whole range of evidence to suggest that the world is mad.

I agree - the world is crazy. The evidence is clearly apparent. The global financial crisis, wars, the inability of people to solve problems using rational means. The inability to talk to each other. South Africa experienced a moment of sanity in 1994 when deadly enemies sat down together, talked and found a solution.

But these scenarios are few and far between.

There can be little doubt. The world is crazy. But it has not just gone crazy. There is a long history of craziness preceding the twenty-first century. Gladiators fighting to the death was prime-time entertainment to the Romans. So was throwing a man into a lion's den. All through history there have been instances of madness. The Spanish Inquisition. The First World War. Hitler. The Nazis. Franco. Mussolini.

Today there are wars all over the world. The US government has dedicated $700 billion to rescue banks that face bankruptcy as a result of greed. This is in addition to the hundreds of billions already spent. Europe has followed a similar path. Is this sanity?

The root of the whole crisis is also insane. People were making huge profits from the so-called hedge funds. Naturally, when there is little underlying value the bubble will pop sooner or later. It happened later with devastating effects. This is greed taken to a monumental extent.

What evidence is there that there is any sanity in the world?