The state of humanity

The world has gradually become a less barbaric place than it was 150 years ago (slavery persisted in the U.S.), 75 years ago (Hitler and Stalin were just getting started), and even 15 years ago (genocide was rampant in Rwanda and the Balkins, and Saddam was free to pursue his Stalinist methods). But we still have a long way to go.

Link.

(CNN) -- Dozens of women were raped in a coordinated attack in the Democratic Republic of Congo on New Year's Day, Doctors Without Borders said Thursday. . .

Rape is a frequent weapon of war in Congo, the United Nations says.

It has named the Democratic Republic of Congo the "rape capital of the world," with 15,000 women raped in eastern Congo in 2009.

This type of news story helps bring me back to Earth when I drift toward self-pity about some inconvenient or unwelcome event in my life.