Everyone just wants to live a life of mundane tasks and group socialisation. They want to wake up and interact with family and pets. Go to work or school, complete tasks of growth challenge or wage earning, writes Ruta Mave.

Return home afterwards to play in sports or hobbies then eat together as a family, rest and be entertained before sleeping and waking to do it all again.

The worst we have to face is morning traffic, short lunch break, wet weather, hot weather, windy weather or forgotten password. Wait there is always land court now there is a war of words and wit if ever there was.

We do not have war. We have never had war, we can’t even comprehend war and what it would mean to have to face it on a daily basis. The closest I’ve come to some experience is being in the devastating Christchurch earthquake. Now that is something we can pin on God- maybe.

To date according to google as of November 5, 2024 43,391 Palestinians and 1706 Israeli have been reported killed in the Israel Hamas war. Including 134 - 146 journalists and media workers, 120 academics, 224 humanitarian workers and 179 employees of UNRWA. It’s been over a year.

The Russian Ukraine War is in its second year. According to the BBC Russia has 120,506 to 174,064 casualties by mid November 2024. 12 per cent 9683 were mobilised or conscripted and 18 per cent were convicts. Imagine signing up our rugby boys from Tereora and sending our pot head criminals to fight.

A US official has of October 2024 calculated Ukraine has 57,500 casualties and 250,000 wounded. In total nearly 1 million lives have been lost across both countries, and as in the Gaza civilians mostly women and children have been killed.

Both of these are at war because of one man’s notion of what he wants. 1985 when Sting sang the song The Russians love their children too, is just as true now as it was 49 years ago both sides of war have a familiar family life as the other.

We have a privileged life in paradise, an easy life we suffer first world problems but claim to be third world needy.

We are a Christian nation or so we believe, but I see we are questioning the legality of another’s belief? RAC have said the only legal religious factions in our constitution or theirs? Are CICC, Catholic, Seventh day Adventist and Latter Day-saints. So does that mean Assembly of God, Jehovah witness, Mormon, Celebration, FADC, Bahai are all illegal?

 There are those who wave the Israeli flag on their cars, I’m not sure if their belief is Judaism because that religion does not recognise Jesus or the holy trinity. Jesus is not the son of God because they are God’s children. If there is a secret synagogue, is it illegal too?

We had a large contingency of locals in Israel on a pilgrimage when the October 2023 incident occurred. At the time when there was fear for their lives real or imagined they were not a group of religious followers they were our kin our people and decisions were called to bring them home safely.

We have enjoyed welcoming to our shores Indonesians workers to cut grass, work in our tourist kitchens laundries and low end hospitality work. As a working populace they don’t drink or party. They do a great job with a smile for us, they are good tenants and look after our homes they rent.

They have been quietly going about their business of working and praying without fear or recriminations until now. Fear is a strong word and infers more than an enquiry of a mosque in Rarotonga and its legality. Unfortunately the religious zealots we have amongst us who think they are holier than thou, are shocking with their hypocritical comments.

We have a constitution that says no discrimination on religion gender or ability, yet we constantly battle Christians for the decriminalisation of the homosexuality bill to reminding congregations that having a disability is not a sin or God’s way of punishing you. Meanwhile, they allow the Ten Commandments to be broken and not punish those who regularly break them.  Why does there have to be an investigation into the existence of a mosque? There is no vetting of religious beliefs at the border so unless they are not fulfilling their work contract then leave them be.

We are one month from Christmas a time of joy and peace for all men on earth and under heaven. Can we please just stick to the program of living a life of beauty and decency towards humanity all around the globe because all people just want to live a happy life that honours their family, children and their God in love and harmony.