The UN, it needs no further introduction

This week, I took a tour of the United Nations. What a great concept, countries of the world collaborating to end war? All countries in the world, except the Vatican, are members.

I learned some very interesting statistics on the tour. Did you know that the United Nations costs $12 billion to run annually? Compare that with the $850 billion that the world is spending on war. It really makes you wonder where our priorities lie.

My favorite part of the tour was seeing the paintings (back to that in a minute) in a conference room where the UN Security Council meets. This is the body that discusses war, proliferation and security. It contains 15 members, 10 are temporary and 5 seats are permanent—they include the United States, Russia, China, France and the United Kingdom. Each permanent member has the power to veto a resolution, just by voting against it. This means a vote could be 14 to 1 and the resolution would not pass. That seems like a bit too much power if you ask me for the permanent members. Could you imagine if Congress worked this way?

The paintings in this room depicted the various stages of war. The victors celebrated their win while those defeated watched over the dead. One on the losing side stood with his arms raised, vowing that the lives lost would not be forgotten and he would rise up against the victors. This depicted the cycle of war. On the far right side of the room, a baby was raised up in a peaceful society. This was to represent the first child born into a post-conflict, peace-abiding society. Oh, I dream that we will see this day.

Another interesting fact is that President Woodrow Wilson’s name appears many places in Geneva, on hotels, signs, and a street. Why? He is credited with created the United Nations, in 1945. As you may know, the intent was to find peaceful solutions to world conflicts while avoiding war.

Stay tuned, this weekend’s journey is to Lausanne, where the Notre Dame Cathedral and Olympic stadium are located. It should be nice.