Sir, - Your front page Editorial marking the turn of the millennium (The Irish Times, January 3rd) was indeed a thoughtful piece of writing. I would like to comment on a number of the issues you raise since I believe that they provide considerable scope for reflection at this time.
In much of the article, you refer to the knowledge which mankind amassed during the century just ended. The knowledge that wars start easily and are concluded with difficulty, the knowledge that the Earth holds limited natural resources, the knowledge that in co-operation and combination mankind can survive and thrive - all of these are cited as being examples of what we have learned over the past 100 years.
Yet I am moved to comment that this knowledge is not universal; although those of us in the developed world now have access to unprecedented amounts of knowledge and information, countless millions remain excluded from even basic education as a result of a range of factors including their countries' levels of indebtedness to us in the richer countries. Even when countries have resources, education remains a contentious issue.
What the 18th century Enlightenment thinkers might have called an education system based on "science" is contentious in a world where many nations (including France, home of the Enlightenment) look to their education systems as a key factor in nation-building. Not that there is anything wrong with nation building, but the issue of how it can be done while avoiding jingoism or the perpetuation of suspicion and distrust is a major issue, not least for those who devise syllabuses in history, civics or religion.
Thus the lack of universal knowledge and the nature of the knowledge passed on are factors which you could have addressed.
Even in those countries which have enjoyed the benefits of the knowledge you describe, perhaps the real issue at the dawn of the 21st century is surmounting man's ability to forget the lessons of history at those very moments when they are most necessary. You mention many of the key lessons in co-operation between the world's peoples.
Yet we ourselves live in a country which is rapidly running short of people to fill vacancies across the economy, and the answer from many people - including some senior figures in politics - to those who seek a future among us is a surrender to the intolerance, hatred and xenophobia which our planet's history has warned us against and which we refuse to fight at our peril. That fight for the basic values of civilisation is one for our leaders, our media (often happy to boost their ratings by pandering to the lowest common denominator), our educators and ultimately every one of us that seeks to act on the lessons of the darker periods of human history. - Yours, etc., Barry Hennessy,
Downside Heights, Skerries, Co Dublin.