Has the world lost its conscience?

Apr 03, 2026 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

(Kaieteur News) –The world today stands on the edge of an energy crisis. But this crisis did not appear out of nowhere. It has been building, quietly and steadily, alongside a deep and growing indifference to human suffering.

As the conflict between Iran, Israel and the United States intensifies, the global oil market trembles. The Strait of Hormuz, that narrow passage through which so much of the world’s oil flows, has become a flashpoint of fear. Prices have surged. The cost of fuel is climbing, and with it, the cost of living for millions.

Even the United States, which does not depend heavily on that route, cannot escape the consequences. Gas prices rise. Families feel the pressure. And across the globe, from wealthy nations to struggling economies, the burden grows heavier.

But this crisis is not just about oil. It is about morality. Because while the world worries about oil, something far more horrifying has been unfolding in plain sight. What is happening in Gaza is not simply war. It is genocide. Entire communities have been reduced to rubble. Families have been wiped out. Tens of thousands of innocent men, women, children are still being slaughtered and those who are not, are being starved to death. The scale, the pattern, the relentless destruction, all point in one direction. And yet, the world has watched and done little.

Just as it did in Rwanda. Just as it did in Burundi. The same silence. The same hesitation. The same failure to act while human lives are erased.

Why? Because power has silenced principle. The influence of the United States has cast a long shadow over the world. And so the question must be asked again, more urgently than ever: has the world lost its soul?

Perhaps part of the answer lies not just with governments, but with people themselves. There was a time, not so long ago, when ordinary citizens refused to stay silent on international concerns. In the 1970s and 1980s, people marched, protested, and demanded justice. They forced leaders to listen. They made it impossible to ignore injustice. Today, that fire seems to have been dimmed. Yes, there have been protests around the world over Gaza. But not enough and not large enough to force real change. Here in Guyana a protest opposed to the genocide in Gaza drew only a handful of people. It was almost invisible. Yet, shortly after, a fitness walk attracted thousands.

That contrast is heartbreaking. It tells a story of a society, and perhaps a world, that is losing its conscience. History has warned us about this. When Adolf Hitler first rose to power, the world hesitated. By the time the world acted, it was too late. Tens of millions had died. The cost of that silence became one of humanity’s greatest tragedies. Today, the pattern feels disturbingly familiar. The genocide continues and is now emboldening Israel and itself sidekick, the United States to launch war against Iran, to attack Venezuela and abduct its leader, and to strangle the people of Cuba.

The conflict with Iran is escalating. Each strike and counterstrike brings the world closer to a wider war. Oil routes are under threat. Markets are unstable. Prices are rising. The energy crisis deepens. But let us be clear: this crisis did not begin with oil or a nuclear threat. It began with silence. It began when the world chose not to act, not to stand up to Israel and America in the face of what is happening in Gaza. The economic pain we now feel is the cost of abandoning our shared humanity. The evidence of the slaughter of the Palestinian people evidence is not being hidden. The world knows. The real question is why it has chosen to do so little. It is not too late to act. It is not too late for countries, including Guyana, to take a stand—to break ties, to raise their voices, to refuse to be complicit through silence. It is not too late to choose justice over fear. But time is running out. We got it wrong once before with Hitler. We told ourselves we did not know, or that it was not our place, or that it would pass. It did not. And now, history is watching us again. One day, future generations will look back at the third decade of the 21st century and ask what happened to the conscience of the world? And what will we say?

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

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conscience, energy crisis, Iran war, Israel genocide, Peeping Tom

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