Reflecting on this marvelous story of the successful separating of conjoined twins has raised this question for me. It concerns the preparation that surely preceded such an operation. No doubt a team of medical specialists sat down on a number of occasions and carefully planned the sequence the operation would take. Each would contribute their expertise and experience. Each realising that their part was critical to the whole. There may well have been some initial disagreements.

Each had before them always a greater good namely offering a new way of living to each of the sisters; this greater good no doubt was the driving force behind all they considered and guided their decision making. Altruism was the fuel that was being burnt!, and long into the night! 32 hours for the entire operation.

My question I hold is what would happen if a similar kind of altruism burned during all those International Committees and Conventions and Convocations and Delegations etc when groups from around the world meet to discuss climate change, world poverty and disease, unfair agricultural sanctions? What would happen I wonder if all the pharmaceutical companies rather than competing for “their” answer to AIDS (and of course the huge financial windfall) actually pooled their knowledge and clinical trials? I suspect there would be an answer to AIDS within a very short time. I concede, I am no scientist, however I do know that greed and power do not live so comfortably with altruism.

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