Although the majority of humans are decent, there are sufficient numbers of those who are not to make life unpleasantfor the rest; those bitter and twisted individuals who refuse to tolerate anyone with a different viewpoint are OK down the pub or at a party. All they do is to moan about their particular pet hates. But then there are the activists like Hitler or religious leaders who manipulate others; they create violence and inflict suffering on innocent people who just want to get on with their own lives. Why? Because of their political or religious beliefs. Or maybe both. Sadly religion (or a purported belief in religion) is often at the root of things, followed by politics. Although politicians start the wars, each side usually claims God, Allah or some other deity as an ally.

Some people blame Islam for the majority of religious troubles but that is wrong really. Indeed, at the present time there are many extremists operating in Islam and they currently are the leading religion in terms of the body count of innocent victims but when you look at the other main religions you find plenty of intolerance and murder in the name of God - the Spanish Inquisition, crusades, persecution of the Waldensians, Tianjin Massacre of French Catholics in China, the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre and other killings directed against the Hugenots plus the post-partition killings of Muslims by fanatical Hindus. Saddly, it is usually the poorest and most banal who suffer, for example, in the Indian massacres just mentioned, the elite class muslims had moved to Pakistan and were safe, the poorest classes could not move and thus became targets.

In addition, tolerance of other religions comes in milder forms. In the UK for instance, the burka (Islam women's veil) is accepted but 20 miles over the channel it is vigorously opposed. A subtle form of persecution is unfolding in the USA with an Islam extremist leader campaigning for a restriction on free speech and to have a huge 15 storey mosque built on the site of the World Trade Towers, destroyed by other extremist Muslims in a suicide attack. Needless to say, it is being opposed.

But individuals can make a stand, individuals can live in harmony if they follow the TASKS philosophy, which is basically about respecting the lives and beliefs of other people.

TASKS stand for Truthfulness, Accountability, Service, Kindness and Selflessness. Truthfulness is being truthful and honest in all that we do. Accountability is being responsible to someone for our actions. Service is using our inner spirits to ensure that we are acting in a way that will benefit others. Kindness is always acting in a friendly and courteous manner, one in which we would expect others to return. Finally Selflessness is acting in a way which puts others' needs and thoughts before ourselves.

It is a shame that all of the individuals promoting religious and political tolerance are not all gathered together under one 'roof' as it were. Why? Because divided we fall.

It is similar to many people standing on the banks of a lake, throwing small stones into it compared with dropping a boulder. The ripples from 50 people throwing their small stones into the lake soon die down without much notice. But if the 50 people gathered together, think of the size of boulder they could heave into the lake - now that would make a big splash!

So let's work together to throw in that big boulder and get the message through to World leaders and extremists. Without the supply of suicide bombers and mercenaries, they would have no teeth.

World peace. The objective is difficult, maybe even impossible but surely we humans need to try?