Bertrand Russell, the influential philosopher, mathematician, political activist, and prolific writer, was a tireless advocate for peace and social justice. His words, such as those that follow, continue to hold relevance and meaning.

For love of domination we must substitute equality; for love of victory we must substitute justice; for brutality we must substitute intelligence; for competition we must substitute cooperation. We must learn to think of the human race as one family.

The Sri Lankan Daily News reports that the Legal Aid Commission in Sri Lanka has requested that a special mediation law be extended to cover all tsunami-related disputes that will inevitably rise in the aftermath of December’s disaster. The goal here is to ensure that indigent victims would have a speedy and affordable means of obtaining redress for their losses. Mediation is certainly an effective way to accomplish such a goal, particularly in light of the fact that there will undoubtedly be numerous claims and disputes resulting from the resettlement and reconstruction process.