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protected as he sought refuge in God in times of trouble.
Often, Sam was able to find parallels with this project and the life of David. The development of AI Robot drones would be an apt tribute to the warrior David. Here was a weapon with immense capabilities to be used against deadly enemies.
Despite the research and studies that went into the development of the AI Ro- bot drone, there were several nagging doubts in his mind. Had he considered all possibilities and aspects of an inevitable attack by an enemy? He had pored over years of documents on warfare and ter- rorist attacks by various countries. What if there was an unscripted method of at- tack developed by the enemy? Sam’s nu- merous brainstorming sessions among- people from diverse backgrounds helped alleviate those doubts and they built ad- ditional technological capabilities in the AI Robot drone.
The shocking ‘9/11’ destruction of America’s twin towers was foremost in his thinking. Here was a perfect example of the vulnerability and loopholes that could be used by an enemy, despite the best of technology, security capabilities and prowess of that nation. Sam remem- bered being shocked and dumbstruck by the sight of shattering glass and steel frames of two, one hundred-plus storeys of the building come crashing down. This would never be erased from his memory. The loss of thousands of lives left him distraught. The question that Sam was asking himself was apt: Where and to whom could people and nations turn in case of another diabolic attack of this magnitude?
He did not want to see the destruction of innocent lives, and desperately wanted
to change things.
In the midst of this project, the Cov- id-19 pandemic struck, leaving a trail of disaster. Economies were being devas- tated. More than 170 countries were pre- dicted to experience negative per capita income growth. Immunizations not yet created were needed and many were dying.
The UN Secretary-General António Guterres sounded a grave warning:
“Unless we act now, the Covid-19 pandemic will cause unimaginable dev- astation and suffering around the world. Hunger and famine of historic propor- tions will be upon us. Sixty million more people have already been pushed into extreme poverty. Up to half the global workforce, 1.6 billion people are already without livelihoods. A loss of $8.5 trillion in global output — the sharpest contrac- tion since the Great Depression of the 1930s is staring at us. We must avoid it.”
There were many questions left an- swered in Sam’s mind. Evil, suffering and death still baffled him. But he continued to stand unwavering in his trust in God.
In the midst of this, the Bible verses of 1 Thessalonians 2:17 and Jeremiah 17:9 were of great comfort to Sam as they confirmed that God was not the author of evil, but rather the human heart, des- perately wicked which is the source of all evil. No one of us could have predicted how evil Governments, Despots, and even individuals could act against na- tions and people. Neither the League of Nations, formed for maintaining peace among nations after the First World War (now disbanded), nor the United Na- tions formed after the Second World War have been able to contribute any-
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