Why won't Nigeria get it together?

Last week, the Miss World contest was moved out of the nation of Nigeria because about 500 people were killed and injured in a riot that supposedly broke out because of some insignificant comment made about Mohammed the prophet of Islam.

When will Nigeria, with its vast oil wealth, come to grips with its potential for the continent of Africa and mature sufficiently to allow expressions not liked to be spoken? One of the signs of immaturity is an intolerance toward undesired speech.

The world has seen enough violence and murder, shameful death sentences and clinic bombings. We have seen enough people thinking that to stop undesired statements is to kill other human beings. Is life so cheap that we will kill a person for the smallest infraction of our supposed dignity or sacred beliefs?

Throughout the world, Africa, America, Europe, etc., a rush to violence as the method to resolve insignificant grievances is becoming the order of the day. We have mesmerized ourselves into thinking that violence and death are the way of stopping the undesired.

Why not rush to civility? Shouldn't more wealth and education breed more civility? It seems instead of civility being afoot in America and throughout much of the world, we are becoming less tolerant than more tolerant. With great wealth, power, and education come great responsibility and restraint.

Nigeria is too rich and too enlightened to allow a few poorly educated and irresponsible zealots to drive form it an international affair because they took offense at some comment made about a religious figure. Such offenses should be tolerated by an intelligent nation.