Roger Cohen I want this column to be good. I want it to be so good, it wins a prize. One of those big prizes, like the ones they hand out every year in Stockholm and Oslo. I want it to be subtle and full of goodness and infuse all humankind with hope. Let me be clear: I want it to be uplifting, conciliatory and bold. In fact I want it to carry some miraculous quality. Ive travelled the world, seen the forgotten silos on the plains, the rusting railroad cars, the forbidding watchtowers, the scavengers in the garbage, the fatigue-smudged faces, the refugees sprawled on the school room floor, the lonely lingerers, the freighters hardening the horizon, the beautiful and the damned. Along the way Ive learned this: We deny our connectedness at our peril. Let me be clear: This is the 21st century. Ive known the walls that divide us, the propaganda of hate, the crops that wither, the seas that rise, the networks that go down, the tires that go flat, the light bulbs that go out, the subways that stop and the delays at OHare Airport. Thats a lot of different problems. And I want there to be no doubt: The problems we face can only be solved together. I want this column to advance peace, to banish the specter of nuclear winter, to spread solar energy, to stop ice caps melting, to halt pandemics, save energy, spare lives, reconcile Arabs and Jews, and lets not forget the Persians. In fact, I want so much from this column, I thought about not writing it, so that what would be left was a beautiful blank space that readers could fill with their most cherished fantasies. I thought about just thinking about it. A virtual column, waiting to be written, poised atop the vortex, is one filled with infinite possibility. With each word I write I am confining it. The way reality encroaches on fantasy is terrible to bear. But thats the human condition we share whether we are black, white or - increasingly - brown. Let there be no doubt: I want Turks and Armenians to embrace, something good for South Ossetia, and peace sans pygmies - forgive me, sans persecutions - in Pyongyang. May the spirit of Moses, Jesus and Muhammad - peace be upon them too - spread in the Holy Land. Some will say Im a dreamer. Some might find themselves unable to engage with these engaging aspirations even if this is the age of engagement. But there is no alternative to engagement except, perhaps, divorce, alienation, separation, enmity, competition, rivalry, envy, misunderstanding, threats, intimidation and rage - all of which I reject on principle. There have always been doubters, skeptics, losers - and Republicans. But I say to them: The hopeful will inherit the earth. And I say to them: Read my mass e-mailings or see me on Twitter. I know, Philip Roth writes more than two dozen novels and cant get a Nobel. But Im sure I think more beautiful thoughts. If my thoughts were dark I might want to be a novelist rather than a columnist. I know, Nelson Mandela spent more than two dozen years imprisoned and he did get a Nobel. But, well, Ive lost my train of thought. What I know is this: The hypothetical is worthless in history. And Im sure many of you are saying to yourselves: Its just fine and dandy hoping for all these wonderful things, but what about deeds, actions, achievements, results? Forgive me, but thats so 20th century. We live in a virtual age. We are the Wii-players of history Our medium is thin air. We dont have to get our fingers dirty for things to move in the direction we desire. In conclusion, I know this column has fallen short. I am aware of its shortcomings, its banality and its immodesty. You know, I love Norway. Its the anti-Denmark. I love its fjords and its Munchs. The fjords remind us of the beauty of the planet we all share. The Munchs illustrate the eternal agony of the human condition-but forget that. Hope trumps experience every time. Finally, let me be clear: All prize money is payable to me. Khaleej Times