By M K George
Rome, Feb 20, 2026: Imagine a stray dog in India—often attacked, poorly fed, and chased away by people. Any occasional kindness he receives is easily overshadowed by the countless hardships of daily life.
Yet this is the story of Aloka: once a stray, now a hero—a tale that feels destined for the big screen.
Aloka
Most people now know Aloka as a stray dog from Kolkata. In 2022, a group of Vietnamese-American Buddhist monks encountered him during their peace walk. Despite numerous challenges, including being hit by a car, Aloka followed them in their procession. The monks eventually adopted him and brought him to the United States.
Aloka then joined the ‘Walk for Peace,’ led by 19 Buddhist monks, which began on October 26, 2025, from the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavan Centre in Fort Worth, Texas. The walk, covering roughly 2,300 miles to Washington, D.C., concluded on February 10.
Aloka has captured the attention of the media and social media alike, not just for the affection he shares with people along the route, but also for his distinctive heart-shaped marking on his forehead. Even during the U.S. walk, Aloka faced a medical emergency that temporarily interrupted his journey, yet he has since reunited with the monks, often accompanying them in a vehicle.
Aloka carries a message for the world: if a stray dog can become a messenger of peace, why aren’t we all taking action, especially as the Doomsday Clock is reset?
The Doomsday Clock
On January 27, the Doomsday Clock was set at 85 seconds to midnight—the closest it has ever been. In simple terms, this means humanity is making choices that could lead to disaster very soon. The clock is not literal but serves as a warning about the dangers we face.
We know the key factors that will influence the Doomsday Clock: Possibility of nuclear war, extreme climate change, misuse of technologies like AI and biotechnology , global instability from wars, misinformation and a lack of trust among people and an unprecedented moral crisis behind it all.
Nuclear War
The threat of nuclear war is real. Today, there are about 12,500 nuclear warheads, ready for deployment at any moment. Countries such as Russia, the U.S., China, India, and Pakistan hold significant arsenals, often amid unresolved conflicts. Even a single rash decision could trigger a catastrophic attack.
Modern nuclear warheads, typically 100–500 kilotons,(in contrast to the ones dropped in Hiroshima which was only 15 kilotons) could destroy everything within 2–5 kilometres, with immediate fatalities within 1–2 kilometres and lingering radiation causing long-term harm.
Climate Change
Climate change is accelerating due to human activities like fossil fuel use, deforestation, and industrial emissions. Rising temperatures result in more frequent heatwaves, droughts, storms, and floods, while melting glaciers and polar ice caps raise sea levels. These changes disrupt ecosystems, threaten wildlife, reduce agricultural productivity, and endanger human health, disproportionately affecting the poor and vulnerable. In New Delhi, for instance, ‘from coughing workers to asthmatic school children, Delhi’s toxic air is quietly stealing years from the lives of the poor’, wrote Umar Manzoor Shah.
If left unaddressed, climate change could trigger widespread economic, social, and environmental crises.
New Technologies: AI and Biotechnology
AI is often praised for its potential to increase productivity and ease human labour. Yet, it also risks replacing jobs, spreading misinformation, reinforcing biases, and even threatening global safety. Deepfakes and AI-generated content have already contributed to social unrest.
Biotechnology promises medical and agricultural breakthroughs, but it carries risks such as accidental creation of dangerous pathogens, genetic misuse, and unethical experiments. Without strict ethical oversight, these technologies could pose serious dangers.
Stephen Hawking warned, “The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race. Once humans develop AI, it would take off on its own, and redesign itself at an ever-increasing rate. Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn’t compete, and would be superseded.”
Instability: Wars, Misinformation, and Distrust
According to the Copenhagen Peace Report 2025, there are roughly 56 active conflicts worldwide—the highest since World War II. ACLED reports that the number of conflicts has doubled in five years, exposing one in seven people to violence between July 2023 and July 2024. High-profile conflicts include the Russia-Ukraine war, the Sudanese civil war since 2023, the Gaza-Israel-Palestine conflict, and violence in parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Misinformation thrives amid these conflicts, eroding trust, especially regarding the treatment of migrants.
Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary said recently, “Our Priority must be to build unity in an age of division. Around the world we see the risk of societies breaking down under the weight of racism, nationalist xenophobia and religious bigotry. These poisons are corroding the fabric of communities, fuelling division and distrust. The dangers are not abstract; they are visible in the daily lives of millions, supercharged by rhetoric and disinformation that seeks to exclude rather than embrace.”
An (un)precedented moral crisis
This may not be unprecedented when viewed through the lens of history, but a severe moral crisis now confronts the world order. It is as though everyone has forgotten the Ten Commandments—or any comparable moral directives. One ubiquitous news story makes this painfully concrete: the Epstein files.
The list of individuals implicated in horrendous crimes reads like a who’s who of global power, spanning Western governments (in the United States, Democrats, Republicans, and business leaders), Arab states (including the UAE, Morocco, Bahrain, and others) and even India.
“The horrific revelations expose not only paedophilia and sex trafficking, but also high-level collusion aimed at increasing wealth by exploiting and defrauding others. It remains to be seen whether those responsible will ever be held accountable,” observed Mazin Qumsiyeh.
Respond Like Aloka
As the Doomsday Clock approaches midnight, Aloka’s journey with the monks offers a simple message: even a dog can be a messenger of peace.
If he can take to the road, perhaps we too can act to protect our world.
A thought from Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer will be an apt way to conclude: “One willing heart can’t stop a war. One willing heart can’t feed all the hungry. And sometimes, daunted by a task too big, I tell myself what’s the use of trying?
But today, the invitation is clear: to be ridiculously courageous in love.”
And, live a moral life!
(Father M K George is the Jesuits’ General Counsellor and Regional Assistant for South Asia, based in Rome.)
Very inspiring!