Ramana asks us this week - Is Global Peace Possible?
When I was in college in 1971 and 1972 I stumbled into a course that introduced me to a fellow named David Mitrany and his work A Working Peace System. Essentially, the functionalist approach Mitrany espoused centered around the notion that peace is more than simply the absence of war. Nations could lessen antagonisms by cooperating on common issues such as economics and technology through small. lean international agencies.Once working relations were established between nations the benefit would be obvious, tensions lowered and this working peace system would evolve. It all made so much sense to me back then. Unfortunately, life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.
After 40 years of life - literally a lifetime of experiences - I am continuously amazed by the potential for humanity. I am not, however, prepared to be as optimistic about something as important as Global Peace. Simply put, there's not a chance in hell of it happening. Why?
1) Religion
2) Greed
Religion is great for some people - necessary even, But how many religions profess to be the one true religion?? How many claim it's their way or the highway - that highway usually leading straight to some version of hell. Muslim extremists hijack the faith and we deal with terrorism. So-called Christian extremists hijack the faith. Look at the history of Northern Ireland. Religion and politics simply do not mix. And any fundamentalist that claims to know the only true way to anything is simply not constructed to live in peace. Just 2 short, quick examples. There are many others.
Remember the Green Revolution? Currently 850 million or more people are starving worldwide - why? Since the Green Revolution enough food has been produced to feed those people but...for some reason we cannot seem to adequately or properly distribute something as necessary for survival as food. Too many people are lining their pockets along the way and the food simply doesn't get where it is needed. I am embarrassed that a country as wealthy as ours still has starving people. If we cannot distribute food here how can it be done internationally?
The capitalist says only the markets can produce a thriving economy. The progressive says the capitalist exploits the worker in the name of profit. The counter person at your neighborhood fast food emporium claims they cannot earn a living wage - we need to double the minimum wage. The owner says he/she'll have to close their doors. Truth is they'll just raise prices and that counter person has lost sight of the fact that the job was never meant to support a family.. Rational thought has left the building.
IMO religion and greed are at the heart of nearly every conflict in history. Nothing happening now makes me think anything is changing. Emerging nations want the same rights and privileges claimed by countries like the U.S.A, Canada, Germany - we have nuclear weapons, it is therefor every nation's right to have them. If the supposedly most rational, compassionate nation on the planet has used them what is to prevent the most irrational nations from using them?
The deck is stacked against global peace. With a bit of luck, all out global conflict won't happen but I suspect there is a generation or two faced with the prospect of terrorist attacks and small regional conflicts - the pressure reducers that will keep global conflict at bay.
That's what I think - in a randomly thought out scatter-brained approach. What do I want?
This one is as true today as it was originally
What do my pals in the LBC have to say? Check them out
Bar gaelikaa, I think that all of us agree that there is no hope for global peace. I am yet to see TOF write, but I doubt that he will say anything radically different.
ReplyDeleteI agree that there is no chance for world peace. But you left one reason off your list. Another reason is quest for power. But your friend's ideas actually do sound really good
ReplyDeleteD I'd simply include the quest for power with greed - they seem inextricably linked
DeleteAs long as there are extremists who demand that we live by their ideology or die there will be no peace in this world.
ReplyDeleteblessings ~ maxi
I agree that it simply is not possible with the current evolution of humanity. As I wrote, I think there is an even greater driver than those we mention, unsustainable population explosion, that will force our hand as a species, one way or the other. The mode of survival or extinction may answer the question in the very long run.
ReplyDeleteMighty impressed with your thoughts Sir. Right from the definition of peace in early 1970s to the last video.
ReplyDeleteYou are right about religion (I would put one adjective "Organized" ahead of that). At the same time I feel religion is very personal (individual) opinion, once it becomes herd mentality problem crops up.
I think greed, can be beyond economics. Greed in terms of owning anything or anyone e.g. person, piece of land. Person as in love and piece of land as in country. In this line of thought we can define greed in many ways - is love (in the form of owning "rights" on someone) also kind of greed? Yes if the person loving other wants to control and own the other.
Global peace as LBC all have answered in No seems very correct in present sense of the world. But I am still hopeful, when we start from ourselves peace will be possible. Also, if we start defining peace as peace of mind of each individual I think spirituality can be the answer - meditation or devotion (without feverishness) etc.
Yes, it's true. Strange that it should be like that. If you look in the Bible where Moses gives the Law to the Children of Israel, they had laws which helped them look after the poor. Farmers weren't supposed to pick up the wheat that fell do the ground during harvesting, for instance, that were supposed to be left for the poor. But all systems are susceptible to corruption, I suppose.
ReplyDelete