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 II.
Content and strategy for change: Philosophy, Methodology and Culture
III.
Remaining tasks
I. Introduction:
A path to Earth peace
Peace is such a familiar word to us. Every language
has a word for it. It is used in many ways...outer peace, inner
peace and even "Peace on Earth" which is routinely expressed
during the winter holiday season. This word "Peace" is
not familiar because we have enjoyed it for a long time; rather,
it is something that has come to us based on an ancient and deep
human longing.
There is already much talk and theory about peace
all around us. Almost everyone, predictably, says that he or she
wants peace and many are working for peace in very impressive and
dedicated ways. Yet, when asked about the purpose of a war people
answer it is to put an end to other wars or " for peace".
Although most people say they want it, and some people want it so
fervently that they are willing to give their lives for it, our
reality is still far from peace. This situation causes us to consider
the most fundamental questions:
Do we have a consensus for the definition of
peace?
Do we really want such a peace?
Is there a way to actualize such a peace?
These questions lead us to deeply consider whether peace is possible
for humanity and more fundamentally to ask whether it is possible
for humanity to continue to exist in its absence. Top
1. Peace is more than the absence of war
When peace is defined simply as an individual
and subjective experience, it actually becomes irrelevant to the
bigger question of the continued existence of the humanity. All
of us know only too well that even if there is peace for an individual,
peace for a family or even peace for a country, that peace can easily
be affected by changes in surrounding circumstances. We know just
how vulnerable and fragile that peace is to negative forces coming
from inside and out. We also know well that even if we can realize
peace between individuals, religions, and countries, the peace will
not last long without taking into consideration other life forms
on earth and the Earth itself, for peace does not just mean an absence
of war. Our conception of peace cannot be limited to the peaceful
co-existence of human beings, countries, and religions. While these
are important to peace, we must expand our thinking. Top
2. World peace must be of, with and for the Earth
A healthy, robust and living Earth is the root
and foundation of all the values we are seeking. World peace without
a premise of health of the Earth is merely an abstract concept.
This is the reason it is important to emphasize that the only real
peace we can achieve is not just peace for an individual, group
religion or country, but also 'Peace with and for the Earth'. It
is critical at this point in our history that we interpret and accept
peace in a way that makes the health of the Earth central along
with the harmonious interaction of all life on Earth. It is not
because such a definition of peace is a desirable ideal but because
it is the one and only real and sustainable peace there is.
There are many obstacles before us on the road
to an Earth Peace. Many people, including scientists, say that our
system of civilization is not sustainable and that even the next
20 to 30 years cannot be guaranteed. Environmental pollution and
collapse of the eco -system now loom larger than ever beyond regional
boundaries as worldwide phenomena and the world population, which
already far exceeds its appropriate size, is continuing to grow
exponentially.
In contrast to the increasing population, available
resources are drastically diminishing. Competition and conflict
surrounding possession and allocation of dwindling resources are
and will become ever more fierce. At the same time, the current
market economy is gradually losing its ability to balance and control
such competition and conflicts. This is evidenced by the increasing
number of reports of violence related to competition over resources
worldwide.
Observing the human condition further it can
be seen that there is a spiritual and emotional desolation resulting
from loss of a sense of purpose in life and confusion over values.
Of course these are broad generalizations, which upon careful nation-by-nation
analysis would reveal differences to some degree in each country.
However, notwithstanding these minor differences, this is the current
portrait of our civilization and as such it is not sustainable.
Top
3. Humans: the greatest obstacle and the key to the creation
of Earth Peace
Global problems are far-reaching and touch all
areas of our life. They impact the environment, resources, population,
institutions, and cultures which are clearly so intricately intertwined
that treating each problem in isolation cannot solve the greater
problem. It may be somewhat of a cliche to say that treating the
individual parts without addressing the whole is not a solution,
however it is nonetheless true. In fact, focusing on an individual
part may actually create additional unanticipated difficulties or
dilemmas and perhaps even a more serious problems for the other
parts. Since the nature of these issues is so complex, it is clear
that they cannot be solved by any one organization or expert, especially
if the focus is only on a specific area. In addition, it is clear
that the scope of the issues is so global that no one government
or group can solve them either. What is obvious is that until now
there has not been a widely accepted comprehensive prescription
for healing human civilization and realizing Earth Peace.
There is one point that needs to be considered
as the foundation for a comprehensive prescription. The common denominator
of all the problems facing us is 'people' and we ourselves are the
keys and hold the keys to solving the problems. At the root of all
these problems, is how we define ourselves, how we understand our
lives, the values that we are seeking through our lives, and the
manner in which we are seeking them. It is ironic that the greatest
obstacle on the path to Earth Peace and at the same time the greatest
tool for achieving Earth Peace is ourselves.
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