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In
Pursuit of Peace
by
Vicky Rossi*
July, 2004
Violence has become an every day
component of life, whether we are subjected to it
directly or observe it from a distance. If we are to have
any chance of replacing violence with a 'culture of
peace', it is essential to find ways of extending our
sense of belonging, beyond family, race and nation to
include our identification as a member of the one
humanity. How can we say that there is peace in the world
whilst 80% of the human race is living in poverty, whilst
we are polluting the planet beyond its capacity to
regenerate and whilst we continue to spend
disproportionate sums of money on weapons that bring pain
and even total annihilation? If humankind is brought to
the point where a large enough number of persons are able
to sense and acknowledge an overriding identity with
humanity, however, we will no longer be prepared to turn
a blind eye to the suffering of our fellow human beings
and the earth on which we live.
Those nations enjoying stable peace
have an important role to play on the world stage at this
time, not through economic or political domination, but
rather through continuing to pioneer ways of raising
public awareness of the needs and the rights of all human
beings. By strengthening human identification in this way
and promoting a more widespread civic participation in
world affairs, Martin Luther King's dream that, "people
everywhere can have 3 meals a day for their bodies,
education and culture for their minds and dignity,
equality and freedom for their spirits", can become the
new reality of the 21st century.
If peace is the societal equivalent
of physical and mental health, then violence, as the
opposite of peace, is easily seen to equate to illness or
disease. Natural health practitioners consider illness to
be the result of 'dis-' 'ease', that is, the state of not
being in harmony with oneself. The level of violence
expressed in societies worldwide is indicative of the
depth of disharmony within the ranks of humanity, both at
the inter-community and intra-community levels.
If we consider history as the
evolution of the human consciousness, we can discern 3
distinct phases through which mankind has, or is,
progressing: in the first phase, the race was driven
purely by the instinct to survive; subsequently, desire
and emotions became the main driving force for progress;
and, currently, human beings are finding themselves more
and more polarised in the domain of the intellect.
Furthermore, present day society, particularly in stable
nations, is characterised by a vast network of
information technology, which has brought us into vivid
contact with the day-to-day reality of life in almost
every corner of the globe. This fact together with the
high value placed on intelligence, that is the ability to
think, highlights the need for all persons to give
greater prominence to morality and ethics in their
relationships, whether this is at the macrocosmic level
in such fields as politics and trade; or on a community
and individual basis. Our greater maturity as a race
brings with it the responsibility to re-assess our
attitudes and behaviour patterns, emphatically rejecting
violence as a method for attaining peace.
Anyone who has looked into the
field of peace studies will know that violence is more
than direct aggression. However, the average person is
not aware of the structural and cultural dimensions of
violence, or at the very least they have never labelled
such things as poverty, unemployment (structural),
censorship and sexual discrimination (cultural) as
violence. And yet if governments, educators, the media
and every aware individual can raise the profile of these
additional categories of violence, the mass of humanity
will understand more fully how far we still are from
creating a culture of peace and, thus, how urgently we
need to establish new structures which will guarantee a
more peaceful future.
Structural and cultural violence
can of course also lead to acts of direct violence as a
result of:
• Feelings of frustration and
built up aggression in which violence is an emotional
reaction;
• Heredity, that is, childhood
experiences which give rise to expectations of
hopelessness in the person when he/she reaches adulthood.
Violence in this case is a mental reaction;
• A living environment in
which a person is surrounded by acts of violence on a
daily basis. The resort to violence in this instance will
be to protect physical basic needs such as safety, food,
and freedom;
• Historical antecedents such
as the fact that a distant past was characterised by war.
Violence here is engendered by the collective
subconscious.
Once again we can make the parallel
between the causes of an outbreak of violence and the
causes of an outbreak of disease in a healthy person. An
individual can become ill as a result of:
• Stress, that is, illness is
an emotional reaction;
• Heredity, namely for
psychosomatic reasons expressed by such thought forms as,
'It runs in the family'. Illness in this instance is a
mental reaction;
• An environment which is
characterised by inadequate nutrition and drinking water
or high levels of pollution. Disease will result because
physical basic needs are not being met.
• Historical antecedents in
the form of inherited illnesses from immediate or distant
ancestors. In the field of natural medicine, these are
referred to as 'miasms', that is, energetic imprints
which can remain benign but which can also unexpectedly
lead to the physical manifestation of illness.
Whether we consider frustration,
heredity, environment or history as the stimulus for
direct violence, the quest for money and power are often
accompanying factors. If we are to establish a culture of
peace on the planet, global policies must be put in place
to resolve the issue of unequal opportunities and the
rich-poor divide (both within a nation and between
nations). This calls for a review of our existing
monetary policies and trade practices and highlights the
need to strengthen the rule of international law.
Governments and tax-payers should also seriously question
the sense in spending enormous sums of money on military
budgets when 'might against might' only addresses the
symptoms of conflict, which at times may be necessary,
but which cannot lead to renewed 'health' because war
does not treat the underlying causes of 'illness'.
Furthermore, if the reason for spending such
disproportionate sums of money on weapons is not simply
to fulfil perceived security needs, but is actually
motivated by greed and the desire for domination, then we
are faced with a doubled-edged sword, that is, the very
instrument which we are told is creating the peace we are
so proud of is in fact perpetuating direct, structural
and/or cultural violence.
The subject of money is central to
any discussion on peace culture because it forms an
important part of our current value system Particularly
in Western nations, we often judge people more by the
amount of money they have in their bank accounts than by
the contribution they are making to society. This same
value system claims that peace is the absence of war.
However, a more precise definition of peace has been
defined by Fischer, Nolte & Oeberg (Winning Peace,
Crane Russak, 1989) as:
"(…) all that aims to
develop security and secure development of the whole
human being, and all human beings, in a permanent
process, taking its point of departure in a model of
human and social needs based on an ethics of global
care and allowing for unity in diversity."
The phrase "an ethics of global
care" is an important reminder that true peace
encompasses not only human-human relations, but
human-nature relationships too. A peace culture must
reflect humanity's interactions with the animal,
vegetable and mineral kingdoms, which until now have been
strongly characterised by the domination of the 'weakest'
(nature) by the 'strongest' (humanity), in the same way
in which human-human relations have been. Humankind's
desire to dominate the environment with scant regard for
the consequences has led to the growing scarcity of
natural resources, the pollution of the earth's
waterways, sickness in animals necessitating mass
killings, changes in climatic conditions and devastating
natural catastrophes, etc.
Having discussed the nature of
violence and the need for us to review what the concept
of peace actually means, let us consider the principles
which we human beings need to develop if we are to
succeed in bringing about a more peaceful global society.
Historically, the Buddha indicated to humanity the road
to peace through the 8 fold path of right view, right
thinking, right speech, right action, right livelihood,
right diligence, right mindfulness and right
concentration. These principals have stood the test of
time and are undeniably as valid today as they were 2,500
years ago. Bonaro W. Overstreet in this book,
Understanding Fear - In Ourselves and Others1, quotes a
somewhat amusing approach to this question by Peter
Viereck:
"Peter Viereck describes our
modern 'limbo' as a place where…
…men are filed in their own
filing-system
With frayed manila folders for
their souls,
Once labelled GOD'S OWN IMAGE: USE
WITH CARE
But now reclassified as
OBSOLETE."
It is unfortunate indeed that the
beauty of the spiritual truths at the heart of the world
religions has sometimes been distorted by individuals
either out of ignorance or in their quest for power and
domination. This, together with the strong
science-religion divide which characterises many Western
countries in particular, has led to a distinct apathy on
the part of many persons to the more spiritual facets of
life. In order to combat this loss of spiritual identity,
such peace initiatives as the World Parliament of
Religions are to be applauded and supported. The
spiritual component of man should not remain the
exclusive domain of religions, however. Educators,
governments and the media, amongst other players, should
urgently place humankind's spiritual needs alongside our
instincts, emotions and intellect. In this way, those in
positions of power can play the joker in the pack, namely
our spiritual identity as one humanity, which might just
win us all the game of peace.
Active participation through peace
and non-violence was of course strongly advocated by
Gandhi in the 1900s. He promoted such concepts
as:
• Ahimsa - non-injury through
"the renunciation of physical and mental violence against
one's self, others, animals and nature"2;
• Advaita - the
interconnectivity of all life forms;
• Tapasya - the willingness to
suffer rather than inflict pain on others;
• Sarvodaya - everyone's basis
needs must be met even if that means that some people
must give something up so that others are not left
out;
• Satyagraha - the pursuit of
Truth through non-violent action.
A modern day approach to peaceful
human relations through the realisation of the
interconnectivity of life is Marshall Rosenberg's
Non-violent Communication method, which encourages
individuals to connect compassionately with themselves
and others in order to resolve differences
peacefully.3
If humanity were to actively
practice such principles as highlighted above and
advocated by numerous individuals over the course of
time, it could just be possible to establish a culture of
peace in the world which would be, in the words of
Professor Emerita, Elise Boulding, "A mosaic of
identities, attitudes, values, beliefs, and institutional
patterns that lead people to live nurturantly with one
another, deal with their differences, share their
resources, solve their problems, and give each other
space so no one is harmed and everyone's basic needs are
met."4 These values should underlie all peace cultures,
although the structural reality would vary from community
to community in accordance with the principle of 'unity
in diversity'.
True peace must be won
simultaneously at the microcosmic and the macrocosmic
levels as depicted in the Chinese Yin-Yang symbol. Peace
is not something intangible, which we have no control
over; rather, peace is something which we can actively
contribute to creating, whatever our professional and
personal fields of endeavour. Each of us has the power to
make a difference. Our greatest enemy is the sense of
futility or insignificance.
Each individual has the
responsibility as a member of the human family to find
ways of expressing right human relations within his/her
own being, family unit, community, nation as well as in
relation to the natural environment. Contributing to
global peace requires not only dynamic action, but also
inner reflection on the part of the individual and group
(nation, community, religion, etc) in order to unveil any
unconscious prejudices and misplaced preconceptions. As
peace workers we must be conscious of the spectacles
through which we are looking at the world - we must
realise that our perception of events is tinged by our
cultural background, our experiences in life and our
individual personality makeup. Richard Guggenheimer, in
this book Creative Vision, sheds some light on this
question:
"It is difficult for the mind to
operate freely over the vast areas of its widest range if
the brain is constantly intruding its narrow
preoccupation with the interests of the immediate ego.
That ego is made up of demanding appetites and
requirements seeking the most immediate and fullest
possible gratification. It is also ridden by fears,
anxieties and prejudices emerging as the negative
consequences of unfulfilled desires."
Jung has also made an important
contribution in this area through his work on
projections, that is, our propensity to see in others
what needs healing in ourselves. Each time, therefore, we
feel the urge to criticise and make a judgement, we would
do better to pause and see which of our own faults are
being mirrored in the other party.
This introspection is certainly
more readily undertaken by individuals, stimulated by
their sense of conscience; it needs, however, to find its
place at the level of governments, corporations and civil
bodies too if we are to create a true culture of peace.
"True vision requires far more than
the eye. It takes the whole man. For what we see is no
more or no less than what we are." (Richard Guggenheimer,
Creative Vision)
In the midst of the innumerable
intractable conflicts of today and the existence of
nuclear weapons capable of destroying the world many
times over, peace workers must aim high and take up the
challenge of embodying the peace that they hope to see
mirrored in the world community.
Education and the media both have a
tremendous potential for transforming the human
consciousness through re-education, peace orientated
information and control of discrimination. By promoting
the 'common' and the 'good' rather than the 'divisive'
and the 'bad', educational systems, both formal and
informal, and the mass media have the power to lead
humanity to the point at which it places great value on
the concept of tolerance and respect for all
manifestations of life. If at that point the educational
systems and the mass media could go one step further and
stimulate the desire for mutual learning, there would be
a tremendous strengthening of the sense of human
identification. This would be reflected in our behaviour
patterns through greater compassion and our enhanced
sense of 'unity in diversity'. If a family member is
suffering, most of us are quick to help. It follows,
therefore, that if we are taught from a young age that we
share our life experience with all other human beings and
if this identification is reinforced by the media (to
name but one actor), perhaps in the future we will
respond as effectively to starvation and suffering even
if these are occurring in far away lands.
A peace culture is impossible to
envisage without reviewing humanity's relationship to the
environment, which in modern times has been characterised
by high levels of violence and domination. Education and
the media must here also play a key role in promoting
changes in attitudes and behaviour patterns worldwide to
reflect a more responsible and ethical value system.
Human beings must resume their role as 'guardians' of the
animal, vegetable and mineral kingdoms; rather than
seeing themselves as 'masters' of the earth and its
resources. In the realm of human-nature relations, our
identification needs to go beyond the human race towards
an identification with Life itself. Together with
government policies, formal/informal education and media
coverage, therefore, the revival of celebrations and
rituals to mark important times of the earth calendar
could help to rekindle our sense of connectivity with the
planet.
Humanity is capable of reaching a
greater degree of maturity. Humans have evolved from cave
men, to tribal (primitive community) members, to the
highly developed individuals in the complex,
inter-connected societies of today. However, humanity is
continuing to evolve and, as such, it is a plausible
hypothesis to imagine that peace, in its extended
context, can characterise global societies in the future
and that we will reach a wider sense of identification
which will unite us in our diversity. Human beings will
be able to look back on the early 21st century in the
same way as we currently look back on our ancestors and
rejoice in the progress made by the race.
"Until one is committed, there is
hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always
ineffectiveness. Concerning acts of initiative and
creation there is one elementary truth the ignorance of
which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: That the
moment one definitely commits oneself then Providence
moves too. (…) Whatever you can do or dream, you can
begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.
Begin it now." (J. P. Goethe)
*
Vicky Rossi was a participant in the European Peace
University (EPU) course in spring 2004. This is one of
the papers she wrote during the course.
Bibliography
Problems of Humanity course, Lucis
Trust, www.lucistrust.org
European Peace University,
Stadtschlaining, Austria, March-May 2004.
The Essential Jung, C. G. Jung,
Fontana Press, 1998, London, England.
Footnotes
1: Understanding Fear - In
Ourselves and Others, Bonaro W. Overstreet, Harper Bros,
New York, 1951.
2: A Glossary of Peace and Conflict
Terminology, Christopher A. Miller, University for Peace,
2004, Geneva, Switzerland (internet).
3: www.elookingglass.com
4: Prof Emerita, Elise Boulding,
interview with Peace Work, January 1996, Cambridge,
USA.
©
TFF and the author
2004
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