R.I.P. - Ramesh Shrestha

Why don’t people wish to live in peace while alive?

Rest in Peace is a phrase used in traditional Christian services and prayers to wish the soul of a departed person for a decent eternal rest and peace. But these days everyone sends this three-letter message in social media, especially Facebook whenever someone passes away. There are hundreds of R.I.P. messages in social media sent by people of all religions regularly, even if the deceased is a total stranger. It is a goodgesture indeed, but does it mean anything?

A question one might ask is why is it that everyone wishes people Rest in Peace only when they are dead. Why can’t people wish and Live in Peace while people are still alive?

Do people feel superior?

An increasing trend in our society is that the majority of the people seem interested in their own personal benefits instead of the well-being of the community at large. We see conflicts between parents and children; conflicts between siblings and between friends and between neighbours. We are surrounded by ethnic conflicts in several regions; we also see religion-based conflicts with firm belief in God whom no one has ever seen (sorry, it is not meant to be an insult). All these are the result of a feeling of superiority; I am the best; I know the best; my opinion is the best; my God is the one to worship. Many people go far beyond whatever is permissible to get what they want. Are these the main factors that destroy peace everywhere?

A wildfire

What has happened is that this trait of individual selfishness is being translated into politics at every level from the lowest level of administration in a country to the global geopolitics, which has destroyed the peace on Earth. Our history of empires and colonialism are the living proof. Our global community is tied together by trade, commerce and political ideology. When countries try to flex their muscles to impose their views and ideologies by force, this creates the enemy of peace. You are with us or against us! Human selfishness remains oblivious by default of the consequences of their behaviour and decisions. Other people’s situations are none of their concern, even if they are friends and allies. People just want what they want and get it by any means and get away with it. Thus, spreads the enemy of peace – hatred and discord.

Is it in our blood?

According to world history almanac over the past three & half millennia, human society lived in peace, without any wars and conflicts for just 268 years. It is just a little pause in human history. Is it because human beings are full of righteous feelings, and are always hungry for power? People seem to do whatever it takes to win, to remain dominant. Throughout our history there have been tribal, ethnic and religious divides which kept peace at bay. It is as if human minds are always in conflicts between good and evil where evil appears to be the dominant strain. In the 21st century we may add kleptocratic ‘beasts’ who not only influence but are able to take control of the governance of countries with their money and influence. In this century the conflicts are no more about ideology or theology. It is now about controlling resources which are distributed unevenly on our planet. As we are witnessing the more resources a country has the more unstable it becomes, especially in Africa.How far is peace?

This is one question neither Google nor Siri or Alexa can answer and Chat GPT may have a garbled answer based on various essays and news on peace over the decades prefaced by few optimists and backstabbing politicians.

Absence of war does not necessarily mean presence of peace. We have lost count of peace treaties between Burmese government and ethnic rebels over the decades (I am aware of 21 peace deals with different rebel groups). Similarly, we have lost count of Israel Palestine peace talks. The peace talks between the two Koreas are completely stalled. Similarly, there are outstanding issues with regards to Kosovo. All these are somehow related to the selfishness of the leaders. Some of these leaders are bidding for someone else even at the cost of the lives of their own citizens.

Are our leaders peace averse like people who are risk averse, just can’t live in peace? As long as people do not break away from their selfish desire, hunger for power, dominance, wealth or selfishness there will always be conflicts at every level of human society, starting from basic family units. And when we translate these characteristics from individual citizens to political leaders, we see ethnic conflict, exploitation, wars and rampant destruction.

The rich and powerful people dominate poor people, exploit their labour and even confiscate their property under various pretext. Translate this to national level, we see powerful countries bullying weaker countries, encroaching their borders and nationalising their assets. It is all a power game, yet, we constantly hear about democracy, human rights and equality from the same leaders.

All talks of peace

All religious leaders talk of peace. All philosophers talk of peace. All ideologues talk of peace. All politicians talk of peace. But the same breeds of people are full of prejudice with no respect for others where the others could be of different nation states, poor, of different colour, etc. In 2022 there were twice the number of civil conflicts compared to 2001. There were 50 intra state conflicts in 2022, 18 of which have external support (Peace Research Institute, Oslo).

The Internet, despite its enormous benefit for every aspect of our society, has also become a breeding ground for horror with hateful messages & provocative stories resulting in crisis after crisis. It has become a medium for spreading numerous fake news, promoting conflict, human trafficking and organised crimes. It has been manipulated not just by criminals but also by politicians and “global leaders”, which has created political problems in many countries. Words have meaning and when they speak every word counts. Who qualifies for global leadership? Who decides who is a global leader?

In the 12th century, between the French and the English elitists peace was defined as “freedom from civil disorder” or “internal peace of a nation”. It is a state of concord or tranquility. It also means freedom from disquieting or oppressive thought and emotions. From the perspective of humanity peace is defined as “the attitudes, institutions and structures that create and sustain peaceful societies”.

When will the meaning of peace be really peace? When will hypocrisy disappear from our minds? Politician’s minds? From our society?

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