Ideology of peace
The English word peace, derived from the Latin word pacisci which means to agree probably has the most diverse definitions compared to many other words. There is already a problem with this word as we notice the lack of agreements on almost all major issues between the leaders living among us whether on solutions to climate crisis or economy or geopolitics and especially on the idea of war and peace. Nevertheless, we hear and read a lot about peace in all media on a daily basis. There are also numerous 'peace agreements' between different belligerent factions but by and large the agreements end up in agreeing to disagree with few exceptions. Why is peace so elusive?
Some quotes on peace
'Peace may cost as much as war, but it is a better buy.'
'When a man finds no peace within himself, it is useless to seek it elsewhere.'
'Peace is not made in documents, but in the hearts of men.'
'There can be no peace in the world until the calibre of statesmen is equal to the caliber of gun.'
'The key to lasting peace is to rely less on arms and more on heads.'
'The world will never be the dwelling place of peace until peace has found a home in the heart of each and every man.'
(For those who are unusually sensitive about inclusiveness, 'man' in above quotes refer to the people belonging to the species of Homo sapiens – regardless of sexual orientation).
Looking back
Human beings have endured centuries of imperial ambitions, colonialism and two great wars causing deaths and destructions globally triggered largely by a lethal combination of religion, racism and political alliance. Nearly eighty years ago it was like a silver lining at the end of the second world war when the leaders representing the global community made a commitment of 'never again' in pursuit for Global Peace. Since then, the world has seen countless local, regional and global discussions and negotiations for a conflict free society, yet Global Peace remains an elusive element. Generation after generation, the commitment for a stable world with 'never again' seems to be more like 'once more'. Was the commitment of 'never again' a false start?
Despite continuous conflicts there is no doubt that on average people around the world have prospered with overall improvement in living standard with the spread of basic social services. In recent years evolving technology has added more comfort to life and living including economic growth. But when it comes to peace and stability there is much to be desired. Since the launching of the UN Charter, the world has witnessed countless civil conflicts and wars involving two or more countries irrespective of style of governance and ideology. Between 1945 and 1997 a total of 286 civil conflicts and interstate wars have been recorded in history books.
The United Nations is supposed to be the custodian of Global Peace but it has been regularly made to fail by its own member states. Despite many limitations of funding and violation of its authority and continuous insults, the UN has done a tremendous job in peacebuilding and peacekeeping in many countries. Yet, the peacekeeping efforts of the UN has always been criticized as a failure of the UN system. When the UN charter is openly violated and the binding resolutions are ignored, no one has the right to blame the UN system as the violations are done by none other than the UNSC members itself. Many countries and statesmen, especially the journalists with full knowledge of the issue blame the UN Secretary General for failing to prevent the war and failing to stop the war. There is no greater absurdity than this.
Is the lack of global peace due to the lack of inner peace among the leaders? Maintaining peace and harmony does not cost money. It simply requires tolerance, patience, understanding, mental maturity and compromise by everyone. Understanding and adhering to these ideals are a lot cheaper than wars that cost human lives, yet, political leaders with all shades of ideology seem to prefer to go for war rather than settle for peace. Is it simply an idea to demonstrate strength, just because they can? Are our leaders genetically programmed to be on a war mode at all times, never mind the fact our leaders are elected based on their commitment for peace and prosperity?
There is no doubt that people everywhere want to live in peace but peace has become the scarcest element in our society even during the absence of wars and conflicts. Is wars and conflicts a manifestation of a lack of inner peace in the human mind? Perhaps, more than any time in human history people's minds are racing in search of something tangible or intangible as people are exposed to conflicting news and views about economy or religion or social issues or political issues or simply family issues. What is playing in one's mind depends on who you are. For a child, it is owning a new toy or a game that takes away his peace of mind. For a businessman his mind is always occupied with how to make more profit. For a politician his mind is universally occupied with how to remain in power forever by whatever means including breeding wars. Is such hunger for more – greed, taking away peace from people?
If peace can be manufactured, the capitalists would have made it available in all supermarkets. You may even be able to buy at discounted price; buy one and get one free for your partner! Unfortunately, peace is a state of mind one has to create in which we continue to fail.
At the individual level there are many distractions surrounding us such as visible conflicts between the lifestyles of the rich and poor, celebrity culture, hyper-inflated lifestyles with bottomless consumerism. All these interrelated issues are contributing to destabilise the human mind in search of insatiable dreams of needs and wants. It is like a black hole. Unfortunately, our modern education is not able to teach the idea of peace either, let alone promote peace. The modern education system is all about productivity, market, competition, winning, technology and rights. The basic message on social aspects of man such as peace, humility, tolerance, social cohesion, history, etc. are no longer a priority in education. Some people who are conscious of distractions look for inner peace by meditating but once they return to the daily grind of life many of them are back to the societal distractions.
People's life experiences these days are heavily influenced by geopolitics and social media even if you do not want to. People experience conflicts based on racism, exploitation of the weak, marginalization of the minorities and fallout from the climate crisis.
What will bring peace and stability in our society as envisioned in the UN Charter?
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Labels Ramesh
Ramesh, I have to disagree with much of what you say. It is simply not correct that the hyper-inflated way of living causes everyone to be power-hungry and greedy, and that the traditional (inevitably ‘good’) values are destroyed by technology-induced ‘insatiable dreams of needs and wants’. I do not know in which community you live, but tolerance and social cohesion (for example) are definitely a priority in our education system.
ReplyDeleteAs for human values and behaviours, I do not believe that your daughter or nice would have preferred to live in the medieval ages; and as a worker you would not have wanted to have worked during the industrial revolution. Of course there were always those who wish to enrich themselves at the cost of the rest; the Pharaohs did so as does Elon Musk. Still, I’d rather drive a Tesla than lift rocks to build pyramids.
You equate conflict with the absence of peace. But conflicts always exist. People have different preferences and priorities, and we always will have conflicting ideas on how to solve an issue or spend public resources. The issue is not the existence of conflicts, but how to solve them amicably and without violence, and considering the views of the other side.