3 October 2006
Reasons for Hope
In a previous post, I wrote about some of the reasons why I do not think that world peace is possible. But some days I have more hope about it.
For instance, I recently heard Amy Goodman speak on the KUOW radio program “Speaker’s Forum”. One of the things she said (which I think is correct) is that if people in the US really knew what was happening in Iraq, the war would soon be over. She also said that rather than being a silent minority, pacifists are actually a “silenced majority”. Basically, she was implying that the news media are largely to blame for the non-peaceful situation we are in, by keeping the US public ignorant of what is really happening and making us feel isolated by not telling us what other people really think about it. So maybe the first step on the path to world peace lies in a media revolution, which actually seems a lot easier than changing US foreign policy and world religious teachings. Once the people understand what is happening, they will demand peace, and the leaders will have to deliver it.
Another ray of hope is the Non-Violent Communication movement. The basic premise is that by understanding that everyone has the same basic human needs and desires, and that everyone is subject to the same basic human emotions, we can learn to state ours and listen to others’ in a simple and direct way, without violence or coercion. The movement teaches a method for such communication, which can be used for everything from talking with your friends and family to negotiating between governments. Learning about non-violent communication helps me believe that there is a viable alternative to war, which, after all, is just a very violent (and unproductive) way of communicating disagreement. So once we have all decided that we don’t want war any more, there is a good tool out there to help us sit down at the table with our former enemies, and work out the terms of peace.
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Hi Jennifer,
I have enjoyed reading some of your articles. I became more interested in politics when I was 21 and our progressive government in Australia was thrown out in 1975 by the conservatives in cahoots with the US government and multinational interests.
This government had introduced free university for all, got us out of the Vietnam war and the draft, introduced Medicare for all etc etc. Their main aim was to “buy back the farm”, which was to take back the financial control of Australia from the multinationals, oil companies, mining companies etc and get rid of the US bases that were used to listen in on the Russians and the rest of the world. American multinationals had pretty much taken over from from the British ones since WW II, part of the Macarthur plan for the Asia Pacific. Previous conservatives had pretty much towed the US line.
The crunch came when the supply bill was blocked and the Labor Government sought finance, but all avenues were denied except from some Arab financiers. That is when the Governor General (GG) stepped in and fired the government (1975), and the military were on full alert and mobilized to quell any mass strikes and demonstrations. The leader of the labor unions urged workers not to strike, so the expelled government could not call on them. The conservatives took over, and there were demonstrations all over Australia calling for the GG to be sacked, but the impetus was lost. It turned out later the union leader had direct links with the CIA. He later became the Prime Minister (Bob Hawke) The GG ended up resigning because very few people liked him. But since then there has been very little difference between conservatives and Labor leaders. (sound familiar).
Gradually the benefits brought by the previous labor government have been eroded and Australia abandoned the Timorese when Indonesia annexed Timor despite calls from veterans of WWII who testified how much the Timorese had sacrificed to help Australia repel the Japanese invasion of the pacific. The Australian Navy was very capable of stopping Indonesia’s invasion. But the US had too many interests in Indonesia and it turned out Australia was going to get a share of the oil reserves in the Timor Sea. In previous years the Indonesian government had annexed half of New Guinea under the auspices of Australian conservatives.
After seeing Reagan and Thatcher take power, more useless wars and the fact that people seemed apathetic and ignorant of what was going on with democracy I lost interest in politics and concentrated on learning more about myself, got into Greek dancing through my friends, underwent psychotherapy for fifteen years, went sailing, traveling, etc. Some how I ended up here in Seattle and discovered that Americans are great people unlike their government.
However I don’t give up hope for world peace, it won’t be in my lifetime and probably not for generations to come, but our hope is our illusion and our survival. What I know now is I can go to remote villages in the world and be welcomed into the homes of strangers and you know that too, I’m sure. It seems that existence is really about self awareness, as painful and wonderful as it can be reflected in our reality of a brutal and at the same time beautiful world.
Nevertheless I believe we should take up the struggle in whatever way we see right, it is unlikely there will be one way to world peace.
Written and inspired by the music of Seattle’s “Children of the Revolution”. And some red wine!
Chris Pope.
Looking for a bi-langual blog, I stumbled on your peace message. Interesting reading and I just have to respond. Being part of Nature as a mammal (knowing something about genes makes me not ashamed) we humans have lost our way in a mind that was never intended to be used the way we use it. Our leaders are mammals just like us and it would help us all if they were aware of that fact. They should be very humble and carefull with what they do but just like other humans they look for safety in the group which enprisons them in behavior and directions. World Peace is not a natural state, a greater balance is. Look at the African wildlife (mammals like us).
Hoping for world peace is like saying This world is not good enough… it is, but it needs work to make the details better. Except that fact (means you don’t expect it will be different) and then go and do something good in the details. Nature will get us back into the greater balance, through us or from the outside. Nature will take its course, That is hope.