3 Octubre 2006
Razones para Esperanza
En un artículo previo, escribí sobre algunas razones por qué no creo que paz mundial sea posible. Pero hay también días cuando tengo mas esperanza.
Por ejemplo, la semana pasada escuché Amy Goodman hablando (en inglés) en el programa de radio KUOW llamada “Speaker’s Forum” (Foro de Voceros, más o menos). Una de las cosas que dijo (y pienso que es correcta) es que si la gente de los EEUU ciertamente supieran lo que pasa en Irak, la guerra terminaría pronto. También dijo que en lugar de ser una minoría silenciosa, los pacifistas son realmente una “mayoría silenciado”. Esencialmente, estaba dando a entender que los medios de comunicación tienen la culpa de la situación no pacifica que tenemos, por mantener la gente de los EEUU ignorante de lo que ocurre realmente y por hacernos sentir aislados por no decirnos lo que otros piensan sobre esto. Entonces tal vez el primer paso en el sendero hacía paz mundial es una revolución de los medios de comunicación, lo cual parece mucho más fácil que cambiar las políticas externas de los EEUU y lo que enseñan las religiones del mundo. Cuando la gente entienda lo que ocurre, demandará paz, y los líderes tendrán que darla a la gente.
Otra razón para esperanza es el movimiento de Comunicación No Violenta (sitio principal del movimiento en inglés) (o se puede visitar este sitio de Argentina en español). La premisa básica es que por entender que todos tenemos los mismos necesidades y deseos humanos básicos, y que todos tenemos las mismas emociones humanas básicas, podemos aprender a decir los nuestros y escuchar los de otros en una manera simple y directa, sin violencia o coerción. El movimiento enseña un método de esta comunicación que se puede usar para todo, de hablar con su familia y amigos a negociar entre gobiernos. Saber que existe este método de comunicación no violenta me ayuda en creer que hay una alternativa viable a la guerra, lo cual es, después de todo, solo una manera muy violente (y improductiva) de comunicar un desacuerdo. Entonces cuando decidamos que no queremos más la guerra, hay una buena herramienta para ayudar en sentarnos a la mesa con nuestros enemigos previos, y negociar las condiciones de paz.
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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.