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THE WORLD PEACE MANIFESTO
HOW TO ACHIEVE WORLD PEACE
THE WARS AND PROBLEMS OF THE
WORLD ARE NOT SOLVED BY MEANS OF POLITICAL, ECONOMIC OR MILITARY MEANS.
THE CAUSE LIES ON ANOTHER
AND FAR DEEPER LEVEL.
THIS MANIFESTO EXPLAINS WHY
TODAY'S METHODS DON'T WORK, AND ALSO SHOWS HOW IT IS POSSIBLE TO
ACHIEVE A LASTING PEACE ON OUR BEAUTIFUL PLANET.
Introduction
Norway is a country which is internationally known for
its peacefurthering work. But in a way this peacework, which has been
carried out by Norway as well as by other countries, has in the main
been based on short-term solutions. It is now time to bring the
"peacemovement" one step further. Peacework must now begin
to be based on long-range solutions. In order to achieve this, one
needs to have the right understanding of the deep reasons for the
world's problems. Then the solution will follow all by itself.
To understand the situation of the involved parties is
important, but in the main such an understanding only touches the
surface. It is below the surface, in the depth, that the answers and
the solution can be found. It is like a quarrel between two persons.
People nearby may manage to stop the quarrel, but only there and
then. Unless one goes deeper, like a psychologist would have done,
the danger is grave that the quarrel will start all over again at a
later time.
This manifesto is an attempt to explain the real cause
of the world's problems and point to a way that leads towards
permanent peace. The good thing is that if one chooses such a way, it
also brings about the solutions to several other problems with which
the world is struggling. In fact, a permanent world peace can not be
achieved before many other problems are solved. It is all connected,
the world is like a very tightly woven web. We live in a global
world; what happens one place has consequences in other places.
The real cause of the world's problems
From conflicts around the world we know what does not
work. We know that violence breeds violence, hatred breeds hatred and
fear breeds fear, as for instance in the conflict between Israelites
and Palestinians. But we also know that the opposite is true. Here
Gandhi's method stands out as a radiant example. He managed to
overturn the British Empire's entire power in India in a peaceful way
by means of a philosophy of non-violence.
There are reasons why conflicts like the one between
Israel and Palestine don't get solved. They have not gone deep enough
to find the core reason for the problems. Until they confront that,
the conflicts will always be smouldering just beneath the surface.
It is essential that the core of the problems are
brought into the light and confronted. It is the only method that
really works in the long run. If one attempts to create world peace,
it is no use to just look for means of putting an end to the wars and
conflicts that exist. It is not sufficient to stop the contending
parties. That this is so is amply proved by for example the
never-ending conflict between Israel and Palestine. We have to start
thinking in a new and different way. Naturally an ongoing conflict
must be stopped and solved there and then, but it must also be viewed
in a greater context. We must find the real core of the world's
problems. Only then can we start to unravel them and create the
lasting peace we all long for.
Almost every war in the world is a war of religion.
The ones that are not religious wars still ultimately concern the
ethical conceptions of the parties involved, and then we are back to
the question of beliefs. Because ethics are created by what we
believe and what we hold as our truth. It is therefore impossible to
create a permanent world peace without addressing topics that pertain
to beliefs. The reason for this is simple: Beliefs create ethics,
which in turn create the behaviour we can witness all over the world.
But beliefs can be changed. Just like we as individuals alter our
perception of things as we grow and experience, so does the society
at large as well. Our spirituality, what we believe in, as for
example belief- systems or religions, is what determines what we hold
as true, and thus what will be our ethical stance which again will
dictate our behaviour.
This spirituality is constantly undergoing development
and change. To develop and change is a natural process. Just consider
the technological development. New and improved products are
appearing at an ever accelerating speed. The problem regarding
humanity's beliefs, especially our religions and other dogmatical
systems, is that the alterations happen so slowly. They have not
changed significantly for many, many centuries. This is where the
problems have their roots. While everything else in the world has
been undergoing a tremendous change, these systems have changed only
minimally, if at all. It is as if we were trying to head full speed
into the future with the mindset belonging to the Stone Age. With
today's technological, medical and other scientific progress, and not
least the modern weapons of mass extinction, it is not difficult to
see that the combination is not a fortunate one.
The conclusion is that the conflicts, as well as all
other problems that face the world today are of a spiritual nature. A
long term solution can not be found by the use of political, economic
or military means. Politics, economy and military power is our
spirituality in practice. If we change our spirituality, that is our
beliefs, our politics, economy and use of military power will also
automatically change.
The short term solution
This is the method that only touches the surface. It
does not delve into the depths. It is a great thing that these means
exist, and they do work, but unfortunately not in the long run. What
actually happens in a short term solution is that one tries to stop a
certain behaviour on the part of somebody, and then endeavour to
change the behaviour. This is a solution imposed from the outside. In
principle it can be done, and peace can be the outcome, but no one
knows how long it will last. As a rule it does not last long, and in
any case it is not a permanent solution.
The same principle goes for individuals as well.
Consider punishment. This is a method which is ultimately based on
fear. The fear is inflicted from outside and only deters the person
who committed the "wrong" deed. As soon as the punishment
(house arrest, imprisonment, fines etc) cease, the fear will also
disappear. The fear of being punished anew is present, to be sure,
and does in some cases prevent repetitions. But if you envisage that
this person got to know that he would never be punished again, no
matter what he did, then it is not hard to imagine how the temptation
to repeat the "wrong" might become too great. Then one
would be back at square one, for that which is within the person has
not changed. The person committing the deed has to somehow achieve an
understanding of the consequences his actions have had for other
people. He has to be able to see the things in a greater perspective.
Perhaps he should meet the ones he has "wronged", thus to
gain a deeper understanding of the consequences? In order for a real
change to occur, the person must be willing to face himself squarely
and be willing to make changes.
Another example: We know that some people have less
than pleasant sides to their personality. These characteristics, for
instance hatred and jealousy, don't become apparent until the person
finds himself (or herself) in a situation that provokes it. And it
will then be obvious that one does not really remove the hatred and
jealousy permanently by always avoiding such situations, or by
stopping or suppressing it. The hatred and jealousy will be
smouldering as long as one does not confront it at its core. And it
is the person himself who has to do this, that is, be willing to take
a good long look at himself, admit he has these sides to his
personality, and then set about getting rid of them.
Self-development is the cue for such a person if real
change is to occur.
The same applies to two conflicting nations. Again,
let us use the conflict between Israel and Palestine as example. If
the one party does some harm to the other one, this other party will
retaliate. But no conflict is ever solved by taking revenge! To a
certain extent the parties are refraining from acts of violence
because of the fear of retaliation. One can therefore say that this
conflict is being carried on in a primitive way. Many have tried to
solve the conflict. Some of them have certainly understood the real
reason for the conflict, but as long as the parties themselves have
little insight in the matter and are unwilling to examine themselves,
i.e. their beliefs, lasting peace is unattainable.
The long term solution
Changing beliefs changes behaviour. A set of beliefs
is what each person has deep inside and which is the guiding element
in every person. If this is changed, all behaviour in the outside
world will also be changed. Change must come from within. From
outside one can point to a way to change, but to impose or press a
change on someone rarely leads to anything positive. The change has
to be voluntary.
And changes in humanity's systems of beliefs must now
be accelerated. Perhaps the most important part in changing what we
believe in, is to teach our children. We have to urge and stimulate
them to ask questions, also critical questions, in absolutely every
field, especially about our systems of beliefs. Children must not be
indoctrinated with black/white thinking, for example that the faith
or belief system they themselves learn is the one and only right one.
This only creates fundamentalists. Nor do we create a better world by
sowing seeds of fear, guilt and hatred in the minds of children. This
will only make history repeat itself. Children must be reared in an
environment that is as loving, understanding and patient as possible.
And we must teach them to respect other peoples' different ways of
perceiving the world.
We now have to start to examine our religions and our
systems of beliefs. We have to dare to question what they represent,
critically analyze them and - not least - change what is not good.
This has to some extent been done throughout history, but now it is
time to speed up this important work. There is enough to address.
This is a long term solution, but the benefits of going about it in
this way are enormous, namely permanent peace and a better life for
all of us who inhabit this beautiful planet.
To elucidate what great significance our belief
systems have, here is an example of what has been believed regarding
women. The following two excerpts are taken from The New Testament
("Good News for Modern Man"). The first excerpt is found in
Ephesians 5, 22-24.
"Wives, submit yourselves to your
husbands, as to the Lord. For a husband has authority over his wife
in the same way that Christ has authority over the church...
And so wives must submit themselves completely to
their husbands, in the same way that the church submits itself to Christ."
The second excerpt is taken from 1. Corinthians 11, 7-9:
"A man has no
need to cover his head, because he reflects the image and glory of
God. But woman reflects the glory of man; for man was not created
from woman, but woman from man. Nor was man created for woman's sake,
but woman was created for man's sake."
Even today, here in the West, we notice some
after-effects of these discriminating statements, even though they
are nearly 2000 years old. How much have not women had to suffer
during all these years? And who wrote The Bible? Yes, men. Does
anyone perceive a connection here? This belief, which has no root in
reality, has led men to believe themselves of superior worth compared
to women. And this is merely one example. The point is that there is
no doubt that it is what we believe that creates our reality. We
create God in our image.
Yet again we can address the conflict between Israel
and Palestine, this time in order to get a bit closer to the core
problem. My greatest sympathy is with the oppressed, in this case the
Palestinians. But why are they oppressed? This conflict goes back a
very long way. It is obvious that when the Israelites believe
themselves to be God's chosen people, a grave problem ensues. It
leads them namely to believe they are more worth than the
Palestinians. From there it is a short step to start to oppress them,
especially when they have a superior military power. And why do they
believe they are of greater worth? Well, because The Bible says so,
and The Bible is of course not to be questioned. Or is it? In reality
obviously no person is of greater worth than anyone else, all are
equally valuable. But can one question the intrinsic truth of The
Bible in The Bible's own home country? This is probably not easy, but
it is essential in order to achieve a solution to the conflict.
Additionally, the territories constitute a topic of
grave conflict between Israel and Palestine. Of course, actually
nobody can own a territory. Erecting a gigantic wall is only going to
cause division and is guaranteed not a long term solution. The
territories are simply there, they belong to no one. They are being
administered by us, but can not actually be owned by anyone.
What has to be done in order to create a permanent
world peace is to take hold of our old perceptions and beliefs. Take
a close look at them and reject what no longer functions. For only
that which functions in the real world is worth keeping.
The example of the Nordic countries
It is of interest here to take a look at where in the
world there are less wars than in other areas, and then to examine
why this is so. Take, for example, the Nordic countries. It is a long
time since there were any conflicts between these countries. Why? Is
it perhaps because the people who live here have more peace within
themselves than people elsewhere in the world? And can we quite
simply conclude that world peace can first be achieved when all
people have achieved the greatest measure of peace within themselves?
And why do people in the Nordic countries have more inner peace than
others? We are now approaching the core of the matter.
The people here in the North have one of the best
democratic systems in the world. It is one of the societies where
equality between the sexes has reached the highest level. It is here
that wages and other benefits are distributed with the greatest
solidarity. The healthcare system is also more or less a welfare
benefit that is without cost to the individual. All of these things
can of course still be improved upon, and in some cases we are
actually regressing. But the point is that there is no foundation for
any serious conflicts between the Nordic countries as regards these
topics. Nor are there any religious conflicts between the Nordic
countries. This is due partly to the fact that we have a somewhat
similar faith, but also to the fact that what people believe in is
undergoing a great change. The society has become much more open and
tolerant than in former times. The North is thus not a society that
is being kept in check by strict religious rules. There are not a lot
of grievances smouldering beneath the surface. If the example of the
Nordic countries could be copied in the rest of the world, we would
be well on the way to create world peace.
Other problems that can be solved by changing one's beliefs
As mentioned, it is impossible to create world peace
without at the same time solving other problems with which the world
is struggling. All problems can be traced back to questions of
beliefs. This is also true for instance in a conflict where workers
in a poor country strongly protest against what they consider to be
exploitation, namely that they are paid wages hardly large enough for
them to sustain life. This conflict does not concern religion, but it
does concern ethics, and so again we encounter the issue of beliefs.
For beliefs create ethics, which in turn create behaviour. In this
case we may say that the employers run their businesses purely for
profit. Most people would agree that the ethics here are rather
questionable. It is a case of exploiting other people to their own
advantage. But that which is not also to the advantage of others is -
profoundly viewed - neither an advantage to oneself. The employees
should be regarded as a part of a greater family, which is the
business itself. Ideally the concept of family should be expanded to
encompass the entire planet. What one does to others, one does to
oneself. There is more truth in this than most people realize.
What is needed in this case is a deep transformation
of the belief systems of the employers. One has to dig deep to
discover why they act the way they do. In one way or another they
must consider themselves to be more valuable than the people they
exploit. This may be because they have more money, perhaps a
different skin color etc. But is one person better or more valuable
than another, irrespective of these things? Does the world contain
insufficient resources and boons for all the billions of people who
inhabit it, - or is it a question of unequal distribution? This and
other questions must be conscientiously addressed if one is to have
any hopes of creating a better world.
World peace in sight
It is easy to blindly regard all the negative
occurrences in the world. The pollution and usurping of resources
that human beings are committing against our planet and everything
that lives and exists on it is ever more strongly backfiring in the
form of extreme natural catastrophies, epidemics etc. We also witness
a sharpening of conflicts between cultures and religions in different
parts of the world. The recent incident of the Muhammed caricatures
is a case in point. The unequal distribution of resources is
increasing, and this creates a fertile soil for new conflicts.
On the other hand there are also great and positive
things happening beneath the surface, but they are not always so easy
to discover. In countries where freedom of religion is allowed, there
is an accelerating change of consciousness which expands towards a
more holistic understanding. An understanding that says that human
beings are not primarily flesh and blood, but rather spiritual
beings. This spiritual understanding is not bound by dogmas and
frameworks. It says that everything is interconnected, everything is
animated, everything is sacred. It says that whatever you do to
someone else, you do to yourself. This is because we are in a
profound way one with absolutely everything that exists, and nothing
is separated from anything else. Thus we are not only interdependent,
not only in the same boat, we are all a part of this boat and we all
carry a responsibility for it. This boat, namely this Earth so dear
to us all, which sails around in the fantastic Universe, is something
of which we are a part. And we are a part of the Universe, yes, of
absolutely everything that is, everything that exists.
Every problem in the world is caused by a lack of
understanding of the spiritual interconnectedness of life. And as our
beliefs, our spirituality, is the element that create all our
problems, it is also our expanding spiritual understanding that can
help us solve them.
Something old has to die for something new to emerge.
The world may seem chaotic at the present time, but after chaos comes
order. World peace is in sight, but we have to do something to make
it happen, to get us out of the chaos. No longer can we just sit idly
by and watch what is going on around us.
Fund
www.verdensfred.no has established a fund where the
money will be given to organisations that work in accordance with the
principles in this manifesto. Click
here to read more. |
