This past week, I've been contemplating how our government-run news-speak portrays 'peace'. It seems to me that peace is associated in the context of whatever war we are currently involved in. War costs = Peace costs. Huh??? Aren't they, like, opposites?
So, I decided to GOOGLE the words in the title of this post. And surprise! Looks like someone, somewhere is trying to give WalMart the Nobel Peace prize. Um, yeppers folks ~ shakes head.
Anyways, I diverged.
Seems that when we go to war, we are promoting peace. We fight for peace to give others the liberties and freedom's we enjoy. Another HUH??? Fight for Peace? How about we Peace for Peace?
When I searched further into this idea of the costs of peace, I came across several articles stating that all through out our history, human beings have killed each other and other mammals.
(you can download this and read at your leisure)
This article got me wondering more; if it's in our 'nature' to be cruel and kill each other for profit or gain; then what hope do we realistically have for attaining peace on this plane of existence in our lifetimes?
However, not only do humans kill but lots of other mammals, specifically most primates but others species also, kill each other for 'gain and sport'. It seems to be a somewhat universal theme on this planet, that we like to kill. So, if killing is what we do and have always done - then how can we possibly live peacefully with each other and our planet, coexist?
If this 'killing' is part of our human/earth-being nature; how can we possibly attain peace?
To me, peace is filled with non-killing; the whole live and let live attitude.
Sure, all of the prophets that have come to this earth/world have stated 'we CAN do it'; we can attain peace in our lifetime. But did you notice the first people we kill are those that talk to us about being peaceful with each other? (I took that quote from George Carlin)
Here's interesting review of a book in the aforementioned article on killing and cruelty is, 'The Five Mysteries of Capital'. I honestly don't know how being a capitalist helps us attain peace and abundance for all but it's another person's striving for understanding in this complicated area of human development.
So my friends, how would you-all propose to end the killing and create ever lasting peace on this earth? Or maybe a better way to say this would be; not to end killing, as our basic survival as a human species depends on at the very least killing plants to survive, but modify this "killing for profit and gain" behavior.
Through finding some balance? Just exactly what would that look like? Any ideas???
A personal belief of mine has been that we can't possible help/do a damn thing for others without first attaining it in our own lives. The prophets of our times have all lived by this prefix of peace but I see them as just a few drops in this ocean of persistent violence.
How does one turn the other cheek all the while they are watching someone shove a gun into the face of their loved one and fire it? When I recycle and create a 'green' environment in my home, I watch my neighbor consume and throw ten times their needs into the garbage truck, while they drive their Hummer two blocks to the local WalMart to pick up more disposal products to consume and then throw away.
Maybe this is where the 'hundredth money theory' comes into play;
Or maybe we should start teaching this in schools starting with kindergarten?
Now, all the while I've been writing this, I've been thinking this might all be a moot point - for if we continue on our current path of destroying and polluting our mother earth, she will most likely start shrugging us off of our beautiful blue world and we will become an extinct species ourselves.
I'll leave you-all with one of my favorite quotes: Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity. George Carlin
