The Science Of World Peace

The Science of World Peace by Alison Jones Published in ‘If …Journal, issue 118, July/August 2008 – www.ifjournal.org

The Science of World Peace by Alison Jones World peace -- is it an unrealistic and unreachable goal? Is peace tangible? Why do so many strive for peace? When imagining peace, how do you envision a world at peace? How can peace be achieved worldwide, when people have different understandings and aspirations toward peace? There are so many questions, but what are the answers? We are reminded of the state of unrest the world is in daily when we watch the news, pick up a newspaper, or check for news updates on the Internet. We can watch with eyes glaring at the countless numbers of conflicts that plague the world, but see very little in accomplishing this "world peace" for which so many people advocate. Perhaps world peace is a contradiction in terms. While we strive for independence and individualism, peace organizations propagate the idea that we are the same. With so much diversity in culture and religion, how can we be the same? What are the underlying causes for struggle in the world, and why is there so much conflict and so little peace? The Lucifer Principle I am reminded of a most intriguing book by Howard Bloom called The Lucifer Principle1. Howard Bloom is the founder of the International Paleopsychology Project, an ever-growing assembly of scientists and theorists who examine contemporary society, drawing upon physics, microbiology, paleontology, endocrinology, neurobiology, anthropology, history and human ethology. Howard‘s Lucifer Principle tempts the reader to consider that we all have the Devil inside and are hard-wired for violence. Howard asks critical questions like why live in peace if we create through destruction? He gives many powerful examples; for example, a sculptor creates a beautiful work of art out of a slab of marble. As he creates, he gives no care to the shards of marble he chips away. Doesn‘t each and every chip have the right to exist and be free of destruction? We admire this work of art, but take no care to consider the destructive process of creation. If we are hard-wired for violence, how are we capable of creating peace? What destruction is necessary to create a peaceful living environment? Howard offers the notion that we can control culture, which influences our brains and therefore our behavior. In essence, we must destroy the influence over our minds and behaviors to achieve a peaceful existence in unity. What about tribalism? Tribalism occurs when ethnic or cultural identity distinguishes a person as a member of one specific group, thus separating him or her from membership in another group. Howard also addresses this in his book; we as a species are also hard-wired for a strong sense of

community. He gives the example of placing sea-sponges through a sieve and draining two distinctly different sponges into the same bucket of water. If you ring a red sea-sponge through the sieve, then a yellow sea-sponge into the same bucket, the red cells join with the red, and the yellow cells with the yellow, growing new sea sponges of red and new sea sponges of yellow. The sponges have a natural instinct or need to rebuild their communities, much like we do. People of a specific cultural background or similar beliefs seek to build community based on their own tribal habits and practices. They join in groups that separate them from other groups because of their specific cultural or belief similarities. How can a species that is hard-wired for violence and tribalism become one unified species with the same desire for world peace? Quantum Awareness What is peace? I am reminded of a speech given in 2006 at the Earth Dance festival by Drema Baker2. She opened with "What does peace look like? What does it sound like? What does it feel like? What does it taste like? If we haven‘t experienced peace for ourselves, how can we achieve it on a global level?" Dr. John Hagelin Ph.D3 describes peace as the absence of negativity. This is the basic principle for the science of peace. Dr. Hagelin believes in the fundamental field of unity, which may be compared to the electromagnetic field in which radio waves are carried. People influence people; that influence is carried across waves in the electromagnetic field. Dr. Hagelin believes that the wave of influence is three times as high as the square of the peace environment; its influence radiates and grows at roughly nine times the square of the number of people taking action (any action) together. The squared effect amplifies the power of influence and can affect things like crime rates, terrorism and warfare. In theory, it would only take a small number of people to influence a larger group, and the wave travels like a ripple in a pond. When individual awareness expands to become universal, it creates a ripple in that universal field like a ripple in the electromagnetic field in much the same way a transistor radio receives soundwaves; sounds are transmitted through the atmosphere in waves where it is picked up by a receiver that vibrates up and down, translating the wave into music. Hagelin believes what the world lacks is visionary leaders who can act as beacons or lighthouses that radiate peace, at which the fundamental consciousness would ripple, causing waves of peace. The strength of a smaller group of people radiating peace is unified vision. A unified field of consciousness from a small but focused group will affect a much larger group of people. David Lynch4 says, "In today‘s world of fear and uncertainty, every child should have one class period a day to dive within himself and experience the field of silence -- bliss -- the enormous reservoir of energy and intelligence that is deep within all of us. This is the way to save the coming generation." Maharishi Vedic Science5 is based on ancient Vedic texts that theorize an underlying, universal intelligence or universal laws of nature that underlie the entire created universe, including the human mind and body, and that it can be experienced in individual practice as the simplest state of awareness. (The Vedas are a large group of texts originating in ancient India, written by the

Aryan civilization; they are the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest sacred texts of Hinduism.) Is consciousness and awareness enough to create world peace? Is the path to achieving consciousness and awareness found in Vedic Science or the Maharishi University? I‘m not so sure. People have been studying the effects of meditation and discovering consciousness through awareness for quite some time, but I‘m not convinced. We have explored two different concepts of science-based thought. While the Lucifer Principle sparks critical thought and understanding of human nature, it also seeks to destroy our own influence over the way we think and behave. Vedic Science and quantum awareness seek to open the self to further influence in modifying thoughts and behavior by visionary leaders of peace, but this leads us where? And to what? Is peace a tangible thing? Peace Perceived by Religion I watched a Youtube6 video developed by Harun Yahya7, a Turkish author and philosopher. His books have attracted much attention both in Turkey and worldwide. His work serves as intellectual stimulation for both Muslims and non-Muslims. The YouTube video communicates that science is very much a part of the Qur‘an but that God is science. By observing and reflecting on the signs of creation around you, you can discover truths about the world and, more importantly, about yourself. Verses of the Qur‘an call upon Muslims to think, to investigate, and to use their minds, and by doing so they will know God. Have they not looked at the camel -- how it was created? And at the sky -- how it was raised up? And at the mountains -- how they were embedded? And at the earth -- how it is spread out? So remind them! You are only a reminder. (Qur‘an 88:17-21) Another verse communicates that by examining nature, you can know God by his creations. Those who remember God, standing, sitting and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth (saying): "Our Lord, You have not created this for nothing. Glory be to You! So safeguard us from the punishment of the Fire." (Qur‘an 3:191) Muslims of the Middle East are influenced by their sacred scriptures, their observations of nature and by God‘s creations. Harun Yahya‘s works are reminding them that peace can be found by observation and reflection. 21% of the world‘s population is Muslim while 33% is Christian, and an overall 54% holds a faith in God as the creator and provider of peace on Earth. Is it possible to influence the thoughts and behaviors of those of a faith that perceive science through God? World Conflicts:

Where is the Peace? "You can not have injustice without strife." --Socrates Law student Kanayo Odoe8 of Vanderbilt University speaks on the issues facing Africa today through his webcast, covering both historical and current issues. Mr. Odoe is a native Nigerian; he spent 20 years in Nigeria before coming to the United States along with other Nigerians to receive a higher education in 1996. (Many of the universities in Nigeria were closed down due to the civil unrest under the rule of a dictatorship.) I felt the webcast gave a fair summation of the issues that Africa has faced in the past and is currently facing today. After World War II, African colonies struggled for their independence. England, France and Portugal departed from their respective areas of control, granting independence to 6-7 countries -- all living in one shared area -- leaving them to their own devices. This placed multiple major ethnic groups in one area, ethnic groups that each held separate and distinct religions and cultural beliefs; naturally, this is a recipe for struggle. Many Africans in the area split off into their own groups by ethnicity and religion. However, some could not separate themselves from the rest, due to the fact that some groups had more resources than the others; not all the groups had the resources to get by on their own, and thus were dependent on each other. In order to hold the country together, a dictatorship emerged. One offspring of a dictatorship is the abuse of power, which -- after 10-15 contiguous years -produces a culture of corruption. As a result of this, the main plagues of Africa today are: • • • • •

Genocide Poor government Poor healthcare Epidemics Poor economic structure

Corruption is thus the main problem facing Africa today. In order to resolve Africa‘s problems, people must first work to erase the corruption or all other efforts are destined for failure. Africa loses the equivalent of $140 billion per day to profligacy. Some leaders loot the countries of money and natural resources and send the money overseas. Other leaders fail to develop the nations they‘re trying to lead; although many have tried, all have failed due to the deep-rooted political turpitude that has become a part of the system as a whole. Such corruption fuels civil war and disease and prevents engineering and innovations. Africa is the second largest continent in the world and acts as a prime example of strife and struggle; the corrupt Western, multi-national companies supply arms, fueling civil wars. Some examples of this can be seen in the following documentaries: • •

"Darwin‘s Nightmare," directed and written by Hubert Sauper, 2005; focuses on the corruption in Tanzania. "Sand and Sorrow: a new documentary about Darfur," HBO Documentaries

• •

"The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo," HBO Documentaries "Orphans of Nkandla," HBO Documentaries

For as long as I have been alive, there has been struggle and poverty in Africa. Despite being one of the richest continents in terms of natural resources, it is one of the poorest, consistently in a state of unrest and strife. What will it take to resolve these ongoing problems? How can the corruption be eradicated? I hear people say all the time, "It‘s not our problem." How can it not be when 80% of the world‘s resources come from Africa, when our tax dollars are sent to bolster relief aid, and when we are in trade agreements with Africa? If we want to accomplish world peace, it includes freeing Africa from its constant state of war. Conflicts in Southwest Asia Islam is the major religion of this area. Some people feel forced into Islam in order to find "peace" in the area in which they live. Based on my observations, I see that people take the position that ceasing the appointment of religious leaders to positions of power might be the solution to their problem. The oil industry and its current rising prices put a strain on all parties dependent on that resource, as well as effect a general decline in the economies of countries around the world. The population increases with the rise in immigrants brought in to do a job -immigrants who are seen as problematic by the local residents because they take jobs away from the natives, and because they are often abandoned in the country, unable to leave due to their economic circunstances, and becoming a burden on the already-strained populations. There are also cultural differences between the immigrant workers and the country‘s natives, which add to the stress. What of extreme acts of nature? A good example is Cyclone Nargis, which recently devastated Myanmar. The junta military government would not allow international assistance initially, but the state of unrest and very poor quality of life were causes for a change in that decision. You would think people would pull together, share resources and survive this tragedy together, right? No, that‘s a delusion. The reality is that money can be made -- even from such disasters. A $.40 bottle of water went up to $4.00 per bottle within 48 hours of the disaster in Myanmar. Aid to Foreign Countries and Peace Deals What achievements have been made toward peace? More than 40 peace deals -- contracts intended to end a violent conflict or to transform a conflict so that it can be addressed more constructively -- have been signed in the past two decades; many of these were accomplished by providing aid to foreign countries in need. So where is the peace? An entire academic field -- called "Peace and Conflict Study" -- is dedicated to identifying the reasons for the absence of peace. The Study identifies and analyzes violent and non-violent behaviors as the structural mechanisms responsible for social conflicts, with a view toward understanding those processes that lead to a more desirable human condition.

One of the ideas accomplished through peace studies is defining peace. If we don‘t know what peace is, how can we achieve it? Three Concepts of Peace9 1. The first concept of peace is the rational reasoning that peace is a natural condition, whereas war is not. The premise for peace researchers is simple: to generate and present enough information so that a rational group of decisions can be made to avoid war and conflict. 2. The second concept of peace, that war is sinful, is held by a variety of religious traditions worldwide, often most strongly by minority sects which do not maintain political power (i.e. Quakers, Mennonites, some sects of Buddhism, peace churches within Christianity, Jains in India). 3. The third concept of peace is pacifism, the view that peace is to be the prime force in human behavior. However, in order to define peace, you must also define conflict. Three Concepts of Conflict (The Conflict Triangle)10 1. The first concept of conflict is direct violence, i.e. direct attack and massacre. 2. The second concept of conflict is structural violence, or death by avoidable reasons such as malnutrition. Structural violence is indirect violence caused by unjust structure and is not equated to an act of God. 3. The third concept of conflict is cultural violence, which occurs as a result of cultural assumptions that blind one to direct or structural violence. For example, one may be indifferent toward the homeless or even consider the expulsion or extermination of the homeless a good thing. The peace process is one by which conflicts are resolved by non-violent means. Often, these non-violent means include peace agreements, as mentioned earlier. The list below gives examples of some types of peace agreements. • • • • •

Cessation of hostilities or cease-fire agreements. Pre-negotiation agreements. Interim or preliminary agreements. Comprehensive and framework agreements. Implementation agreements.

World Corruption Political consumption occurs when government officials use their powers for illegitimate private gain, consuming the country they govern. Transparency International (TI), the global coalition against corruption, attempts to prevent further corruption by exposing it. TI takes a survey, called the Corruption Perceptions, and post their results on their website at www.transparancy.org. The scores relate to perceptions of the degree of corruption as seen by business people and country

analysts, ranging from 10 (highly clean) to 0 (highly corrupt). Here are some results from their 2007 survey: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Asia 4.6 Africa 4North America 6+ South America 4Antarctica No Data Europe 6+ Australia 8+

World population as of May 2008: 6,668,467,31111 I identify so many reasons for conflict, yet not enough to consider world peace a viable reality, which leads me to believe it‘s unattainable unless we: a) resolve conflict on each continent (culturally, socially and economically); b) eliminate corruption; and c) embrace the same collective agenda. How can this task be accomplished? By creating awareness? inventing new causes? Even if I approach world peace from the process of a scientific inquiry, it would require all the following elements: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Ask a question. Do background research. Construct a hypothesis. Test the hypothesis by doing an experiment, then replicate results. Analyze the data and draw a conclusion. Report the findings and undergo a peer review

It seems to me that each conflict is unique to its area; while some of the same issues surface (culture/religion, resources and economics), each area would need to be analyzed separately. I‘m sure a great number of people have conclusions about what "needs" to be done, on a continentby-continent basis, to accomplish peace. The problem is the analyst has no control over implementing or controlling experiments in peace. It is up to the governing agencies in each area to conduct their own experiments. The question is, do they really want peace? It seems to me that war is a money-making business. World peace would put a lot of people out of a job, and businesses that profit from war would have to close shop. Having spent over 15 years working in a field which benefits from war, I can tell you that peace is not the desired condition. I have spent my life attempting to understand the human condition; I believe peace is an unnatural condition despite the results of peace studies that claim it is a natural state. Until we change our consciousness and increase our understanding of the human condition, we will never be at peace. It simply isn‘t profitable. You cannot hold all the keys with peace. You cannot control the world‘s natural resources (on which we all depend) with peace. You cannot

control masses of people with peace. You cannot cut population with peace. You cannot feel unique and special with peace. Only war can wave the red flags of differences rather than white flags of similarities. What is peace to you? Do you believe that it‘s attainable? If so, how? Ask yourself ... is peace an enigma? NOTES: 1

The Lucifer Principle, Howard Bloom.Atlantic Monthly Press, March 1997. ISBN# 0871136643 2

Printed in If ... Journal issue 100, November 2006.

3

Dr. John Hagelin ph.D. (http://www.hagelin.org) is a quantum physicist, educator, public policy facilitator, and proponent of peace. Dr. Hagelin is the chief advisor to the Congressional Prevention Coalition, and director of the Institute of Science, Technology and Public Policy ---- a public policy think-tank at the Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, IA. He directs the implementation of the Transcendental Meditation Program in government, schools and hospitals nationwide. He is also on the board of directors of the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-based Education and World Peace. 4

The David Lynch Foundation (http://www.davidlynchfoundation.org) is a consciousness-based education and world peace organization, founded in 2005 to provide scholarships for schoolwide transcendental meditation programs in public, charter and private schools worldwide, and to provide funds for universities and research institutes to assess the effects of the program on creativity, intelligence, academic performance, ADHD and other learning disorders, anxiety, substance abuse, eating disorders, and more. 5

The Maharishi University of Management, (http://www.mum.edu) teaches that through consciousness-based education, students can discover the field of pure consciousness within themselves as a source for all knowledge. 6

Youtube Video "Qur‘an Leads http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpwPBd9dmpk

the

Way

to

Science,"

7

The Hurun Yahya site, http://harunyahya.com/, rejects science as an explanation of the living world, but seeks to provoke thought in the creationist, the believer, and the faithful. 8

Vanderbilt University: "The http://youtube.com/watch?v=Q18bbRSDGPY

9

issues

facing

Africa

Today,"

For a comprehensive list of Peace Agreements by Continent, go to the United States Institute for Peace (http://www.usip.org/library).

10

Peace Review, an international research journal in the growing field of peace study, is published quarterly and is a peer-reviewed academic journal. http://www.usfca.edu/peacereview/info.htm; Spring 2008, 20.1, "U.S. Peace Movements During the Iraq War." Winter 2007, 19.4, "Teaching Peace to the Military." 11

United States Census Bureau, http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html