Hell and Peace

Loudly chanting slogans of death, destruction along with the burning of flags and effigies are images of what hell is like. The screaming and gnashing of teeth, beating the war drums, using violence as a deterrent, supressing others to impose ideology/will are all experiences we have to look forward to in hell. In hell we will be the suppressed, we will be the screamers and gnashers of teeth. Our focus will be upon each other yet blindly and ultimately the focus is truly upon our own selves. This is the truth and reality of hell. Throughout the years of my work in peacebuilding the wisdom which has constantly come to light is that every protest a person makes, every change a person asks for is a reality which they themselves seek to change within their own mind/world. Such actions are quite masochistic and it is a form of self-acknowledgement to our problems. Sadly it is one of the most ignored symptoms/cries for peace each of us engage in. For example, compare what ISIS members scream and gnash their teeth about to their own actions? You can go down the list of every person, organization and country. Quickly it becomes obvious their actions relate to the subject of their screams and teeth gnashing. It truly is insane. This very moment in which each of us experiences/acts in this manner is living in hell. Understanding our own mind is paramount to peace. Take notice of the changes you most ask for. Take great comfort in the source of your anger. Such is your personal ISIS guide to peace. Difficult as it may be to acknowledge these cries for change, the effort to actually make the change is often the stopping point. Thus begins the cycle of screaming and gnashing of teeth. We lash out in anger to ease the pain of suffering our own minds endure. Eventually, the screaming and gnashing will turn to action if not understood and dealt with. The path to peace is evolution of mind. The evolution takes time and courage. How much of these elements is unknown until the change has completed. At the end is complete awareness of everything. Until then change is our life, anger a useful guide and our choice to embrace both will determine how peaceful each of us are.

Governing peace in your community

The past year we have witnessed the brutality of ISIS, Iran breaking down barriers, Cold War tactics ramp up and a number of other incidents which make the entire world unsure. How we got to this point is a very important path to know and understand. Of course each of us will have a different interpretation of that path. Furthermore, each of us will have a different view of how to deal with the realities of today. Lets take the Israeli/Palestine situation as an example. Israel backs up its actions by stating the need for security. This security is due to the constant call for Israeli demise by some neighbouring countries and regional organizations. This leads to Israel overtly working to accomplish a similar task in the name of security. Such a situation is not sustainable for peace and Israel is screaming foul as Iran negotiates a nuclear deal. To be completely honest and fair neither side of any recent conflict have acted with honour or with a peaceful mindset. Sadly, the goal which is sought is often good governance and a peaceful society. Regretfully, no one can point a finger at anyone because most countries have committed and are committing acts which destroy peace. The same goes for the many organizations which seek to bring structure, order and peace. A glaring example is of ISIS acting in a completely hypocritical manner. To keep a positive mindset though is of great need. These are difficult times and with that comes great opportunity to change. The positives are the many individuals working in their communities to have peace, despite the chaos of war surrounding them. The people ensuring hospitals, schools, local markets and basic services are supplied. There are people working to build communities which focus on a supportive, inclusive and accepting ideology. Some of these people are profiled in the following website: http://www.peacedirect.org/us/peacebuilders/ It is these people that provides and environment for peace to grow. From there the governing of the wider society can also grow.

Global debt management

With the Greece situation taking center stage the last year or so, you think that the world has never been through such an ordeal before. In fact there are always countries at the brink of collapse and the impact just as great. Argentina is one example of economic collapse which causes global unrest. However the question remains, how to stop or slow down the collapse? As always the advice is to not panic. Sadly that is what takes place because the doomsday thoughts take over. To manage such panic rests with the negotiation tactics of the lenders, supporters and the borrowers. The advice on how to manage the debt pay back is to not air the dirty laundry in public at all. Next is to take the long term view of repayment. Meeting the fixed payment amount should not be the focus. The focus should be making as much a payment as possible at each target date. Most economist would quickly point out that such a plan would only create a never ending cycle of missed payments. Furthermore there is the issue of interest payment. The money is leant out in order for the lender to make money. Now this is where arguments often diverge on two paths. One being economic and the other being social. What is the main focus in global debt servicing? Is it to secure economics or is it to secure society? There can only be one top priority. It should be no surprise that society is the main focus in this short essay. In this focus the debt repayment schedule is hinged upon the borrower making as much payment as possible. The negotiations should be able to monitor and understand the moving dollar amount well before the due date. This keeps the security of the economy going. In such a situation it is absolutely necessary to not panic, worry or openly fight about the repayment schedule. Each due date a payment is made then, future due dates and amounts are adjusted accordingly. Such ideology of flexibility is often met with the phrase – you have no idea what you are talking about. For those that say that, they are often more interested in the making money, interest payment, in short greed. The civil unrest is of secondary concern. The flexible approach would save us from the talk of the European Union breaking up. It would save the banks from closing and save the ripples of panic attacks. All of these are the social impacts we are enduring right now due to a focus on economics not society.