Third party intervention

 

How to get warring factions to talk it out is a rabbit hole of peace. There are questions as to who is doing the invite, where are the talks being held, who is being invited, who will pay for the cost of these talks, why not let the war play out on its own and, there are even more questions as the topic/impact ripples in all directions.

When a discussion is actually agreed to be had, the next issue is what is going to be discussed. Not as easy as it sounds. Some will only talk with the mediator (shuttle diplomacy). Others will only talk about certain points such as, borders, why the other sides are the problem and we are the victims, why are these people at the table and not these people, the list of topics can get as simple as the menu for breakfast.

This leads to the saying “if you are not at the table, you are on the menu”. That saying is a cause of many problems and is also a source to understand the scope of peacebuilding. Peace is about everyone and everyone deserves a voice at the table. Many will stop peace building because of the impossibility they attach to such a concept.

One item of peace is to detach from the impossibility of peace and be comfortable with a certain unknown reality that is to be built. The reason we are at war is because we did not want to do the work of peace before. That is the absolute truth of it.

Now we have to acknowledge the failures we made and move together. It is easier said than done. We are often got up in the bravado of not losing face, of not showing weakness, of not fighting for a just cause and the cliches will go on. The unknown of peace starts with getting past your own shit first so that you are willing and able to allow the possibility of peace. You have to be open to peace, even when you may not understand what it will be.

If you get to that point of understanding a possible peace, the question of “what next” will follow along naturally.

Noli sinere malos insolentesque te vexare or Illegitimi non carborundum

 

Do not let the bastards grind you down. That is the loose translation of the latin phrases above.

Who are the bastards?

They are the ones that will stomp on your face and ask you to thank them for being so kind to you. They are also the ones that will be kind, offer help, and when the moment comes steal everything from you and disappear. They are the ones that spend more time to seek loopholes and cheats to get around safeguards of peace than it would take to be peaceful.

It is a dangerous job to work against such people. Not because they are often violent, it is because you will be in constant risk of actually being one of them bastards. You will risk the peace of the world, the peace of your self and loved ones.

The bastard are not always easy to spot since they are wolves in sheeps clothing. Also there will be times that each of us will also be the bastard without even knowing it. This interplay is the task of peace building. It is also my life’s work to understand and help the bastards to be peaceful. It involves going into the darkest areas of life to understand the mentality of the bastard as fully as possible. Many are lost in the battle.

I write about this interplay to keep my mind in check. If you have any questions please send a response in the area provided.

Evaluation of peace at this very moment.

 

The world is going through a time of uncertainty. More specifically, the people are. The planet may not be uncertain itself, if you believe in the Gaia theory. However, there is strong evidence that we are at a turning point in many areas of existence.

The evidence is the pandemic, increase in storms is another factor, military build up is also a factor and then there is the slow burn of weariness that is going on due to all these factors. In short, we could be completely fucked if steps/decisions are made to aggravate the current situation. One wrong move and the world will find itself in a global war. This is a reality which causes me great concern because it becomes more possible each day.

People all over the world are on edge, depressed, lost, and feel as if there is no control. Plus, there is a severe lack of trust in leadership and has been a severe lack of quality leadership for sometime on a global scale. At this point in time, we are in deep need for peaceful reflection and actions. What does that mean?

Not everyone can have an impact on a global scale. This leaves us with our own personal lives. Each of us must find ways to bring peace in life to our own minds and if possible assist others to do the same.

Leadership in peace

As I work through the focus of my research in peace, my mind spins into some dark places. With this spin is the base of what I am trying to understand. Basically it comes down to how the individual builds, manages and maintains their life in a peaceful manner towards a peaceful world.

How a person leads their life, views their life, brings thought to action, and how a person impacts the rest of society are all part of what I am seeking to understand.

Taking circumstances into reality, there are elements of life which fall outside of individual concerns and/or control. In the grand scheme we can not live anywhere else but this planet right now so get used it and you filter down from there. Also we have to understand that no two people will ever have the exact same set of circumstances or experiences.

These are tumultuous times. There are few if any places in the world that are in a stable situation. In times of such uncertainty, the need for everyone to exercise leadership is paramount. Each of us must acknowledge and perform to the best of their capacities the responsibilities of peace.

Leadership within our own lives is more important than what the common thoughts of who leaders are and how they lead. How each of us think and behave is of vital importance because we must rely on our own judgements first. This falls into the ethical questions of why we follow laws.

Do you follow laws because you do not want to get caught? Do you follow laws because you agree with those laws? Do you even care what the laws are? How does a person get to the point where it is okay to be a leader in human trafficking or corruption for examples?

I hope each of us finds peace in life. When I finish this portion of my research I will post those results.

Building a peaceful world

 

How do we build a peaceful world?

As we go down that rabbit hole, we are faced with many decisions. Currently we are being faced with those who are standing on the rights of personal freedom to choose to get vaccinations. This is the right of free will. Free to do what you want with your own body.

We have to get to the extremes so we can walk towards some middle ground. So with that, there are those that have indulged in the act of self-immolation (setting yourself on fire). Such situations bring us into a realm of insanity. For such a person there are no limits to what a person can do to themselves. Along that path will be the question of why any act a person takes upon themselves is illegal? If you want to inject bleach or not, well that is your choice. Such examples can go on for ever. Then there is the element of informed choice. This is why cigarette companies were sued even though many people chose to use their products. Again the list of examples here are endless. Now there are those that follow along blindly of their own free will. For example these are the people who will plead that they were just “following orders”. Again, the list of examples are endless.

As we walk towards an understanding, what we will run into is responsibility, leadership, accountability, control, harmony, trust and, other elements of peace. Also, the definition of what peace is/looks like can enter into the discussion.

Each of us will have limits of control and capabilities. For each of us, these limits are the everyday realities of life. As we move through life we will trade certain elements to gain others. Again, there are endless examples. Right now the trade is vaccination, freedom, security, choice and other elements.

As each of us makes these trades we must understand that it is not only the individual that is in play. There is a society that is impacted as well. As that relationship is contemplated, the base root of peace comes into play. That base root is the reality of being trusted as a person who will be a benefit to calm resolve. It means being a person who is able to listen, learn, assist, as well as being graceful when a mistake is made. There is also the element of every person who we hold up as a model of peace, that element is shown when a person gives more to others that they receive themselves.

The calm resolve is (in my understanding of peace) essential. We must know that we are here for those in the future. We must understand that choice does not always equate to freedom or vice versa. We also must understand that we are no where near perfect. Everyone is learning, everyone is going to make mistakes. When we witness others falter, we must hold out our hands with great patience and grace to assist them. When the time comes for our turn to falter, be gracious to those who offer assistance.

Intent

 As I am researching peace there is this element of human nature that is of outmost importance. That element is intent. For example when a person is employed and they have a boss/supervisor that causes others to feel inferior, stupid, worthless or in vulgar terms a fuck up, that boss/supervisor has intent to cause suffering, humiliation and or other harms.

Those that act in such a manner to bring an unpeaceful reality into being are made of the same cloth as those who can be perpetrators of evil acts. This is the slippery slope of peace. If a person is willing to lash out in such a manner, the depths of those acts is untold.

I know of this because I am guilty of being such a person. I understand the evil that can be caused by my actions. Such actions are why we have human trafficking, genocides, war, murder, corruption, theft, torture, etc….

It is a painful reality to understand that such a reality exists within me. However, I must use this knowledge to understand how we can avoid going down such paths of destruction. I must understand what indicators are present to inform us of such people. How do we control such thoughts, actions, desires? What outlets can we build to allow people to exercise such behaviour in a peaceful manner?

It is the famous Dr. Jeckell and Mr. Hyde complex that lives within us all.

Although many would defend their actions as frustration when they lash out. I too have made similar defenses. However the reality of frustration is no defense for causing harm to another. The responsibility of any person who seeks peace is to act in benefit of others always. Admonishment of others is just as effective using peaceful methods. Patience, courage, trust, loyalty, stewardship, integrity are components we must all strive to practice. 

Sometimes we fail, this is when we must work the hardest to ensure peace. It is important to act with those values when dealing with ourselves and others. It will take great effort to obtain peace. I believe we can. That is my intent knowing full well that I have the capacity to be an asshole. I am working to be that peaceful person I know is possible.

Jumping to conclusions

 

Ever have a discussion where the other person is always giving answers to problems you are facing? This happens very often in discussions of peace. What strikes me is that with all this knowledge why the hell is there so much hatred and anger in the world? For example, take any resume you find and it is almost a certainty that good communicator will be a descriptor on that document. If this were true, the world would be in way better condition in terms of communication than it is. In reality, the communication success sucks. This is the same issue as the cliché states that 80% of the population believes they are above average intelligence.

The wonder of peace is to be able and willing to live within the unknown or at least pursue the unknown. To do that is to always be seeking situations where you are learning, experiencing new realities and having the intelligence to say – I do not know/understand this.

We need to keep the impossible in our frame of scope. Having ready made answers or drawing too much on past knowledge/experiences will keep opportunities to a narrow window.