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John Samson
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World Peace = Non-violence: a challenge
September 17, 2006 - 06:47 AM
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Dear friends,
I just came across the most amazing article that I have read for a long time. It's called 'Satyagraha and the Mysterious Power of Gandhi's Non-violence'.
It claims non-violence to be the most powerful force and most effective means for sorting out human affairs and the only way to achieve world peace. The article explains what was behind what Gandhi did (to defeat and overturn unjust laws that oppressed Indians in South Africa; liberate India from British Rule; and peacefully end numerous violent uprisings during the partition of India.) and why it had such a powerful effect.
I challenge anyone to read it and then still accept that war and violence are necessary to solving human conflicts.
http://www.oneworldonepeople.org/articles/World Peace/Gandhi_Satyagraha_100years.htm
John
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Hayk
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Re: World Peace = Non-violence: a challenge
September 17, 2006 - 07:33 AM
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John thaks a lot for this link! I am myself a follower of sorts of Mohandas Ghandi!
Just wanted to point out that the link has a mistype and gives "Page not found" when you click it.
The correct link should have a space between ".../WorldPeace/...": it should therefore be ".../World Peace/...".
H.
This post was edited on: 2006-09-17 at 07:36 AM by: mnopq
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BenoitCtr
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Re: World Peace = Non-violence: a challenge
September 17, 2006 - 08:24 AM
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Speaking at such a level of complexity in 2006 calls for people who have experience in conflict resolution. Tthe kind of people we need are already involve on the front line and who simply need to have our personal attention and our collective focus to move in the direction that they live in. Connected directly to Taking It Global, there is Jeffrey Sachs who is an economist advising the UN Secretary General on the Millinium Goals and who has a page here at TIG with us since 2004. Another is Chris Macrae. He is a follower of Gandhi's non-violence movement. See for yourself how potent of a lead does this man offer to anyone who so wishes to participate and to collaborate in the greatest opportunity for a wave of social entrepreneurship ever seen on earth!
http://www.omidyar.net/user/u494644901/news/0/6/
http://ecosaintjames.blogspot.com/2006/12/delhi-grn-2004-gandhi-2007.html
http://clubofahmedabad.blogspot.com/1999/12/ways-you-can-collaborate-with-club-of.html
Here is also a link to a post I made to invite Jeffrey Sachs and where I mention my dream for participation and collaboration:
http://www.canada2020.ca/blog/progressive/in-connecting-to-jeffrey-sachs-canada-2020-lecture/
This post was edited on: 2006-09-19 at 01:18 PM by: Benoit17
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BenoitCtr
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Re: World Peace = Non-violence: a challenge
September 19, 2006 - 01:17 PM
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More related links:
http://clubofdelhi.blogspot.com/
http://social-entrepreneur.blogspot.com/
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Radwa O. Awad
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Re: World Peace = Non-violence: a challenge
September 20, 2006 - 05:06 AM
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War and conflict is a controversy, a paradox. They say only the fit survives, and thats where the world is heading today. But the richest people in the world : gun runners and sadistic leaders still provide the poorest people in the world with the tools to kill each other. WAR IS A WRONG REACTION TO A WRONG ACTION, its an endless vicious cycle of blood shed and destruction, but unfortuantely to us, we're scapegoats. As a matter of fact, the war will still go on, cause the greed lingers inside the leaders of the world today. Peace and reason? I dont think it will get us anywhere, and dont get me wrong here, I am not calling for war, I am not promoting it. To get our voices out there is a step forward, at least someone listens, if any. At least we go to bed knowing that we tried, even if it was in writing, yet we tried to make this world a better place. Peace and reason is not a dream, not an illusion...Its out there, our voices have to multiply, and our eyes have to be open, our minds must always be educated and we should stand out in the crowd.
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Merlyn
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Re: World Peace = Non-violence: a challenge
September 21, 2006 - 01:58 PM
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Butterfly-Media wrote:
WAR IS A WRONG REACTION TO A WRONG ACTION, its an endless vicious cycle of blood shed and destruction, but unfortuantely to us, we're scapegoats.
Dear Butterfly-Media,
Nature is against artificial preservation of animal lifes. Humans, being considered part of the most advanced family of primates, are no exception.
As far as nature is concerned, some animals should die, some survive, and nature will favor the survivals.
With all current conservation mechanisms such as pension funds, health care systems, etc. especially in the developed West, are, one might suppose, stopping the natural tendency of "survival of strongest." Sick are being taken care of. Weak are being take care of. Everyone is being put on one and same level. So there cannot be any selection in this case.
On the other hand, in the Eastern part of the world, this conservation systems are not yet developed hence the perpetual conflicts which break here and there.
Peace and reason? I dont think it will get us anywhere, and dont get me wrong here, I am not calling for war, I am not promoting it.
Peace is a philosophical time passing for idle minds. Real world is much different. Peace cannot exist for long time and not universally while it is not in the human nature to be peaceful. Humans are greedy and always want more. The difference is that some humans have power to obtain what they want and some, merely contemplate.
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That guy
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Worth Trying
September 22, 2006 - 06:11 PM
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Elemental,
You're right. World piece is impossible; you can never get absolutely everyone to act rationally. In fact, I think irrationality and greed exists in everyone, to a lesser or greater extent. But think of it this way; do-gooders like us will never run out of things to do!
The philosopher Albert Camus said it better than I ever will:
http://stripe.colorado.edu/~morristo/sisyphus.html
What do y'all think?
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John Samson
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Re: World Peace = Non-violence: a challenge
September 23, 2006 - 05:49 AM
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Dear Elemental and wvannbokk,
It's a very interesting point you have raised about the true nature of people. What I would like to point out is that if violence, greed and selfishness e.t.c were the primary nature of human beings, then we would have become extinct long ago. We would have wiped each other off the face of the planet as no-one would trust anyone.
The primary nature of people is love. Gandhi led 350 million people in non-violent resistence to British Occupation of India, and he succeeded in that because of his love for all people. Because of that the British left India as honoured friends and not at the point of someone's sword.
I would very much like to know your opinions after you have read the article I am began this thread to share. It opens up a whole new meaning about what is the true nature of a human being. Well it did for me anyhow. It would be interesting to see what you both make of it.
All the best.
John
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Merlyn
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Re: World Peace = Non-violence: a challenge
September 23, 2006 - 04:24 PM
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samsonj wrote:
Dear Elemental and wvannbokk,
The primary nature of people is love. Gandhi led 350 million people in non-violent resistence to British Occupation of India, and he succeeded in that because of his love for all people. Because of that the British left India as honoured friends and not at the point of someone's sword.
Dear John,
I think Ghandi is not a rule but an exception...
How many other cases like Ghandi have happened along the human history line?
None to my knowledge, although I am much ignorant...
I am a strong believer of an admixture of Darwinism and Lamarckism. Human evolution is a proven fact (as much as anything controversial of that kind can be provable). Even today BBC reported a finding of a the most complete uptodate human-ape.
Given we are animals then what? What follows is that animals kill each other one way or another. This has been like that since humans obtained consciousness and realised that resources around themselves are limited.
Humans survived as long as they did not, in my opinion, because they loved each other, as seems to be your claim, but because of their so-called strategic organization in groups leading to a semi-independent or independent units which ultimately, due to obtaining common traits and needs, started calling themselves nations.
First came clans, which developed into monarchies, kingdoms, empires, feudal systems, republics, etc.
All these are forms of organization of humans into some hierarchies. All these hierarchies are organized such that every participant of the hierarchy is secure and gets is satisfied with minimum(or more) amount of basic human needs.
These and other organization types are not the byproduct of love, according to me. But as i call them alliances, because one human is an easier pray then two humans together and so the group grows and becomes a unit etc. All these organizations are byproduct of strategic calculations based on the balance of weak and powerful.
Moreover, chimpanzees kill each other for females, territories, and food. So are we - humans.
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Arslan Jumaniyazov
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Re: World Peace = Non-violence: a challenge
September 23, 2006 - 05:51 PM
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Hello everyone,
Interesting discussion. Elemental, I think the case of Martin Luther King Jr. was similar to that of Gandhi. King actually learnt a lot from Gandhi.
Cheers,
Arslan
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That guy
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Re: World Peace = Non-violence: a challenge
September 26, 2006 - 01:47 AM
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samsonj wrote:
Dear Elemental and wvannbokk,
It's a very interesting point you have raised about the true nature of people. What I would like to point out is that if violence, greed and selfishness e.t.c were the primary nature of human beings, then we would have become extinct long ago. We would have wiped each other off the face of the planet as no-one would trust anyone.
The primary nature of people is love. Gandhi led 350 million people in non-violent resistence to British Occupation of India, and he succeeded in that because of his love for all people. Because of that the British left India as honoured friends and not at the point of someone's sword.
I would very much like to know your opinions after you have read the article I am began this thread to share. It opens up a whole new meaning about what is the true nature of a human being. Well it did for me anyhow. It would be interesting to see what you both make of it.
All the best.
John
I seem to have been misunderstood. I agreed with Ghandi that our primary nature really is good, just that we also contain a potential for evil that we can never totally block.
My main point was that yes, trying for world peace is futile, but we should try anyway, hence the Sisyphus link. Camus is heavy reading, as well as a dangerously sane and rational person (that was not a typo), but if you slog through it you will understand why I struggle for world peace and love in the face of futility.
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jaycoluv
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Re: World Peace = Non-violence: a challenge
September 27, 2006 - 07:57 AM
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I BELIEVE THAT WE SHOULD ALL COME TOGETHER TO SOLVE THIS COMMON PROBEM THAT HAS EATEN DEEP INTO THE HUMAN RACE,WE NEED TO PUT AN END TO THIS WAR ALL OVER THE WORLD...I KNOW THAT THIS IS BYOND WHAT ANY HUMAN BEING COULD EVER IMAGINE...FIRST OF ALL ,WE HAVE TO PRAY AND ASK GOD TO TAKE CONTROL...THEN THOSE COUNTRIES THAT HAS THE WELL WITH ALL...LIKE THE U.S.A,SHOULD ACT ACCORDINGLY...STOP THE GENOCIDE IN DARFUR,ALOT OF PEOPLE HAVE DIED AS A RESULT AND MORE THAN A BILLION PEOPLE DISPLACED...LET US ALL COME TOGETHER TO FACE THE TRUTH ABOUT ALL THE WAR GOING ON...WAR CAN NEVER SOLVE THE PROBLEM...LET PEACE REIGN
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