Welcome excellent readers. Thanks for being here.
Doom and gloom seems to be on the mind of many people. Israel, Palestine, The Ukraine, Iraq and more trouble spots occupy our thoughts. Indeed there are atrocities happening in these places. In some of these trouble spots there seems to be no end in sight.
How can I reasonably argue that were are in peaceful times? I must be crazy . . . right? Nope, I’m not. At least not regarding this.
Think about advertising. When I was growing up in the 50’s almost every comic book had a Charles Atlas ad where the skinny weakling guy has sand kicked in his face by the big bully. He takes the body building course then comes back to beat up the bully. Are there any ads around now that suggest violence is a solution to any problem? In the 60’s it was common to see men spanking their wives for not having dinner ready or for allowing a waxy yellow build up on the kitchen floor.
Crime is down, war is becoming rarer all the time. The US is the only modern nation that still regularly engages in preemptive war. And, we’ve shown some decent reticence in recent years.
Bullying is being challenged in schools everywhere. We are no longer tolerating violence like we used to.
So then, why do so many people argue that things are so bad? I have a new theory.
I believe some of the problem is that some religious groups have a vested interest in promoting the need for salvation. If the secular world is getting more peaceful as we move further and further away from our ancient religious traditions, doesn’t that make these old religions look bad? I don’t blame religion for all our wars but it has certainly played a big part in dividing people and setting them against each other.
There are political groups that wish us to all be fearful of our neighbors. If we aren’t afraid then we might be less likely to support huge investments in national defense. How can you justify America’s massive military spending when the facts indicate we are living in one of the most peaceful times in human history?
Lastly many earnest activists seem afraid to accept the fact that we are becoming more peaceful. I believe this is because they fear that people will become complacent if they believe we are indeed becoming more peaceful. It is hard enough to get people to pay attention when they are afraid.
I contend that if we let the truth be told that humans are becoming more peaceful, less violent that humanity will see the light at the end of a very long, very dark tunnel.
Believe in peace. Work for it. We can have it if we try.
Never mix red wine with Oodo, but cider is fine.
Earth Year 2014
No comments:
Post a Comment