KarmaGirl KarmaGirl

Peace

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Peace

is it just a concept?

from JoeUser Forums

I was meditating on the concept of "peace" during my morning commute.  It's a great idea, isn't it?  The world living in harmony.  Mankind being civil.  People existing without fear.  Families building a home and feeling safe...living a life without violence or senseless loss.

Peace

It'll never happen.

There are signs up all over the place saying "Peace- No War!"  What war are the referring to?  One would argue that they are referring to the war in Iraq.  US citizens are dying over there.  But what about the US citizens that die in the US every day?  It's war- just a different type.

US Casualties in Iraq 2005:  846
US Casualties in California 2005: 2,503 (but, they call it "murder" instead)

Peace

California is more dangerous than being in the war....  3 times as dangerous.  Why?  At least the military recruits signed up knowing they could be placed in a war.  What did the people in California do?

Peace

Do some other countries even try?  Just read about the AIDS epidemic and the hideous reasons that it is spread (equates to murder..except by disease) in Africa.  What about the military brutality (that's too nice of a word for it) in the Congo?  Or, even the horrific population control methods enforced and involuntarily forced on women in Tibet?

Peace

I'll never see it in my lifetime.

blogging
12,906 views 39 replies
Reply #26 from JoeUser Forums Top

Its just a simple fact of life - wishing for something dont make it so, doing does, and even then it may not happen.

Questions: How does me being peaceful cause others to be so?  How do you "fight" for peace? 

Its Life - anyone clinging to a High School concept of World Peace is going to meet those nice young men in their clean white coats pretty quickly ....

So, is world peace ever possible?

Reply #27 from JoeUser Forums Top
How do you "fight" for peace


I take your point - delete fight, insert "strive" - the effect is the same.

So, is world peace ever possible


No.

As to why in that case call it "peace", your right it is an unobtainable concept in an absolute sense, but still valid even though its not attainable to perfection. In life the best challenges, goals (etc) as those just out of reach, but theoretically worth achieving. The fact you will never get their, doesnt make the concept invalid. Life is full of anomalies, it will never be black and white, clear cut etc.

Drill down further is real head banging, and people have sat on top of mountains for thousands of years trying to work it out, and still not got there, because like the definition of Pye, its infinite, there isnt one.

At that point its over to the Zen Buddist ... I am too simple a soul to go there   
The Political Machine 2024
Reply #28 from JoeUser Forums Top
oops missed one

How does me being peaceful cause others to be so

Thats the cornerstone of leadership - leadership by example. It does not only apply to Leaders. Its arguable we are products of our environment, and our values are to a great degree set by that environment ie Culture. If that environment strives for peace, you are likely to follow that example as its the only one you have known.

Drill down on that with the Buddist   
Reply #29 from JoeUser Forums Top
I enjoyed reading your article, Karmagirl...as well as all the comments.

Let's start with peace in our own home. The home, our haven, should be a place of peace for all those who live there and for all those who visit.
Reply #30 from JoeUser Forums Top
Not exactly a comparison. Do any of the people who have been murdered (either on US soil, or in war) do so because they chose to? Being homeless may be peaceful to some people. Being murdered, or being a victim of violent crime is never peaceful.


I wasn't trying to compare them as one being violent and not the other but that we see things as wrong based on the idea of a perfect world, what the world should be like when in reality we can only strive to reach the best possible world, 99.99% you can say. Which would mean that people may still die due to murder but it would be maybe 1 here and there and most likely we will catch the criminal possibly 99.99% of the time.

Same as people in houses, we can not strive for 100% of people living in a house when 5% are ok with living outdoors. But a statistic will still show 5% people not living in a house and some may see this as a bad thing even though they may not know it's by choice and not by not providing help.

Sorry I was not more specific. Hope I made more sense this time.
Reply #31 from JoeUser Forums Top
First, you are confusing my with Dharmagrl (we're not quite the same )

I'm not talking about Utopia. I am talking about the fact that you can live the most peaceful existence, not harm anyone, yet some ass who has no value on life can step in and ruin it. Until humans become more civilized, then "peace" will not exist. On a World view, if we can't even become more civilized here in the US, how are we to expect the less civilized countries to quit killing each other?


Sorry, meant to say Karmagirl. That was my mistake.

Utopia - Utopia, in its most common and general meaning, refers to a hypothetical perfect society. WWW Link

This is what I understand when people talk about peace in a universal way. A place where kids and adults can live happy without fear of danger from a need to do harm. But because of our human nature, our tendency to take care of number 1, this kind of peace is, like many have said, a pipe dream. Good can not exist without evil, light can not exist without darkness, peace can not exist without war.

What we need to seek is a more logical peace. One that is possible, a 99.99% peace. Where we reduce, not eliminate, all evil, that which is bad. But then we have the conflict of who determines what is evil or bad. And we end up back in square 1 where even 99.99% seems almost impossible.

We could become more civilized, but we would have to sacrifice something in return and that may counter the possibility of peace. As they say "nothing is free in life".
Reply #32 from JoeUser Forums Top
Zydor,
So, is world peace ever possibleNo.


Distrust is the main reason for conflict and because we’re never sure of others intentions we take steps to counter, so conflict is often a self-fulfilling prophecy. Technology will make it impossible to hide anything, even thoughts, so deceit will not be possible in the future. Once intentions become transparent trust will not require faith and the constant tensions that exist between us all will be gone. Desires will be understood and honest compromises made to see them addressed because honesty will be the only policy.

Humans are products of their environment. What we think of as human nature is not a static condition. As our motivations change so will our nature.

May take another 10,000 years but there will one day be peace on earth.


Reply #33 from JoeUser Forums Top
Technology will make it impossible to hide anything, even thoughts, so deceit will not be possible in the future

Dont hold your breath, doubt any Bookies will take a punt on that one
*reaches for the latest Microsoft World 12007 Thought Shield*   

May take another 10,000 years but there will one day be peace on earth.


I hope so - I really do - time will tell I guess   
Reply #34 from JoeUser Forums Top
I hope so - I really do - time will tell I guess


If it might take 10,000 year it will never tell any of us. Unless you believe in reincarnation.
Reply #35 from JoeUser Forums Top
Reincarnation? Dont get me started on that one - I dont believe the other lot - that one is even worse   
Reply #36 from JoeUser Forums Top
Reincarnation? Dont get me started on that one - I dont believe the other lot - that one is even worse


I can only pray reincarnation is a mith simply because we have people like Bush and Col gene who can come back some day.
Reply #37 from JoeUser Forums Top
ROFL   
Reply #38 from JoeUser Forums Top

I can only pray reincarnation is a mith simply because we have people like Bush and Col gene who can come back some day.

Reply #39 from JoeUser Forums Top

The only times in my life I haven't seen peace is when I have put myself in violent situations and places.  Peace is almost everywhere, it's a lack of peace most of us have to either go out and find, or create ourselves.

World peace (on the other hand) won't happen because there are too many people who do not want it.  Like it or not, many people in this world hate peace as much as you hate violence.