Seek the Truth
by Yugen
Fardan Rashad |
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Any talk of war and peace raises the issue of ending the Iraq conflict in an expeditious, intelligent, and peaceful way. We know too well the collateral effects the Iraq war continues to have on society: loss of life, instability in the economy and financial markets, home foreclosures, shutting down of factories and businesses, and the stressful impact on us.
Politics is at the baseline of peace and war, and all politics are local. Hence, our understanding of war and peace turns on how or if we’re making a difference in our local communities. War and peace are complex, contradictory terms that need to be broadly defined.
That’s because just as war is more than taking a life, peace may mean killing someone. Which is why we must become strategic, and make a personal connection with violence, and peace.
Humans have used violence as a tool for conflict resolution since the Stone Age. The biggest stick can pound the opposition into the ground, and earn the right to be the arbiter of peace. This is still true today. It’s about conquest, power, and control. As a species we teach our young to harbor these tendencies. Have you ever watched an impatient, bully parent resort to pushing, spanking, or pulling on a child?
This is one way violence is normalized. And that’s why we should recognize that pulling, hitting, or shoving is an attempt to dominate and control another. In many cases these children may grow up to become military commanders, supervisors and CEOs of corporations and systems. Some may carry scars or trauma of that upbringing, or grow up with an anger problem that could be the gateway to substance abuse, violence, or a weight problem. Consider the conundrum of George W. Bush.
In July 2003, when the 43rd President of the United States played his wolf ticket — verbal intimidation — for war, he told a crowded room of White House reporters: “There are some who feel that conditions are such that they can attack us there,” my answer is: Bring them on. We have the force necessary to deal with the situation.”
A bully. Bush behaved selfishly, with haste, and consequently plunged our nation and all its resources into a war without reasonable provocation. Bush is not very different from the abusive spouse in terms of thought process and an inability to envision the consequences of a violent act upon another person.
The impact pales by comparison to the profundity of a world leader’s decision to launch a military action, but the point is we do have the ability to promote a peaceful end to conflict in our role as citizen, parent, teacher, manager, mentor, community, civic, or religious leader.
Learned behavior enhances unconscious violent tendencies from childhood that suggest to the mind ‘peace is only maintained through dominance and control of others’. Child psychologists say we cannot overlook how male and female identities are shaped by early experiences in the home.
Additionally, media communicates a message that only the strong survive. Video games reinforce that message of violence and destruction many become addicted to.
The entertainment and sports industries also play a role. Dress codes symbolize rebellion and invincibility. The evening news brings to the American living room a portrait of violence every five minutes, and of course, the precarious acceptance of gang violence – great for ratings. And remember not too long ago the entertainment division begin to shape how news is packaged and broadcast.
Reducing violent acts and utilizing conflict resolution through communication, empathy, and patience, are important in reordering our society.
Even with the limitations inherent in any analysis of war and peace, this meditation strives to make the issue relevant to everyday living, far from the corridors of Washington, D.C. and the Pentagon.
Writing your congress person, or joining the peace movement is an effective protest against war and for peace, but the real battlefield is improving parenting skills, and reaching youth with positive messages, and creating a nurturing environment.
Yugen Fardan Rashad’s writings deal with culture, aesthetics and spirituality. His topics, opinions and insights pay homage to the scholarly search for truth, which leads to personal responsibility and preservation of community life.
