Fighting for Peace??? (part 1)

11:20 at night, with fatigue setting in, and I'm actually writing about such a topic? What am I? Nuts?

Well, this is only the first part of a series of postings on "fighting terrorism" and the movement towards peace.

Geron wrote in his comment:

You mentioned posi-genesis can be applied to global issues as well. It is common in the media to hear the phrase "fighting terrorism" or "war on terror". I'm interested in how one would apply posi-genesis to this problem.

"Fighting terrorism" is an oxymoron. You cannot fight for peace, which is what that war is about. Many peace marchers had signs that said "Fight the war in Iraq". Hey, that's what the army was doing.

To be fair though, it is also about trying to feel secure, having a sense of security. But what is "security"? The dictionary says "free from concern", from the root "se-cure" or "without concern". Can we ever be without concerns? Can we ever be truly free from cares?

Baha'u'llah writes "The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established." And in a similar vein, but on a smaller scale, He says that the law of marriage was created as a "fortress for well-being and slavation".

How do these relate?

Well, the positive values that are missing on the larger scale, globally, are, first and foremost, unity, followed closely by such issues as respect, compassion, justice and peacefulness. there are many other virtues that can be added, but those few will suffice for now.

I, being a simple person, who likes analogies that I can grasp onto, need to put it all into the micro-scale: one on one. When I see these virtues listed, I am reminded of my marriage. This institution of marriage has proven to me, over the last few years, to be like the fortress mentioned in the Baha'i Writings. It is a protection for my family; but more than that, it has proved to be a haven for those in the community who need it.

Many times over the past few years, neighbourhood children have come running to our door when they needed a safe place.

In another quote, Baha'u'llah says that we should "consort with the followers of all religions", and again that we should "consort with all men", both "in a spirit of friendliness and fellowship".

So, what does it mean to consort? Prince Phillip is Queen Elizabeth's consort. It is not just a low-level liking, it is as intimate as the relationship between a man and wife. This is the level of love required to solve this issue, and bring about the unity necessary for "the well-being of mankind, its peace and security".

Let's take a look at the terrorists for just a moment. Why are they resorting to these tactics? Are they heartless and evil? Probably not. But I do think they are angry, just like the people who wish to "fight for peace". This is not to condone the evil actions they are doing, but to distinguish between the actions and the intent. The use of terror and murder to get ones way is never justified.

When we sense an injustice, we become angry. Anger is a natural response to a yearning for justice.

This may be the area to which we need to look for a solution.

Peace between nations is similar to peace in the family, which begins with a healthy relationship between the husband and wife.


To be continued when I am a bit more awake.

What is posi-genesis?

This is the obvious question, given the title of the blog. Actually, the first question would be "who is Mead", but if you're reading this at this time, you probably already know me. Also, this second question will be answered in the near future.

For now, though, what is posi-genesis?

Linguistically, it is the viewing of the world in terms of positive values, rather than opposites. Through this perspective, you can build up those positives to make a good change in the world.

Metaphorically, it is recognizing that when you walk into a dark room, and wish to read a book, you need to add light. You cannot remove the darkness.

"So what?" you say? Well, it seems to me that most people approach social issues and problems by trying to remove the darkness. A lot of time and energy is wasted on this, when it is much more effective to turn on the light, so to speak.

Let's look at the "race issue" in the States:

There are thousands of communities trying to deal with this issue, most of which focus on "fighting racism". From what I have seen, and I will leave it to others for now to verify or disprove this (I only have a short time before I need to look after my 2 year-old son again, and more on him later, too)... (Where was I? Oh yeah) From what I have seen, all those communities that are fighting racism are spending a lot of their energy trying to make their communities better places, but statistics are showing that things are getting worse.

There are other communities, however, who are working to "promote race unity". In these communities, they seem to be making great strides, and the various statistics I have seen, such as crime stats and levels of wealth, show that things are getting better.

Why?

In the first instance, people are looking for incidences of racism to fight. People being people, "mistakes" are made, often unconsciously. As the faults are regularly being seen, and pointed out, disappointment and frustration occur. Feelings of resentment easily set in, and then things "seem to get worse", to quote a friend "in the field".

In the second instance, in those communities that promote race unity, people are looking for incidences of unity to celebrate. They are always there, and encouraged. People feel happier about each other and their neighbours (Canadian spelling, eh?), and things "just get better".


In all instances of interpersonal crises, social disorder, or global problems, I have made it a point to look at the positive values that are either missing, or weak. When doing this, and identifying them, the solutions become far more apparent.

To do this, I have found the Virtues Project to be of great assistance, even though I am not associated with them. By looking at their short list of virtues, (http://www.virtuesproject.com/virtues.html), it is fairly easy to identify which ones are needed to help solve a particular issue.

Some points that need to be made, however, are that the virtues on their own are not necessarily good things, and that they must be in balance with each other.

Virtues are not necessarily good? How does that work? Patience, you would agree, is a virtue, but a good thief is patient. Steadfastness is also a virtue, but it is what made the Nazis such a terrifying enemy. Compassion and caring are needed, as well as many other virtues, to bring out the best in these two instances.

Over the next few months, I will be adding more examples of how posi-genesis can help us as we try to solve major issues in the global arena, or even simple problems in our daily life. Interspersed with this will be a running diary of my time with my son, Shoghi (still 2 years-old, as mentioned above), as I continue to raise him up to, hopefully, adulthood.

Each week I select a new virtue for the little guy and explain what it means in simple terms. From there, I talk with him about how to apply that virtue to plants, animals and then children.

One story before I go for now:

A year and a half ago, I picked "generosity" for the week. After explaining to him, and a number of other children, what it meant and how to apply it, we returned home for supper. I placed him in his high chair and gave him a bowl of his favorite food at the time: grapes. His favorite food now is yogurt, but more on that later, too. At the time, he asked to get down. Knowing he was hungry, I just left him there and went about making dinner. This was not good enough for him and he began to get upset. After a few frustrating minutes for him, I finally understood that he knew what he was talking about and I let him down. He insisted on going around the house and giving everyone there a grape before he would eat any himself.


If you have any questions or comments on any of the above, please help me learn how to make a good and exciting blog. Photos will be coming later, but for now, I'm still in word mode.


With love and prayers,

Mead