We exist in a curious dichotomy: On the one hand, we watch the news with its tragedy, war, and violence. On the other, we live out a normal life of peace and contentment. In spite of the latter, we opt for the negative and think ourselves to be the exception. The world is in a state of chaos and we are so, so fortunate to live in a little piece of reality that is safe and secure: I am very lucky. The truth is that most people are lucky and live in a state of tranquility. We are not in the minority, we are in the majority. Have you ever asked yourself: “What can I do to change the world – me?” The required answer, of course, is that you can do nothing: I am powerless. With its level of confusion and savagery, how could I change the world? Impossible! The person is thus compelled to be inactive, to feel impotent in an ocean of danger and change.

 

If you step back and reflect, however, you realize that you are all power. Each of us has the capacity to alter our scope of consciousness, whether that be our immediate circumstance or on a much larger scale. “Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment.” (2) What Gandhi is saying is that if we believe that we have a cause, non-violence for example, and we frame that concept in love for our fellow man, then we can change the world. This sounds horribly naïve, doesn’t it? But we can. The very beginning lies in simply informing people of the facts. The industrial-military complex (3) sells in excess of 400 billion dollars worth of arms each year. “The top 100 list of arms-producing and military services companies in the world is dominated by North America and Western Europe although Chinese companies are not included in the rankings and data on Russian arms manufacturers is limited due to insufficient data.” (4) If we ponder and look at the crumbling infrastructure of the United States (5) or even the old computer systems in many government departments and schools worldwide, you realize that we, as citizens of the world, are being fed a continual douse of fear just to keep us inactive, to say nothing. We allow our governments to keep selling and purchasing weaponry when our world needs change at a most rudimentary level: good schools, good roads, safe drinking water, good medical care, etc. It is almost farcical what we are “being sold.” Are we not more than tools of vested economic interests? Is my life just the acquisition of limited and ephemeral physical things? The answer may be “yes,” but knowledge is still everything. We can no longer remain silent when true wrongs are being perpetrated on humanity by the advantaged, the old men (some old women, too) who will be long dead before true collapse comes. Whether we agree or disagree with the concept of climate change, something is happening. It is time to be informed. Father Frederick Lewis Donaldson (1860-1953), the renowned canon emeritus of Westminster Abbey, leaves us with a thought. The Seven Social Sins are:
Wealth without work.
Pleasure without conscience.
Knowledge without character.
Commerce without morality.
Science without humanity.
Worship without sacrifice.
Politics without principle.

 

A closing thought: This evening, I spoke with a group of people (every Saturday night, we have a small talk session at a local bookstore) and I asked them about global warming. One poor soul said she wasn’t interested in the issue of global warming. I was stunned: a teacher no less. But, I understand. These issues are so vast that it is difficult for “poor me” with my tiny digital footprint to feel empowered. But, as Gandhi reminds us above, we are. It all starts with one. I only know what I know and I know that people are not violent. They are three things: naturally happy, naturally peaceful and they exist naturally in a state of love. How do I know this? I know this from teaching hundreds and, cumulatively, thousands of people over the years. I ask four simple questions: Who would you like to kill? Have you ever been shot? Have you ever been stabbed? Have you ever been blown up? I have never met a person who answered in the affirmative. Now this does not mean that bad things do not exist, they do: they must. Fortunately, societal trauma in most civilizations is not yet dominant, but this could expand. Ask yourself, “What activity is the industrial-military complex anticipating in regards to ‘Rocket Man?’” to quote Donald Trump.       

 

To sum up: This week, we spoke about non-violence and the need to be proactive in the world. Each of us has the power to help improve the world. But if we do nothing, we must accept the consequences of the environmental future.

 

A sardonic question: What does the idiom “Lights on but nobody home” mean in the context of the pronouncements of some of our world leaders? The correct answer gives you a free trip to Mars.  

 

Just for fun: Elton John – Rocket Man 

This week, please reflect on your own level of personal violence: is it real?

 

Every day look for something magical and beautiful.

Quote: Good-hearted people will eventually occupy this planet, I truly believe this. But nothing will occur in a vacuous state of ignorance.

Footnotes:

1) John 14:27 — Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

2) Gandhi, M. K. (1925, 08 January): Young India, p. 15. Young India was a weekly paper — in English — published by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi between 1919 and 1931 

3) The 5 Biggest Vice Industries in the World

4) Arms sales: who are the world’s 100 top arms producers?

5) Our crumbling infrastructure