|
II. Applications and Prerequisites 2.1. Applications Ernesto Kahan Tolerance, Harmony and Responsibility for World Peace Our civilization never, in its entire history, was in circumstances when two opposed abilities exist. on the one hand, it faces the possibility to completely exterminate the life on Earth. But on the other hand, it is now possible to totally eliminate hunger in the world that would seem impossible just a few years ago – and also to achieve a universal contract of harmony that will assure the peaceful relationship between the countries. Such a universal contract of harmony can be achieve through tolerance which is a kind of negotiated acceptance of each component or of groups of the components of the system. Harmony should be the basis for the peaceful coexistence. Harmony can never be eternal and complete, but it is essential in the present stage of our civilization when the mankind has to survive. The concept of harmony based on tolerance is not new, and at least in its definite structure goes back to John Locke, and his known work "A Letter Concerning Toleration" published between 1689 and 1690 [51]. Since then, that ideology revealed itself to a greater or smaller degree in the American and French Revolutions and in the liberal demonstrations. Years later, Voltaire, the author of "Treatise on Toleration" (1763) [52] in Chapter 22, on Universal Tolerance he wrote "It does not require great art, or magnificently trained eloquence, to prove that Christians should tolerate each other. I, however, am going further: I say that we should regard all men as our brothers. What? The Turk my brother? The Chinaman my brother? The Jew? The Siam? Yes, without doubt; are we not all children of the same father and creatures of the same God?" I am going to cite a fragment of the Statement on the 5th Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates signed in Rome under the auspices of the President of the Italian Republic in November of 2004 [53]. I feel proud that the organization International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, of which I was the vice president, is one of the signatories: "Millions of people become victims of hunger and disease, and entire nations suffer from feelings of frustration and despair. This creates fertile ground for extremism and terrorism. The stability and future of the entire human community are thus jeopardized." "Unacceptable violence is occurring daily against women and children…" "We believe that the world community needs urgently to address the challenges of poverty and sustainable development… Children remain our most important neglected treasure. Their protection, security and health should be the highest priority. Children everywhere deserve to be educated in and for peace. There is no excuse for neglecting their safety and welfare and, particularly, for their suffering in war." In order to confront this situation it is necessary to ask about the real possibility to achieve peace. Up to now, the solution of conflicts tended to be achieved through the accomplishment of hegemony, or in other words, defeating the enemy. But following this path, in the current circumstances, and in the situation of a global conflict, it will be impossible to achieve that without triggering an irreparable universal catastrophe. The Preamble of the UNESCO Charter states that, "Wars begin in the minds of men. It is therefore in the minds of men that we must construct the defenses of peace" [54] and a new culture of education for peace towards harmony and tolerance. Thus, it is clear that the process begins in our mind. Cora Weiss, the President of the Hague Appeal for Peace and Former President of the International Peace Bureau wrote in 2008 "Only when ministries of education realize that their responsibility includes preparing future generations to not only know how to read and write, but also to be thoughtful, responsible members of their communities, who will graduate not to make money but to make a difference, will we rest knowing that we have contributed to creating a Culture of Peace." [55] I, as a professor of medicine and poet, believe that every doctor must be a humanist and promote humanism and peace. We must participate with responsibility, both ethical and social, in the generation of dialogues for a better worthy and safe life of the human race. Doctors have already showed great responsibility in the prevention of nuclear genocide [56]. It is now time to take steps towards prevention of terrorism. In the words of Bernard Lown [57], "The world today is in great danger. But greater still is the opportunity…Never before was it possible to feed all the hungry, to shelter all the homeless, to teach all the illiterate…". For people to live in peace, we need to eradicate violence and be good neighbors on our planet Earth. This is a medical duty! On the threshold of the new millennium, when the prevalent ideologies have come into contradiction with reality, Global Harmony Association makes its appearance offering humanity the necessary philosophical vision of peace from world harmony. As an Israeli physician and the president of the Israeli Association of Physicians for Peace and Preservation of the Environment, I call urgently both parts of the Israel Palestine conflict to find the harmonic agreement among the parts, based on tolerance. The main article contents are expressed in the tetranet model-25:  Ernesto Kahan, Prof. Emeritus, Tel Aviv University. Israel. In more details, please see in my poems in the section 4: Harmony Poetry. E-mail: ekahan_at_post.tau.ac.il Web: www.peacefromharmony.org/?cat=en_c&key=338 Leo Semashko The ABC of Harmony as Spiritual Key for
World Peace from Harmony A culture of world harmonious peace can be understood on the background and in comparison with the peace culture of industrial civilization (industrialism). The essence of industrialism is in maximization of profits, while war is the highest profit, as well as peace is the highest profit in case it is only a break and preparation for a new war. "If you want peace prepare for war", which gives the highest profit along with peace as a preparation for war – this is the essence, the formula and militaristic spirit of the industrial peace culture. Industrial peace and its culture is a whole, they do not exist separately. The main features of industrial peace: 1. Essentially, it can never be eternal: it always has been, it is and will remain a temporary break between wars, a preparation for new wars, therefore industrial peace and its culture is a faithful slave of war. 2. Essentially, it can never be global and complete for the whole world: in the world there have always been and there are hot spots of war, therefore, the war in industrialism is universal not only in time, but also in space. Therefore, peace in partial industrial civilization – is partial in time and space. In this case it is subject to war as its faithful servant and slave. 3. In industrialism not only peace but the whole society, each of its spheres, to a great extent, is working for war as its faithful servant and slave. Arsenal of war is the richest in society, to which everything is subject, and which parasites on all other arsenals, such as science, culture, education, health, environment and economy. Industrial peace only legitimates the parasitic status quo of war in short periods of unstable peace. Universal slavery of peace at war determines militaristic spirit and spirituality of industrialized peace. Consequently, industrial peace is militaristic in its nature and deep essence, as paradoxical as it may sound. Every day it gets a prove: governments daily call upon each other for peace, at the same time every day they increase military expenses, which constantly grow faster than everything else and which nurture military-industrial complex with stable maximum profits, providing only its sustainable development and leading to the stable destruction of society as a whole. 4. Militaristic peace lives in every home and every family, because it's them who pay all taxes and military expenses, give birth and raise their children as future soldiers, i.e. as future cannon fodder, as faithful servants and slaves of war. Industrial peace and especially military-industrial complex, which is the most powerful in society, has become the second potential form of war, which is subject to one of its forms – mass killings. Therefore in such 'peace' the forces and power of war are growing the fastest and do not decrease. 5. The power of militaristic peace has grown so much that it reached the level of genocide of humanity as a whole with all the variety of weapons. This global militaristic peace has become much more dangerous and worse than any local war. This result of self-negation of industrialism is an inevitable point of global rejection from militaristic peace and radical turn towards a fundamentally different and new, unprecedented for humanity, global harmonious peace and its culture. Harmonious peace is peace from social harmony, in contrast to peace from the war of industrialism. Its formula is the following: "If you want global peace – create global harmony and maximize social harmony at all levels from atomic (individual) to global." Humanity and each of its peoples can live and act according to this formula of global harmonious peace only on the basis of general scientific KNOWLEDGE of foundations of social harmony, which are presented in the ABC of Harmony. Therefore, the ABC of Harmony is the ABC for global harmonious peace and spiritual key to it and its culture. What are the elementary spiritual truths of peace in harmonious civilization (harmonism) which are not available to industrialism? 1. Actors (creators and subjects) of eternal and global harmonious peace can only be presented by conscious (harmoniously educated) spheral classes of the population, which, by definition, exclude any form of violence and enmity between each other, trying to maximize harmony, rather than profit [3, 61–82]. 2. Harmonious spheral classes of the population (cluster SIOT-classes in the ABC of Harmony) consciously and peacefully create harmonious spheral democracy and harmonious spheral political organization of all types of power: presidential, legislative, executive and judicial [13, 117–155]. 3. Eternal source of social and political harmony as the soil for sustainable global harmonious peace can only be continuous harmonious education of the population and every single person from early childhood to the end of life [4, see also the article about this type of education in the ABC]. 4. Global harmonious peace has eternal support in the inner harmonious peace of each individual that is revealed in a series of articles in this book. The unique advantages of harmonious peace in comparison with militaristic world of industrialism can be summed up in the model-26 of tetranet thinking presented below. The abbreviations stand for: M/Peace = militaristic peace and H/Peace = harmonious peace.  Leo M. Semashko, PhD, Philosopher and Sociologist, GHA President. Address: St. Petersburg, Russia Web: www.peacefromharmony.org E-mail: leo.semashko_at_gmail.com Charles Mercieca Harmonious Education: World Unity and Global Peace The Webster Dictionary of the English Language describes peace as a "state of tranquility; freedom from war; cessation of hostilities; and harmony." In a peaceful community, we notice a great serenity radiating in the hearts of its members. Genuine peace emanates from the inside. It is implanted in the mind and heart of every human being from the moment of birth. Our job is to pull this element out from the inside as to share it with others. Educational Process in Perspective Considering that the world is confronted with a multitude of problems, the development and preservation of peace requires an educational process that is meant to enrich our lives. This would enable us to use our human potential more effectively as to become a part of a harmonious global community. The source of happiness in life is harmony. The car we drive moves smoothly if the four tires have an equal amount of air. If not, we may not have a pleasant trip. Peace education consists in enabling people to lead a happy life through the development of their human resources for constructive purposes. The traditional saying has been: "Make someone happy and you will be happy too." The development and achievement of peace and harmony creates for us a win-win situation. That means everyone is a winner and no one a loser. A careful study of history demonstrates that in struggles and wars everyone is a loser and no one a winner. These negative elements always lead to lose-lose situation. We all recall the outcome of World War II. The Germans lost the war and their economy collapsed and people were poor everywhere. Most of their houses were destroyed as well as most of their medical and school facilities. on the other hand, the British won the war and their economy equally collapsed and people were poor everywhere. Not only so, but in spite of winning the war, the British Empire disintegrated and collapsed! We do know that violence breeds violence and more violence breeds more violence. Wars do not have anything constructive to offer. They are always meant to really destroy the infrastructure of cities and kill millions of people mercilessly most of whom are women, children the elderly and the sick. When the people of a nation work together toward the achievement of a common goal, we notice dedication and cooperation, which soon bring about harmony. On Creating our Own Destiny We are all familiar with the traditional saying: What goes around comes around. When we provide others with benefits of any kind, soon we will find ourselves surrounded with plenty of blessings, even much more than expected. If we were to analyze carefully all human conflicts that developed over the past 6,000 years of recorded history, we would soon discover that, quite often, the source of such problems could always be traced to some governmental sources. When the Soviet Union collapsed, many took a sigh of relief. They believed world peace was just around the corner. In fact, many talked of the so called "peace dividend," little they knew that the weapons industry and the military industrial complex were determined not go out of business. Hence, mafia type of groups spread all over the world to create conflicts without limit, most of which resulted in civil wars. This, they firmly believed, would justify the continued manufacture and sales of endless weapons. Some members of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) have attested to this in books they wrote after they decided to leave it. The US military would intervene in any country where the natives elected democratically a government that was not pleasing to the USA. To quote one instance, when the people of Chile elected Salvatore Allende, who promised the people free health care and free education to all citizens along with adequate residential facilities for the homeless, the USA labeled him as a socialist and vouched that he should go. And we know the rest of the story. The CIA intervened afterwards and had him killed! We have witnessed here that for the USA, peace consists of its imposition on other countries in a way that US big business is enabled to confiscate good resources, even to the detriment of the native population. This explains why the saintly Pope John Paul II said in Mexico during the decade of the eighties: "World peace is possible and it will eventually come but only after two of the greatest evils of the 20th century are gone – communism and capitalism, because they both achieve their objectives through the exploitation of people." Peace-harmony education provides us with the solution of all problems that stem mostly from political corruption. This explains the well know saying: "Money talks," which explains the story of briberies that take place behind closed doors. We can never have national unity if our politicians continue to promote the welfare of some to the exclusion of that of others. This explains why in the sphere of character and personality we are literally creating monsters that prove to be so brutal and vicious. Our secret of success lies in our faith in righteousness and in our hope that the good we genuinely seek will eventually triumph. Importance of Global Harmony All people of all nations are like the various part of our body. When every single part of our body works in cooperation with the other members of the body, everything moves smoothly. We enjoy life and all those around us are bound to benefit. However, when segments of our body become sick, cease to work constructively together, then we experience the creation of surmountable problems. This explains why obstacles created in our global community may go out of control in a way that may lead to surmountable suffering unnecessarily. Speaking on the art of happiness, some ascetical writers tell us that it does not take us much to achieve joy in our heart. If we treat others well, we will be treated likewise to our eventual joy. This is what global harmony is all about. We need to help others to the best of our ability in order to lead a life of perfect fulfillment. The focus of peace education should always be on making all people, from every walk of life and profession working together harmoniously. One Canadian Jesuit priest once exhorted his students saying: "When you pray keep in mind that everything depends on God; without Him you are incapable of doing anything. However, when then you leave the scene of prayer and go to work, keep in mind that everything depends on you; without you the Almighty God feels powerless and cannot achieve anything unless you make constructive contributions to the best you can in your life's mission." In recent decades the tendency among some of the leading governments has been to prepare for war as a means to achieve peace! The major focus of peace-harmony education should always be love and service to all people without exception. This will bring us to world unity and global harmony, which are embodied in a new, harmonious civilization, free from the two evils of the 20th century – from communism and capitalism and all of their social pathologies, especially war and poverty. At the same time harmonious civilization preserves all of them achievements, which serve to peace and sustainable development of humankind. The sole non-violent path to this civilization is a peaceful and harmonious education of all people on Earth. The basic postulates of the article are expressed in the model-27 of tetranet harmonious thinking, proposed and developed in the ABC of Harmony: 
Charles Mercieca, Ph.D., President International Association of Educators for World Peace Dedicated to United Nations Goals of Peace Education, Environmental Protection, Human Rights & Disarmament Professor Emeritus, Alabama A&M University Hon President & Professor, SBS Swiss Business School, Zurich. Address: P.O. Box 3282, Mastin Lake Station, Huntsville, AL 35810–0282, USA Web: www.iaewp.org, www.peacefromharmony.org/?cat=en_c&key=129 E-mail: mercieca_at_knology.net María Cristina Azcona Harmonization of the Family Group to Find Social Peace The beginning of a successful marriage is in the correct selection of a lifetime partner. The problem is to define what is correct for each particular person. Nowadays, couples enjoy frenetic meetings where love is never present but only physical attraction. These couples are not made to share their life but only some time. True love between a man and a woman, according to its real nature, tends to harmonious spiritual elevation and psychological profoundness. Those who love each other want to share their joyfulness with every friend in their surroundings. They develop a growing maturity that transcends in cultural works and collective concern. They will do social work as well as artistic expressions, or will be successful in many endeavors because of their solid relationship. To have children or adopt them forming a family, will surely be the most important part of their future together. Love is like the sun that irradiates energy towards the couple's external and inner world. Love is the search of happiness seen as pacific presence of the beloved one. Both lovers share horizons of freedom and possibilities of growth. Karol Wotjila says that love has two aspects: appetence and benevolence. When it is only limited to desire the other person is kept as an object. on the contrary, those who love using their will want the best for the other, the other's fulfillment. In this manner, the beloved is seen as harmonious integrity of body and spirit. Personality is conformed by a group of genetic and psychological characteristics. Family is a cell of society, so if we want to achieve Peace in society, we must learn the mechanisms of a peaceful family group, based on harmony. Life is like a journey through which we must face up to the combination of likable and unpleasant experiences. The frequency and alternation of good and bad periods does not always depend on our willpower. Sometimes it is really shocking to confront an unpredicted difficulty that could modify the normal routine or a calm life. So, what is Happiness? We need to define happiness not reducing its concept to pleasure or satisfaction. In this sense, we may observe individuals whose life is a mountain of torments. Anyway, they "extract the juice from the rock". They are able to maintain a strong and even positive spiritual condition. Then, is Happiness a simple accumulation of pleasurable incidents? Is it a state of the soul that endures only hours, days or a few months? Then, what is the condition of those persons who sustain their high spirit even through the worst catastrophe? I think that the modern definition of Happiness is ought to be conformed as an equation, which is the equilibrium and harmony between the accomplishment of our expectations and the consciousness, understanding and acceptance of inner and external limits, according to the sense of reality. Happiness comes from harmony as it's the most deep and integral base. The measure of happiness is the illumination of behavior by moral judgment, which directs our energies towards Peace. Happiness is then, according to our definition, the constant adaptation to the conditions of reality, illuminated by moral judgment, which defines the objectives, based on harmony. Family in a strict sense is a group of persons which is formed after a man and a woman decide to live together and after marriage, when they create a home to see their children grow. They live in the same place and have both individual and common projects of happiness. Beauty of family life resides in these unexpected changes. Humor is a key to perceive savoir of bitter and sweet in the middle of a family group. Family counselors, psychotherapist, peace researchers, poets, writers and linguists, worldwide, ought to work together to find the route towards international peace. In my case, I believe that family workers and any other society workers need to collaborate in active form, to embark upon the campaign for the reconstruction of the hope in the marital love. These problems oblige us to a reflection about the need to offer efficient, practical, and peremptory solutions to them, in order to produce a tangible improvement in this devastating panorama that today distresses all the people, It is a matter of the entire society. It rests in a family cell. The family rests on stability of the marriage. And this stability is the one that is in crisis without family harmony. We must help them at once. That's the spirit of this article and the essence of the study I have passionately embraced: The inclusion of literature in family counseling. It responds to a necessity, an urge, and the creativity of a therapist who is at the same time a poetess creates the link among the two activities. For this, it is necessary that we transmit to our consulters, the same enthusiasm. To build a better world is to build a better home for our kids. The new generations are waiting for our response. We need to sign the final agreement with them, and take the compromise, for once and forever, of assuming our responsibility which is the preservation and the maintenance of their life on Earth. Time is over and we are loosing the game. Why don't we try to incite a little fragment of harmony in each little social cell to maybe have a chance of seeing an unwavering Peace for everyone. The article postulates as a whole are expressed in the model-28 of tetranet harmonious thinking, representing the philosophy of social harmony in our ABC:  María Cristina Azcona: Educational Psychologist, Family Counselor and specialist in forensic psycho-diagnosis. Bilingual MCA poets for peace: founder, IFLAC South America and Argentina director among other honorary titles. GHA, co founder and Vice-president and etc. Address: Buenos Aires, Argentina. E-mail: azconacristina_at_hotmail.com Web: www.azcona.bravehost.com, www.peacefromharmony.org/?cat=en_c&key=36
Up
|
