It is a universal reality that many conflicts are started on the basis of falsehood, deception, and lies. Take for example the war in Iraq, which was foreseen based on fabrications and misinformation, including claims made by President George W Bush that Iraq had a "massive stockpile" of nuclear weapons. When in reality Bush had no reliable evidence to make such an extensive claim, it was merely his own conviction. Bush may have wrongly accused Iraq, or he may have caught them red handed -- It does not necessarily matter. This is not about whether Bush’s conviction was right or wrong, it's about how his impetuous speech and actions fostered such a threatening falsehood to an entire nation that it started a war that ended with hundreds and thousands of casualties.
Another universal reality is that conflict can be resolved through non-violence, or in other words through conversation alone rather than violent actions. In the circumstances of war, that could be by having a clear line of communication and coming to reasonable terms that both countries can agree and abide by. This is the application of peace in play, as it is meant to maintain a sense of security and stability by whatever means necessary as long as bloodshed, brutality, terror, and injury is avoided through the means of keeping away from war altogether. In its simplest oxford dictionary form, peace is described as “Freedom from civil unrest or disorder; public order or security”. Peace is not a new idea or concept, its origination dates as far back as the 11th century, being used by the Anglo-French. Yet the application of peace among nations, through diplomatic exchanges, and avoidance of terrorizing acts has not led to the absence of war. And so you may ask why is that? Well, it's because peace itself is often founded on principles of lies and fear; the same principles that fuel violence and consequently lead to war.
To put this idea in perspective, take how for about 80 years, ever since the last atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, all the major countries have stayed away from extreme terrorizing acts (like the use of nuclear weapons) and fostered a so-called sense of peace, out of fear that if they push a boundary too far they may start a nuclear war. The US itself is so guided by this fear, that it pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. Some do as the US do, and try to maintain a false perception of peace by pulling away or staying away from a situation that may result in violence. While others like China, India, and Russia announce that they continue to make nuclear weapons and are willing to use them if necessary. Having said that, for the most part these countries have shown to not act on these claims to avoid such violent acts and retain some sense of peace with the exception of the state Russia and Ukraine are in as of recently. But this still brings about the question: is peace really good if maintained by fear and deception? The answer to that is, it is not. At some point the threshold of fear and deception will fall apart and people will be forced to deal with a situation they never foresaw and are not prepared mentally or physically to deal with all at once. Take for instance that exception to relative peace in recent years as mentioned earlier, the state Russia and Ukraine are in is partly a result of build up resentment and resistance Russia has towards Ukraine since the aftermath of the 2014 Ukrainian Revolution. Putin expressed that he experienced a sense as if Russia could not feel “safe” or “develop, and exist” because of the threat that Ukraine continues to pose, even in the present day. But he only said this moments before the invasion in Ukraine. If only Putin had voiced his concern earlier. And perhaps Ukraine had not ignored the tension over the years, for the sake of peace. Then just maybe this conflict may not have led to such severe war crimes and the loss of hundreds and thousands of people.
To avoid a circumstance like this, we should reconsider what peace is. Let's consider peace as a concept that “cannot be kept by force" and "can only be achieved by understanding" as Albert Einstein once said. Peace isn't and shouldn't be about maintaining a facade or false perception of peace, through feelings and acts of fear and lies. Peace should be about maintaining inner and outer harmony, through mutual understanding. Peace should be about confrontation rather than avoidance. Peace should be about being content with discomfort, rather than living in a false sense of security. A journey of discomfort, contentment, and truth will lead to lifelong peace not deception, lies, and fear that will only foster a momentary sense of peace and will shatter once hit with the harsh truth.
https://www.oed.com/viewdictionaryentry/Entry/139215#:~:text=Thesaurus%20%C2%BB-,a.,inner%20conflict%3B%20calm%2C%20tranquillity
https://www.ocregister.com/2018/03/20/15-years-ago-today-america-started-a-war-based-on-lies/
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