From Historical Violence to REAL HOPES in a Future of Peace

My travels around the world to places reveals the unrest and wars in these places such as: Asia (killing fields, Cambodia, Vietnam), India (British occupations, Kashmir), Egypt (Yorn Kippur War), Greek (civil wars, ancient Greece), UK (IRA, Falklands), USA (Iraq, Afganistan), Mexico (drug wars), El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras (civil wars, contra and inter countries), Peru (inter country, Shining Path), Bolivia (inter country), Argentina (inter country, Falklands), Chile (inter country, civil-dirty war) reveal a world that doesn’t understand the hope of peace.

I am not an expert on the details of these wars but will come to this discussion from within myself where I can access my own knowledge and feelings rather than other people. I marvel at war as a tool of power rather than the real power of love. We each have violence (hurt) within us and at times we see it in our thoughts, words and actions. So we are not separate from the feeling of it and perhaps it is here that we do understand why it happens. However, war has been viewed and marketed differently over history or I have to say his-story, I don´t feel women would report it the same as they would naturally worry for the human lives lost. I can recall stories where wars in Papua New Guinea (north of Australia) would take place between tribes, if one person was killed it was considered a tragedy and then the war stopped and the two tribes would come together. Today we hear about deaths all the time and to think in WWII there were 50 million people killed. Let me re-write that slowly 50,000,000 people like you and me killed in war. These numbers are hard to relate to given the size and behind each number is a person with a personality, dreams and wishes, mother, father, family and friends all around them. We can´t see that in statistics or know how they felt in the moment of their death. The deaths represent our failure to solve problems which reflects our consciousness, that is, how aware we are. So how many since the second World War have died, roughly 40 million but it may be more when factoring in the Iraq and Afghan wars. These figures are truly stunning. This is what fear looks like.

In my mindset as a civilian I find one death incredible and I wonder at the mindset where a person is able to kill. I remember asking Major Douglas Rokke who was the former head of the Depleted Uranium Project in the Pentagon, what makes a soldier kill. He said quite simply they are trained killers period. Why would governments around the world train people to kill other people, where is the humanity in this, importantly where is the wisdom. Sometimes I see myself from another world and I look upon the global situation, which is accepted by the majority on the planet, and question the sanity of such decisions. I see every life as of value and I am a clown. We have to disconnect from our emotions or sense of love for others to be able to do it. We have to be in a very powerful ego state to justify it.

War is a call for help. Any violence is that in truth. Violence is not powerful, it is those seeking to have power, they are powerless people. They are people caught up in a vision or thought structure that believes they will gain by committing violent acts and in the short term for some it works, but overall, it just continues the cycle of violence. It is the ultimate in bullying. It is deeply weak. It uses fear and intimidation to get what it wants and it sees the other as evil or dehumanised to justify unnatural acts. Our true nature is love and all babies display this. No one is inherently evil, although some go through life reflecting little or no empathy in a world of no love. The truth is we are out our greatest when displaying compassion, love, truth, empathy, selflessness, this to me is the most beautiful aspects to humanity. As a clown when I go into the public I see in the eyes of people, their incredible beauty and I am so priviledged to realise we live in an amazing world. Sometimes I sit and drink coffee and people just wave or come up to speak to me. I know in my heart this is what a natural society feels like, a normal one just walks past to afraid to make contact.

I want to bring in the female aspect to this discussion of violence and peace. As women we bring life into the world. I myself have not done that but my instincts for life are very strong and I am feeling the people. I feel protection for children, elderly or anyone vulnerable. It is natural for me to look into the emotional landscape of an issue first rather than seek to find a power position and look for advantage. I think and feel in terms of seeking for the truth of a matter, rather than winning the argument. I have no desire to win, but truth interests me. I often think I could be wrong. I think there is significant psychological differences between men and women. Having said that I know of women who are pathological and know of men who are deeply compassionate. So there is no way genders can be generalised accurately, however I guess a sense of training of gender can create behaviours that are promoting of peace or advocating war. The hero image of the warrior Major Douglas Rokkee used when he described soldiers, so did Scott Ritter, they spoke of being warriors, they saw power in the image, somehow of the protector. I found the language interesting. We have many movies of men marching of to the glory of war and the simplicity of taking up positions in rows shooting, no discussion, then the next row comes forward and the aim of the game is to kill more of the opposition soldiers first. I find this incredible as a strategic approach to getting what you want. I have to laugh as I read that, women would definitely talk more. This has often been put down by men, but I feel it is a far better way to work out the reality of a situation. The more you talk the more you get to know the thinking of the other and you join as you warm to each other. Then it is impossible to harm them. The emotions getting in the way is what indeed preserves peace. These are good emotions not destructive ones.

So deeply embedded in human history is the notion of armies killing each other on behalf of the national state or in protection of the population. Much of it has been framed as noble, maybe in isolated incidents some soldiers showed heroism to save another, so I am sure great acts happen in war. But why not the great act of conflict resolution be acknowledged. The greatness in compassion and compromise to find solutions so that both parties can win. This is the basis of conflict resolution today which I would think should replace all warfare. The money spent on war should be argument enough for an alternative, 1 million dollars per minute. Just imagine if that money was redirected to communities around the world, to bring them up to par in health, sustainable food supply, education and technology that benefits humanity, rather than science used for military uses.

I sometimes wonder what the world would have looked like had it been a matriarchy, rather than patriarchy. Right now we have a world in the image of men. We have strategies which focus more on military might rather than problem solving or resolution of conflict. In a woman´s world I wonder if the child would be at the centre. In other words making sure children grow up with good and balanced parenting, all their needs are met, plenty of love for self esteem, genders are seen as equal not one over the other, where the potential of the individual is nurtured, where problems are solved and what the child is exposed to ensures a healthy mind set and body. Today what we see often is kids neglected, they often come second to parents needs, they grow up increaisngly in single parent families, they watch violence on television and play it, they experience bullying at school and they hear and experience adult violence. We are not in a culture of peace where every design aspect of society encourages fairness, respect, equality, responsibility and that we are rewarded when we undertake activities in the community interest rather than self interest. Can you imagine what the world would be like if all people were raised in this way. If we saw war as barbaric, power over as powerlessness, greed as destroying the planet. That we started to value human dignity and stewardship of the planet, where we worked in cooperation not competition. Where men and women rather than fighting for power over each other, actually worked together respecting the differences but seeing more in common. Where marriage was not seen as a prison but a freedom to love more, to laugh more, and to enjoy life as exciting. This of course is possible but it means society looking deeply into the current values and deciding on the ones of the future.

I see men and women working together, I see no warfare, any problem behaviours are dealt with in a restorative justice framework of those directly involved learning to resolve the conflict and develop empathy. There are no jails in this world, as we learn through being corrected. There is no competition but we may strive to become good at something but not to beat someone, but to see our potential. Where grandparents are involved in raising children as they have wisdom, younger people go out and quest, find themselves and fullfill their desires. Communities are built on values and money is not the objective of work but service to the community. Where we don´t work anywhere near as long as we grow our own food, we use solar panels and wind and we understand that we are here to fulfill our purpose in life. That spirituality is not doctrine but an unfolding of our connection to what is beautiful in life and with that a deepening of joy rather than pleasure. There is no jealously only diversity and everyone supports each other out of love. Fear is understood as false evidence appearing real and we deal with our own negative thoughts rather than project our unresolved issues onto others. If we cause harm we seek to resolve that issue and learn the lesson. This is what a highly evolved society looks like. This society is coming, it is not a dream it is a higher reality.

There is no way a world based on fear is sustainable. Where we continuously defend ourselves, feel ourselves surviving and working to live. This world is not going to be the future, it is in its last days you may be happy to know. A newer society is emerging, one that is in more alignment with universal knowledge. The true knowledge comes from within us. Many mystics and sages overtime were teachers of listening within and living in the moment. These messages are becoming more common in the present age. As we learn to live fully and to take responsibility for all of it. We are learning to accept the world as it is, give love, follow our desires and as our inner world changes, the outer world changes. As the two are intricately linked. The world you see reflects you. No two people see the same world. If your world is Hobbesian (frightening, dangerous) then you see risk everywhere, if your world is Lockean (egualitarian, freedom) then you only see expanding opportunity. I see the later and that is how I became a clown and travelled the world with no fear. It was just meeting friends and expanding my family whereever I went. Every city was my home town and every mountain I saw as my responsibility. When I used water it was not their water it was mine and so I was careful not to overuse. I found myself reflecting that I am the earth, the earth is me, this is the sustainability of the future that does not see itself as separate from the earth but integrated within it. This was the philosophy of the indigenous and it will be the philosophy of the future, as it is truth. If the planet is dying then I am dying. So I intend to learn about my true nature and restore it to health, and myself to health. Does that change the world, yes if everyone does it, bit by bit, the bigger mosaic shifts. Every thought that envisages peace expands it in the future. Every thought that rehashes the negative past creates it in the future. Our thoughts are powerful and they are the shape of the future. What are yours. Many are living in fear, and that becomes the future. I live in love and that is my future. I believe in all people to find their wisdom. There is no them and us, I am not against anyone or any institution, I am for their future reaslisation that a peaceful world is in our hands. We just may choose to make it visible so more can see the future vision.

Just felt to share that with you. There is hope and has my peace program for children states, there is REAL HOPES when we live by values, as followsÑ

Responsibility – you have the ability to respond
Empathy – to stand in anothers shoes
Awareness – to open your eyes and notice
Love – the energy that expands, reveals, heals and shares
Honesty – the truth sets us free
Oneness – the planet and myself are one, one breath, one life
Peace – yin and yang highlight the dark and light, dichotomies of life, light-dark, masculine-feminine, fear-love. Peace exists beyond duality when we accept what is
Enjoyment – this is our reason for being, to be happy, to do what you love
Service – when all values are in alignment, this becomes natural, it is not for people who can´t get jobs, it is when you find your life is your job and your wealth grows when you give it away. Service is joy in action

So I give you REAL HOPES. Just practice it and watch the world change as you do.