In recent times there has been a return to the idea that peace can be achieved by violent means.
From the coalition in Iraq to blue helmets at the United Nations the global military machine grinds on.
Peace keeping forces and foreign armies are merely band-aids which do not address the root causes of war.
It is an observable fact that crime increases with injustice and oppression in a country.
This also applies globally.
Third world countries feel as if the west will not give them a chance so they resort to violence in order to gain power in their own countries so that they can compete.
World War 2 would never have happened if the powers had not tried to crush Germany after World war 1.
It is noticeable that, after World War 2, the victorious powers rectified the earlier mistake by economic aid to Germany and Japan.
This was a successful strategy.
Peace was the result.
So if the west continues its oppression of third world countries it can expect more wars.
The way to break the cycle of violence is not to retaliate but to address the causes of war, usually economic inequality.
Increasing aid and commitment to diplomatic means is a start.
Oppression is fear.
We think that if we give them an equal chance they might outdo us so we don't give them a chance.
We use our military machine to intimidate and oppress all other nations on earth.
This is militarism.
Both Barak Obama and Julia Gillard have cut military spending.
This is a positive step.
The wars are ending and the troops are coming home.
Now we need to address the cause of war: economic inequality (greed) and oppression (fear).
If we can commit ourselves to these goals and strengthen our commitment to diplomacy we can make major advances towards world peace.
I agree to you to an extent Michael. I believe that the entire cultural system needs to change...the one that is called hierarchy which is currently and has been a patriarchal structure for over 4500 years. Before that time, for the most part things were run by the women and they were more peaceful...however I think we are ready for a balance of the two. I think this is what Jesus was calling for 2000+ years ago. He showed us how to live in a different system simultaneously as the current system...he was just - like most great people - ahead of his time. The problem with trying to put more legislation on top of a structure like this...is that the structure itself is based on the idea that someone is always on top - which means there is someone ALWAYS on bottom. In order to continue to work, this system has to create evil out of something - which is usually another group of "others" different from your own. The only way to beat this system is to step outside of it - to live as if it doesn't apply to us, just like Jesus did. And if enough of us do that - then we can finally march to the Oneness that Jesus yearned for with his life. Jesus - a man of a different system - would have never accepted the idea, the myth of redemptive violence...like you said this just feeds the system. I am coming to think this is why all of our sermons about jesus don't make an impact on our society...because we are trying to fit jesus in a system he did not live in nor support. Hope this makes sense...you can read more over on my blog www.practicejoy.info going back to the day of those fateful shootings in CT...
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