Creating Tolerance and World Peace

Archive for the ‘Society’ Category

What does it mean to be tolerant? Tolerance has several different definitions, but is basically defined as having a “permissive attitude” towards others. This is in reference to others who have a differing opinion from you, different religious beliefs, different race, nationality, or different practices than your own. Another definition of tolerance refers to having the ability or capacity to endure.

So does tolerance mean you must change your opinions, your religious beliefs, or your pride in your own nationality or race? Absolutely not! It is simply learning to get along. Learning to allow others to have the same rights to their opinions, beliefs, pride in their nationality or race, etc. Too often you see others trying to bend other’s thoughts and beliefs to fit with their own. It can be difficult to understand another person’s culture, religion, etc., but just because it is different than your own does not make it wrong or even strange.

So why do so many people find it so difficult to be tolerant of the differences in other people? Could it be that it makes them uncomfortable, and it is human nature to want to be comfortable when you are uncomfortable? One way to get past some of the misgivings of other’s differences is to take the time to learn more about them. It is every person’s responsibility to look at their own lives and their own feelings to determine why they would have intolerance for someone else. What could be the reasons behind ones negative feelings?

We are each responsible for ourselves. It is up to each individual to take the time to learn more about the people around them to become more tolerant and accepting of the differences in others. Once we have learned to be more tolerant of the people around us, we must teach our children the same principles of tolerance, which will in turn lead to a more peaceful world for us all.

World peace has been a dream of people as far back as we know. Unfortunately, no one has come to a conclusion yet on how to attain world peace. Many people have their opinions on how to accomplish this, but until there is more tolerance of differences world-wide, there simply cannot be world peace.

It sounds nice to think that by simply “learning to get along” or by everyone becoming tolerant of each other’s differences, that it would be enough. But, the reality is that the world is run by governments, each one wanting to be the controlling factor. There needs to be a form of government instituted that will actually become a “world” government. Because of the differences in cultures and people, there continues to be miscommunications, intolerance of other’s beliefs, cultures, and practices, etc. This continues to spark conflicts and incite wars against nations.

People all over the world have their opinions on how to achieve world peace, but the governing factors of the world, who are really the only ones who can achieve world peace, are not taking the necessary steps towards that goal. So long as each government continues to try to be a controlling factor, rather than working together to make the world as a whole a better place, the goal at a world-wide truce and in turn world peace, continues to be an unobtainable dream.

By becoming more tolerant and peaceful people ourselves, we can work together towards world peace. If enough private citizens of the world work together, eventually the governments of the world will have to start bending to the will of the people and may actually come around and start coming up with some solutions that will bring us closer to a world-wide peaceful solution to live together in harmony. Well, if nothing else, we can continue to dream that someday this could really happen and we will live to see peace throughout the world!

There is a cliché that every contestant in a beauty pageant always wants “world peace.” Of course, most people want world peace, but do we actually know what that means? World peace is the ideal of a world where there is happiness, freedom, and peace in every nation and among all people. Incorporated in that ideal would be a world free from violence and wars and in which nations willingly cooperate with each other to govern in a peaceful manner and find a non-violent way to resolve differences. In reality, world peace is generally used as a broad term to refer to a global “cease fire.” Unfortunately, though, over the course of 2009 to 2010, world violence has actually increased and world peace has declined.

While the concept of world peace is theoretically possible, some people feel that human nature is such that it would not be possible. Their belief is that it is human nature to be violent and/or that otherwise rational people will choose to commit violence in certain circumstances.

Another school of thought is that it is not in human nature to be violent and that war is not a part of human nature. Their belief is that it is this thought process and the myth that humans are naturally violent creatures that continues to prevent world peace.

There are numerous ideological theories and ideas from political groups, religious groups, and individuals on how to actually achieve world peace, but obviously our societies are not to the point where this can become a reality quite yet. World peace cannot be achieved until there is no more conflict over resources. Oil has become one of the main sources of conflict among nations. Possibly in time there will be additional technology invented that will utilize renewable resources, and therefore open the door for world peace.

To understand the capitalism peace theory, it is first important to understand what capitalism is. Capitalism is when an economic system, which is based on means of production such as the machines, factories, and tools used to produce wealth are privately owned and are for private profit. In a capitalistic system the economic decisions are made by the private owners rather than a government system.

Ayn Rand, a Russian-American novelist, philosopher, playwright, and screen writer theorized that the largest wars of history have been waged by controlled economies against the freer ones. It is her theory that capitalism has allowed for the longest span of time throughout history in which there was peace. This time frame she has referred to in her theory included the period of time from the end of the Napoleonic wars in 1815 to the beginning of World War I in 1914. It is said that during this time period there were no wars throughout the entire civilized world. However, this theory has ignored many wars and conflicts that did take place during that time including several conflicts throughout Europe.

Ayn Rand was not the first to propose the idea of a capitalism peace theory. In fact, the idea of capitalism playing a part in theories rose by philosophers in the 1700s. In a more modern capitalism peace theory, capitalist peace has been combined with democratic peace theories. In his research, Stuart Bremer examined the relationship between capitalism and war. He found that capitalism seemed to be a more powerful force for peace than democracy. Although at the time of his research more notoriety seemed to be directed towards the idea of a democratic peace theory than in the capitalism peace theory. It is believed by modern theorists that a capitalistic peace theory includes the democratic peace theory in that capitalism is actually the cause of both peace and democracy.

The concept of a World Government is the idea that there could possible be a single common political group governing the entire human race. There have been many books and articles written on this subject, many with theories and plans set forth on how to organize and maintain a world government. In fact, one such book was found in the early 1300s proposing this ideal.

Throughout history there have been several attempts to organize some form of world government, although all attempts seem to fail within a short period of time. In the early 1800s International Peace Congresses (international meetings) were held throughout Europe. This attempt at establishing international relationships ended after only approximately 10 years due to an outbreak in wars in Europe and North America.

In the early 1900s another attempt was made when the League of Nations was established, although this was very short-lived and lasted less than a year. The goal of the League of Nations was to “uphold The Right of Man,” in an attempt to advocate for the rights of all men and women no matter race, color, nationality, etc., and further were attempting to settle disputes and prevent war through negotiations and diplomacy to improve the standards of life globally. The League did not have the resources available to continue their goals and were unable to effectively implement their strategies.

The Nazi party in Germany in the early 1900s had envisioned a world government ruled by the German “Third Reich” under the rule of Adolf Hitler and his political party. Germany had already removed themselves from the League of Nations and had determined that they would not join any such international organization again. It has been stated that Adolf Hitler’s belief was that world peace could only be achieved “when one power, the racially best one, has attained uncontested supremacy.

Since Adolf Hitler’s failed attempts at establishing a “world government” through world domination in the early 1900s there have continued to be other attempts at establishing some form of world government in an attempt towards a more unified world, and therefore the possibility of eventually establishing world peace.

The Atlantic Charter was an agreement between Britain and the United States of America. It was initially formed to define things after World War II. This agreement ended up shaping many international agreements since that time.

Due to the impact of World War II and many of the acts against humanity as well as the use of Weapons of Mass Destruction during that war, people around the world were shocked and feared for the future of our world. There was obviously a need for more unification among the governments of the world. Therefore, in 1945 the United Nations (UN) was organized. Many felt, though, that the UN was simply a discussion forum among supreme governments and there was still a need for an efficient federal world government.

During the years between the end of World War II and 1950, at the beginning of the Korean War, there was a big push for the world federalist movement. Many books were written on the subject and organizations were formed. In 1947 the United World Federalists organization was formed. Through the years the official name of this organization changed, but their goals continued to be the same. By 1949 their membership had grown to 47,000 members. Throughout other countries around the world there were similar organizations being formed.

There continues to be attempts at establishing a true world government, and although many of these organizations have made great strides towards cooperation between nations, we are still far from having a working world government. With continued efforts, we may some day see a more workable solution which may take us one step closer to world peace.

Many of us would love to spend our days volunteering and being an inspiration to others, but with our busy schedules and in today’s tough economy, sometimes it’s difficult to squeeze in the time to help others. But it’s important to remember that even small actions can yield big results, and there are many ways you can help others from the comfort of your home.

Donate to Kiva
Kiva is an organization that works to connect people throughout the world and helps empower those in impoverished countries by helping them establish and run a successful business. By donating to Kiva, you are helping to loan money to a person in need who’s looking to start a business as a way to generate a reliable income. Kiva’s field partners then work directly with the clients to disburse the loans. In Nairobi, Kenya, for instance, Kiva’s team helped a young farmer construct a biogas unit, which converts cow dung to natural gas.

Send get-well cards
The organization Hugs and Hope provides the biography and address of a child in need. You can compose an inspirational message or design a special card on your own to send to sick children in hospitals throughout the country. These are the children who could use an uplifting message the most.

Visit FreeRice.com
Visiting FreeRice.com is one of the easiest ways you can help those in need. On the site, you’ll find multiple-choice questions, and for every answer you get right, Free Rice donates 10 grains of rice through the World Food Programme to help end hunger.

Earn a degree
If you truly believe that helping others is your calling and you’re interested in returning to school or earning a degree for the first time, consider a profession such as counseling or urban ministry. Earnmydegree.com lists many online degrees you can take advantage of.

Sports competitions are one of the few things that continue to bring the nations of the world together in a common goal. The Olympics are an international event held both in the summer and the winter, which brings nations from around the world together to compete in a variety of competitions. Through the years the Olympics organization has grown to include representation from nearly every nation. Unfortunately, this growth has also caused problems such as bribery, boycotts, and terrorism.

In Ancient Greece the Olympic Games were a series of competitions held between representatives of different cities and kingdoms which included mainly athletes but also included chariot races and combat events. During the games all conflicts between these cities and kingdoms were put on hold until the conclusion of the games. The Ancient Olympic Games began to decline in popularity and importance when the Romans took power. There is mostly conjecture as to when the Ancient Olympic Games actually stopped.

Beginning in the 1700s, attempts were made to re-establish an Olympic-type game. It wasn’t until the early 1800s that the Greeks took an interest in reviving the Olympic Games and they organized the International Olympics Committee (IOC). Through this organization the first Olympic Games were organized and held in Athens in 1896. These games brought together 14 nations and 241 athletes who competed in 43 events. This first attempt at re-establishing the Olympic Games was a huge success, but the subsequent games in Paris and St. Louis lost some popularity and became side shows. When the games returned to Athens in 1906 in an unofficial capacity, the interest was sparked again and rekindled interest in the games.

By 2008 the Olympic Games has grown to approximately 10,500 competitors from 204 nations world-wide in the summer games, although the Winter Olympics is on quite a bit of a smaller scale.

If there is a topic that might be more polarizing than any other in the world; it’s the topic of homosexuality throughout the nations. There are an increasing number of outed gay people in society and there are people who are very understanding and tolerant of these lifestyles that are different from their own. Meanwhile, there are some out there who are not quite as understanding. They believe that being gay is a disease or that it’s simply a lifestyle that is a choice and meant to be an affront to the mainstream way of life. It’s important that those who find themselves intolerant of homosexuals understand some of the central issues of gay rights and the overall treatment of gay people.

In life, people have and make choices. It’s a decision to choose one of the great Denver apartments that are available, or to pick what kind of car to drive. Many Denver apartments welcome gay and lesbian tenants because they always leave their Denver apartments so clean and well kept. Who wouldn’t want these wonderful people choosing to live an alternative lifestyle in Denver apartments?

However, who someone will love or who they won’t love are not part of the choices people often make. Being gay might not be something that is clear cut for many from an early age, but to say that they would choose a lifestyle that is full of so much adversity and met with such ridicule might be shortsighted by those that believe it. 

Being tolerant of a homosexual isn’t about fully supporting the lifestyle and immersing oneself in the culture too. Everyone must make the decision though to treat a differing opinion with basic love and respect. Understand that because someone does something different doesn’t make it a part of another person’s life. It’s about seeing the differences between the two sides and agreeing that hating each other for it would be wrong and wouldn’t help anything in the long run. Being gay isn’t a choice, but hating someone for being gay is.

Throughout history people have immigrated to The Americas for various reasons. After Christopher Columbus first discovered the New World, people began immigrating to the Americas to escape religious oppression and be awarded greater freedoms or just to start a new life. Since that time the reasons for immigration has changed, although some stay the same.

For the first 150 years or so some of those reasons remained the same, although some people began immigrating to America to reunite with loved ones, were brought to the Americas as slaves against their will, others were sent to the Americas as an exile from their countries for “crimes” committed against the throne, some were political refugees who feared for their lives, while other’s reasons remained a desire for a better life.

During the 1800s the reasons behind immigration to the Americas became more about financial gain. Land in the Americas was abundant and was known to be fairly inexpensive. There was plenty of work available where in some other countries work was difficult to find.

In the late 1800s and into the 1900s more differing nationalities began immigrating to the Americas for a variety of reasons. Jews started immigrating to the Americas to be allowed more religious freedom, Russians came to America to escape harassment, Asians and Italians were looking for work. In many countries America was becoming known as the “Land of Opportunity.” It was known that America had plenty of work available and in America you were allowed religious freedom.

Since the early 1900s immigration to America, more specifically the United States, has continued more widely now because there is less chance of harassment, deportation, or prosecution while there are greater chances for financial independence in the United States than in other countries. A lot of immigrants who continue to come to America presently are still escaping oppression and may be fleeing their countries for fear of their lives.