Creating Tolerance and World Peace

Posts Tagged ‘Activism and Peace Work’

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There’s a lot of talk today about tolerance. Many people believe that the answer to all the world’s problems is if people would just be more tolerant of each other. We all remember the famous quote from Rodney King, the African American who was shown on video tape being beaten by several Los Angeles police officers “can’t we all just get along?” That’s a good question. Is it really possible for us to be tolerant of everybody’s beliefs?

Well, there are definitely some problems with this idea. First of all, what about people who have religious beliefs that are by definition opposed to one another? For example, many Christians believe that Jesus is the only way to God. By definition, that means that people of all other religions are on the road to hell. Is that tolerant? How about Muslims? Many of them also say there is no god but Allah. Some of the radicals are willing to go so far as to blow themselves up and others with them to defend this belief.

If you want to be a peace-loving person that gets along with everyone, how in the world can you “tolerate” a person who wants to see you dead? Likewise, in any civilized society, we have laws and restrictions to keep order. We have laws against killing, stealing, lying under oath, etc. We don’t tolerate any of these activities. Neither should we tolerate someone who is harassing us or physically harming us. This is why we have restraining orders, to protect people from other people who wish to do them harm.

So I guess the real question is-how far is the tolerance supposed to go, and who decides its limitations? If we can agree that tolerance does have limitations (and maybe not everyone would agree on that point), then who do we appoint to decide how tolerant is too tolerant? Maybe we can create a new post over at the UN called “tolerance czar”. Then, this person can set up guidelines so we all know what we are supposed to tolerate.

Many well intentioned people over the centuries and millennia have been dreaming of the day when we can finally say we have achieved world peace. Coming off of two world wars and a nearly 50 year cold war, the yearning for world peace is now stronger than ever. The dream is a noble one-a world where we all live together in harmony and tolerance is the order of the day. But beyond the emotion of it, is it realistic to think that our world will ever achieve a lasting peace?
If we examine human history, the prognosis is certainly not very encouraging. We can go back thousands of years to civilizations that were very well organized and certainly must have had similar desires as we have today. So why were they unable to create this elusive lasting peace? Was lack of education the problem? Well, the Egyptians who built the pyramids more than 5,000 years ago were certainly very well educated. The Greek philosophers were also an educated bunch. They were certainly capable of coming up with solutions to the world’s problems. Why didn’t they?
What about us? How do we compare to our ancestors? What makes us so much more enlightened that we think we can do what they were unable to do? Is it our modern technology? How about our level of “tolerance” toward those with different viewpoints. Can any of these make the difference? I have to admit I’m skeptical.
As long as we have a world with imperfect human beings that have woven inside their DNA greed and selfishness and a natural yearning to have more than their neighbors, I don’t see how our situation will ever change. Humans have always been selfish and have always wanted to have more. Even in today’s enlightened society, we still seem to have more takers than givers. The challenge as I see it is to make sure that 100% of the world’s population develops an attitude and mindset of serving others above themselves. To me, that seems unrealistic, but I guess it doesn’t hurt to try.

There are many advocates of intolerance and violence who believe that being violent and assertive physically are the ultimate sign of strength and dominance. Though this could be argued and debated, the fact of the matter is that violent at best can give short benefits and that too to one tiny section of the people. A large majority of the people all over the world believe in non-violence and peaceful existence. These two all encompassing qualities are the pillars on which tolerance is built.

To be tolerant a person has to be at peace with his inner soul. Unless this happens, he will continue to be a restless and emotionally troubled person When his emotions are not in control and not in check, a person looks at avenues where he can vent his emotions. This often results in the person taking up violence and supporting activities which his soul and inner heart tells is wrong.

Let us remember at the end of each night when we stand in front of the mirror and spend a few minutes looking at the day gone by, we have lot of questions to answer. Whether we have been true to ourselves in our actions and deeds, whether we hurt someone mentally, emotionally or physically by our deeds which could be described as tolerant.

We might cheat the entire world including our parents and our kith and kin, but cheating ourselves would be impossible. If we are a lover of peace, harmony and brotherhood in this world, we are true to ourselves and respect us as individuals. When this happens, we become more peaceful and tolerant and avoid actions which are contrary to our basic human nature. Tolerance teaches us to be modest, teaches us to give be a responsible person in society and makes us to become ambassadors of world peace.

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.

Tolerance is very important. It can help to promote peace throughout the world, and it can allow people who didn’t get along in the past to learn from one another instead of just ignoring what people have to say because they don’t agree. Tolerance doesn’t mean you have to agree with others, or that you have to change your viewpoint and beliefs to match what another person considers to be true. It means, in short, that people should just all try to get along. There’s no reason not to, unless another person is actively trying to harm you, personally. If that’s not the case, why not listen to what that person has to say, and then make your own judgment about right and wrong?

Whether you’re practicing tolerance on a global scale or a much more personal one, there may come a time when you see that it’s necessary to sever ties with someone else. If that someone is a spouse, www.totaldivorce.com can help you get through a difficult time with decency, dignity, and compassion for others. Just because a relationship is ending, that doesn’t mean there has to be a lot of ugliness and other problems involved. There can be peace as you move through the legal system.

Retaining peace in your heart and mind can seem difficult when there is so much going on in your life and in the world, but the only way peace will come to the world is if everyone works toward it. Why not make that your focus? You can’t always please everyone, but you can do the kinds of things that matter to you and that don’t harm others. The things that bring you joy can often also bring you peace, and you can share that peace with the world around you. It’s contagious.

The democratic peace theory holds to the theory that democracies rarely if ever go to war against each other. Furthermore, it is theorized that more and more nations are becoming democratic nations and that in essence there can be world peace based on this alone.

Even if this theory is accepted, there are critics that feel that simply because democracies do not wage war against each other and even if the world became completely governed by democracies, this would not necessarily ensure world peace. Those same critics have stated that this theory would more accurately be labeled as the “democracies don’t fight each other” hypothesis.

There have been many explanations given as to why democracies do not fight each other. Some feel it is simply by chance, others have stated that it is most likely because democratic leaders have to answer to the people when wars are waged, and prefer to find other means to resolve differences. Democracies, however, tend to view non-democracies as threats and enemies and will tend to wage war with them over issues that would have been resolved peaceably between democracies. Another theory is that democracies tend to be wealthier than other countries, and therefore stand to lose more in a war, and in turn they avoid going to war.

There has been some research into this theory and the claims presented. There is much controversy over the findings as to what exactly constitutes a “democracy” or what determines a “war,” etc. Although, one problem with the research on this subject is that democracies have actually been fewer over the past two centuries therefore affording less opportunities for democracies to fight each other.

There are some that feel that the democratic peace theory will be used as justification for democracies to wage war against non-democracies in an attempt at bringing about world peace through democratic dominance.

Buying a piece of Roberto Coin jewelry can be expensive. Luckily, helping the world achieve world peace and helping your fellow human beings does not have to be. There is much that you can do to help others without spending any money at all.

It may sound strange, but heading toward world peace can begin with just a few small, easy steps. A good place to start is to learn to curb your own anger. If you are angry all the time, it will be very hard to believe that world peace can happen. Learning to control your anger and dealing with problems that arise in a healthy manner can be a huge benefit to your own contentment. If everyone in the world were to do this, we would have peace much faster.

Doing some community service in your neighborhood can also help. Making an effort to make things better in the world is part of what this is all about. Showing others that you can do it may make them believe that they can, as well. Find something that interests you, or that you are concerned about, and find a way to volunteer to make it better.

If you feel that that what your congress person or senator is doing is not in line with the peace that you want to see, write them a letter. Explain your reasoning, and let them know how you feel about their actions. You may be surprised what can come from this.

If you have children, let them know your stance as well. Explain to them why peace is the best way, and why you disagree with war. It may not seem to make a difference, but the children of our world will one day be in charge. Instilling these thoughts in them at an early age may make all the difference in the world

You may not know much but you know one thing: you are ready to start your own efforts to bring peace across the world. It sounds like a lofty goal but if no one thought the way you did then no one would be willing to help out and nothing would ever get done. There needs to be idealism or there won’t be anything left in the world to be proud of. So how do you start this movement from your own bedroom? How do you make an impact when you don’t think that you have to power to matter?

You do matter. That’s the first thing you need to realize. You do, in fact, matter. Even if your efforts to start a movement or a social interest group is only you and a friend then that’s two more people who are interested in the fight and then can only spread from there. The fact is the more you make your voice heard the more you find people who share your passion and opinion and there are those who will be willing to join the fight and make you stronger than you once were.

The fight can begin anywhere but be smart and resourceful. Make sure you go to where the people are at not where they should be. Use social media and be smart about it too. Start a facebook page with your group name and what your cause is about. Make sure it has a link to either a bigger and more information packed website like your own or someone else who maybe has more forces and more people mobilized to get into the fight.

However, be careful of one thing: don’t ask people for money. You can direct them to a site of a full blown organization that can take their money but you should not be responsible for taking the money and spending it unless you have a tax form in order and are an actually company. Otherwise get out there and join the fight.

Whenever a politician in your city is running for office there are a list of things they will tell you because they know it’s what you want to hear and it will be paramount in getting them elected or reelected. One of those things used to be World Peace. They wore it like a badge of honor and threw it to the people in order to receive applause and get more votes but then something started to happen for a while: people stopped caring. This isn’t to say that people weren’t interested in world peace but rather they were very certain that asking for that was like asking for a blue elephant to fall from the sky. There was just a sense that world peace was never happening.

But then something amazing happened and politicians who have been running along the campaign trail for some time now started noticing it too: people were beginning to ask for it again. Somewhere along the line people started realizing that in this advanced day and age people want reassurances that the world will be ok not only for them but for their children as well. They began realizing that as the world became more technologically advanced that there was going to need to be someone looking out for all of mankind because there were too many variables to believe that these politicians were going to do it themselves and without having something at stake.

So the voters started putting the election at stake. They started telling politicians that world peace was something that mattered again and it was particularly serious to young voters. This could be that there were more young men going into battle all over the world and once they started figuring out that there friends were going to be at risk to die it is when that started to become a reality and the threat of no peace became something that scared them and they were looking for someone to stop it. World Peace Mattered More than ever these days.