Past, Present and the Predictable future for Peace
“If the central focus of our life is spiritual growth, is peace,
then all other things will be around that.
Your first and foremost commitment in life is to be with the Truth,
to evolve in Truth.” – H.H. Sri Ravi Shankar
In the very beginning of this century, a French author and peace activist,
Louise Diamond, covered the concept of peace in a pristine way by
following and laying down an action plan in her book,
The Courage of Peace.
“Louise Diamond has given us a path that we might follow, a way that
we might arrive at the place where we all say we want to be...
Here are practical examples, real-life stories of how real-life
people have lived the real truth of how Life is...that there is a
way to live together in harmony, and in peace.”
- extracted from the forward by Neale Donald Walsch.
- extracted from the forward by Neale Donald Walsch.
OVERTURE: Releasing the Spirit of Peace
ONE: Tapping the Source of Peace
TWO: Awakening the Mind of Peace
THREE: Opening the Heart of Peace
FOUR: Unleashing the Power of Peace
FINALE: Finding the Courage for Peace in the Twenty-First Century
CALL TO ACTION:: Peace Resource Guide
Based on this book, Louise Diamond has put together a 6 week
self paced course on Peace Building
foray into the spiritual, conceptual, and practical aspects of peace
building. Because of its length and format, it is not meant to teach peace
building skills. Rather, it lays a foundation for further peace building work
by briefly introducing the four core Principles of Peace through a series
of six week-long units. These units are:
1. Walking the Peace Path. In this unit, we explore critical
foundational questions, such as:
- What is peace?
- What is the peace path?
- What is the Spirit of Peace?
- Where have I known peace?
- Where is peace needed, in my life and in the world around me?
- What is my unique journey on the peace path?
- How can I make a difference?
2. Peace and Unity. In this unit, we explore the first Principle of Peace:
Community, the Power of Interconnectedness. We will consider such topics as:
- The unity worldview and its implications for peace building.
- Lessons from the natural world.
- Peace builder as connector.
- Right relationship.
- Creating peace communities.
3. Peace from the Inside Out. In this unit, we explore the second Principle
of Peace: Witness, the Power of Presence. In it, we will cover such topics as:
- Finding inner peace.
- Your personal peace process.
- Tapping your unique source of peace.
- Broadcasting from the 'Peace Radio' channel.
4. Peace and Nonviolence. In this unit, we explore the third Principle of
Peace: Nonviolence, the Power of Love. In it, we will cover such topics as:
- Softening the hardened heart.
- Healing and reconciliation.
- Nonviolence in everyday life.
- Nonviolence and love for social change.
5. Peace and Power. In this unit, we explore the fourth Principle of
Peace: Cooperation, the Power of Sharing Power.
In it, we will cover such topics as:
- The true nature of power.
- Dealing with power inequities.
- Winning strategies for empowerment.
- Building power alliances.
- Co-creating the world we share.
6. The Spirit of Peace in Action. In this unit, you will have a
chance to consider how you might use what you're learning in this course.
We will address such questions as:
- What new insights or knowledge have I gained from this course?
- Where in my life or work might I apply those new learning’s?
- How do I now see myself as a peace builder?
- What are my next steps?
- What resources do I need to continue this journey?
- How can we help each other along the way?
This book and the course are highly recommended for those who
want to start working as a peace activist in their spare time. I would
recommend this to every individual since – the VOICE OF
NON-VIOLENCE and PEACE has to be strong and heard from
everyone to ensure perpetual peace can be realized in this CENTURY,
especially when we have had a transformative century between 1900
and 2000 – with leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Dalai Lama, Nelson
Mandela, Martin Luther King, Desmond Tutu and many more, Peace
Activists who accomplished more with Non-Violent means than ever
thought possible in the prior Centuries. These leaders along with the
current generation peace activists including, His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi
Shankar has set the foundation where we can hope, dream, have the
courage and fulfill our DESTINY of achieving Perpetual Peace in the
21st Century.
Achieving perpetual peace cannot be that complex or impossible –
when the world wakes up to the fact that Non-Violence is the only
way. If we can achieve goals such as putting a man on Mars, to
creating a supercomputer the size of a pizza box, if we exercise our
whole-hearted effort, it is achievable. Especially since the
PATHWAY is CLEARLY PAVED by His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi
Shankar and all we have to do is follow his programs and teachings.
The author is embarking on this journey attempting to uncover the
systemic and pervasive impact of the efforts of His Holiness Sri
Sri Ravi Shankar. Around the time when Buddha or Mahatma
Gandhi were alive no one could predict the impact they will have
on human society. Similarly we cannot predict what is to come.
However we will cover the range of efforts by His Holiness Sri
Sri Ravi Shankar in this area – where His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi
Shankar’s efforts are touching every person/every heart and mind
in the planet and hence starts with peace WITHIN all the way to
WORLD Peace. The author believes that no one can equal His
Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in terms of the amount of effort and
work for Perpetual Peace that he has put in –which is humanly
impossible by any single individual (that His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi
Shankar has achieved with his organizations – AOL-Art Of Living
and IAHV –international Association of Human Values –plus his
dedicated volunteers and millions of devotees all over the world)
– with such a strategic and systemic impact in today’s world,
covering over 150 countries with over 150 million volunteers of
the organization with an ever expanding exponential effect. This
process towards what is referred as “Positive Peace” turns the
vicious cycle of the past 5000 years into a virtuous cycle for the
future. We essentially wake up to see the value proposition of
non-violent means and peaceful means to achieve any goal, in a
more composite and sustainable manner.
There are many different ways through which peace
can be pursued, including,
- Peace through Acceptance
- Peace through Breathing (techniques)
- Peace through Compassion
- Peace through Dialogue
- Peace through Empathy
- Peace through Friendship
- Peace through Green Initiatives
- Peace through Human Values
- Peace through Interfaith
- Peace through Joy
- Peace through Kindness
- Peace through Love
- Peace through Meditation
- Peace through Negotiations
- Peace through Oneness
- Peace through Purity
- Peace through Quorum
- Peace through Rejuvenation
- Peace through Silence
- Peace through Tolerance
- Peace through Universality
- Peace through Vision
- Peace through Wisdom
- Peace through Xen
- Peace through Yoga
- Peace through Zest
- And many many more..
In the past three decades, His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has
tirelessly participated in many Peace Summits and Conferences [1]
all around the world with his wisdom and well thought out speeches.
Spreading the message of love, compassion and non-violence, His
Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar tirelessly advocates harmonious
co-existence among people. While he addresses innumerable forums
on diverse subjects, the common thread through all his speeches is
the principle of humanity and brotherhood. His universal and simple
message is that love and wisdom can prevail over hatred and distress.
Whether it is speaking to parliamentarians in Argentina , business
leaders in Europe , peace organizations such as the United Nations
and Muslim and Hindu leaders, His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
emphasizes human values and unity among people. He has been
invited to address the World Economic Forum at Davos on two
occasions, the United Nations Millennium World Peace Summit
of Religious and Spiritual Leaders, the first World Congress of
Imams and Rabbis in 2005 among other forums. With an aim of
bringing together leaders from diverse walks of life, His Holiness
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has also hosted a number of symposiums.
The Truth & Reconciliation Conference to foster equality
of the Dalit community (2007), International Conference on
Human Values (2006) and the annual Corporate Culture and
Spirituality Symposiums, etc.
Through his public talks and symposiums, His Holiness Sri
Sri Ravi Shankar addresses issues of inter-faith harmony,
environmental sustainability, poverty alleviation and grassroots
development. He inspires thousands across the globe to live
the philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam or a One World
Family. Amongst many such addresses given by His Holiness
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, mention may be made about four such
addresses (excerpts) in this section;
Fostering Universal Understanding
Excerpt of the inaugural address by His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar at the ‘Millennium World Peace Summit
Often, people who take responsibility do not pray, and those who pray do not take responsibility. It is interesting that this hall, which takes the responsibility for the entire world, has seen a lot of prayer today. And this is the need of the hour.
Every religion has three aspects; values, symbols and practices. There is diversity in practices and in symbols, whereas values are common to all the religions. The growth of fanaticism, fundamentalism and intolerance in the world is happening because people are stuck in only the practices, symbols or customs. They are forgetting human values. It is very heartening to see all the spiritual leaders from all the communities come together here to foster human values.
Spirit loves diversity. There is not just one type of fruit, one type of people, or one type of animal in this world. Spirit loves diversity so let’s not confine the spirit to a uniform. Let’s enjoy the diverse variety of creation by honoring them all, respecting and really loving them. We used to use the term "religious tolerance". I think that these words have become obsolete now. You tolerate only that which you don’t love. Don’t you think so? The time has come to love each other’s religions as one’s own. A religion is great not just because it is mine; it is great because of what it is. This understanding in all the priests and clergymen and those who lead people in spiritual and religious light, will put an end to the fanaticism and fundamentalism going on in this, our beautiful world.
It will be very nice if, together, we all adopt a resolution that we will educate our people to know a little bit from every religion in order to have a broader vision about life. No doubt, one must go deep in ones own religion; at the same time an understanding about every religion is essential today. We all need to work towards that. We pray and see the Divinity within us. Without prayer and meditation, which are the spiritual aspects of life, religion becomes just a dry skin. I often say, religion is the banana skin and spirituality is the banana. The misery in the world is because we throw away the banana and we are holding on to the dry skin. So we need to enhance that spiritual aspect of our life.
See love inside you and that is meditation; see God in the person next to you and that is service. Service and meditation go hand in hand. This is a wonderful occasion for all those leaders of society who are concerned about terrorism and fundamentalism to look back to see where we have made a mistake. What is that which is lacking in the society? How we can enrich human values without which this earth cannot be sustained? The previous century has been an era of uniforms and unions. Now let us move to an era of communion. With these few words I pray and I take responsibility, both, at the same time.
Broaden the Vision
Excerpt of His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s inaugural address at the ‘First World Congress of Imams and Rabbis for Peace’, Brussels
May all be happy in the planet! We are all part of one global family and children of one almighty. His Majesty Albert II, King of Belgium, His Majesty Mohammed, King of Morocco, my dear Alain Michel, eminencies, excellencies, and beautiful people,
This must be the dream project of God. If you see, there are very few people who are extremists. Most people who are peace loving are passive and silent. What is needed now is the dynamism of the peaceful people. I hope this conference will be a platform where we communicate from heart to heart. For heart knows no conflict. Concept may bring conflict; an attitude of others, lack of belongingness and ignorance of other traditions will bring conflict.
We need to broaden the vision of our people. We have to get over the victim and culprit consciousness. And this path of peace needs courage. We need to celebrate our differences and rejoice the commonness. What our children need is a multicultural and multi-religious education. If we fail to broaden the vision of our people, we will bring disgrace to our own religion.
We must know that we belong to one universal spirit first, and then we are human. When this basic identity is forgotten, we will continue to face the problems that we are facing today. The previous speaker mentioned three monotheistic religions. I would like to add two more: Hinduism and Sikhism. Hinduism and Sikhism also believe in one God and worship it in many names and forms. And there are five different cultures, flavors and aspects of one global family.
Honoring Diversity
Excerpt of the Inaugural address by His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar at the Vedanta-Buddhism Conference for Global Peace’ conference, India
One thing I noticed today, among all the dignitaries and monks present, is that the program has taken off with some silence. Do you notice that there is an underlying silence? Our words or thoughts are like seeds being sown in the field of silence. There is already an atmosphere that all you venerable masters, sanyasis have created right here, right now. What we talk is not that important but what we are is more important. I am so glad to be in the presence and company of all of you who exude that silence and wisdom.
The topic is similarities and differences between Vedanta and Buddhism. Let us first see the similarities. Vedanta has always been fighting against any form of discrimination, superstitions and ritualistic practices. It has always stood for uniting mankind. Today rituals have taken over the philosophies of all the religions in the world. The essence of spirituality, the real wisdom has taken a back seat. I thought now is the time when we must bring the wisdom to the forefront. When there is wisdom, even though there are different view points, there will be no conflict. Wisdom always views reality from various different angles. Honoring the diversity, finding unity in it, is wisdom. Celebrating diversity in oneness and finding unity in diversity are the two main aspects of wisdom. In today’s world, when we see so much conflict and violence, I thought that there cannot be any better solution than bringing Buddhist thought and the thought of Vedanta to the forefront in the world.
The two great traditions which have come out of this land were never in conflict. They existed in such a beautiful cooperation that it is an example for the whole world to follow. I once heard that President Nixon from America went to Japan Japan Japan Japan
The greatness of Buddhism is that it has always honored the Buddhas of the past, the present and the future. The Vedantic philosophy has also always honored the Gurus and Rishis of the past, present and the future. The second verse of the Rig-Veda says, “Rishih Purverbhirnutanedo Sadevamyeh”. Honoring wisdom which is timeless and which comes up from time to time with differences in interpretation is a specialty of this part of the world. There are in all ten religions in the world – four are from the Middle East and six are from the Far East . If you look at history, there was never a war between the six religions of the Far East . There was never a war between Jainism and Buddhism, Buddhism and Jainism or Sikhism or Shintoism or Taoism because we emphasize on wisdom. Why not we share this specialty or this quality which we possess with the rest of the world? The world needs to know how to live amidst differences and celebrate those differences.
Within Hindusim, there are so many schools of thought. There is Bhakti Pant, Advaitya, Vishitha Advaita, Shakti Vishishta Advaita and many other schools of thought. There are some good things in every school of thought, something very practical. It is wisdom that focuses on those beneficial aspects, the unity amongst these things and moves forward.
Look at the problems facing Mayanmar , Sri Lanka or even in India land of Adi Shankara , the land of Mahavira Japan Europe is living in depression. We, the Buddhist tradition and the Vedantic tradition, have the solution for these ills of society. Buddhism takes one inward to that meditative state, deep within one self from where one can combat the social ills of today – depression, discrimination, violence. I fully support the struggle of Buddhist monks in Myanmar
All that you need to say is “Sarve Jana Sukhino Bhavantu”. Saying this chant daily in the morning and evening, will give direction to our action. Sri Lanka Nepal
The two systems have, in fact, seen the same reality from two different sides and have presented them to the world which is full of conflicts today. The responsibility of bringing the two traditions in harmony, resolving conflicts, bringing peace lies with all of us, in whatever manner possible. In these two days of deliberation, I am sure we will have brilliant discussions on how to go about our planning. I am so happy to have you all and to be in your presence.
Let us make some concrete plans. Plans happen when all of us sit together and decide. If one person makes a plan and shares it, it is not everybody’s plan. So we all have to think. Conferences are meant for this. We need a concrete plans for heightening our awareness, Jagrut Chetna. How can we enhance spirituality in religion and reach it to people from all corners of the planet so that the whole world lives in peace?
Solutions to Conflicts
Excerpt of the inaugural address by His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar at the ‘Peace and Reconciliation in South Asia – Challenges and Opportunities’ conference, Oslo
We have all come together to find a common solution to a very crucial problem. Often in meetings, we discuss the problems, which then appear so big. When the problems appear insurmountable, conflicts remain as conflicts and continue for centuries. Then one loses heart. However, here, we have people from various fields and from diverse cultural and religious backgrounds, social and economic strata, all coming together, sincerely looking for a solution – because we want peace. Enough is enough – we have had so much violence.
Today, we have two types of extremism. One kind comprises religious extremists while the other consists of communist extremists. And then there are ethnic conflicts. These are the three major types of conflicts we need to look into – this is what is clogging South Asia .
We also face the problem of poverty – there are certain forces which, for political reasons, personal gains or other reasons, are using poverty of people for their own ends by not giving them the right picture, the right direction to move ahead.
Here, we all have to bring sense and come up with solutions to the conflicts. The world, life itself, is full of contradictions and conflicts, and it is wisdom that helps us to sail through these.
We need to look at life with the ‘Three Cs’:
A Cosmic (or broader) vision of a problem.
Commitment: without it, you will not be able to move a step forward – we need to have commitment for peace.
Compassion – without compassion, you cannot understand another person’s point of view.
Often, when you listen to conflicting points of view, you will find that everyone is correct from their own view point. If you listen to the Tamils, you would side by them. If you listen to the Sinhalese, you would side by them. If you listen to the Maoists, you would side by them. If you listen to the government, you would side by them. Everybody has their own logic, their own view point. We have to find a way where we can meet and come together in peace.
A couple of years ago, when I was in Chhattisgarh, (India
These are man-made calamities, which can be avoided, unlike a natural one like the tsunami. This is what we need to do – all of us here, sincerely pray and take responsibility to bring peace, to turn every tear into a smile and dream for a stress-free, violence-free world.
His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has also organized and conducted numerous conferences and summits on peace[2] all over the world through AOL and IAHV.
Dimensions of Peace (from ONE individual to the World)
I read this Quote that was posted on the wall;
“Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny”
I was totally moved by this Quote and knew for a fact that
everything starts with the mind and a thought. His Holiness
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has started the peace thought process
within millions of men and women in the globe that is followed
up with the exponential expansion of the peace processes and
a peace paradigm to include words (his writings and
conferences, etc.), actions (peace negotiations from India to Iraq),
habits (from individuals to groups) and characters that have been
shaped in the millions for changing mankind’s destiny towards
pervasive and perpetual peace.
Changing the mind
His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar states that “War begins in
the minds of a few individuals”. This is extremely important to
understand before a war is waged; it is planned before it is
proclaimed, before it is proclaimed – it is “conceived” in some
individual’s mind – whether that individual is “Hitler” or
“Saddam Hussein”. The conception of war could be based
on causes that are perceived to be “true”. Therefore (a) we
have to change the minds of individuals worldwide so peace
can prevail and (b) dismantle this perceived set of cause for
the conception of “war”.
Recap of major Peace Initiatives of the Past
Waging wars in the past 5000 years across the entire
world from time to time –from Harrappa to Mohenjedaro
and Mesopotamian, to Greek, Roman and British empires
and to the current day, mankind has had a gory history of
barbaric warfare, terrorism, riots, revolts and all types of
violence. Peace initiatives also abound in the past several years.
None of these initiatives were systemic and addressed the core
reasons for violence and war and attempted at dissipating these
core root causes. However perpetual peace is only possible
when mankind as a whole evolves to a stage where
“Knowledge” is lodged in the mind permanently. Beyond
awareness and education to knowledge that we are all part
of the same Consciousness (not just the gross body and mind),
that we exist only for a tiny blip in time- time consumes
everything- and that, within this tiny blip we live a fulfilling and
meaningful life full of purpose with peace (such as gaining new
knowledge, service to others, and more).
Despite the history of failure to maintain peace in the past; it is
quite possible to attain within our lifetime, primarily due to the
foundational stages set in the 20th century. This includes;
- Advances in Information and Technology (creating the
the masses)
- Advances in Society (Medicines, Transportation,
- Impact of World Wars I, II and other misc Wars
- Growth in the human population from less than a
- Unleashing of all the profound thought leadership
The dissipation of the Causes for Violence and War,
LEADS TO PEACE
The basis of war, terrorism, riots and other imbalances in
civilization of the past include;
· Border disputes
· Riots and Looting
· Resource control
· Race & ethnicity
· Religion
· Wealth disparity
· Monarchy and Family rule
· Historical disputes
· Miscellaneous causes
How are they dissipated? Minds shall be inculcated
with ideas, like;
- The whole world belongs to you and you belong to this one world
- Sharing attitude and service mindedness
- Alternative sources of energy
- Human Values first; then comes Nation, Religion, Race, etc
- Economic balancing act
- Democracy with Transparency and Accountability
- Breakaway Attitude of the Millennia Age polpulation
- Plus more.
Here lies the relevance of the 5H Program conceived by
His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar which dissipates these causes of WAR:
Health:
- To educate people about general health practices and awareness of healthy eating habits, with an emphasis on children and expectant mothers.
- To revive local and traditional medical practices.
- To organize health camps in rural areas and mobile dispensaries for remote regions.
- To educate on prevalent health hazards and ways to tackle them.
Homes: "A Roof over every Head"
5H aids in the construction of durable homes for the homeless. Repairs existing homes, and provides free homes for the aged, widowed women and the handicapped.
5H aids in the construction of durable homes for the homeless. Repairs existing homes, and provides free homes for the aged, widowed women and the handicapped.
Hygiene: 5H Youth Leaders help raise awareness about hygiene through a variety of programs and projects.
- Cleanliness drives
- Garbage Disposal and waste management
- Awareness drives on personal hygiene and the need to participate in community hygiene
- Clean Drinking Water: Villagers are trained in testing methods and treatment procedures of water for portability. Basic home water treatment techniques like boiling and filtering are taught.
- Drainage: Awareness camps are held, which teach about the dangerous effects of open toilets and open drains, and the ways diseases spread. Villagers are trained to make proper drains to avoid stagnation of water and keep them clean.
Human Values: "Sustaining development through Human Values"
Our experience shows that most successful projects are those where the volunteers and the target group have worked together in the spirit of mutual respect, belongingness and caring. Much of the unprecedented success and growth of the 5H program can be attributed to the fact that all service projects are taken up with the great emphasis of reviving human values.
Our experience shows that most successful projects are those where the volunteers and the target group have worked together in the spirit of mutual respect, belongingness and caring. Much of the unprecedented success and growth of the 5H program can be attributed to the fact that all service projects are taken up with the great emphasis of reviving human values.
Harmony in Diversity: "Bringing the World Together"
With education that creates a reverence for diversity in nature and a sense of belonging with the whole world. 5H creates a platform for sharing common moral & spiritual values, inherent in all religious, cultural traditions and provides exposure to diverse cultures through group meetings and community get-together.
With education that creates a reverence for diversity in nature and a sense of belonging with the whole world. 5H creates a platform for sharing common moral & spiritual values, inherent in all religious, cultural traditions and provides exposure to diverse cultures through group meetings and community get-together.
Border Disputes (“The whole world belongs to you”)
“We are ONE World – we are one family”.
His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar states that “The whole world
belongs to you and you belong to this world”. What a profound
statement? Mobility increases the affinity of an individual to this
world “Mother Earth” more than a specific nation. Folks around
the world have more mobility leading to more global friendships
and community formations, with an attitude towards cooperation
and partnership. People are awakening to the statement made
by His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and realize the “TRUTH”
in it. The whole world does belong to me and I belong to this
world. The beauty about this is borders are man made and
fictitious. It changes over time. During each era – from the
Mongolian to the Roman Empire to the present the borders
were drawn according to the thinking around those times.
Today nations with border are cooperating to form Unions
and Common Areas such as European Union, NAFTA,
SAARC and more. This is the beginning of the unification
of Nations for better collaboration and commerce.
Globalization for commerce and trade will lead to
globalization for free travel with Transparency and Governance.
Mankind in this modern world will wage war against;
· Poverty
· Inequality
· Injustice
· Earth Exploitations
· And more
Riots and Looting
In any riot and looting if you have noticed the cause is lack
of education, poverty and inequality. A nation with a strong
GDP and a decent per capita income with minimum wages
and low corruption will have free education and a decent
standard of living for all citizens. Addressing these two core
issues of education (with a value system) and poverty can
dissipate the root cause behind this type of violence.
Resource control
Abiding by a strong constitution and a legal framework,
which allows for Transparency and Governance without
corruption along with ethical business practices, can
alleviate issues around the root cause of resource control.
All national resources belong to all citizens equally.
Race & Ethnicity
The understanding that we are all ONE and cherishing
diversity, like His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar states,
addresses this core issue. Majority of the folks working
as volunteers at IAHV and the 5H programs are from
different race and ethnicity, yet they come together for a
common cause as brothers and sisters.
Religion
On the 28th through 31stAugust of the year 2000, two
thousand of the world's preeminent religious and
spiritual leaders representing many faith traditions,
gathered at the United Nations for a Millennium
World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders.
All the inter-faith efforts of His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi
Shankar’s programs are essentially geared towards
addressing Religion as a root cause of violence. Individuals
who have benefited from His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s
teachings include folks from all the faiths and religions.
Wealth disparity
His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar through his organizations
and extensive programs has kindled the spirit of Giving in
millions all over the world. His programs around ethical and
socializing business entities are also geared towards creating
a certain level of equanimity between the haves and have-nots.
Monarchy and Family rule
This was the root cause of majority of the barbaric wars in
the past several thousand years. The greed and power hungry
few cannot wage wars any more at their whims with the
advent of democracy and global peace bodies.
Historical disputes
The whole philosophy of living in the PAST and adopting
violent means (terrorism and wars) has to be addressed.
Practicing His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s programs
one can easily learn the art of living a life in a new direction
(forgiving and forgetting the past- especially that which
causes violence or violent thoughts).
Miscellaneous
All these root causes are not trivial in nature, but in time
and with the systemic program that His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi
Shankar has put-together all these root causes are bound to
dissipate, with the spread of Art of Living courses and
IAHV programs.
What’s different now ?
His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s approach is so
systemic covering an individual’s inner peace, to peace
with family and friends, and with his/her community all
the way to programs that benefit interfaith peace, national
peace, peace with the environment ultimately leading to
world peace. It has now reached millions of individuals
who are from all over this world.
His entire program is tuned to timely needs (natural calamities,
terrorism, etc.) and most importantly he touches every individual
he meets guiding them towards the pathway he has paved for peace.
Peace in the 21st Century (from Global commerce to
Global communications to Global communities)
Erich Weed in his work “The Diffusion of Prosperity and
Peace by Globalization” states that Capitalism and economic
freedom promote peace. This is true as long as globalization
and the benefits of globalization address the core causes of
violence and war.
“Before discussing illustrations of the capitalist peace, I should
consider a standard historical objection against it. Certainly,
economic interdependence, including trade, between the
Western powers and the central European powers before
World War I was quite strong. Nevertheless, World War I
occurred. What does this evidence imply about the capitalist peace
in general and about “peace by trade” in particular? First, it reminds
us that all macro-political propositions—and certainly those
discussed here—are probabilistic instead of deterministic statements.
We should always expect exceptions. Second, “peace by trade”
is not the only component of capitalist-peace theory applicable here.
Another is “peace among democracies.” The democratic character
of Germany
contemporary standards, even the democratic character of the
because of franchise limitations. So World War I is not a clear
exception to the democratic component of the capitalist peace.
Third, no one should believe that trade and democracy, or the
capitalist peace, suffice to explain the presence or absence of
military disputes and war. At most, we can claim that
“capitalist-peace theory” summarizes some known pacifying
effects, but it does not summarize conflict-promoting variables
and their effects (Russett 2003). As quantitative researchers
documenting the pacifying effects of democracy and trade have
found again and again (for example, Oneal and Russett 1997,
1999; Russett and Oneal 2001), power balances matter, too.
Before World War I, the balance of power between the
opposing coalitions was fairly even. There were no pacifying
preponderance effects. Although one cannot claim World War
I to be a case demonstrating the value of capitalist-peace theory,
neither does it undermine the theory seriously.
It may be argued that the different long-term effects of the
settlements of World Wars I and II derive from failure or success
in applying a capitalist-peace strategy to the losers of the war.
After World War I , France
more than any other nation, failed to promote capitalist peace.
Immiseration and desperation in Germany contributed to Hitler’s
ascent to power and indirectly to World War II, in which France
had to be saved by its allies. After World War II, the United States
pursued a capitalist-peace strategy toward the vanquished and
succeeded in making allies out of Germany and Japan
If the West were afraid of the downside of globalization—
that is, its inherent tendency to undermine the status quo
and thereby Western or U.S.
protectionist, then its policies would look like white racism from
the outside. Protectionism in the West would condemn many
non-Westerners to poverty for longer than unavoidable.
Protectionism might turn Huntington
into a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Peace by trade is at least as important as peace by democracy.
Trade (because of its contribution to prosperity) underwrites
democracy and thereby the democratic peace where it prevails.
Moreover, it does not suffer from a geopolitical complication
that affects peace by democratization. According to the best
research, the risk of war between democracies is much lower
than elsewhere, but the risk of war between a democracy and
an autocracy is higher than elsewhere, at least in recent decades.
Although Russett and Oneal (2001) no longer accept this view,
I am not convinced that they are correct. To me, findings from a
separate analysis of disputes in the Cold War period (Oneal and
Russett 1997) look more persuasive than an analysis of data
beginning in 1885 that combines relationships from the multipolar
pre-World War II period, the bipolar Cold War period, and the
beginning of the unipolar period thereafter. Some of the findings
reported by Russett and Oneal (2001)—namely, the qualitatively
different alliance effects on militarized disputes found in the
multipolar and bipolar periods of observation—cast doubt on the
wisdom of imposing the same causal structure on different periods
of world politics (Gowa 1999).
If we accept, as I do, the idea that democracy causes peace
only among democracies, then democratization does not contribute
everywhere to peace. Imagine the democratization of a nation located
in the middle of a deeply autocratic area. Its democratization would
generate a number of autocratic-democratic dyads and thereby increase
the risk of war. By contrast, the democratization of a nation surrounded
by democracies would certainly be desirable. The democratic peace
should first be extended from its North Atlantic core area to contiguous
areas. Geographical compactness of the democratic bloc is a
prerequisite for the pacifying effects of democracy to apply. Promoting
democracy in Poland first and in Uzbekistan
desirable, but also more feasible than the reverse order would be.
Furthermore, an imposition of democracy in poor and politically unstable
countries, as currently being attempted in Afghanistan and Iraq
as likely to produce hostility as democratization and stability”.
Based on Eric’s paper it is clear that through Globalization (commerce
and communications), capitalism, open economies combined with
democracy we have the opportunity to create Global Peace.
His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and IAHV for example have
been huge supporters of Transparency International and Ethics in
Business – Corporate Culture and Spirituality. As Globalization takes
root and majority of the Nations in Asia and Africa attain prosperity and
economic development, majority of the root causes of violence and war
(such as riots and looting, wealth disparity, control of resources and more)
will be addressed. The challenge we face when Globalization takes root is
to address the problem of Corruption, from local, to national and inter-national.
And to this end His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has his 5 anecdotes to
Corruption; He states, “The big C of corruption can be countered by five more
Cs! The first is the sense of ‘connectedness’. A lack of connectedness or sense
of belongingness breeds corruption in society. That is why, often you see
people looking for connections in order to avoid corruption! A sense of
belongingness among people can root out corruption. That is why corruption
is lowest at the village level. Corruption is much more in urban areas because
there is no community sense there — no belongingness. The second C is
‘courage’. A lack of self-esteem or confidence in one’s own ability is one
of the causes of corruption. It is fear, or insecurity in a person that makes him
become more corrupt. He then tries to find his security only through money,
which doesn’t really happen. The more money he acquires, the insecurity doesn’t
disappear. In fact, he becomes more afraid and more fearful because the money
is not earned in a right manner. The third is an understanding of ‘cosmology’
- looking at one’s own life in the context of extended space and time. Just take
a look at our own life. How long is it? Only 80-100 years! See life in the
context of the huge dimension of time. Billions of years have passed since
the creation. Our creation, as scientists say, is 50 billion years old. And
everything in this creation is recycled. The air we breathe is old, every
cell in our body, every atom is old, the oxygen and hydrogen is old! And
this will continue. Seeing life from a different perspective of space and time
is what will deepen one’s vision about one’s life. The fourth C is ‘care’ and
‘compassion’. Care and compassion in society can bring dedication. It is the
lack of dedication that causes corruption. The sense of care and feeling that
it doesn’t matter even if I don’t have; somebody needs this more. That care
it doesn’t matter even if I don’t have; somebody needs this more. That care
and compassion can root out corruption. The last one I would like to emphasize is a sense of ‘commitment’ — commitment to contribution. When a person has a goal, a commitment to
a higher cause in life, it brings a shift from gaining to giving. In society, if
everyone keeps thinking, ‘What can I gain?’ rather than ‘What can I contribute’,
then corruption cannot be rooted out. In society, we need to have this shift in
our attitude, from ‘What can I gain?’ to ‘What can I contribute?’ But all this
is not possible without spiritual upliftment and a sense of belongingness with
the whole world. Today the globe has become a village. We have
GLOBALIZED everything other than wisdom. And that is one of the
causes of terrorism and unrest in the world today. We accept food from
every part of the world, we accept music from every part of the world,
but when it comes to wisdom, people seem to shy away. A sense of
belongingness with the whole world is what we are talking about today.
Even if one pocket in the world remains ignorant of these shared values,
the world will not be a safe place. So we need to address these issues
with a lot of patience. It is not a job that can be done overnight, but
through education and creating that sense of community, through
inspiration and example.
Global Warming and Green Revolution of the 21st century
It is pertinent to note that, Alex Nikolai Steffen, in his book
world changing, describes certain key trends in the 21st
century with regards to Green Revolution;
“Redesigning civilization along these lines would bring a
quality of life few of us can imagine. That's because a fully
functioning ecology is tantamount to tangible wealth.
Clean air and water, a diversity of animal and plan
t species, soil and mineral resources, and predictable
weather are annuities that will pay dividends for as long
as the human race survives - and may even extend our
stay on Earth.
It may seem impossibly far away, but on days when
the smog blows off, you can already see it: a society
built on radically green design, sustainable energy, and
closed-loop cities; a civilization afloat on a cloud of
efficient, nontoxic, recyclable technology. That's a future
we can live with”.
Similar to what the author has stated there are numerous
ways with which we can approach green revolution and
global warming, from efficient technology, green buildings
, to recycling to green designs of automobiles and more.
For example, His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s
His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s Universal Declaration
of Human Values[3], which he crafted in early 2007.
Conclusion
For the first time in thousands of years we have the
technology and tools to solve majority of the fundamental
issues we face, including poverty, education and more.
We are witnessing the world waking up to the potential
of what we can do with these technology and tools.
What is required is the focused effort and channelizing
of our energies towards solving these problems as the
first priority. Leaders, like, Al Gore, have a plan for
bringing the US
2020. Dr. Abdul Khalam from India is ensuring that
like End Poverty 2015, Global Peace Festival are
celebrated in several nations worldwide voicing peace
and non-violence. The voice of non-violence and peace
is surfacing even more than before. When millions stand
up for Peace and voice their concerns against war,
violence and crime, it has to be heard.
As His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar states
“The purpose of technology is to comfort human beings.
When spiritual values - human values - are ignored and
neglected, technology brings fear and destruction instead
of comfort. Technology without human values would see
nature as a dead object. Science gives insight into the life
of nature, and spirituality makes nature come alive. For
example, in the eyes of children, there is nothing dead
in the world; animals, trees, the sun and the moon all are
alive, and have emotions and feelings. But in the eyes of
a stressed and ignorant person, even human beings are
like robots or objects! Technology without spirituality is
destructive. Spirituality is the technology of consciousness,
and the whole world is the play and display of consciousness”.
We have the Technology to solve all major human problems
like housing, hunger and education.
For example; In Housing, Architecture for Humanity,
'a nonprofit organization founded in 1999, seeks architectural
solutions to humanitarian crises and brings design services to
communities in need. The organization brings together
architects and designers who volunteer their time and
talents to those who otherwise could not afford their
services. Architecture for Humanity has completed more
than 1,100 building projects worldwide. The idea is that
innovative localized designs that ensure the cost of a home
is kept to few thousand dollars. Now openarchitecturenetwork.com
is trialing out designs in Africa, Asia and Latin America for millions
who can afford a $5000 mortgage.
In Education, Curriki is more than an average website;
it is a community of educators, learners and committed
education experts who are working together to create quality
tools and materials that will benefit teachers and students around
the world. Curriki is an online environment created to support
the development and free distribution of world-class educational
materials to anyone who needs them. This name is a play on the
combination of 'curriculum' and 'wiki' which is the technology
they are using to make education universally accessible.
In fighting poverty and hunger, for example, America's
Second Harvest — The Nation's Food Bank Network is the
nation's largest charitable hunger-relief organization:
- A network of more than 200 member food banks and food-rescue organizations
- Serving all 50 states, the
The America
more than 2 billion pounds of donated food and grocery products
annually. It supports approximately 63,000 local charitable agencies
operating more than 70,000 programs including food pantries, soup
kitchens, emergency shelters, after-school programs, Kids Cafes,
Community Kitchens and BackPack Programs. Technology for
distribution and logistics is used extensively to manage food distribution.
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