A NEW HOPE FOR PEACE
WEALTH, POVERTY AND WAR
People store wealth in many places. They store money in banks, diamonds in safes, trinkets in drawers, pictures in frames; they hoard necklaces, broaches, trophies, antiques, investments, and stockpiles of gold. Wealth of one kind or another is seen as security, reputation, politics, fame and fortune. They become extensions of what people feel about themselves, how they want to be seen or admired, or identities that are renowned.
All this is what people run after and race others to get or 'take over' what others have. The amount of 'getting' is limited since wealth has to be created. It doesn't drop out of the sky. The difference between a field lying fallow and producing food, minerals or timber, is the labour put into it. Whether a field or a mountain, an ocean or forest, treasures must be dug, or cut, or fished out of them by the labour put into them.
The fish caught in the sea, the timber cut from forests, the minerals mined out of the ground, the food grown in market gardens, milk taken from cows, meat from cattle, rice from paddies or herbs picked from the wild, are all products of labour and industry. The source of all wealth is labour and land out of which people are fed, build cities, fly aeroplanes, drive motor cars, watch television, play sport and enjoy picnics.
WEALTH AND WAR
Because wealth has to be created by workers and appropriated by employers, it passes out of the power of those who make wealth to those who profit by it most. It divides people into classes, upper, middle and lower with sub classes between each one. It is the same between countries.
The underlying rule of law is this: The rich grow wealthy by making other people poor.
Whether banks, financial companies, industries, services, wholesalers, retailers, gas companies, electricity companies or governments, wealth is gleaned from labour and production. Everyone who thinks about how money, property and land is earned knows that it is won by the rich and lost by the poor. The reason is simple, they have no bargaining power and their labour means survival. At the same time the rich live in luxury whilst the poor live in want or poverty. This is the state of the world from earliest times.
DEMOCRACY
We accept this state of affairs in Australia because it is called democracy and we consider it to be the lesser of two evils, peace or war. Nevertheless, the real meaning of democracy is institutionalized conflict, one party against another vying for power and influence over the nation. It is never peaceful or cooperative.
However, democracy does not prevent poverty or wars because the breakdown of peace between countries and within countries is greed and grievances. But whilst at one time these opposites might be settled by a war, more often than not started by the rich to protect their wealth, or the poor to counteract oppression and poverty, war was not a dirty word but a great honour of victors over victims and fought on a battlefield. The honours were distributed to the heroes of war who were brave and risked or lost their lives for their families.
MODERN WARFARE
But the twentieth century saw the end of wars fought on battle fields. War became a mass destruction of cities and people, a genocide of populations and nations. The dropping of the atom bomb on Nagasaki and the bombing of Nuremberg by the British, marked the end of wars and the reign of insanity. We can no longer imagine that war is just, that self defense is a duty, or that patriotism is love for ones country. War is genocide, the determination to wipe out populations, cities and governments.
UNILATERAL DISARMAMENT
There is only one way to stop wars and counteract the insanity that has possessed nations like Britain, America and other powerful and wealthy nations and that is unilateral disarmament, and a refusal to engage in any form of military conflict.
It is much better to win peace before a war in today’s world than win a war. To win peace saves a nation from great suffering and loss of life. To win a war is the greatest loss. For the killing on both sides of a military conflict in modern warfare is enormous and bloody. Nor is it justified by national self interest or defending ones country. The result is the same and whilst to be invaded by another nation is to suffer, to fight that nation is to die and diminish the dignity of human life which is sacred.
SACRIFICE
Australia might well be an example to the rest of the world by renouncing all ties with nations like America or Britain, and being a neutral nation, renouncing war and the insanity of war. That is the leadership the world needs if we are to prevent a third world war, for world war will surely come, as it has in the past. The mind set of America, as it is of China and Britain, is to prepare for war. It doesn’t matter who starts a third world war there can be no winners. But if we show the will to make peace and care for other people and nations, perhaps war can become a thing of the past. Even one small light in a thick, black world of fear is better than no light at all.
THE NEW WORLD
The world we live in now bares no comparison with the world of a century ago. Everybody in the world today is watched, nations are watched and nothing happens before the news reaches everywhere in minutes. We are being watched. Australia is being watched. The spy game is universal. This is the right time to stop playing hide and seek. It is the time to let others look with nothing to hide.
The effect of renouncing alliances would be like a white flag inviting others to talk and come to terms with unprecedented news and political courage. The effect of renouncing arms and military might would be innovative, challenging and inspiring. The effect of taking a stand for peace would be followed by other nations. Disarmament would be on the agenda again and the Security Council would be shamed to ignore the challenge of world peace.
WEALTH, POVERTY AND WAR
People store wealth in many places. They store money in banks, diamonds in safes, trinkets in drawers, pictures in frames; they hoard necklaces, broaches, trophies, antiques, investments, and stockpiles of gold. Wealth of one kind or another is seen as security, reputation, politics, fame and fortune. They become extensions of what people feel about themselves, how they want to be seen or admired, or identities that are renowned.
All this is what people run after and race others to get or 'take over' what others have. The amount of 'getting' is limited since wealth has to be created. It doesn't drop out of the sky. The difference between a field lying fallow and producing food, minerals or timber, is the labour put into it. Whether a field or a mountain, an ocean or forest, treasures must be dug, or cut, or fished out of them by the labour put into them.
The fish caught in the sea, the timber cut from forests, the minerals mined out of the ground, the food grown in market gardens, milk taken from cows, meat from cattle, rice from paddies or herbs picked from the wild, are all products of labour and industry. The source of all wealth is labour and land out of which people are fed, build cities, fly aeroplanes, drive motor cars, watch television, play sport and enjoy picnics.
WEALTH AND WAR
Because wealth has to be created by workers and appropriated by employers, it passes out of the power of those who make wealth to those who profit by it most. It divides people into classes, upper, middle and lower with sub classes between each one. It is the same between countries.
The underlying rule of law is this: The rich grow wealthy by making other people poor.
Whether banks, financial companies, industries, services, wholesalers, retailers, gas companies, electricity companies or governments, wealth is gleaned from labour and production. Everyone who thinks about how money, property and land is earned knows that it is won by the rich and lost by the poor. The reason is simple, they have no bargaining power and their labour means survival. At the same time the rich live in luxury whilst the poor live in want or poverty. This is the state of the world from earliest times.
DEMOCRACY
We accept this state of affairs in Australia because it is called democracy and we consider it to be the lesser of two evils, peace or war. Nevertheless, the real meaning of democracy is institutionalized conflict, one party against another vying for power and influence over the nation. It is never peaceful or cooperative.
However, democracy does not prevent poverty or wars because the breakdown of peace between countries and within countries is greed and grievances. But whilst at one time these opposites might be settled by a war, more often than not started by the rich to protect their wealth, or the poor to counteract oppression and poverty, war was not a dirty word but a great honour of victors over victims and fought on a battlefield. The honours were distributed to the heroes of war who were brave and risked or lost their lives for their families.
MODERN WARFARE
But the twentieth century saw the end of wars fought on battle fields. War became a mass destruction of cities and people, a genocide of populations and nations. The dropping of the atom bomb on Nagasaki and the bombing of Nuremberg by the British, marked the end of wars and the reign of insanity. We can no longer imagine that war is just, that self defense is a duty, or that patriotism is love for ones country. War is genocide, the determination to wipe out populations, cities and governments.
UNILATERAL DISARMAMENT
There is only one way to stop wars and counteract the insanity that has possessed nations like Britain, America and other powerful and wealthy nations and that is unilateral disarmament, and a refusal to engage in any form of military conflict.
It is much better to win peace before a war in today’s world than win a war. To win peace saves a nation from great suffering and loss of life. To win a war is the greatest loss. For the killing on both sides of a military conflict in modern warfare is enormous and bloody. Nor is it justified by national self interest or defending ones country. The result is the same and whilst to be invaded by another nation is to suffer, to fight that nation is to die and diminish the dignity of human life which is sacred.
SACRIFICE
Australia might well be an example to the rest of the world by renouncing all ties with nations like America or Britain, and being a neutral nation, renouncing war and the insanity of war. That is the leadership the world needs if we are to prevent a third world war, for world war will surely come, as it has in the past. The mind set of America, as it is of China and Britain, is to prepare for war. It doesn’t matter who starts a third world war there can be no winners. But if we show the will to make peace and care for other people and nations, perhaps war can become a thing of the past. Even one small light in a thick, black world of fear is better than no light at all.
THE NEW WORLD
The world we live in now bares no comparison with the world of a century ago. Everybody in the world today is watched, nations are watched and nothing happens before the news reaches everywhere in minutes. We are being watched. Australia is being watched. The spy game is universal. This is the right time to stop playing hide and seek. It is the time to let others look with nothing to hide.
The effect of renouncing alliances would be like a white flag inviting others to talk and come to terms with unprecedented news and political courage. The effect of renouncing arms and military might would be innovative, challenging and inspiring. The effect of taking a stand for peace would be followed by other nations. Disarmament would be on the agenda again and the Security Council would be shamed to ignore the challenge of world peace.