Imagine
Because this is November, moments of silence, red poppies and poems will commemorate the armistice agreements of wars past. School children everywhere will discuss themes of peace, decorate wreaths and paper doves, and sing of peace on earth at their assemblies. Crowds of mostly senior citizens will gather at cenotaphs to remember their fallen comrades and to mark the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. The Remembrance Day holiday should cause pause for thought among rational human beings. What about a moment of silence committed to finding a lasting peace in the world? Is anyone even working towards a lasting peace?
By all appearances, it seems not. In the name of the fallen men of the previous two world wars, and the successful armistice agreements that ended them, we must work toward peace. Peace may be hard work, but it is the only hope for our future.
Are all wars fought over religion? Or is religion just the fall guy of these nasty squirmishes in international affairs? Is conflict the eternal human condition, or could an atheist world avoid these conflicts? One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter—a decision based largely upon which religion he (or she) places his belief.
John Lennon once said "Imagine there's no countries~ it isn't hard to do~ nothing to kill or die for and no religion too~ Imagine all the people living life in peace." My gut tells me he was right—that religion is behind many of the world's conflicts. At the same time I am well aware that it is not the actual religions, but rather the zealots who are ready to die for their god; ready to sacrifice themselves and others in the name of their religion. Adding further fuel to the fire is the common idea to many religions that if you are not a member of the saved, you must be a member of the sinners. Religions do not have an inherent respect of other religions and respect for others to make their own choices as far as religion is concerned. Would a world of atheists be inherently more peaceful?
Some might argue that money is the cause of most conflicts, and it is difficult to argue the point. If the World Trade Centres were a potent symbol of the cult of money, pictures from Afghanistan present a stark contrast. Perhaps our high standard of living in the face of stark poverty throughout the third world has finally caught up with us. We live in an unbalanced world where North Americans make up 5% of the world's population, yet consume 33% of the planet's resources. A world where debt to the wealthy countries cripples the economies of the poorest nations. Of course, it would not serve others to express their envy of American money, an appeal to religion is a much more noble cause. It is because of this, that religious leaders the world over have a responsibility to teach openness and acceptance to their followers. There are many more ways in which human beings are alike than those in which they are different—it is these similarities that we should be focusing on.
Whether the historians know this war as the war on terror, the war of religions, or the war between economies, there is one thing I know to be true. Religious leaders have the power and influence to teach their believers tolerance of other religions. All religions should be working together to find their common ground and spreading the word that all people are worthy of respect, not just those who share the same beliefs. The human race has bigger issues they could be directing their energies towards—the environment, or the natural resources such as water and oil that are running out come to mind. We will only be able to solve these larger problems if we can put aside our differences and find our commonalities.
Biological weapons, chemical warfare, nuclear capability. All too much to risk without at least trying to sort out our differences. We have no choice but to try to put our differences behind us and work toward a peaceful resolution. "Imagine all the people sharing all the world~you may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you join us and the world will live as one,” in the immortal words of John Lennon, the only hope for the future of our world.
By all appearances, it seems not. In the name of the fallen men of the previous two world wars, and the successful armistice agreements that ended them, we must work toward peace. Peace may be hard work, but it is the only hope for our future.
Are all wars fought over religion? Or is religion just the fall guy of these nasty squirmishes in international affairs? Is conflict the eternal human condition, or could an atheist world avoid these conflicts? One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter—a decision based largely upon which religion he (or she) places his belief.
John Lennon once said "Imagine there's no countries~ it isn't hard to do~ nothing to kill or die for and no religion too~ Imagine all the people living life in peace." My gut tells me he was right—that religion is behind many of the world's conflicts. At the same time I am well aware that it is not the actual religions, but rather the zealots who are ready to die for their god; ready to sacrifice themselves and others in the name of their religion. Adding further fuel to the fire is the common idea to many religions that if you are not a member of the saved, you must be a member of the sinners. Religions do not have an inherent respect of other religions and respect for others to make their own choices as far as religion is concerned. Would a world of atheists be inherently more peaceful?
Some might argue that money is the cause of most conflicts, and it is difficult to argue the point. If the World Trade Centres were a potent symbol of the cult of money, pictures from Afghanistan present a stark contrast. Perhaps our high standard of living in the face of stark poverty throughout the third world has finally caught up with us. We live in an unbalanced world where North Americans make up 5% of the world's population, yet consume 33% of the planet's resources. A world where debt to the wealthy countries cripples the economies of the poorest nations. Of course, it would not serve others to express their envy of American money, an appeal to religion is a much more noble cause. It is because of this, that religious leaders the world over have a responsibility to teach openness and acceptance to their followers. There are many more ways in which human beings are alike than those in which they are different—it is these similarities that we should be focusing on.
Whether the historians know this war as the war on terror, the war of religions, or the war between economies, there is one thing I know to be true. Religious leaders have the power and influence to teach their believers tolerance of other religions. All religions should be working together to find their common ground and spreading the word that all people are worthy of respect, not just those who share the same beliefs. The human race has bigger issues they could be directing their energies towards—the environment, or the natural resources such as water and oil that are running out come to mind. We will only be able to solve these larger problems if we can put aside our differences and find our commonalities.
Biological weapons, chemical warfare, nuclear capability. All too much to risk without at least trying to sort out our differences. We have no choice but to try to put our differences behind us and work toward a peaceful resolution. "Imagine all the people sharing all the world~you may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you join us and the world will live as one,” in the immortal words of John Lennon, the only hope for the future of our world.
