On October 30, 1961, the Soviet Union detonated a hydrogen bomb over the Arctic Ocean which had the destructive power of 50 million tons of TNT, 1500 times more powerful than the two bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Everything within a 36 mile radius was vaporized.
This bomb is in nobody’s arsenal, it was built for show back in the nuclear arms race days, before atmospheric testing was banned. There are, however, 12,000 nuclear weapons in the arsenals of various countries (9 to be exact) sitting on the tips of missiles, waiting in the bellies of bombers or undersea in nuclear attack submarines. They are perfectly capable of destroying your city. Meanwhile these countries are dividing up into factions and alliances just like before World War II and World War I. The only difference is our weapons are far more powerful.
Yeah, it looks bleak, it looks dire. We have the ability to destroy all the cities where people live on this planet many times over (in case they try to reappear). But instead of being horrified, we seem to be enamored with our weapons. We make a business out of selling them. That should be totally illegal, it’s certainly immoral. Governments base their relations with other countries on the weapons they sell.
We love our weapons. We give them romantic names. A recent New York Times article about the Ukraine war mentioned the Leopard 2 tank (Germany), ATACMS (clever) rocket artillery and the F-16 Fighting Falcon (US). Makes for interesting reading that’s for sure.
We make media events out of our wars. Splashy full color pictures with howitzers and rockets and tanks and airplanes. Excuse me but WTF.
In America there are millions of guns and zillions of bullets. Why? Somebody tell me why. To keep a tyrannical government from taking over? Oh c’mon . . . the tyrannical government has already taken over and your 9 mm handgun is not going to stop them.
There are no more wild Indians, no more wolves and bears and mountain lions, no more redcoats trying to oppress us but we’re armed to the teeth as if it were our God given right. Good grief.
Besides the weapons and the wars there is the considerable environmental degradation of our world due to the rapacious economic system we have adopted - capitalism. It justifies economic growth by any means including war and environmental degradation. Then there are the 8 billion people on this earth that need space and food and energy and they can’t seem to get along. Divisiveness prevails. There is our long documented history of violence, revenge, greed and intolerance.
Looks dire indeed but that’s not the whole story. Human beings also have the capacity for kindness and generosity (that usually doesn’t get covered in the news or documented in our books). What would it take to change the focus from I, me, me, mine (to quote the Beatles) to a shared concern for each other?
Here’s some good news. From the UNESCO Constitution (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).
“Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed.”
Sounds like a plan. And here is someone who’s working on it, Prem Rawat. He’s been working on it for over 50 years - since he was a child. I have some credibility on this subject. I have known him for almost that long.
From his website:
“For more than 55 years, Prem Rawat has shared his enduring message of peace with people all over the world – regardless of their nationality, religion, or lifestyle – a message that inner peace is not only possible, but a human birthright. With great commitment, wisdom and wit, he has reached hundreds of millions of people in more than 100 countries. Visit here for an interactive timeline of his global activities.”
The interactive timeline is truly amazing. The real story, however, is in the lives of the people that have been affected by his projects - the ‘Peace Education Program’ for example. Community centers, schools, universities, senior centers, homeless shelters, drug rehabilitation facilities and prisons all over the world have used this program to bring a sense of clarity and personal peace to people. Check this out: Peace On The Inside from Dominguez Jail right here in San Antonio. Another project, ‘Peace Education and Knowledge’, is an educational program he developed that offers a simple, practical way for a person to discover and explore their own inner peace. It’s a feature of the TimelessToday app, available for free online.
It’s not in the news, they want to show you war and calamity, but it’s happening on a grass roots level and it’s spreading like a ripple in still water.
Ripple in still water
When there is no pebble tossed
Nor wind to blowReach out your hand, if your cup be empty
If your cup is full, may it be again
Let it be known there is a fountain
That was not made by the hands of men
The Grateful Dead knew about it.
I know about it. You know about it. That ripple could cover the earth and bring about a substantive change. It’s possible. That’s the point - it’s possible. And whenever something is possible, human beings have a pretty amazing ability to make it happen. There’s a history about that too.
Many times I have been reminded and inspired by Prem’s relentless encouragement and his belief that peace is possible. That’s why I’m writing this post. It’s not about world peace, of course, it’s about every single individual feeling their peace. Well, every single individual feeling peace might be a little naive, but lots and lots of people feeling peace. Lots and lots and lots of people. It’s an internal feature of being human. All humans recognize the feeling of peace. We all strive for it. How hard can it be?
Ok, it is hard but only because we have these deeply ingrained ways of thinking. Concrete in the brain. Unable to adapt, to adopt a new perspective. And this is the new perspective that we need to adopt: peace is inside us, we can enjoy it, we can discover it. Not as a meme or a banner or even a movement - just a discovery like children do. Everything is new for kids, everything brings a great sense of delight. Their discovery is spontaneous and playful. They’re very intent about it. We were all that kid once.
So yeah hey, you know what? We might blow it. It’s entirely possible. But hey, you know what? We can try. Go down with the ship and all that, our arms held high in a salute, in a gesture of defiance and camaraderie.
We can try. We can help Prem, the only person I know of who truly has a global, practical, happening, realistic strategy. Otherwise known as ‘doing something’. We can accept the gift he offers, try it out. It’s a beautiful gift, given with kindness and generosity. No strings attached. A way to feel peace within. We can learn from him, at least.
No doubt there are many others that can help bring peace, we can all help bring peace. It’s going to take all of us. It’s going to take a village, as the saying goes.
Besides all that, on a dark and stormy night, what is more comforting than a little candle light? Imagine a thousand candle lights. Imagine a million candle lights. Imagine a billion. That would be beautiful.
amazing music by Orion Sun
i heard it in the cafe
here’s the song
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