Is a piece of peace enough?
Perpetual peace practicability movement
… and the year is not a month old.
I know it's important to reflect on ones commitment into the upcoming year ‘new year resolution(s)’, for without the reflection, often, there is no forward movement. Last year, I made a resolution to publish a book1. By the end of the first month of 2021 I had accomplished the goal set forth in 2020. The book is not getting much traction. True, that is not the satisfaction I sought, other motivators were at work. There are several books planned for future times, however, the point here, is reflection made for fulfilling completion in 2021. That's sweet, let’s succeed again in 2022.
Recently, I wrote:
“A zoetic message beginning in 2022 … is a personal resolution to walk away from the word ‘fight’ on every occasion, and then replacing the word ‘peace’ with it.”2
The statement went un-realized, the immensity of this hopeful gesture, until the first day of January. It has been a word tsunami ever since. The word to be replaced appears nearly everywhere, in readings, in political speech, in movies, on the screen, with people in conversations and on and on. The substitution word has significantly influenced my speech, my thoughts, my writing and my acts and the year is not a month old.
Peace Train
How about us beginning here with an excerpt of very appropriate Cat Stevens song, ‘Peace Train’ lyrics:
“Now I've been smiling lately,
Thinkin' about the good things to come
And I believe it could be,
Something good has begun
Oh Peace Train sounding louder
Glide on the Peace Train
Come on now Peace Train
Yes, Peace Train holy roller”
… as the targeted innocent bystander to direct resentment.
This, upbeat jubilation has not always been present in day to day thoughts, in fact, may have really only begun after quitting a day job out of NYC, because the Covid pandemic was sure to me to take me home. The misfortune five hundred company leadership was blind and deaf to Covid, yet, definitely not mute. ‘Gotta get back, gotta come back, need you under our controlling eyes, and now.’ Not so fast my friends. I said easily, ”Sayonara Señores!”.
Reflecting on an earlıer age, there was a period of time back in the beginnings of this millennium, in a work office climate, where an employee was brought on board to help with the firm’s architectural workloads. It was my role to direct workers the tasks to be accomplished to particular projects, such as the projects were managed to a successful conclusion, as we were contracted to do so with our clients.
This particular employee must have arrived with unwanted baggage. There were soon elements of nonfeasance, not acting as required, willfully and neglectful. More sadly, the employee exhibited misfeasance with willful inappropriate action advising the employer with a steady stream of untruths. Unfortunately, the employee began using me, a supervising manager, as the targeted innocent bystander to direct resentment.
… the employee was asked to leave the firm.
I myself had been practicing peace-weaving for years with all human contacts ahead of the incidents. Although this kind of conflict was not the first in my work life history, it had unexpected twists and turns not previously encountered. I could not understand the nonsensical attacks on me. Assuredly, I tried to make amends, if somehow I had unconsciously wronged the person. Most certainly any communication would have been unintentional, interpreted incorrectly.
I went to the employer as well. After exhausting all avenues of benevolence I approached the boss. I recall explicitly and exactly saying to the employer with a great degree of exhaustiveness, “I have nothing but goodwill on my heart”. I was unable to conciliate with the employee. I had spoken the truth, stated it so with it understanding of what the aggressor was doing. Then, the aggressor was given opportunity to stop the wrong behavior.
The employer provided the employee opportunity to reverse the mistakes, the written words and repair from the wrongdoing. However, the aggressor failed to make the choice to correct the error. Not long after, the employee was asked to leave the firm.
Everyday this kind of story manifest its way into our fabrics and patterns of life, yes?
Violence can often ensue with escalating conflicts. If there is an absence of using peace-weaving attitudes, the ramifications are repeatable. Our character, integrity and perseverance when encountering workplace, social, cultural, racial, or economic injustices are invaded. In our resolve to fade and forget hurtful, harmful answers, in some instances devolve into chaotic misery.
Our moral narrative is written throughout recorded human history. We can chose so many minds to inform us of the importance of moral correctness and stability, from Zarathushtra Spitama (Zoroaster), to Kong Qiu (Confucius), to Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha), to Avram (Judaism), to Jesus (the Christ), to Lao Tzu (Taoism), to Muhammed bin Abudullah (Islam), to Nanak (Sikhism), to Immanuel Kant, (Philosopher), to the Baháʼu'lláh (Baháʼí Faith).
A piece of peace is not enough.
February 20 2009:
Well-being as well as Peace.
If we can fast one day, and create some small thing once every week, do you doubt we may have peace, concord, and well-being?3
We may now focus on Immanuel Kant, (1724–1804) Philosopher. In 1795 he wrote “Perpetual Peace, a philosophical essay”. From the 1st English translation by Benjamin F. Trueblood, published by the American Peace Society in 1897, an edition now existed, albeit without Kant’s footnotes. The excerpt particular to this zoetic message follows:
1. The first definitive article for the securing of perpetual peace
The civil constitution in every state shall be republican.
In the first place, a constitution founded in accordance with the principles of freedom of a society of men is necessarily republican. In the second place, this is true of one constructed according to the fundamental idea of the dependence of all as subjects upon a common legislation. It is true, thirdly, of one formed according to the principle of the equality of the citizens of the state. The republican constitution is the only one springing out of the idea of the original compact, on wlich all legitimate legislation of a people must be based. As far as right is concerned, the republican principle in fact lies originally at the basis of all forms of the civil constitution. The only question, therefore, is whether it is the only one which will lead to perpetual peace.
In reality, then , the republican constitution, in addition to the fact that it springs out of the pure concept of right, gives promise of realizing the desired end, namely perpetual peace.4
There are many important notions in the essay on Perpetual Peace. indeed an organization, “Perpetual Peace Project”5 was formed based on the document in 2010.
If we attend to the quote above there are two terms to define, republican and republican constitution. Republican in Kant’s context means a form of government, belonging to, or characteristic of a republic, that is “a state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and which has an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch.”
… nothing short of that.
Next, a ‘republican constitution’ or, if you prefer, a ‘constitutional republic’ is a state where the chief executive and representatives are elected, and the rules are set down in a written constitution. Elected representatives do not have uncontrolled power. Their powers are written in the constitution. Disputes on constitutionality are decided by an independent court system and governed by a separation of powers. John Adams said of a constitutional republic it is "a government of laws, and not of men”. “Republic” advocates the reason this is to be a safeguard against "tyranny". No elected official should be able to rise to a position of absolute power.
As Kant explores in his extremely good essay, these beliefs all relate to the formation, in time, for the existence of local and global perpetual peace, and his enlightenment is not unfounded based on other spiritual and metaphysical dissertations. How does this all impact us individually? Well in the story about an office climate, the results were peaceful by being able to weave pieces of peace into the conflict. All too often such conflicts in the US of A end in murderous attacks on former employees by a disgruntled person.
In the larger picture, traitors planned seditious acts to the United States Constitution of September 17, 1787, and mounted an insurrection, as happened January 6, 2021 in Washington DC. A band of non-peacemaking terrorizing individuals, acting in a mob, stormed the very symbol of the American republican constitution and tried to destroy it such that authoritarian tyranny would reign. To claim the leaders were unaware, their acts were not in concert with the guiding principles of a nation, is to suggest nonsense. Their desire for power and control over others has been a historical norm to destroy constitutional republic, nothing short of that.
A zoetic message
Thus a zoetic message for us is to weave a peaceful truthful promise to our grandchildren for exacting perpetual peace. To make our message audible is to be able to describe peace, this moment and each minute, each hour of each day, each week of each month, each year of each decade until and only we reach repeatability, being a rememberer that love is not a concept. “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that,” Martin Luther King, Jr.. Peace, in full.
Apple ebook: ‘Needful Logic’ (redeemable promo codes on iOS available for asking, contact me or add a comment.
War-free … A life time guarantee December 28, 2021, 8;02 AM ‘https://zoetic.substack.com/’
http://peace-weaving.blogspot.com/search/label/gandhi
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Perpetual_Peace/EEYZAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=perpetual+peace,+kant&printsec=frontcover
http://perpetualpeaceproject.org/
Are you sure about the date of insurrection? — “ In the larger picture, traitors planned seditious acts to the United States Constitution of September 17, 1787, and mounted an insurrection, as happened January 8, 2021 in Washington DC. ”