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The Search for Peace

Pat Power

First published in The Canberra Times, 15 August 2006

I dreamed that if this microcosm of the human family were able to influence the rest of that family, surely we would have begun on the path to peace.

Recently, I gathered around a table with a group of people desperately seeking peace in Lebanon and Israel. There were people of all ages, both sexes and from a great diversity of ethnic backgrounds. There were Muslims and Christians of differing persuasions and those professing no particular belief. Despite the great diversity, there was a deep sense of unity based on our common humanity and our desperate yearning for peace.

I dreamed that if this microcosm of the human family were able to influence the rest of that family, surely we would have begun on the path to peace. There will be no lasting peace in the Middle East or in any other part of the world without an underlying sense of justice which recognises the dignity of every human person.

In the lead-up to the invasion of Iraq, I asked the question “Is an Iraqi life of any less value than a British, an American or an Australian life?” During the current conflict, I ask “Is a Lebanese or a Palestinian life of less value than an Israeli life or the life of a citizen of a Western country?” I believe we got it wrong in 2003 and I fear that we are getting it horribly wrong right now.

Globalisation need not be a dirty word, if it enables us to realise that we are part of the one human family. Such realisation will have implications in the way we view the world’s resources and the welfare of other human beings, wherever they happen to live.

Since the terrible events of September 11, 2001, George Bush and his supporters have been outdoing each other in proclaiming a war on terror. I have never understood exactly what such a war involves, apart from increasing fear in every part of society. It seems to me that it is much more constructive to talk about a war on poverty, rather than a war of terror. With all the rhetoric of the past five years, it is obvious that terrorism is now a much greater threat because the divide between “them and us” has grown far greater. The notion that one side can be beaten into submission by the other is a recipe for conflict rather than peace. It simply builds up a climate of fear, hate and suspicion which alienates rather than brings people together.

The UN Millennium Development Goals, adopted in 2000, aim at implementation by 2015. They offer a way to peace, security, development, human rights and fundamental freedoms for all peoples. They seek to

• eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
• achieve universal primary education
• promote gender equality and empower women
• reduce child mortality
• improve maternal health
• combat HIV/Aids, malaria and other diseases
• ensure environmental sustainability
• develop a global partnership for development.

An unequivocal commitment to such goals by the richer countries of the world would send a clear message to less fortunate people that they are not being forgotten, indeed that that they have fundamental rights to an equitable share in this world’s goods. As it is, the prosperous countries of the world seem to be selfishly looking after their own narrow concerns, often at the expense of developing nations. The obscene use of oil and the raping of the environment are two cases in point. In fact, one might ask how much the greed for oil is not behind much of the conflict and tension gripping the world at the moment. The adage “Live simply so that others can simply live” is an imperative.

The world reaction to the Boxing Day Tsunami gave me some hope that we might be moving in the right direction. For a few brief weeks the rest of the world seemed ready to reach out the victims of this natural disaster. Some old divisions and enmities were set aside while genuine human aid was delivered to those in need. It seemed an encouraging model as to how we might live as one human family.

In any family there will be disagreements which need to be worked through. Dialogue and negotiation, rather than beating each other into submission, need to be the way forward. Genuine dialogue involves listening, trying to see the other person’s point of view and putting ourselves in the shoes of the other. In this context, inter-religious dialogue is so important in today’s world. No longer can we allow old divisions to erupt into hatred and war. It is blasphemous when such fighting takes place in the name of God. The tentative steps being taken in Australia for dialogue between Muslims, Jews and Christians are to be commended. Hopefully, these positive steps towards peace will continue. Of course, there will always be extremists who want no part of such dialogue, but while moderate people on all sides show what is possible, one can only hope that sanity will prevail.

Peace in the Middle East is clearly crucial to world peace. I believe that if the Muslim world could see that the West was serious about helping to find a just solution for the Palestinian people, much of the hatred towards the United States and its allies would be reduced. The continuing Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory, the deprivation of food, water and medical supplies, the building of a wall which further impedes already limited movement of Palestinians, the heartless destruction of olive groves and the deployment of heavy armament against a relatively soft target are hardly recipes for peace. While the United States, Australian and other like-minded governments give a wink and nudge to Israel as it continues on such a course, they become complicit in the escalation of the conflict. Instead of undermining the United Nations, our governments should be giving it every support in trying to broker peace for Palestine, Israel and the world.

Is it too much to ask that there be daring gestures which show that all parties are serious about peace and are prepared to give something themselves rather than be demanding of others? Is it possible for the Israeli government to say sorry to the people of Lebanon and Gaza? Already I have heard many individual Israelis express such sentiments. Are countries such as the US and Australia prepared to help seriously rather than in a token way in the reconstruction of the towns and villages destroyed in the recent conflict? Is Hezbollah prepared to return the captured Israeli soldiers and guarantee that there will be no further attacks on Israel provided that it is prepared to withdraw from Lebanon and desist from any further attack on that country? Can the cooperation of the Pakistani government in the thwarting of the British terrorist attacks be acknowledged as a positive sign of an Islamic country contributing to world harmony?

Peace at any level and especially world peace will never be easily achieved. But unless individuals and governments begin to take a less selfish and self-righteous attitude and show what it means to belong to one human family, the future of our planet will be bleak.