Some words of wisdom

Although I'm not sure I would call him the wisest person ever, but Bertrand Russell does have some pretty solid points that I think we should all listen to.

Human Rights 101

Ever wonder what human rights really are all about and how they came to be an integral part of international law?  Here are some videos made by a German non-profit organization called WissensWerte.  The videos also describe how human rights can be a controversial topic and this is perceived on an international scale.  They are still in the process of making more videos but in the meantime you can get the basics from here:




and the previous part: http://youtu.be/kbul3hxYGNU

For other languages click here: https://www.youtube.com/user/weareedeos

Europe will = Anarchy, Violence and Chaos? Switzerland thinks so!

Appearantly Switzerland, the country of neutrality and 'peace', has started to prepare its army [and here] for massive unrest in Europe as countries dig deeper into the financial crisis.  Being one of the richest countries on the block, Switzerland fears it has a strong reason to be a target of the chaos.  It also fears that budget cuts in surrounding countries militaries will not allow them to be able to constrain the riots within their borders.

Pretty scary thought.  Although I'm not sure who it's scariest for, the governments or the people?  Do you think Switzerland is exaggerating?  Or do you think widespread chaos is just around the corner?  

Peace Journalism is IN!

According to Aditi Bhaduri, a journalist who mainly reports on women who build peace in their communities, peace journalism is catching on!  Although Bhaduri is of Indian origin she holds a passion for the Middle East as well.  Growing up in a ethno-religiously divided country, she has also had firsthand experiences that have influenced the way she views the world and particularly divided states in conflict.  When trying to demonstrate why she believes peace journalism is so important she says:

"There’s a fatigue with conflict, with negative stories. It’s not that we sweep conflict under the carpet, but that we have the potential to impact society in so many ways, to humanize the other and make people more compassionate. Someone from your community does something good, you feel proud, and that inspires you to act in a similar way. The most obvious role is to disseminate information."

Take a look at an interview with her: click here


For more on peace journalism: click here

Is Venezuela Being Unfairly Portrayed?

As the elections in Venezuela are underway, I found it interesting to stumble upon this quote:

“Here is what Jimmy Carter said about Venezuela’s ‘dictatorship’ a few weeks ago: ‘As a matter of fact, of the 92 elections that we’ve monitored, I would say that the election process in Venezuela is the best in the world.’"

Photo: The Telegraph
(REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins)

It came from Mark Weisbrot’s article in The Guardian and interestingly, he states that this quote from the former American President has practically gone unmentioned in US media.  Poverty has been cut drastically under Chavez according to the article and the outcome of the elections seems to be greatly in favor of him.  Whatever the result however, one thing is for sure, it will impact the near future of neighboring Latin American countries as well.    

I can't say I'm a fan of the manner in which Chavez has approached and handled several political (especially foreign policy) issues.  Sure we're aware of the expansive propaganda and other psychological "games" that are being played on the people in order to sway their vote in a certain direction, but at the same time when we see reports like this we should probably take a second look and try to see if maybe he's strategically being unfairly portrayed by the mainstream US media.  I'm not going to pose as though I'm very well informed about what is going on in Venezuela itself and how people there actually feel about Chavez.  So if anyone can bring in their perspective or add to the conversation- by all means, please share!

Tribal Violence in the Amazon: Are Language and Culture the Problems?

Niam-Niam Warriors - 1874

According to an article (see Full Article) provided by the University of Missouri-Columbia, 30% of deaths in tribal socieites in the Amazon were due to violent conflicts before the Europeans arrived.  Anthropologist Robert Walker identified: "revenge, honor, territory and jealousy over women" as the main factors, which still inspire conflicts today.  

Interestingly enough, Walker found that tribes who spoke the same language entered in more conflicts but with less deaths compared to tribes who spoke different languages- they engaged in less conflicts yet ended with more fatalities.  So is it possible that we can learn from this?  Can the tribal culture of the Amazon translate to a universal human instinct?  Can we conclude, as Walker does, that this is proof that we need to see each other as one humanity working toward a common goal so that we can avoid more deaths in conflicts?

Now I do find this research interesting and yes, I do think we should have a common human goal but I'm unsure that because some of us speak the same languages and have similar cultures that we would have less deaths- that is, unless the culture is a non-violent one.  So that is the key, I think- what is at the root of the culture?  Cultures can know each other well and still kill each other.  Look at the Khmer Rouge's genocide commited on its own people (same language, same culture), the atrocities between the Hutus and the Tutsis (different ethnic group but same language and same culture), and so on...

What we need to identify is how a culture we grow up in treats violence?  Is violence a more acceptable form of conflict resolution in some than in others?  Are there other ways it channels our so-called "innate violent tendencies" so that we don't actually kill others around us?  Obviously, there are many factors which play into the formation of someone's culture not excluding: history, socio-economic status, outside cultural influences and more.  Thus, cultures are constantly changing and adapting to the various situations around them- they do so at different paces and for different reasons, but not all parts of cultures are set in stone.

Maybe what we need is not an Esperanto to save us but a common 'anti-violent human culture', where violence becomes an unheard way of solving our conflicts.  But how realistic is this?  If it is, I would say our species would need several hundred years more approximately to get to that point.

What are your thoughts?  

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2012-10-amazonian-tribal-warfare-modern-violence.html#jCp

In the tribal societies of the Amazon forest, violent conflict accounted for 30 percent of all deaths before contact with Europeans, according to a recent study by University of Missouri anthropologist Robert Walker. Understanding the reasons behind those altercations in the Amazon sheds light on the instinctual motivations that continue to drive human groups to violence, as well as the ways culture influences the intensity and frequency of violence.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2012-10-amazonian-tribal-warfare-modern-violence.html#jCp

In the tribal societies of the Amazon forest, violent conflict accounted for 30 percent of all deaths before contact with Europeans, according to a recent study by University of Missouri anthropologist Robert Walker. Understanding the reasons behind those altercations in the Amazon sheds light on the instinctual motivations that continue to drive human groups to violence, as well as the ways culture influences the intensity and frequency of violence.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2012-10-amazonian-tribal-warfare-modern-violence.html#jCp

In the tribal societies of the Amazon forest, violent conflict accounted for 30 percent of all deaths before contact with Europeans, according to a recent study by University of Missouri anthropologist Robert Walker. Understanding the reasons behind those altercations in the Amazon sheds light on the instinctual motivations that continue to drive human groups to violence, as well as the ways culture influences the intensity and frequency of violence.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2012-10-amazonian-tribal-warfare-modern-violence.html#jCp

In the tribal societies of the Amazon forest, violent conflict accounted for 30 percent of all deaths before contact with Europeans, according to a recent study by University of Missouri anthropologist Robert Walker. Understanding the reasons behind those altercations in the Amazon sheds light on the instinctual motivations that continue to drive human groups to violence, as well as the ways culture influences the intensity and frequency of violence.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2012-10-amazonian-tribal-warfare-modern-violence.html#j

Johan Galtung "Breaking the Cycle of Violent Conflict"

If you're interested in taking a peak at this lecture delivered by Johan Galtung at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice (University of San Diego) in December 2010, you can click on this link, download it or just look at it here!

Johan Galtung -- Breaking the Cycle of Violent Conflict

The US as the Only Peace-broker?

Is the US the only country that can effectively bring about a peaceful resolution to the conflict between Israel and Palestine?  According to Ben-Meir, a writer for the Huffington Post, the US is the only country that can and it needs to act fast!!

Ben-Meir makes a very compelling argument and outlines how the next US president needs to make this their priority. Whether it be a Democrat or Republican, that doesn't matter but this issue has been pushed too far on the agenda for too long making it worse for all parties involved.  The urgency cannot be higher, he points out, especially considering the fervor of Arab Spring uprising.   Palestinians under occupation risk revolting even more than they have in the past (surprisingly they haven't really erupted yet since the uprisings around them began).

"The status quo is explosive and it can only lead to a new violent and death-defying confrontation that will leave no victors behind but will result in horrifying destruction and will irreparably deepen the already existing divide between the two sides."

Ben-Meir also spells out the six different actions that should be taken in order to get closest to reaching an agreement.  To read the full article, click here.

Consciousness Conference for a New Era: Scilla Elworthy on Violence and Oppression

A conference hosted by Celebrate Life has been going on since the 26th of July and will continue until the 5th of August in Wardenburg, Germany.  Celebrate Life promotes "consciousness development and self-responsibility and contribute to solving social and ecological issues".  

One of the speakers at the conference is Scilla Elworthy who founded the organization Peace Direct.  In the video below she shares some of her views regarding why she knows non-violence is the most efficient way to deal with thugs and bullies.  "Force against force doesn't work" she notes, saying that one needs to work within oneself to work toward "inner power for self-knowledge".

Through her multiple years of experience in conflict zones Elworthy shares her final conclusion of how violence and oppression work by pointing out three different points:

1) Political violence is used to intimidate

2) Physical violence is used to terrorize

3) Emotional violence is used to undermine

Anger toward injustice is normal, she claims, but the only way to efficiently counter injustices is to know how to deal with our anger. Once we do this we can then properly communicate with those perpetrating injustice and have more of a chance to have any sort of impact.  Dealing with other humans in an angry manner is hopeless, she says, since they think they are doing the right think.

Lastly, Elworthy makes another important point which I also agree with. She notes that last century was the time of "top-down power" where as this century we have entered into the era of "bottom-down" power where more and more people are realizing that the local people know best what to do and how to handle their conflicts. 

Tips from the Northern Ireland Peace Process

A series of experts on the Northern Ireland conflict were interviewed to compose this short movie about the lessons learned from the peace process. Although it may be a bit too early to really look back on the conflict with a clear perspective, some general conclusions can be gathered. As many mentioned, the same methods should not be applied to every conflict out there since they are each unique in their own kind and call for different ways of handling them. Nevertheless, several interesting things were pointed out, with the main points being:

• A need to throughly understand the history and culture of the region in which the conflict is taking place.
• Remember that peace is a process which needs a framework- it doesn't happen overnight, but rather over years or decades so much patience is needed.
• Timing is crucial
• Must have a good balance of combined hard and soft power
• Do not rule out the so-called impossible- believe in a peaceful outcome

See video for more details:

On donating

To piggy-back on my previous post entitled Why NOT to donate your money to Haiti, here is an article that also believes one should not donate blindly to any NGO working there or anywhere. The article, How to Donate Your Money Wisely, gives you tips on what to look out for and what to consider before handing over your contribution. So please, make sure you make your good deed to the world count!

MLK's Occupy Movements

As we dedicate a day to Martin Luther King Jr. we shouldn't only remember his message but support those who carry on his message today. In this list of peaceful protests that he led during his time, we can see a clear parallel to what the Occupy Movements are struggling for today.

Funny that this continues to be a national holiday when the state continues to oppose and silence those who speak out like MLK did.

Our need to Co-operate

I think Charles Leadbeater has put his finger on something very important in his article "Why Co-operation Will be More Important Than Ever". He is of course not the first to point out that our innate ability to co-operate has and can continue to benefit our species tremendously. Unfortunately, most of the mainstream systems that are in place prefer to encourage competition over co-operation. But this, according to Leadbeater is changing in the face of the rising populatarity of online social networks.

I remember being at a conference some ten years ago about this same exact topic. The speaker claimed that co-operation reaps better and more creative benefits for everyone. Sure enough, the skeptic's question was raised at the end of the presentation asking: but isn't competition the only way to really motivate humans?

This understanding is common since we are used to being in competitive environments where the winner is usually rewarded with something material. Why else would someone work so hard for something, right? But what happens when the goal of working hard shifts to a more meaningful one? Studies have shown that people are more motivated and willing to work (on cognitive tasks) when this is the case- even for free!* More creative ideas come about not only when people have a purpose, but also when they work with others with whom they can exchange ideas. According to Steven Johnson, some of the most creative and innovative ideas come slowly and through this collaboration (see clip).

We are social animals who need to work together and pass on learned knowledge from person to person in order to protect the group and ensure its survival. So why is it that so many societies think that individuals need to stand on their own and be hostile, distrustful and selfish toward others in order to gain an advantage over them? To me this is a dangerously short-sighted view, which in the long-term stumps human development and creativity.



*For more on motivation click here