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Building the
Foundation of Peace The geographic nature of nationalism undermines our ability to live together in peace because it makes human beings less important than the dust from which we came. If we’re going to have peace on earth we need to erase the lines in the sand that we have drawn on the earth, in our minds, and in our hearts that separate us from each other. Lines in the sand are appropriate for organizing and managing human activities by collective agreement; they do not provide an moral justification for assertions of sovereignty.
There was a time when nationalism was a unifying force for humanity. That time has passed. The quality of our lives is intimately related to global issues and has been for many generations. Our economies are global. Our communications are instantaneously global. We are threatening our ecology on global levels. Our hearts and minds are rapidly becoming more global. But we have not kept pace politically with these developments.
It’s time to embrace a new self-evident truth: The only legitimate sovereignty is one that democratically includes all of humanity.
We simply must prioritize treating everyone with equal dignity and respect on a political level. This is moral in nature. It cannot be diluted or qualified. There can be no rational hope for peace without consistency between moral principles and political relationships.
In this millennium, nationalism is by its own limited nature terroristic. Nationalism is geographic in nature and, therefore, cannot be equally inclusive of all of God’s children. There are political implications to the teaching to love one’s neighbor as we do ourselves that cannot be ignored if we are to live together in peace. Working towards political unity on a global scale is a natural outgrowth of the belief that everyone is a child of God.
It’s time to expand our definition of terrorism. At this point in human history, terrorism exists whenever nationalist loyalties supersede our commitment to global democracy. Nationalism says, “Our group has the right to be violent with you, but you have no right to equal representation within our group.” Nationalism is violence without representation. That’s worse than taxation without representation.
Seeking to preserve the sovereignty of nations is rude and inappropriate behavior for those who claim to value democracy. The value of democracy is in its equal respect for all human beings. Nationalism limits this respect. Nationalism is inconsistent with the basic values inherent in democratic principles and it is most certainly inconsistent with the precept that all human beings are children of God.
Doesn’t it seem strange that there is very little discussion about the creation of a global democracy from the vast majority of the world’s political and spiritual leaders? What does this tell us about these “leaders?”
The political struggles spearheaded by Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. proved that nonviolent social change movements win hearts and minds quickly and powerfully. Standing for nonviolent social change is crucial, but today’s need is different. It is time to be proactive, not reactive. Creating global democracy doesn’t need civil disobedience. It is time for us to set our own agenda. In order to create global democracy we need to face the inner foe that would keep us silent when we really ought to speak.
We have everything we need to make global democracy a reality. It takes a lot more time and energy to not get along than it takes to get along. The notion that peace is more difficult to achieve than war is nothing but a lie we tell ourselves to justify inaction. It reflects a cynicism about people that is at the root of all the problems we face.
Being dedicated to establishing peace on earth peacefully is the only hope for providing real security for our children and for our selves. Being cynical about human potentials regarding the establishment of peace on earth is the worse kind of child abuse because of the negative view that it gives children about their humanity. Being cynical about human potentials regarding the establishment of peace is an insult to God.
Peacefully shifting political loyalty from our nations to our humanity only happens through being in communication with and an inspiration to others. Humanity will unite around developing and implementing some form of global democracy because it is the only form of government consistent with fairness and justice for all. Global democracy is the right way to make global decisions for people who love people.
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