When I look at the various attempts to bring about World Peace, and how they have failed, I think one of the shortcomings has been a failure to address a persons spiritual needs. Put simply, a person who has a sense of inner peace is simply not capable of going to or supporting war.
So while bringing people together is a core mission of this site, so too is helping people achieve a sense of peace within themselves.
This is a banner I had created some time ago, but the message holds true today and remains the core mission of this site.
When I say spirituality, I am not referring to religion. Religion involves belief, and belief has been the cause of so many wars. People have gone to war and killed people, believing that they were doing something right and noble. Also at the first sign of trouble, belief crumbles. I want to support people in their search for the truth. The truth and knowing is solid like a rock. I want people to experience the truth about life. Yes religion can provide a sense of comfort, something like holding on to a cushion or blanket from your childhood that brought you comfort. The search for truth can be filled with uncertainty as you detach from those beliefs that brought you comfort. All I can say, as somebody who has embarked upon a long search for truth and meaning, I wont sugar coat it and say it is easy, but I can say it is one of the best things I have ever done in my life. The truth is not cold or depressing, it is something that brings with it, the most valuable of all things, a sense of peace.
If people are happy in life, then by all means continue, I do not try and convince people to change, but to those who are lost or disillusioned or troubled, I encourage them to search for the truth. This involves dropping every thing you have been taught and starting from a clean slate without any prejudice or bias. I also tell people not to believe anything I say or anybody else says, to listen and explore for themselves. To listen and see what resonates with them as the truth, and then to actually experience this truth for themselves.
I agree with you. i think any real peace is only possible if we do some personal processing of our emotional hang ups and fears. have you heard about Emotional Intelligence (EI) or the (SEL) social emotional learning? i think we need to work on getting it in all schools so we can teach our next generations to love themselves better, that will lead to loving others better. peoples fears as well as the social constructs that make them fear are the things we have to change. if people can work with their feelings better they can find better solutions to their problems.