This post is being typed on Dec 1 2023. On December 1 1959 12 countries signed the Antarctic Treaty. The treaty states that Antarctica shall be used for peaceful purposes only. The treaty has now been signed by 56 countries.
Watching the news now can be kind of depressing. There seems to always be some type of war going on and peace seems more elusive than ever but the Antarctic treaty should provide the world with hope. If 56 nations can see eye to eye on the need to protect and keep peace at this part of the world then why not the rest?
The Treaty also states that the reason for the peace is that science needs to be allowed to happen. A shared goal seems to be the key for peace.
I was watching an interview with someone in a country that was actively at war with another country. The person being interviewed was asked how they felt about the invasion and the war and (I am paraphrasing) the subject basically stated that they were less concerned with who was in charge of their country and more concerned with the power being on and the grocery store being open. Most citizens want the same basic things and that is the shared goal. The men and women who start and promote war however are an anomaly and are pursing goals that are not really shared.
War: a massacre of people who don’t know each other for the profit of people who know each other but don’t massacre each other.
Paul Valery
Now even though it feels like there is always a war going on, right now the world is experiencing a rather peaceful time right now. There are more democratic governments now, more alliances and less armed forces. It may not seem like it but the world is moving towards more and more peace and it seems that this happens when democracy is the rule. With democracy there is less and less of a chance for the men and women who start and sustain war to be put into leadership roles. The whole of humanity is far better than the few, that being said we as a species want to try hard to avoid the tyranny of the majority and promote democracy with equality for every person on earth. You and I may not understand different people or their lifestyles but everyone should be treated by everyone else equally and respectfully and most importantly compassionately.
No one wins a war. It is true, there are degrees of loss, but no one wins
Brock Chisholm
There is no room in equality, respect and compassion for war. War is a failure and it seems that this ideology is steadily taken hold and the moral arc of the universe is bending towards a better world.
The Corrigan Encore 