World peace, as in “the wolf will dwell with the lamb” and “they shall beat their swords into ploughshares”, has always seemed like a far-off dream in our collective consciousness. In the meantime, we’ve always hoped that the armed standoff between the world’s nations would manage to keep us safe.
The war in Ukraine seems to have successfully shattered that illusion. We’ve become reacquainted with the fact that there are some 13,000 nuclear weapons remaining in the world. The hundreds of lab accidents that occur annually, another old threat, has also returned to public attention. Even before the pandemic reopened the debate about the wisdom of defense-related experiments, there was a 2019 news report of a fire in a biological weapons lab containing the viruses for both smallpox (eradicated in 1977) and Ebola. Part of our “peace by armed standoff”, it seems, has routinely included making known pathogens deadlier in order to be able to kill each other more effectively.
Added to these familiar perils are newer threats such as cyber capabilities to cause havoc in financial and energy systems, and killer robots, cited in a , that are currently being developed and deployed by a host of powerful nations.
We all need to start thinking more deeply about security. The $2 trillion US in annual worldwide military expenditures, with the stated objective of security, may be insufficient at best and counterproductive at worst. Endlessly increasing armaments is not a viable long-term strategy for world peace.
Transitioning to a level of effective international governance that reflects our highest values and collective interests is central to overcoming the existential threats we currently face.
The process of developing a genuine peace, a peace marked by active cooperation between the world’s nations, is complex and multi-faceted. Its basis is the spiritual realization of the oneness of humanity. This was a major theme of the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, who lived and taught in the Middle East during the 19th century. Echoing Biblical teachings as well as those of other religions, Bahá’u’lláh said the new age would be one of peace and prosperity. He also counseled that our spiritual advancement must be equal to our material advancement in order for humankind to achieve its potential.
That day of genuine peace may not be as far off as we thought. The firmly grounded moral principles that are needed to guide progress and innovation in ways that will benefit humanity are gradually being adopted by growing numbers of people. You could say they’re the spirit of our times.
One example is the principle of the equality of the sexes, which would see women entering into more and greater positions of authority. Another is that all human beings are equally worthy of being treated with dignity and respect, which is at the basis of human rights and anti-racism work. And then there’s the increasingly recognized and even more basic principle that life itself, in all its glorious diversity, is a sacred trust.
by Bahá’u’lláh’s son, Abdu’l-Bahá, contains many such teachings. In it is this passage that resonates over 100 years later:
Consider: What is this material civilization of the day giving forth? Has it not produced the instruments of warfare and destruction? In olden times the weapon of war was the sword; today it is the smokeless gun. Warships a century ago were sailing vessels; now we have dreadnoughts. Instruments and means of human destruction have enormously multiplied in this era of material civilization. But if material civilization shall become organized in conjunction with divine civilization, if the man of moral integrity and intellectual acumen shall unite for human betterment and uplift with the man of spiritual capacity, the happiness and progress of the human race will be assured.
Weapons may change, but the wisdom of peace remains the same.
Those with an interest in learning about some of the exciting new initiatives for lasting peace may want to take the free online course on NextGenU.org, by Dr. Mary-Wynne Ashford, or register for the in-person a 6-week course to be held Friday evenings, starting 22 April, in Cook St. Village, Victoria.
Sheila Flood is the E.D. of the Victoria Multifaith Society and member of the Bahá’í community.
You can read more articles on our interfaith blog, Spiritually Speaking, HERE: /blogs/spiritually-speaking
