By Luke Yamaguchi
An American woman, known only as Peace Pilgrim, walked more than 25,000 miles across the U.S.A. in the name of peace. Talking about her childhood upbringing she said the following:
“On the one hand I was trained to believe that I should be kind and loving and never hurt anybody, which is fine. On the other hand I was trained to believe that if so ordered it is indeed honorable to maim and kill people in war. They even give medals for it. Now that one did not confuse me. I never believed it was right for me to hurt anybody. But the other set of opposites confused me for awhile. I was trained to be generous and unselfish and at the same time trained to believe that if I wanted to be successful I must get out there and grab more than my share of this world’s goods. These conflicting philosophies which I gathered from my childhood environment confused me for some time. But eventually I uprooted this false training.”
I think it would be safe to say that most of us in industrialized nations today believe in at least one of the false philosophies above – namely, one which equates “success” with taking possession of more than one’s fair share of this world’s goods. The present state of the world as we know it now is in part a reflection of this way of thinking.
According to a report published by the United Nations in 2006: “The richest 1% of adults in the world own 40% of the planet’s wealth.” Furthermore, “the report found the richest 10% of adults accounted for 85% of the world total of global assets. Half the world’s adult population, however, owned barely 1% of global wealth.” (The Guardian, 2006).
What exactly do these numbers mean? Well, with over 850 million people (roughly 13% of the world’s population) going to bed hungry every night and nearly 16,000 children dying from hunger-related causes every day – that’s one child every five seconds that we are losing – the above numbers mean a lot. In short, they point to the current problem of our global economic disparity.
As such, I would like to advocate for two solutions to the above problems. The first of which involves our personal habits of consumption and the acquisition of material things. Ideally, each of us would bring our lives down to need level – that is, to not take more than we need while others in this world have less than they need. As long as there are fellow human beings in this world dying of completely preventable causes – such as hunger and malnutrition or diarrhea caused by lack of access to clean water – this is the only way of living that is fair to all involved. If we think first and foremost about what is best for all of humanity, instead of prioritizing our own best self-interests, then it doesn’t make sense for some to have more than they need at the expense of others not having enough.
From a spiritual standpoint, believe it or not, there is a problem with being rich in a world that is largely impoverished. This sentiment is quite clearly reflected in the Bible, where it says: “Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” The problem is not one of being rich per say, but rather a problem of selfishness where one would be so greedy so as to accumulate and hold onto more wealth than one realistically needs while others go hungry and starve to death. Herein lies the true cause of our difficulties and hence the second part of the solution.
In order for humanity to succeed, it is essential that we change our frame of reference from one that focuses and prioritizes what is in our own best individual self-interests, to one which focuses on that which is best for the whole of humanity. We can begin to realize this transformation by dedicating our lives to whatever good cause(s) we may feel called to. Naturally, what we feel called to will be different for each individual, and although we may not be able to change the world overnight we can certainly change ourselves. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi: “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Gandhi has also been quoted as saying: “You may never know what results come of your action, but if you do nothing there will be no result.” Said a different way, it is not necessary that we see the results of our actions, it is only necessary that we make the right efforts.
If each human being on this planet today were to bring their life down to need level – donating their surpluses to those in need – and to dedicate their life to whatever good causes they felt called to – working for the good of the whole of humanity – the world really would change overnight. And what a beautiful world it would be to live in.
A world where every human being had access to clean water, sufficient food, and adequate clothing, shelter and basic medical care. A world that prioritized the whole human family over any particular group or nation. A world free from war and implements of destruction. A peaceful and harmonious world filled with healthy, joyous and happy people. This world is a possibility. We each have a say in its creation or non-creation. We each get to vote. The choice is ours to make.
The woman, known as Peace Pilgrim, who walked across the U.S.A. in the name of peace explained her decision to do so as follows:
“Lovingly, I informed my well-meaning friends of the existence of two widely divergent paths in life and of the free will within all to make their choice. There is a well-worn road which his pleasing to the senses and gratifies worldly desires, but leads to nowhere. And there is the less traveled path, which requires purifications and relinquishments, but results in untold spiritual blessings.”
One Comment
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