Peace on Earth? Good Will? Peace is a choice... Choose Peace!

Michael Douglas Carlin

Peace on Earth? Good Will? Peace is a choice…Choose Peace!

Ten thousand years of studying the “Human Condition” has led us to conclude that there is a path to the dream that so many have shed their blood attempting to build. Their sacrifice was NOT in vain. They believed that a time for peace would come. The Old Testament talks about there being a season for every purpose under heaven and then at the very end comes THE TIME FOR PEACE. We are at a crucial juncture where the choice is clear. We can choose destruction or we can choose redemption. Humankind always rises to the challenges that are before us. We will no doubt rise to this challenge.

There will always be the naysayers that claim that Peace is simply not attainable. I would join them except that I have seen bitter prejudice turn into deep and abiding love. I have witnessed hatred give way to tolerance and then to understanding and then to true love. I have seen a single man travel down this path through his choices of education over ignorance. If it is possible for a single man to make this journey then it is possible for a family, then a village, a province, a Nation and then the World to also travel this path.

We are now in the Holiday Season where countless songs will be sung about attaining Peace On Earth. Would these songs have been written if there wasn’t faith that this was attainable? Would so many embrace these songs if they didn’t believe? Would so many fight and die if they didn’t believe that a time for Peace would come to the world? Today I ask you to make a choice! Choose Peace! I ask you to quell the naysayers and make a conscious decision to move toward “World Peace”. We who want and work toward “Peace” are not “whack jobs” that want to hold hands and sing songs to bring about Peace. We are people that have developed a clear path that will lead STEP BY STEP toward World Peace.

Hindus, Buddhists, Moslems, Christians, Jews, all are united in their belief that Peace is attainable. I recently published a book called “A Prescription For Peace” that is a series of essays documenting the philosophy behind a group of relief workers led by Sir Edward A. Artis. They all believe that Peace can be attained through following a series of steps to give prosperity to the entire world. The basic building blocks of society are the foundation to bring about “World Peace”.

Excluding any group of people for inclusion in economic prosperity is a recipe for retaliation, terrorism and war. Drawing a circle that includes every man, woman and child alive is not only the path for peace but it is the right thing to do. The Army calls this SWEAT MS which means “sewage, water, electricity, academics, trash, medical and security”. In the book I outline my conclusion – Food (including clean water), Shelter, Health Care, Personal Security, Education, Rule of Law, Forgiveness, Empowerment of Women and Jobs as being the elements that will lead to Peace. We can all discuss the details of the Peace and arrive at our own conclusions but the fact that the discussion continues means that we are close to a practical path to making the dream a reality.

If every single person alive took the Hippocratic Oath to “first do no harm”, the world would be a much better place. If we all applied it to our business and family lives we would prosper. If we all applied it to the environment, and ecology we would develop business models that were sustainable, renewable, and replicable.

As a companion to the book we have launched “APrescriptionForPeace.ORG” as a 501(c) 3 to contribute to bringing about “World Peace”. We commit that every dollar donated shall be directed to the application of the principles that are outlined in the book. Obviously, we need to spend a small percentage to keep our NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) in compliance with all State and Federal Regulations. But our commitment is that as near to 100% as possible will be applied to programs that hit the mark. We are working with Sir Edward A. Artis on a number of ongoing projects that we will provide funding to help facilitate in the Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, and Darfur.

We invite you to make a donation to our NGO to help us fund these projects. Please look at your tax deductible donation as an investment in the attainment of World Peace.

The book has drawn some strong comments. One reader wrote in reference to a section that discusses the Israel/Palestine situation: “Bulldozing houses is a punishment for blowing up busses.  Every homicide bomber knows that if they go through with their evil plan, their family will lose their home.  If they make the choice that killing 50 Jewish children on a bus is worth their family losing their home…  Yeah, I can’t really feel too bad for them.”

I responded to the comment with the following: “The point that I was attempting to make is that individual rights are the key to lasting Peace. When the families of Palestinians are given money because one of their offspring detonated a suicide bomb in a crowded marketplace that money needs to be intercepted and the incentive removed through due process of law. Conversely, when a family has been located in a home for over 50 years and the home is bulldozed without a trial they need to be compensated through due process of law.

Sweeping statements about what the Jews have done to the Palestinians or what the Palestinians have done to the Jews as justification for further wrongs move both sides away from Peace and proliferate the hatreds that are inbred. Jewish World Watch has the goal of eliminating “genocide” from the earth. I applaud that mission and hope that we can all work to see hatred replaced with not only tolerance but also understanding, that we can see a “rush to judgment” replaced with due process of law.

I believe that a World Court with teeth is one of the foundations to eliminating Genocide as the court brings men and women to justice that commit atrocities.  That court needs to serve all people of all races and all religions. Attempting to justify wrong doing through the interpretation of history is just what this court needs to discourage. History is a great teacher and should be studied. All of humanity should be educated as education is a very basic key to eliminating prejudice and hatred. Every man, woman and child alive have certain inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The rule of law which was really begun by the Jews many centuries ago and is the foundation of all of our laws today must protect one person’s right to pursuit of happiness from interfering with another’s. Everyone deserves personal security because that is the foundation of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Food, shelter, health care, education, and a job are also the foundations of peace and every single person that is living today should have all of these elements that provide them the opportunity to have a good life.

The Holiday Season is a tremendous time to think and dream about World Peace. When governments deem the Iron Mace necessary they also need to prepare the Velvet Mace of Civil Affairs to restore basic needs to people that are affected by war or catastrophe. People that have their needs met are less likely to become insurgents because they have something to lose. Those that have something to lose and still choose to fight need to be incarcerated or eliminated.

Jews, Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Agnostics, and Atheists all get along on the Westside of Los Angeles because there is an environment of abundance. By helping all of humanity have abundance we can not only hope and dream about World Peace, we can make it a reality.

I spoke recently in Century City at the Rotary Club’s event to honor Sherry Lansing. I summed up my talk by stating “our work will not be done until every man, woman and child alive has three square meals a day, a roof over their heads, access to quality health care,  personal security, an education and a job.”

I believe that this is a Prescription for Peace and hope that we can partner with YOU in areas like Burma to bring this from the theory stage to the elimination of atrocities and the establishment of a lasting and abiding PEACE.

I really do appreciate you taking time out of your day to write to me. I know that time is precious and that we can all learn from each other. I found your comments enlightening and hope that this is only the beginning of a dialogue that will lead to solid steps to bring about lasting PEACE one country at a time and one person at a time. We need every man, woman and child to buy into the concept of PEACE – to CHOOSE PEACE for it to become a reality. I want you to know that I am your partner in PEACE and that I know Sir Edward Artis is also your partner. He is the servant of humanity. If there is a project that we can collaborate on I would be honored to help and I know he would too. His thirty five years of working in the trenches can be a tremendous asset to any organization and it is available for the asking. Throughout those years funding has come through non religious sources as well as many faith based organizations as well…including Jews, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, etc. I would invite you to begin a meaningful dialogue with Sir Edward and discuss Burma if that is an area you intend to elevate. There are some opportunities there that can be leveraged with a proper strategy. I would invite you to begin discussions with Sir Edward to develop that strategy.”

The United States of America is the first Nation in the History of the World to forgive at the end of a war and to then appeal to economic “best interests” to heal relations and to trade with our former enemy. We did this at the end of the Revolution, Civil War, War of 1812, Mexican America War, Spanish American War, World War I, World War II. Forgiveness leads to rebuilding our enemy and stronger productive relations.

My oldest son is a Warrior and has served two tours in Iraq. When he returned from his second tour he ended every telephone conversation with “Peace” instead of saying “goodbye”. I found it remarkable that a warrior would take up the cause of Peace in such an everyday way. But I found that the discipline of ending every conversation with “Peace” keeps this on my mind. If all of humanity valued World Peace in everyday lives by ending every conversation with the word Peace, it would keep the concept on everybody’s mind and move humanity closer every day as people everywhere were constantly thinking about and discussing “World Peace”.  I would invite you all to begin ending your telephone conversations with the word “Peace”…the more we talk about it the more we are going to move toward it. I have asked you to make a conscious choice for PEACE. You can manifest that choice in your everyday life by ending your telephone conversations with “PEACE”.

Michael Douglas Carlin is a filmmaker, author, and journalist. American Federale is available on iTunes, Amazon, and GooglePlay. Rise a Knight is available on Amazon. Peaceful Protests and A Prescription For Peace is available on iTunes.

© 2000 – 2014 Michael Douglas Carlin. All rights reserved.