Donna Speaks: Living in Peace

How to Make Peace Not War

Yes, people are taught to hate. Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends teach children to hate.  When you do not teach hate, children do not learn it.  When they do not learn it, they are not hate-filled.

  

The way we think - which is, of course, based on what we are taught to think - determines the way we behave.

Is a hate-less society possible?  Of course.  They have always existed.  In the United States, we have the Amish, the Mennonites, and the Quakers.  All hold non-violence as the foundation of their society. In Canada, the Inuits are a non-hating, non-violent people.  The Nubians in Africa and the people of Polynesia also ascribe to a life free of hate and violence.

These societies have several things in common. They truly believe that conflict is not an inevitable part of life.  In fact, they tend to avoid confrontation and rely heavily on mediation and other peaceful means of conflict resolution.

Competition is not encouraged.  They have a novel approach to all kinds of games and sports: they are played for fun!  Children are taught that they are not the center of attention, that they are not any better than other people, and that they need to be sensitive to other folks' feelings.

The theme song for these societies should be Aretha's song: R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

The United Nations enumerated the basis for a non-hating, non-violent society. 

1. Respect All Life                                                                                                                               2. Reject All Violence                                                                                                                         3. Share with Others                                                                                                                           4. Listen to Understand                                                                                                                       5. Preserve the Planet                                                                                                                        6. Rediscover Solidarity                                                                                                                     7. Support Women's Rights                                                                                                       

8. Advocate for Democracy

A concise, to the point, explanation of the indoctrination we all go through is the book The Four Agreements by Ruiz.  A good read.  It'll make you think.

Miss Althea, you have a good day, now.

Sometimes the poster does not possess enough skills to make the numbers line up. Trust me, they line up in the draft, just not on the post. Sorry about that.