Toward a Peaceful and Creative Coexistence through Empathic Recognition of Our Inner Universality (original) (raw)

http://peacestudiesjournal.org/volume-8-issue-2-december-2015/ Our world is facing unprecedented conflicts in cultures of violence. Largely drawing on Daisaku Ikeda’s work as a starting point, this inquiry stresses the recognition of our inner universality, a mutually creative coexistence shared with the universe that can reawaken our inherent symbiotic, altruistic motivations as the next step in establishing the peaceful coexistence of human beings. Whether or not we are aware of it, these symbiotic, altruistic motivations constantly renew themselves as we strive to nurture and elevate our empathic potentials, simultaneously deepening the inherent humanity that defines our human integrity. Social interactions that form the basis of this deepened integrity spring forth independent of ideology, interactions that are the antithesis of war. Throughout history and time war has been the response to a set of ideological differences where the present is continuously sacrificed to some utopian non-existent future. Five conceptual alternatives to the political and economic ideologies heretofore sustaining war are proposed, alternatives that embody the spirit of inner universality, along with contemporary applications in practice. Supporting the premise that dialogue enriches new understandings of inner universality, I conclude by offering the dimensions of a new dialogue.

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Peace from the Perspectives of Harmony

THE HARMONY DEBATES Exploring a practical philosophy for a sustainable future, 2020

A good understanding of harmony can have profound implication for peace. What I want to explore is the understanding of peace from the perspective of harmony, and the opportunities that such a conception might bring to the process of creating peace and peacefulness globally. More specifically, from reading Confucian and Greek classics it interprets harmony as containing the idea of right relationships amongst all, and argues that it is dynamic and proactive, rather than static and merely complying to a predefined universal order. In this reading, I find harmony to be harmonising, a co-creative and generative process that can help transform tension and conflict towards an infinite possibility of relation and interconnection.

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Peace as a Universal Value

In many different ways the Qur’an and Sunnah bring peace into the heart of Islam’s spirituality, law and ethics. There is a persistent quest to instil tranquillity into the hearts and minds of the believers. The thrust of this presentation is to explore and substantiate the grounds of our belief that peace is a universal and normative principle of Islam. An introduction raises the question as to why Islam is associated with violence, and whether there any basis for this. This is followed by discussion of Islam’s self-definition and self-identification as a religion of tranquillity and peace. The sub-headings that follow are a reading of the source evidence, especially of the Qur’an and Sunnah. Then I take a glimpse into how in Islam Divine love and grace constitute the leitmotif and origins of God’s creation. The discussion proceeds to expound the centrality of iḥsān (beauty and benevolence) as a theological foundation of Islam. This is followed by a brief exposition of compassion (raḥmah), justice (ʿadl), human dignity (karāmah) and the vicegerency of mankind on earth (khilāfah) and how these feature in Islam as a religion of submission and peace. Then I explore the place of non-violence, forbearance and patience (ṣabr) in the teachings of Islam. Finally I turn to the use of force and the much-debated subject of jihād (selfless striving) under two sub-headings, one of which expounds textual dispensations and early developments on jihād, while the other examines jihād in the modern period. I show how the meaning of jihād has been changing in tandem not only with juristic and theological thought but also with the politics of power, domination and conquest. I end with a conclusion and recommendations.

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Violence Peace, Self and Others A Philosophical Perspective.doc

Gandhi Marg, Vol. 38.No.3 &4, 2017

Every kind of violence, from world war to terrorism, inter-community strife, as well as every day conflicts between neighbors, or violence against the hapless, is opposed to peace and harmony. The biggest source of violence is man’s ego, the sense of selfhood pitted against all other selves. One’s self or ego includes one’s family, and later on one’s community, howsoever that community may be defined. The remedy lies in perceiving and emphasizing our commonalities and affinity to each other, as well as our interdependence.

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Our World: Peace as a Globally Interdependent Goal

This document is a Capstone project aimed to culminate undergraduate research conducted at California State University, Monterey Bay. The capstone project marries an the experiences gained through a semester long internship with scholarly research regarding the history of peace parks as an integrative approach in responding to mass atrocity and facilitating the healing process.

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