The Science of World Peace

by Alison Jones
Published in ‘If …Journal, issue 118, July/August 2008 – www.ifjournal.org

The Science of World Peace

by Alison Jones

World peace -- is it an unrealistic and unreachable goal? Is peace tangible? Why do so many
strive for peace? When imagining peace, how do you envision a world at peace? How can peace
be achieved worldwide, when people have different understandings and aspirations toward
peace? There are so many questions, but what are the answers?

We are reminded of the state of unrest the world is in daily when we watch the news, pick up a
newspaper, or check for news updates on the Internet. We can watch with eyes glaring at the
countless numbers of conflicts that plague the world, but see very little in accomplishing this
"world peace" for which so many people advocate.

Perhaps world peace is a contradiction in terms. While we strive for independence and
individualism, peace organizations propagate the idea that we are the same. With so much
diversity in culture and religion, how can we be the same? What are the underlying causes for
struggle in the world, and why is there so much conflict and so little peace?

The Lucifer Principle

I am reminded of a most intriguing book by Howard Bloom called The Lucifer Principle1.
Howard Bloom is the founder of the International Paleopsychology Project, an ever-growing
assembly of scientists and theorists who examine contemporary society, drawing upon physics,
microbiology, paleontology, endocrinology, neurobiology, anthropology, history and human
ethology. Howard‘s Lucifer Principle tempts the reader to consider that we all have the Devil
inside and are hard-wired for violence. Howard asks critical questions like why live in peace if
we create through destruction? He gives many powerful examples; for example, a sculptor
creates a beautiful work of art out of a slab of marble. As he creates, he gives no care to the
shards of marble he chips away. Doesn‘t each and every chip have the right to exist and be free
of destruction? We admire this work of art, but take no care to consider the destructive process of
creation.

If we are hard-wired for violence, how are we capable of creating peace? What destruction is
necessary to create a peaceful living environment? Howard offers the notion that we can control
culture, which influences our brains and therefore our behavior. In essence, we must destroy the
influence over our minds and behaviors to achieve a peaceful existence in unity.

What about tribalism? Tribalism occurs when ethnic or cultural identity distinguishes a person as
a member of one specific group, thus separating him or her from membership in another group.
Howard also addresses this in his book; we as a species are also hard-wired for a strong sense of
community. He gives the example of placing sea-sponges through a sieve and draining two
distinctly different sponges into the same bucket of water. If you ring a red sea-sponge through
the sieve, then a yellow sea-sponge into the same bucket, the red cells join with the red, and the
yellow cells with the yellow, growing new sea sponges of red and new sea sponges of yellow.
The sponges have a natural instinct or need to rebuild their communities, much like we do.
People of a specific cultural background or similar beliefs seek to build community based on
their own tribal habits and practices. They join in groups that separate them from other groups
because of their specific cultural or belief similarities. How can a species that is hard-wired for
violence and tribalism become one unified species with the same desire for world peace?

Quantum Awareness

What is peace? I am reminded of a speech given in 2006 at the Earth Dance festival by Drema
Baker2. She opened with "What does peace look like? What does it sound like? What does it feel
like? What does it taste like? If we haven‘t experienced peace for ourselves, how can we achieve
it on a global level?"

Dr. John Hagelin Ph.D3 describes peace as the absence of negativity. This is the basic principle
for the science of peace. Dr. Hagelin believes in the fundamental field of unity, which may be
compared to the electromagnetic field in which radio waves are carried. People influence people;
that influence is carried across waves in the electromagnetic field. Dr. Hagelin believes that the
wave of influence is three times as high as the square of the peace environment; its influence
radiates and grows at roughly nine times the square of the number of people taking action (any
action) together. The squared effect amplifies the power of influence and can affect things like
crime rates, terrorism and warfare. In theory, it would only take a small number of people to
influence a larger group, and the wave travels like a ripple in a pond.

When individual awareness expands to become universal, it creates a ripple in that universal
field like a ripple in the electromagnetic field in much the same way a transistor radio receives
soundwaves; sounds are transmitted through the atmosphere in waves where it is picked up by a
receiver that vibrates up and down, translating the wave into music. Hagelin believes what the
world lacks is visionary leaders who can act as beacons or lighthouses that radiate peace, at
which the fundamental consciousness would ripple, causing waves of peace. The strength of a
smaller group of people radiating peace is unified vision. A unified field of consciousness from a
small but focused group will affect a much larger group of people.

David Lynch4 says, "In today‘s world of fear and uncertainty, every child should have one class
period a day to dive within himself and experience the field of silence -- bliss -- the enormous
reservoir of energy and intelligence that is deep within all of us. This is the way to save the
coming generation."

Maharishi Vedic Science5 is based on ancient Vedic texts that theorize an underlying, universal
intelligence or universal laws of nature that underlie the entire created universe, including the
human mind and body, and that it can be experienced in individual practice as the simplest state
of awareness. (The Vedas are a large group of texts originating in ancient India, written by the
Aryan civilization; they are the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest sacred texts of
Hinduism.)

Is consciousness and awareness enough to create world peace? Is the path to achieving
consciousness and awareness found in Vedic Science or the Maharishi University? I‘m not so
sure. People have been studying the effects of meditation and discovering consciousness through
awareness for quite some time, but I‘m not convinced.

We have explored two different concepts of science-based thought. While the Lucifer Principle
sparks critical thought and understanding of human nature, it also seeks to destroy our own
influence over the way we think and behave. Vedic Science and quantum awareness seek to open
the self to further influence in modifying thoughts and behavior by visionary leaders of peace,
but this leads us where? And to what? Is peace a tangible thing?

Peace Perceived by Religion

I watched a Youtube6 video developed by Harun Yahya7, a Turkish author and philosopher. His
books have attracted much attention both in Turkey and worldwide. His work serves as
intellectual stimulation for both Muslims and non-Muslims. The YouTube video communicates
that science is very much a part of the Qur‘an but that God is science. By observing and
reflecting on the signs of creation around you, you can discover truths about the world and, more
importantly, about yourself.

Verses of the Qur‘an call upon Muslims to think, to investigate, and to use their minds, and by
doing so they will know God.

Have they not looked at the camel -- how it was created? And at the sky -- how it was raised up?
And at the mountains -- how they were embedded? And at the earth -- how it is spread out? So
remind them! You are only a reminder. (Qur‘an 88:17-21)

Another verse communicates that by examining nature, you can know God by his creations.

Those who remember God, standing, sitting and lying on their sides, and reflect on the creation
of the heavens and the earth (saying): "Our Lord, You have not created this for nothing. Glory be
to You! So safeguard us from the punishment of the Fire." (Qur‘an 3:191)

Muslims of the Middle East are influenced by their sacred scriptures, their observations of nature
and by God‘s creations. Harun Yahya‘s works are reminding them that peace can be found by
observation and reflection.

21% of the world‘s population is Muslim while 33% is Christian, and an overall 54% holds a
faith in God as the creator and provider of peace on Earth. Is it possible to influence the thoughts
and behaviors of those of a faith that perceive science through God?

World Conflicts:
Where is the Peace?

"You can not have injustice without strife." --Socrates

Law student Kanayo Odoe8 of Vanderbilt University speaks on the issues facing Africa today
through his webcast, covering both historical and current issues. Mr. Odoe is a native Nigerian;
he spent 20 years in Nigeria before coming to the United States along with other Nigerians to
receive a higher education in 1996. (Many of the universities in Nigeria were closed down due to
the civil unrest under the rule of a dictatorship.)

I felt the webcast gave a fair summation of the issues that Africa has faced in the past and is
currently facing today. After World War II, African colonies struggled for their independence.
England, France and Portugal departed from their respective areas of control, granting
independence to 6-7 countries -- all living in one shared area -- leaving them to their own
devices. This placed multiple major ethnic groups in one area, ethnic groups that each held
separate and distinct religions and cultural beliefs; naturally, this is a recipe for struggle. Many
Africans in the area split off into their own groups by ethnicity and religion. However, some
could not separate themselves from the rest, due to the fact that some groups had more resources
than the others; not all the groups had the resources to get by on their own, and thus were
dependent on each other. In order to hold the country together, a dictatorship emerged. One
offspring of a dictatorship is the abuse of power, which -- after 10-15 contiguous years --
produces a culture of corruption.

As a result of this, the main plagues of Africa today are:

• Genocide
• Poor government
• Poor healthcare
• Epidemics
• Poor economic structure

Corruption is thus the main problem facing Africa today. In order to resolve Africa‘s problems,
people must first work to erase the corruption or all other efforts are destined for failure. Africa
loses the equivalent of $140 billion per day to profligacy. Some leaders loot the countries of
money and natural resources and send the money overseas. Other leaders fail to develop the
nations they‘re trying to lead; although many have tried, all have failed due to the deep-rooted
political turpitude that has become a part of the system as a whole. Such corruption fuels civil
war and disease and prevents engineering and innovations.

Africa is the second largest continent in the world and acts as a prime example of strife and
struggle; the corrupt Western, multi-national companies supply arms, fueling civil wars. Some
examples of this can be seen in the following documentaries:

• "Darwin‘s Nightmare," directed and written by Hubert Sauper, 2005; focuses on the
corruption in Tanzania.
• "Sand and Sorrow: a new documentary about Darfur," HBO Documentaries
 • "The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo," HBO Documentaries
• "Orphans of Nkandla," HBO Documentaries

For as long as I have been alive, there has been struggle and poverty in Africa. Despite being one
of the richest continents in terms of natural resources, it is one of the poorest, consistently in a
state of unrest and strife. What will it take to resolve these ongoing problems? How can the
corruption be eradicated? I hear people say all the time, "It‘s not our problem." How can it not be
when 80% of the world‘s resources come from Africa, when our tax dollars are sent to bolster
relief aid, and when we are in trade agreements with Africa? If we want to accomplish world
peace, it includes freeing Africa from its constant state of war.

Conflicts in Southwest Asia

Islam is the major religion of this area. Some people feel forced into Islam in order to find
"peace" in the area in which they live. Based on my observations, I see that people take the
position that ceasing the appointment of religious leaders to positions of power might be the
solution to their problem. The oil industry and its current rising prices put a strain on all parties
dependent on that resource, as well as effect a general decline in the economies of countries
around the world. The population increases with the rise in immigrants brought in to do a job --
immigrants who are seen as problematic by the local residents because they take jobs away from
the natives, and because they are often abandoned in the country, unable to leave due to their
economic circunstances, and becoming a burden on the already-strained populations. There are
also cultural differences between the immigrant workers and the country‘s natives, which add to
the stress.

What of extreme acts of nature? A good example is Cyclone Nargis, which recently devastated
Myanmar. The junta military government would not allow international assistance initially, but
the state of unrest and very poor quality of life were causes for a change in that decision.

You would think people would pull together, share resources and survive this tragedy together,
right? No, that‘s a delusion. The reality is that money can be made -- even from such disasters. A
$.40 bottle of water went up to $4.00 per bottle within 48 hours of the disaster in Myanmar.

Aid to Foreign Countries and Peace Deals

What achievements have been made toward peace? More than 40 peace deals -- contracts
intended to end a violent conflict or to transform a conflict so that it can be addressed more
constructively -- have been signed in the past two decades; many of these were accomplished by
providing aid to foreign countries in need.

So where is the peace?

An entire academic field -- called "Peace and Conflict Study" -- is dedicated to identifying the
reasons for the absence of peace. The Study identifies and analyzes violent and non-violent
behaviors as the structural mechanisms responsible for social conflicts, with a view toward
understanding those processes that lead to a more desirable human condition.
One of the ideas accomplished through peace studies is defining peace. If we don‘t know what
peace is, how can we achieve it?

Three Concepts of Peace9

1. The first concept of peace is the rational reasoning that peace is a natural condition,
whereas war is not. The premise for peace researchers is simple: to generate and present
enough information so that a rational group of decisions can be made to avoid war and
conflict.
2. The second concept of peace, that war is sinful, is held by a variety of religious traditions
worldwide, often most strongly by minority sects which do not maintain political power
(i.e. Quakers, Mennonites, some sects of Buddhism, peace churches within Christianity,
Jains in India).
3. The third concept of peace is pacifism, the view that peace is to be the prime force in
human behavior.

However, in order to define peace, you must also define conflict.

Three Concepts of Conflict (The Conflict Triangle)10

1. The first concept of conflict is direct violence, i.e. direct attack and massacre.
2. The second concept of conflict is structural violence, or death by avoidable reasons such
as malnutrition. Structural violence is indirect violence caused by unjust structure and is
not equated to an act of God.
3. The third concept of conflict is cultural violence, which occurs as a result of cultural
assumptions that blind one to direct or structural violence. For example, one may be
indifferent toward the homeless or even consider the expulsion or extermination of the
homeless a good thing.

The peace process is one by which conflicts are resolved by non-violent means. Often, these
non-violent means include peace agreements, as mentioned earlier. The list below gives
examples of some types of peace agreements.

• Cessation of hostilities or cease-fire agreements.

• Pre-negotiation agreements.
• Interim or preliminary agreements.
• Comprehensive and framework agreements.
• Implementation agreements.

World Corruption

Political consumption occurs when government officials use their powers for illegitimate private
gain, consuming the country they govern. Transparency International (TI), the global coalition
against corruption, attempts to prevent further corruption by exposing it. TI takes a survey, called
the Corruption Perceptions, and post their results on their website at www.transparancy.org. The
scores relate to perceptions of the degree of corruption as seen by business people and country
analysts, ranging from 10 (highly clean) to 0 (highly corrupt). Here are some results from their
2007 survey:

1. Asia 4.6
2. Africa 4-
3. North America 6+
4. South America 4-
5. Antarctica No Data
6. Europe 6+
7. Australia 8+

World population as of May 2008: 6,668,467,31111

I identify so many reasons for conflict, yet not enough to consider world peace a viable reality,
which leads me to believe it‘s unattainable unless we: a) resolve conflict on each continent
(culturally, socially and economically); b) eliminate corruption; and c) embrace the same
collective agenda.

How can this task be accomplished? By creating awareness? inventing new causes? Even if I
approach world peace from the process of a scientific inquiry, it would require all the following
elements:

1. Ask a question.
2. Do background research.
3. Construct a hypothesis.
4. Test the hypothesis by doing an experiment, then replicate results.
5. Analyze the data and draw a conclusion.
6. Report the findings and undergo a peer review

It seems to me that each conflict is unique to its area; while some of the same issues surface
(culture/religion, resources and economics), each area would need to be analyzed separately. I‘m
sure a great number of people have conclusions about what "needs" to be done, on a continent-
by-continent basis, to accomplish peace. The problem is the analyst has no control over
implementing or controlling experiments in peace. It is up to the governing agencies in each area
to conduct their own experiments. The question is, do they really want peace? It seems to me that
war is a money-making business. World peace would put a lot of people out of a job, and
businesses that profit from war would have to close shop.

Having spent over 15 years working in a field which benefits from war, I can tell you that peace
is not the desired condition. I have spent my life attempting to understand the human condition; I
believe peace is an unnatural condition despite the results of peace studies that claim it is a
natural state.

Until we change our consciousness and increase our understanding of the human condition, we
will never be at peace. It simply isn‘t profitable. You cannot hold all the keys with peace. You
cannot control the world‘s natural resources (on which we all depend) with peace. You cannot
control masses of people with peace. You cannot cut population with peace. You cannot feel
unique and special with peace. Only war can wave the red flags of differences rather than white
flags of similarities.

What is peace to you? Do you believe that it‘s attainable? If so, how? Ask yourself ... is peace an
enigma?

NOTES:
1
The Lucifer Principle, Howard Bloom.Atlantic Monthly Press, March 1997. ISBN#
0871136643
2
Printed in If ... Journal issue 100, November 2006.
3
Dr. John Hagelin ph.D. (http://www.hagelin.org) is a quantum physicist, educator, public
policy facilitator, and proponent of peace. Dr. Hagelin is the chief advisor to the Congressional
Prevention Coalition, and director of the Institute of Science, Technology and Public Policy ---- a
public policy think-tank at the Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, IA. He directs
the implementation of the Transcendental Meditation Program in government, schools and
hospitals nationwide. He is also on the board of directors of the David Lynch Foundation for
Consciousness-based Education and World Peace.
4
The David Lynch Foundation (http://www.davidlynchfoundation.org) is a consciousness-based
education and world peace organization, founded in 2005 to provide scholarships for school-
wide transcendental meditation programs in public, charter and private schools worldwide, and
to provide funds for universities and research institutes to assess the effects of the program on
creativity, intelligence, academic performance, ADHD and other learning disorders, anxiety,
substance abuse, eating disorders, and more.
5
The Maharishi University of Management, (http://www.mum.edu) teaches that through
consciousness-based education, students can discover the field of pure consciousness within
themselves as a source for all knowledge.
6
Youtube Video "Qur‘an Leads the Way to Science,"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpwPBd9dmpk
7
The Hurun Yahya site, http://harunyahya.com/, rejects science as an explanation of the living
world, but seeks to provoke thought in the creationist, the believer, and the faithful.
8
Vanderbilt University: "The issues facing Africa Today,"
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Q18bbRSDGPY
9
For a comprehensive list of Peace Agreements by Continent, go to the United States Institute
for Peace (http://www.usip.org/library).
10
Peace Review, an international research journal in the growing field of peace study, is
published quarterly and is a peer-reviewed academic journal.
http://www.usfca.edu/peacereview/info.htm; Spring 2008, 20.1, "U.S. Peace Movements During
the Iraq War." Winter 2007, 19.4, "Teaching Peace to the Military."
11
United States Census Bureau, http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html