Central oval of James Thornhill’s (1714) “Triumph of Peace and Liberty over Tyranny” on the lower hall ceiling of the Painted Hall at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, England; photographed by Roger Stevens in 2009. In the public domain,
It is the best of times. It is the worst of
times. Never before has humanity been endowed with such fantastic
opportunities. Never before has humanity’s survival been so precarious, the
threat of self-extinction looming on the near horizon.
The first step in solving a problem is
recognizing that there is one; and though prophets and sages, assassinated
statesmen and pacifist activists have long issued warnings about the urgent
need for sane and pragmatic reform, their voices have been muted by a perpetual
blizzard of epistemological confetti and jingoistic sloganeering aimed at the
citizen populace by sophistic politicians and mainstream media technocrats
serving the imperial needs of the richest of the rich.
Howard Zinn observed: “The truth is so often the opposite of what we are told that we can no longer turn our heads around far enough to see it.” Noam Chomsky adds the necessary twist: “The problem is not that people don’t know; it’s that they don’t know they don’t know.” Hence the enduring potency of Marx’s maxim: “The demand to abandon illusions about our condition is a demand to abandon the conditions which require illusion.”
America repeats the unlearned lessons of history. Founded on noble ideals undermined by
genocide and slavery, America wraps itself in a cloak of virtue and goes abroad
in search of monsters to destroy, not knowing she is destroying herself. Men at the helm of the ship of state, swollen
with greed and skilled at sophistry, steer civilization toward the abyss. Only the blind can fail to see The Statue of
Liberty weeping for another lost chance for human history to be something other
than ignorance, violence, and ignoble self-betrayal. With all too few
individual exceptions, the difference between the Democratic Party and the
Republican Party is the difference between neurotic and psychotic.
Howard Zinn, noting that the problem is not civil
disobedience, but, rather, all too pervasive obedience, declared: “Our problem
is that people are obedient all over the world, in the face of poverty,
starvation, stupidity, war and cruelty.
Our problem is that people are obedient while the jails are full of
petty thieves, and all the while the grand thieves are running the
country.”
Albert Einstein said: “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” He said further: “Money only appeals to selfishness and always irresistibly tempts its owner to abuse it. Can anyone imagine Moses, Jesus, or Gandhi with the moneybags of Carnegie?”
James Thurber once offered the parable of a man standing on his cabin porch watching a forest being cut down to provide timber for the building of an asylum in which to house people driven insane by the cutting down of forests.
Note from Kathie MM: Pegean says, “The message here is clear: We cannot rely on either mainstream political party to take us back from the abyss. Stay tuned as Stefan expands further on living in the gratitude, grace, integrity, and activism necessary for peace and social justice.
Gandhi Memorial at the Peace Abbey. Author: Stefan Schindler
by Stefan Schindler
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Kindly join me in appreciating that The Life Experience School and Peace Abbey “family,” near and far, belong to an unofficial organization – Seth would call it an Unfoundation – called Shanti Sena. Shanti Sena means Peace Army. It was founded by Mahatma Gandhi in India in the 1920s.
John and Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and The Beatles – unofficially and unknowingly, but with great determination – joined Shanti Sena in the 1960s.
So did Jane Fonda, Joan Baez, and Yoko Ono. So did Howard Zinn and Noam Chomsky, Thich Nhat Hanh and the Dalai Lama. And Paul Newman, James Baldwin, Joni Mitchell, and Muhammad Ali.
Today, their life and legacy is carried forth by Greta Thunberg, Victor Wallis, Vandana Shiva, and so many others, recalling the courage of conscience of Mother Jones, Emma Goldman, Dorothy Day, Helen Keller, Mark Twain, Thomas Merton, and Oscar Romero.
In this sense, then, we – as honored members of the Engaging Peace community and supporters of positive peace – are all students for a democratic society; indeed, for a global village of ecological sanity and egalitarian harmony.
T. S. Eliot ends his poetic masterpiece, “The Wasteland,” with … “Shantih shantih shantih.” And thus, I salute you. For you are bodhisattvas and kalyanamittas.
A bodhisattva is committed to a life of learning and service; and, therefore, to the active practice of “positive peace-making,” rooted in ahimsa (non-violence). Kalyanamitta means: “virtuous friend” and “spiritual companion.”
Let us recognize that the dream that never dies also grows. And let us remember that the dream was never over, because John never ceased to IMAGINE.
Therefore, let us keep the faith, and daily water the seeds of peace with our commitment to justice and universal brother-sisterhood.
TheShanti Sena does indeed endure. And together, with a reverence for Mother Earth and the sacred spark that grew us in the womb, we are – Yes, we are! – creating a Rainbow Bridge to The Peaceable Queendom.
Said the sage: “The reward for service is increased opportunity to serve.”
The Peace Abbey grew out of The Life Experience School. Together, they house The National Registry for Conscientious Objection; present The Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award to individuals who embody the spirit of Shanti Sena; promote vegetarianism and animal rights; still hope to have the Memorial Stone for Unknown Civilians Killed in War planted in Arlington National Cemetery; and maintain The Pacifist Memorial Peace Park (in Sherborn), at the center of which is a nine-foot statue of Gandhi, fanning out from which are brick walls displaying bronze plaques in honor of those peacemakers who have received the Courage of Conscience and Champion of Peace awards.
Now, here is the link to a short, thrilling, video-tribute to The Life Experience School and Peace Abbey, created by film-makers at The Radiance Project. ………………………………………………………………………………….
Stefan Schindler is a philosopher, teacher, and poet. He is co-author with Lewis Randa, the founder of The Life Experience School and Peace Abbey, of The National Registry for Conscientious Objection. Stefan is a frequent contributor to Engaging Peace; a Board Member of The Life Experience School and Peace Abbey; author of The Courage of Conscience Awards for John Lennon and Howard Zinn; and author of Space is Grace, Discoursing with the Gods, The Tao of Socrates, and America’s Indochina Holocaust. His newest book – Buddha’s Political Philosophy – will be published later this year.
Odysseus is tempted by the swirling Sirens in Homer’s The Odyssey.
by Roy Eidelson
“Citizens of the democratic societies
should undertake a course of intellectual self-defense to protect themselves
from manipulation and control, and to lay the basis for more meaningful
democracy.” — Noam Chomsky, 1989 (Necessary Illusions: Thought Control
in Democratic Societies)
My copy of Homer’s The Odyssey, a remnant of high
school Latin days,has been gathering dust on a shelf for decades
now. But I’ve been thinking more about the book in recent years, especially as
my writing has increasingly turned to the psychology of propaganda. In that
context, one of the epic poem’s most provocative passages chronicles the brief
encounter between Ulysses and the Sirens during his ten-year voyage home from
the Trojan War.
The two Sirens—peculiar creatures, part human and part
animal—sit in a meadow where they warble songs that are, quite simply, lethal.
Even the most disciplined sailors are drawn to the shore by the irresistible
sounds, and they never depart. As Homer describes it, “There is a great heap of
dead men’s bones lying all around, with the flesh still rotting off them.”
But Ulysses and his crew escape this fate, thanks to guidance
from the goddess Circe. Her advice is clear and effective. Upon approaching the
Sirens’ island, the crew should put wax in their ears and then bind Ulysses
securely to the ship’s mast. In this way, he alone can safely listen to the
enchanting songs, which purport to bestow wisdom and foretell the future.
So why consider this 3,000-year-old story now? Because for many
Americans hoping to help steer our beleaguered country toward greater justice
and equality, a pair of modern-day—albeit figurative—Sirens are seemingly
always poised to draw us off course. Indeed, their beguiling appeals and
promises will only grow louder and more persistent as we move ever closer to
Election Day 2020.
Not surprisingly, the first—and more ruthless—of the two is
Donald Trump, with full-throated support from the Republican Party leadership.
His repetitive refrain of fearmongering and racist dog-whistling—all under the
guise of “Making America Great Again”—lures not only the intolerant but also
some who are insecure and despairing. By contrast, the second can be found
within the establishment wing of the Democratic Party. Sadly, its own chorus
promotes skepticism toward any progressive proposal—for example, a Green New
Deal or Medicare for All—that could disrupt a status quo very favorable to the
super-rich and powerful.
These two Sirens certainly don’t sing identical songs. But both
rely on the same choir directors for their music: namely, the behemoths of
corporate America, including Wall Street, the oil and gas industry, military
contractors, health insurers, Big Pharma, and media conglomerates. That’s why
we’re serenaded with “only a huge defense budget can keep us safe;” “higher
taxes on the wealthy will cripple our economy;” “a single-payer healthcare
system can never work here;” “climate change disaster can be averted with small
steps;” “minimum wage hikes will force mass layoffs;” and other similar claims.
All are broadcast far and wide, even though they lack substance and run counter
to the common good.
Defenders of the billionaire class, from both sides of the
aisle, also have prepared verses to advance the prospects of their
don’t-rock-the-boat candidates. So we can expect to hear much of the following
in the months ahead: dismissive critiques aimed at progressive leaders—young
and old—whose vision and fearlessness threaten the existing order; angry
condemnation of those who note troubling inconsistencies in the words and
actions of so-called mainstream politicians; duplicitous efforts to label
leftist reformers as out-of-touch “extremists” whose dangerous ideas won’t sell
in Middle America; and overblown tributes focusing on “civility” and
“bipartisanship” rather than the unflinching pursuit of justice and the public
interest.
An abundant supply of wax and sturdy rope isn’t the answer for
resisting the collective confusion and destruction wrought by today’s Sirens.
That’s because we can’t afford to close our ears to their self-serving messages
that mislead so many, nor can we afford to listen to their lies and distortions
without responding. Unlike the challenge faced by Ulysses and his crew, these
are voices that must be defeated, not merely escaped.
A contemporary Circe might therefore offer a different
recommendation for our circumstances: what psychologists call “attitude
inoculation.” The basic idea comes from the familiar public health approach
used to prevent contracting and spreading a contagious virus. Consider the flu
vaccine. When you get a flu shot, you receive a modest dose of the actual
influenza virus. Your body responds by building up the antibodies necessary to
fight off the full-blown virus if it later attacks as you go about your daily
life. A flu shot doesn’t always work, but it improves your odds.
The favorite mantras of today’s corporate-backed politicians are
much like a virus that infects the public with false and harmful beliefs about
what’s happening, what’s right, and what’s possible. So here too, inoculation
is essential. Knowing that these hazardous appeals are heading our way, we must
be vigilant and prepare in advance for the onslaught by learning to recognize
deceitful claims and by developing cogent counterarguments to them. Once we’ve
personally acquired this psychological “immunity,” then we’re ready to be first
responders when it comes to inoculating others.
To be clear, the Sirens I’ve described are far from the only
obstacles to a brighter collective future, one in which hardship, mistreatment,
and crushed aspirations are no longer a routine part of so many lives. But
their manipulative pleas and cautionary tales, contrived to divert and divide,
are undeniable threats to progress on the urgent journey before us.
********
Roy Eidelson, PhD, is the former executive director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Solomon Asch Center for Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict, and a past president of Psychologists for Social Responsibility. He is the author of Political Mind Games: How the 1% Manipulate Our Understanding of What’s Happening, What’s Right, and What’s Possible.
San Francisco protesters of the U.S. immigration ban hold signs reading “Imagine All The People” and “People For Peace”. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Author: Pax Ahimsa Gethen
Part Two: BREAKING THE CHAINS OF ILLUSION
by Stefan Schindler
Man is born free, but he is everywhere in chains. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
How do wars start? Politicians lie to journalists, then believe what they read.
Karl Kraus
The battles of the Sixties may someday come to seem merely an early skirmish in a conflict whose dimensions we have yet to grasp.
Mike Marqusee
President Donald Trump makes a
telling point when he refers to the mainstream news media as “fake news.” There’s a lot of truth in his accusation, the
dimensions of which ought to be honestly explored. Behold: those dimensions have indeed been
explored, with awesome authenticity and shocking revelations, by Michael
Parenti, Howard Zinn, Gore Vidal, Lewis Lapham, and Noam Chomsky, all of whom
ought to have won a Nobel Peace Prize and a Pulitzer Prize for Literature. They have long been denied such
recognition. Had their insights been
widely discussed in the U.S. “marketplace of ideas,” Nixon, Reagan, Cheney-Bush
and Trump would never have risen to the heights of power.
The elephantiastical lies of the
Republican Party – for example: American-trained death squads in Central
America are “freedom fighters;” Saddam Hussein had nuclear weapons; global
warming is a “liberal hoax;” mega-tax-breaks for the mega-rich will make
everybody happy and secure – such lies too often succeed thanks to a criminally
complicit Democratic Party, a mainstream news media owned by a handful of
Republican oligarchs, an historically illiterate citizen population who (in
Noam Chomsky’s astute observation) “don’t know they don’t know,” and an
educational system designed primarily to ignorate, manipulate, stupefy and
confuse.
When President Trump slings his
accusation of “fake news” at American journalists – usually exempting the Fox
News Network owned by right-wing Australian billionaire Rupert Murdoch, and
championed by Newt Gingrich – he only does so in order to lie about his lies.
And why not? It worked for Ronald Reagan, who turned
“liberal” into a dirty word, perpetuating the myth of America’s “liberal
media.”
That Gingrich and Murdoch succeeded
in turning American political discourse into a poisonous swamp is largely the
fault of the traditional American mainstream news media, which perpetuates the
ignoration that is the primary function of American education.
Thomas Jefferson recognized the
problem, noting: “A country cannot long remain ignorant and free.” American citizens have lost more freedoms
than they know, thanks to the most unpatriotic act in American history: the
post-9/11 Congressional passing of the unread 340 pages of the Cheney-Bush “USA
Patriot Act.”
Democracy cannot survive the
shredding of civil rights, nor can it long endure sophistry and deception. It might be worthwhile, then, to pause a
moment to reflect upon the words truth
and trust. In his book On the Meaning of Human Being, Richard Oxenberg notes:
The English word ‘truth’ is related
to the Middle English ‘troth,’ whose principal meaning is ‘trust’ (to be-troth someone … is to enter into a
relation of trust ….) A truthful
account, then, is one that is maximally trustworthy. … That Plato had [such an] understanding of
truth is evident from his association of the true and the good. [The true is good – has maximal value – because it is worth our trust.]
To restore truth and trust in
American social discourse and electoral politics, it is necessary to oppose the
Weapons of Mass Dysfunction – deception, distortion, distraction – employed by
the National Security State to bind its citizens with chains of illusion.
Let us give profound thanks that progress toward honesty and enlightenment is now being made. Although fraught with danger, and subject to abuse, the internet has nevertheless become a major instrument for awakening, as evidenced by websites like Common Dreams, Political Animal Magazine, and Engaging Peace.
This is a timely breakthrough in
communication, enhancing solidarity among peacemakers and justice-seekers in
the present conflict-ridden crucible of history.
John Le Carre provides context:
In
our supposed ideological rectitude, we sacrificed our compassion to the great
god of indifference. We protected the
strong against the weak, and we perfected the art of the public lie. We made enemies of decent reformers and
friends of the most disgusting potentates.
And we scarcely paused to ask ourselves how much longer we could defend
our society by these means and remain a society worth defending.
Having been betrayed by a corrupt
political system, we are now in the early stages of America’s third Civil
War. The second Civil War was embodied
in The Spirit of The Sixties, when the civil rights and anti-war movements –
quietly but greatly aided by Harry Belafonte and Marlon Brando – coalesced into
an anti-establishment revolution, emphasizing peace, justice, gender rights,
Earth Day, holistic health, nuclear disarmament, egalitarian economics, and
authentically edifying education.
The Reagan counter-revolution
succeeded in crushing that national outburst of activism, hope, and pragmatic
idealism. It was aided in doing so by
the pseudo-liberal wing of the Democratic Party, embodied in the Trilateral
Commission, which in 1975 published The
Crisis of Democracy. The
crisis? Citizen activism in the body
politic, hoping to influence a government supposedly “of, by, and for the
people.” Citizen participation in the
functioning of democracy was, and still is, considered outrageous by what C.
Wright Mills called “the power elite.”
Yet citizen activism was the origin
and impetus for the American Revolution; for the anti-slavery “abolitionist”
movement; for the women’s-right-to-vote “suffragette” movement; and for the
1960s and 1970s anti-war and civil rights movements. Today, with an echo of Thomas Paine’s “these
are the times that try men’s souls,” citizen insistence on a just society
remains our only hope for democracy, peace, and ecological sanity.
To engage or not to engage in self-education, global citizenship, and active resistance to the forces of mega-wealth and tyranny – that is the question which every citizen now faces, and upon which the future of our children and grandchildren depends.
Stefan Schindler is the co-founder of The National Registry
for Conscientious Objection; a Board Member of The Life Experience School and
Peace Abbey; and author of America’s
Indochina Holocaust: The History and Global Matrix of The Vietnam War. His forthcoming book is entitled Buddha’s Political Philosophy.
