What would the world be like without war? This is a question that has been asked throughout history and is still relevant today. Many people would say that world peace is an impossible goal, that humans are by nature horrible creatures that will never care about others. But just interacting with people on a day-to-day basis it’s clear most of us are good, decent people.
Only truly traumatized people just hate others for no reason. Wish harm on strangers for no reason.
World Peace is a goal worth pursuing. If we start with world peace as our goal, we can identify strategies to move us closer to a less violent world without war. It might seem naive or impossible, but I believe that it is possible to achieve world peace.
Achieving world peace is not going to be easy. It will require cooperation and compromise from all of us.
What Does World Peace Look Like?
World peace would mean a world without violence, where people live together in harmony. It would be a world where everyone is valued and treated equally, regardless of race, religion, or nationality.
It would be a world where we work together to solve problems and build a better future for all.
Why Can’t We Have World Peace?
It’s not easy to have world peace. It would require cooperation and compromise from all of us, and world leaders would need to resolve conflicts peacefully.
Unfortunately, the most powerful people on the planet got to their powerful position at the expense of others. The way the system is currently set up rewards the most dishonest and greedy among us.
Some are just indifferent to the suffering of others and can’t be bothered to help. Others are full-blown psychopaths who don’t feel empathy or concern for other people.
There is a lot of hatred and violence in the world. Many people are not interested in working together to achieve world peace. They would rather pursue their own goals and interests. Additionally, world peace would require a lot of resources, and some countries are not willing to share their resources with other countries.
What are Some Obstacles to World Peace?
There are many obstacles to world peace, but some of the biggest are hatred, bigotry, violence, religious intolerance, and nationalism. These things divide us and make us see other people as different or inferior.
Achieving Peace in the World
War comes from people’s hierarchy of needs, as described by Maslow, not being met. In theory, if everyone had their basic needs met, they would not resort to violence.
Peace in the world can be achieved by working to meet the needs of all people. This includes providing food, shelter, and healthcare; promoting education and economic opportunity; and working to reduce poverty and inequality. It requires world leaders to resolve conflicts peacefully and to respect the human rights of all people.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is a theory that suggests that people are motivated by a series of needs, beginning with the most basic needs and progressing to more complex needs.
So if the theory is correct, as long as people’s basic needs aren’t being met, there will be war.
The hierarchy of needs includes the following:
- Physiological needs: These are the most basic needs, such as food, water, and shelter.
- Safety needs: Once the physiological needs are met, people will seek to meet their safety needs, such as security and stability. The fear of not being safe is a deep-seated human emotion. One that many people exploit to their advantage. Many of the most powerful people on the planet want us scared. They channel that fear to promote anger, distrust, conflict, and war.
- Love and belonging: After the safety needs are met, people will seek to meet their social needs, such as love and belonging.
- Esteem: Once the social needs are met, people will seek to meet their esteem needs, such as self-respect and respect from others.
- Self-actualization: Once the esteem needs are met, people will seek to meet their self-actualization needs, such as achieving their full potential.
The hierarchy of needs theory is a useful tool for understanding human motivation. It can help us to understand why people are motivated to meet certain needs and how we can create conditions that will motivate people to meet more complex needs.
The theory can also help us to understand the causes of anger, resentment, and ultimately war.
Is World Peace Possible?
Meeting the needs of a world population of more than seven billion people is a daunting task. But it is possible. We have the resources, the technology, and the knowledge to meet the needs of all people. We also have the ability to resolve conflicts peacefully.
While we all want an end to war, it will be difficult to achieve.
Why is There War?
War is a part of reality. It has been around for centuries, and it is likely to continue for centuries to come. There are many reasons for this.
Whatever the reasons for war, it is clear that it is not going to disappear anytime soon. But that doesn’t mean we should give up hope of ever achieving world peace.
Structural Causes of War
War is a complicated issue and there are many things that contribute to its existence.
- There are only so many resources to go around – Planet Earth can only provide so much food and water. Many cultures don’t have access to what they need to survive and prosper.
- These resources aren’t spread evenly – When people don’t have access to resources, they begin to blame others. Oftentimes that blame is misplaced, but the end result is war nonetheless. Leaders use a need for territory or resources as a pretext for war
- Nation States – The world is divided into countries, each with its own government, laws, and interests. This leads to conflict when two or more countries have different goals or when one country tries to take control of another.
- Entrenched incentives reward war – The military-industrial complex is a system of businesses and institutions that are invested in the production of weapons and warfare. This system has a vested interest in keeping the world at war.
- The media glorifies violence – The media is full of images and stories of violence. This desensitizes people to violence and makes it seem like an acceptable solution to problems. The same incentives that reward war are at play in encouraging the media to push for war. Read more about how the media drives fear.
Human nature
Human nature also plays a part in war. We might want to believe otherwise but we’re animals running on the same software as our caveman ancestors. Violence has always been a part of human society and will continue to be until we make big changes. Aspects of human nature that promote war include:
- The desire for power and control – War is a way for some people to achieve their goals. They may see war as the only way to gain power, wealth, or land.
- Greed – We have an insatiable appetite for more. If we see others with more than us, we often want what they have and are willing to resort to violence to get it.
- Cultural identity – Many cultures feel their way of life is superior, and see encroachment from others as a threat. They see war as a way to defend their beliefs or their way of life.
- Thirst for revenge – Some cultures have historical grievances that go back generations if not millennia. Populist leaders exploit those grievances to agitate for war.
- Some people simply enjoy fighting – They may get a thrill from the violence and the sense of excitement that comes with being in a war.
Most People Want Peace
It is important to remember that wars are usually started by a small group of people. The vast majority of people do not want war. Most people would prefer to live in peace.
If we can find ways to meet the needs of all people and resolve conflicts peacefully, we can move closer to the goal of world peace.
World Peace Organizations
Despite overwhelming odds, there are organizations that are devoted to working toward world peace.
There are a number of organizations that have devoted themselves to world peace. These organizations are often involved in the United Nations and other international peacekeeping efforts.
- One of the most well-known organizations is the United Nations (UN). The UN was founded in 1945, shortly after World War II, as a way to prevent future conflicts. Essentially, its goal is to maintain international peace and security. The UN has 193 member states which represent all regions of the world.
- Another organization devoted to world peace is the International Committee for Peace (ICP). This organization was founded in 1891 by Quakers who were seeking an alternative way to solve international disputes without resorting to violence. The ICP has over 10,000 members from more than 100 countries around the world.
- The International Peace Bureau (IPB) is an international non-governmental organization which advocates for peace as a means for social change and development.
- Peace One Day is an international movement with the goal to promote peace through nonviolence on every day of the year from September 21st until September 21st, 2021
You can say its naive to think peace in the world is realistic, but hundreds if not thousands of individuals throughout history and today have worked tirelessly to achieve it.
World Peace is a Goal Worth Pursuing
It will take time, and it will be difficult, but world peace is a goal worth pursuing. We need to work together to promote world peace and overcome these obstacles.
World peace is possible if we work together to meet the needs of all people and resolve conflicts peacefully. Let’s start working toward world peace
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I have an idea to end all wars. It is The World Fairness Agreement. It is one page document on my website thewayoffairness.com I also explain my experience struggling to make it happen.
Countries might not wanna sign it.