Peace on Earth and in our time
Published in the Boulder Daily Camera, 12/22/13
What began as a festival centered around the winter solstice was transformed by the birth of a Jewish boy in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago, and it hasn't been the same since. Thanks to Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and, the generosity of a 4th century bishop named Saint Nicholas, every December much of the world celebrates the season and shares the holiday spirit. By tradition, we are allowed to ask for gifts at this time of year. While we ask out loud for toys and technology, what many of us quietly wish for is the hope first uttered in Luke 2:14 and, more recently, by Linus in "A Charlie Brown Christmas" - peace on earth and goodwill toward men.
If you doubt the power of that hope, consider the Christmas Truce of 1914 during the first World War. Soldiers who had been, and would continue to, kill one another in a brutal war found themselves spontaneously crossing battle lines into each others' trenches and sharing holiday cheer, gifts, and pictures of their loved ones. The spirit of the season is that powerful.
We've been asking for peace and goodwill for centuries, so it's fair to wonder if Santa has been good to us. Are we closer today to peace on earth and has the reservoir of mankind's goodwill been growing? Let's count some blessings
There is no greater gift we could give ourselves than world peace. It sometimes feels like much of the world is at war and that the fires that rage within us are unstoppable. However, according to the Center for Systemic Conflict (http://systemicpeace.org/conflict.htm), the decline in worldwide conflict since WW II has been profound. War between nations, as measured by the number and magnitude of interstate conflicts, has steadily declined since 1946. Today, there are no ongoing major armed conflicts between nations. The number and size of civil wars did increase from 1946 through 1989 but, since the fall of the Soviet Union, these conflicts have also been steadily diminishing. While worldwide peace is still an aspiration, it seems that our prayers for peace are being answered.
Though we live more in peace, is goodwill toward one another on the rise? One indicator of goodwill is whether we are becoming less prone to violence against our fellow man. Again, the data are encouraging. Over the past three centuries, homicide rates in Europe and North America have dropped by nearly 90 percent. Data from other parts of the world suggest that this trend is worldwide and continuing. The evil that permeated the soul of men in the past is on the wane and our respect for the life of another human is on the rise. Sounds like goodwill to me.
There is no more unselfish act of goodwill than reducing the suffering of those living in poverty. It's impossible to count all the acts of kindness and caring done to help the poor, but have these acts helped? According to the World Bank, between 1980 and 2010, the percentage of the developing world living in extreme poverty dropped from over 40 percent to under 20 percent -- more than half. Thanks to years of goodwill at the individual, community, and national levels, almost one billion people in great need are living a better life today.
What's behind this abundance of peace and goodwill? My favorite explanations are 1) a growth in democracy worldwide coupled with the belief that democracies are, by their very nature, less likely to declare war upon one another, 2) open markets and free trade that allow us all to improve our lives through international cooperation, 3) the jet age and ensuing information age that have allowed us to become more familiar with and appreciative of different customs and cultures, and 4) my personal favorite, sports, which allows us to expend excess testosterone on a field of play instead of a field of battle. These are my thoughts, though I'm sure you all have your own. This holiday season is a good time to contemplate how these blessings have come upon us.
To be sure, there will always be struggles between nations, among communities, within families, and inside ourselves. That is the human condition and from these struggles a better world often emerges. But, the dreams of peace and goodwill that we share this time of year are enduring. Through them, perhaps even because of them, the world has, over time, become a better home to us all.
May the hope for peace on earth and goodwill toward men stay with us always.
What began as a festival centered around the winter solstice was transformed by the birth of a Jewish boy in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago, and it hasn't been the same since. Thanks to Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and, the generosity of a 4th century bishop named Saint Nicholas, every December much of the world celebrates the season and shares the holiday spirit. By tradition, we are allowed to ask for gifts at this time of year. While we ask out loud for toys and technology, what many of us quietly wish for is the hope first uttered in Luke 2:14 and, more recently, by Linus in "A Charlie Brown Christmas" - peace on earth and goodwill toward men.
If you doubt the power of that hope, consider the Christmas Truce of 1914 during the first World War. Soldiers who had been, and would continue to, kill one another in a brutal war found themselves spontaneously crossing battle lines into each others' trenches and sharing holiday cheer, gifts, and pictures of their loved ones. The spirit of the season is that powerful.
We've been asking for peace and goodwill for centuries, so it's fair to wonder if Santa has been good to us. Are we closer today to peace on earth and has the reservoir of mankind's goodwill been growing? Let's count some blessings
There is no greater gift we could give ourselves than world peace. It sometimes feels like much of the world is at war and that the fires that rage within us are unstoppable. However, according to the Center for Systemic Conflict (http://systemicpeace.org/conflict.htm), the decline in worldwide conflict since WW II has been profound. War between nations, as measured by the number and magnitude of interstate conflicts, has steadily declined since 1946. Today, there are no ongoing major armed conflicts between nations. The number and size of civil wars did increase from 1946 through 1989 but, since the fall of the Soviet Union, these conflicts have also been steadily diminishing. While worldwide peace is still an aspiration, it seems that our prayers for peace are being answered.
Though we live more in peace, is goodwill toward one another on the rise? One indicator of goodwill is whether we are becoming less prone to violence against our fellow man. Again, the data are encouraging. Over the past three centuries, homicide rates in Europe and North America have dropped by nearly 90 percent. Data from other parts of the world suggest that this trend is worldwide and continuing. The evil that permeated the soul of men in the past is on the wane and our respect for the life of another human is on the rise. Sounds like goodwill to me.
There is no more unselfish act of goodwill than reducing the suffering of those living in poverty. It's impossible to count all the acts of kindness and caring done to help the poor, but have these acts helped? According to the World Bank, between 1980 and 2010, the percentage of the developing world living in extreme poverty dropped from over 40 percent to under 20 percent -- more than half. Thanks to years of goodwill at the individual, community, and national levels, almost one billion people in great need are living a better life today.
What's behind this abundance of peace and goodwill? My favorite explanations are 1) a growth in democracy worldwide coupled with the belief that democracies are, by their very nature, less likely to declare war upon one another, 2) open markets and free trade that allow us all to improve our lives through international cooperation, 3) the jet age and ensuing information age that have allowed us to become more familiar with and appreciative of different customs and cultures, and 4) my personal favorite, sports, which allows us to expend excess testosterone on a field of play instead of a field of battle. These are my thoughts, though I'm sure you all have your own. This holiday season is a good time to contemplate how these blessings have come upon us.
To be sure, there will always be struggles between nations, among communities, within families, and inside ourselves. That is the human condition and from these struggles a better world often emerges. But, the dreams of peace and goodwill that we share this time of year are enduring. Through them, perhaps even because of them, the world has, over time, become a better home to us all.
May the hope for peace on earth and goodwill toward men stay with us always.
