2024-04-30
Peace in a benign climate is a global aspiration, but why aren’t we getting there?
By Beverley Dight, Green Issue Co-editor
As climate change bites, Perth has had its driest six months in recorded history, and Western Australia sweltered through its hottest summer in recorded history.
The people of the world need to come together to overcome this menace. Only united will we succeed in doing so. Divided we will fail.
In his article "Time to build mutual trust”, published in The West Australian newspaper on July 1, 2021, Long Dingbin, China Consul General in Perth, informed us that "President Xi Jinping proposed building a community with a shared future for mankind as China's solution to collectively address global challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.
This vision embodies the ideas of building an open, inclusive, clean and beautiful world that enjoys lasting peace, universal security, and common prosperity."
Peace is elusive. On 31 March, 2022, United Nations Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, pointed out that "one-quarter of humanity, 2 billion people, are living in conflict areas, and the world is facing the highest number of violent conflicts since 1945, when World War 2 ended."
In the last few years we have been witnessing the absolute horror and futility of war, in Ukraine and Gaza.
Singers are able to express humanity's deep longing for peace, after centuries of war, resulting in untold suffering and devastation.
John Lennon inspired a generation when he asked us to "imagine all the people living life in peace. Imagine all the people sharing the world, a brotherhood of man. And the world will be as one."
With great passion and near despair Elvis Presley lamented that "if I can dream of a better land, where all my brothers walk hand in hand, tell me why, oh why, oh why can't my dream come true.
We're lost in a cloud with too much rain. We're trapped in a world that's troubled with pain. There must be peace and understanding sometime."
Miguel Rios optimistically invited us to "come sing a song of joy. For peace shall come, my brother. Sing, sing a song of joy, for we shall love each other."
We are invited to embrace peace in China's Global Security Initiative. Its Concept Paper concludes -
"China stands ready to work with all countries and all peoples who love peace and aspire to happiness, to address all kinds of traditional and non-traditional security challenges, to protect the peace and tranquillity of the earth, and jointly create a better future for mankind, so that the torch of peace will be passed on from generation to generation and shine across the world."
I consider that it will be humanity's greatest achievement when we finally abandon war, and live together in peace and harmony, in a civilized world where people are kind to each other.
As Bob Marley pointed out, the people of the world are: "ONE LOVE, ONE HEART. Let us come together and I'll feel alright."
Header photo: Graffiti Bob Marley – One Love by Eme Freethinker on the graffiti wall in Mauerpark in Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg. Author: Singlespeedfahrer CC
[Opinions expressed are those of the author and not official policy of Greens WA]