Ingredients for Peace: 11 principles
The first principle- Search for Truth
"Light is good in whatsoever lamp it is burning! A rose is beautiful in whatsoever garden it may bloom! A star has the same radiance if it shines from the East or from the West. Be free from prejudice." To find truth, one must be free from the chains of prejudices, assumptions, superstitions, and mental frameworks one was raised with because whatever differences exist between us come from prejudices. Truth is one and all can attain it, should they be willing to humbly put aside their imaginations and be OPEN to see what is!
"If only men would search out truth, they would find themselves united".
The second principle- The Unity Of Mankind
"The glory of humanity is the heritage of each one". We are all the fruits of the same tree, the leaves of one branch and no one can claim to be anything else than "human" at the end of the day.
The third principle- Religion should be the Cause of Love and Affection
"If religion becomes a cause of dislike, hatred, and division, it is better to be without it, and to withdraw from such a religion would be a truly religious act." The purpose of religion is to unite, to link people's hearts with one another (Religare in Latin).
The fourth principle- The Unity of Science and Religion
Any religion that contradicts science or opposes it, is only ignorance. Ignorance is the absence of Knowledge. It's like the two wings of a bird, one cannot dissociate from the other.
The fifth principle- Prejudices of Religion, Race or Sect destroy the foundation of Humanity
"The whole world must be looked upon as one single country, all the nations as one nation, all men as belonging to one race." Prejudices are the root causes of all the wars, conflicts and divisions between the people.
The sixth principle- Equal opportunity of the means of Existence
"Every human being has the right to live; they have a right to rest, and to a certain amount of well-being." Sufficient food and clothing for all. No one should live in excess while others have no possible means of existence.
The seventh principle- The Equality of Humans—equality before the Law
The Law must perdure, beauty should be promoted and people will live in a state of brotherhood. When solidarity is established, men and women will have found truth.
The eighth principle- Universal Peace
A Supreme Tribunal must be established and elect the peoples and the governments of each nation. All disputes brought to this Tribunal whose mission is to prevent war.
The ninth principle- That Religion should not concern itself with Political Questions
" Religion is concerned with things of the spirit, politics with things of the world. Religion has to work with the world of thought, whilst the field of politics lies with the world of external conditions. "
The tenth principle- Education and Instruction of Women
" As long as women are prevented from attaining their highest possibilities, so long will men be unable to achieve the greatness which might be theirs." Women's Rights are Human Rights!
The eleventh principle- The Spirit is the main source of spiritual development
No matter how much material progress exists in the world, one must remember that the spirit with which we do things, we live things, it must endure. Spirit is the only source of spiritual development.
INSPIRATION
This page "Ingredients for (lasting) Peace" was inspired by "Paris Talks" by Abdu'l-Baha in the early 1900s who visited Paris then from the Holy Land, after 40 years of imprisonment. His crime? promoting these same principles for Peace, Justice and Equality for all.
The book can be found here: https://bit.ly/33zqlw6
Additional ingredients to promote (lasting and sustainable) Peace:
- the Sustainable Development Goals https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment
- Mary Anderson & Laura Olson research “Confronting War: Critical lessons for Peace Practitioners” (Part 4: “Walking the walk: how means affect ends in peace practice”: https://bit.ly/3tG876T