Xanadu - a Goal of World Peace

Xanadu is the mythical land of eternal peace, eternal abundance, and eternal bliss immortalized in song by Olivia Newton John. Is the world that she sung of truly a myth or could we possibly, as a species, achieve that utopia named Xanadu?

On a topic such as Xanadu, we first must take a look at what our goal is, and what obstacles we must overcome to achieve those goals. In this context, we will simply define Xanadu as a world at peace, with countries acting as neighbors and friends, and as a world where violence is considered a rarity, even among individuals.

However, to achieve this world-wide peace, there are many obstacles to overcome. To bring forth peace, it is not sufficient to eliminate war, but one must also extend our goals to eliminating the causes of war and conflict. The Roman Catholic teachings regarding the seven deadly sins tell us of the causes of war: Pride, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, and Lust.

I will not address each of these sins individually as I believe you, the reader, are intelligent enough to see the connection, however, these sins can and do account for every conflict that I am familiar with, and I think any person would be hard pressed to find a war or major conflict that could not be linked into one of these 'vices'.

Let us return to our topic of Xanadu. To eliminate war, we must eliminate the causes of war. Unfortunately, many of the causes of war are endemic to the greater parts of our world: Famine, disease, poverty, corruption, and simply evil people doing evil things.

To address the causes of war, we must first address the most devastating of these blights. The blight of corruption (greed/gluttony/lust/envy)

Nearly every country has the capacity to feed its own population, especially when considering the technological advances made in the areas of agriculture. However, in many cases, due to personal goals of persons in power (read dictators); people are simply not allowed to grow their own food. A prime example of this is in Darfur. A suppressed people, not allowed to return to their land and their fields, living on makeshift rations of food and water. Darfur is not a failure of a people to feed themselves; it is a failure in those who hold the power by not permitting the people to feed themselves.

In addition, when external agencies attempt to assist/defend suppressed peoples, the largest stumbling block is corruption in either the groups providing the assistance or the groups receiving the assistance. This corruption has become so pervasive, that many aid agencies have resorted to adding corruption into their aid plans.

Another example of greed causing conflict is the current situation in Iraq. One of the primary reasons (in dispute) of the American invasion of Iraq was the presence of large oil reserves in the country. The United States determined that the nation of Iraq is/was a country of US strategic national interest due to those oil reserves, and thus, to ensure the stability of oil availability, an invasion occurred. One of the largest stumbling blocks facing the new Iraqi government is the division of oil revenues.

A similar situation provoked the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor initiating the US involvement in WWII. In this case, the US supported an oil embargo of Japan in an attempt to curtail Japanese abilities to continue their war in China and throughout the Asia/Pacific arena.

Another cause of war is apparent when viewing countries led by people who believe in their own supremacy (pride). This is apparent in the modern country of Iraq, the entire Middle East region, and Zimbabwe. In each case, whether it is the color of the skin, or the particular religious belief, one "group" of people feels the need and the desire to subjugate another "group" of people, even if this means committing genocide. The German command in WWII used a similar tactic to drive the German populace into supporting the war effort.

The issue of race/religion as the cause of war(s) as witnessed especially in the Middle East has also led to many ongoing feuds, and indeed, almost all of the conflicts over the past three decades can be tied directly into one group feeling their right to "respond" to perceived offenses against their race/religion. How many people have died for offenses that occurred hundreds of years ago?

What can we do about these causes of war/violence? There are many steps to take.

First, we must all recognize that all men and women are equal, and that despite the differences in the color of our skins, the language we speak, or our financial status, every person has the same basic rights.

Second, we must learn to forgive each other. The past is history, and today is the beginning of what can be. If we, as a people, live our lives dredging up offenses or perceived offenses from decades past, we are dooming ourselves to living in a world of conflict.

Third, we must learn to respect our neighbors. Neighbors do not take from neighbors without asking. Neighbors are there to help in times of trouble. We should strive to establish community ties between nations. First-world countries such as the United States, the European nations must step up to the plate to initiate these ties. Third-world nations should discuss assistance; however, the assistance provided is decided by the nation providing the assistance. Neighbors help each other out of mutual concern, not out of feelings of guilt about the plight of the unfortunate neighbor.

Fourth, we must learn to share and care for each other as if we are all family. When we, as a people, care about the success of other groups of people, then we can work together for the success of all. Nations/peoples MUST take responsibility for themselves, and we who are currently more fortunate, must attempt to help those who are trying to be successful.

Fifth, all people must be dedicated to furthering themselves. Those who cannot or will not commit themselves to bettering themselves and their future must be allowed to fail. The only possible way for Xanadu to survive, is by everyone doing what he or she need to do.

In summary, to conquer the causes of war, and thereby eliminate war on our planet, we, as a species must dedicate ourselves to eliminating corruption and greed. If we are really interested in turning our planet into that mythical place called Xanadu, then we must turn around our lives, and care more for others than for ourselves.