Document Type
Article
Abstract
The topic for this evening was the Science of Peace, by James O’Day, who spoke at the Department of Peace Conference this past February, in Washington, D.C. He started his discussion with an explanation of the Art of War. He quoted Master Sung – “Without a full understanding of the harms of war it is impossible to manage it.” He went on to talk of the Sirens in the novel Ulysses, who were a loud distraction. Today, the Powers of War (media, 9/11. Alert codes, etc.) are all very loud now. These modern-day “Sirens” capture our attention and know how to manipulate us. We need to not let these sirens get to us. He went on to state that today, 60% of Americans are depressed; 40% of kids are stressed and 25% of Americans have no one to talk to. Stress weakens our ability to act rationally. Stress is high in the world also. 25% of the prison population is under the age of 25. The people under the age of 25 are destined to repeat their offense because they’re not getting the nurturing attention they need. Under stress, the body cannot escape from the oppressive conditions. The only way out is to engage in dialogue and listen. We need to talk to people to better understand them. Inner resources will be opened up as a result. Listening to other people has enormous power because we all want to be understood. Science shows that the worst stress is when one is judged by another.
Disciplines
Peace and Conflict Studies | Sociology