An Absurd Idea

There is an absurd idea still prevalent in educated societies including our own, that if we kill all our enemies, or lock them up, bomb them, sanction them, or send them back to wherever they came from, and carry out a whole host of other punative measures, then we will eventually have no more enemies, and peace will miraculously occur. This is a truly naïve belief. It’s an unworkable approach.

Historically we know that none of these things result in peace, happiness or prosperity. In fact destructive, violent policies only serve to increase fear, suspicion and further resentment on all sides. You have a perfect example of this in the middle east.

At some point someone has to act unilaterally to begin peaceful, friendly relations, realising that we can all help each other without compromising our own cultural, ideological and religious preferences. The world is a beautiful mosaic of differences. Uniformity would be terribly boring.

A sense of love and appreciation can start somewhere and overcome obstacles that those tried and failed destructive approaches have never ever succeeded in doing. It's called civilization.

Those wise realistic people who look at the world as it is now will smugly counter that this is a naive sentiment. They should remember the achievements of so many societies in overcoming the intransigence and obstinacy of the past. We ended slavery, gave women the vote, and so many countries under decades of foreign rule, even centuries, gained their freedom and independence.

But change does have to come from within. I suggest each person start with themselves and make a positive contribution to building a better future. It's the only intelligent way forward. Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is a good definition of insanity. To continue with failed solutions in the hope that maybe next time they will succeed is a futile pursuit.

I am a teacher of Transcendental Meditation founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and taught to the Beatles in the 60s, and my view is perhaps the result of 40 years of practise myself, and the examination of over 600 scientific research studies published in more than 250 reputable peer reviewed scientific journals.

I’ve personally taken part in research projects that reduced violent crime in Washington DC by nearly 25% in 6 weeks, using only groups practising Transcendental Meditation and its advanced programme together. It surprised me at the time, but I was there and watched it happen. The study was undertaken by a nuclear scientist, Dr John Hagelin, a member of the 'unified field' study group at CERN and NASA, and was published in the highly respected Social Indicators Research - an international and interdisciplinary journal for quality-of-life measurement.

Changes in individual and collective consciousness are changes that take place within, and only such an approach can bring a true sense of security, co-operation and friendliness between individuals and nations.

We already know that invincibility is not arrived at through fear-based approaches, bigger bombs, and a powerful military presence, but the concept could work through fundamental individual and social change. Fundamental means it has to begin inside the hearts and minds of individuals, the basic units that make a society. Genuine defense starts and ends here.

Genuine security is not achieved through talk and treaty signing, but through personal paradigm shifts, a change of perception that reveals something we had missed before. This will inevitably happen, but the speed depends on personal choices.

I wish for more people to begin developing their own consciousness through meditation on a daily basis and start to make a real difference to human behaviour world wide by changing themselves from within.

For more information about development of consciousness and Transcendental Meditation go to http://www.learntm.co.uk/ or http://www.t-m.org.uk/ or call 01695 51213 and get a free information pack posted to you.