Philosophyofpeace's Blog

Right to Healthcare for all

philosophyofpeace — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 13:35:25 +0000

The Right to healthcare is an issue that is important to all of us. Fully capitalist countries like the USA depends on Insurance for healthcare. But as President Obama recently said : “nearly 46 million Americans don’t have health insurance coverage today. In the wealthiest nation on Earth, 46 million of our fellow citizens have no coverage. They are just vulnerable. If something happens, they go bankrupt, or they don’t get the care they need,” This statement shows the limitation of a capitalistic system. The fact that capitalism has its drawbacks was pointed out by Marx long ago, but the alternative polity he prescribed did not work. That doesn’t mean that Marx’s criticism of Capitalism is all wrong. As the recent world economic downturn shows, the criticism is relevant even today. “To each according to his need” should be the aim of all econimies, and by refusing healthcare to the poor, Capitalist countries like the USA is denying healthcare to those who need it the most— the poorest of the poor. In the biggest shake-up of its kind in US history, Mr Obama wants to provide for the millions of Americans not covered by any insurance if they fall ill. But the opposition says that’s too expensive and say that tough decisions would then be taken as to who could and should live. Can a human “life” really be measured in terms of money ? The Capitalist system creates an illusion that this medicine costs “this much” and this costs “that much”. It is the medical companies which makes the medicines costly. It is the millionaires who trade in Hospitals that makes Hospital charges rise. It is time to call a spade a spade and put a stop to all these “business” with healthcare. While it is fine to trade in normal day-to-day commodities, we need to think whether we should continue to trade in essential commodities. Essential commodities should be provided at affordable prices to all citizens. It is the right of ALL to receive essential commodities. Trading and business should not be allowed to be done with them. Across the Atlantic in Britain Prime Minister Gordon Brown is under attack for his country’s National Health Service or the NHS which was set up to provide for all. The increasing criticism forced Gordon Brown to respond on Twitter where he said: “NHS often makes a difference between pain and comfort, despair and hope, life and death. Thanks for always being there.” Thsi statement is absolutely correct. This is the value of having a National Health Service. It may not be luxurious, but it is affordable for all. That is the essence of an NHS. ALL COUNTRIES of the world should have an NHS. It would prevent “business” with healthcare that makes it unaffordable for common peopole. We have to look as to who are opposing President Obama in his historic quest to provide healthcare for all ? A closer scrutiny would reveal that they represent the vested interests who make money out of health care dependent upon Insurance companies, as billions of profits are made. They literally earn a living by exploiting the poor. All leaders would do better to shun these protests and go ahead to provide health care to In my humble opinion, the Hospitals should charge FULL money from the rich patients. Take double money if they want. But to the poor, they should give FREE medical service. This can be done by reserving, lets say, 40% of seats in ALL hospitals to those who are below the poverty line. all.

I’m from India, not from USA, and the domestic politics of USA is of no concern to me. But Right to healthcare is an issue intimately connected with world peace. The “Active Theory of peace” postulates that “Peace” is part of a triad, which also includes justice and wholeness (or well-being), consonant with scriptural scholarly interpretations of the meaning of the early Hebrew word S-L-M or ‘Shalom’,(arabic “salama”) called by some the Bible’s (and Quran’s) word for salvation, justice, and peace.

This essay is also not US-centric. In it I spoke about Marxism, which is anathema to Americans. Many Americans see Karl Marx as some sort of “Satan”. I spoke about NHS (National Health Service). USA does not have that. Prime Minister Gordon is British PM not US President. I merely took the opportunity of utilising the current debate in USA about Healthcare to make an important point about the desirability of having a governmental healthcare system like the ones that Sweden has.

Right to Healthcare is intricately connected with peace.Structural violence, a term used by Johan Galtung, denotes a form of violence which corresponds with the systematic ways in which a given social structure or social institution kills people slowly by preventing them from meeting their basic needs. Not giving access to healthcare is one of them. Structural violence and direct violence are highly interdependent.When people get desperate, desperate situations emerge.It was a desperate Germany in which Adolf Hitler came to power. It was a desperate Afghanistan where Talibans came to power. And look at the result :– Total disruption of peace.

While domestic political debates of USA does not affect those of us who are not Americans, the issue is of far-reaching consequences concerning the whole globe. Until very recently, half the world was under USSR’s communistic influence. And even now socialism deeply affects the whole world. Billions of poor people in CIS, Asia, Africa and Latin America do not have access to healthcare. While in some cases this denial is due to lack of ANY healthcare infrastructure, in many other cases is due to the private Healthcare facilities being too expensive and hence being economically out of reach for common man(who are not necessarily poor, but simply not able to afford too expensive healthcare facilities). Due to this over-expensive healthcare systems, many common people are pushed towards quacks (like the local witch/priest) or alternative unscientific medical systems like Homeopathy, naturopathy, chiropractic, herbalism, traditional Chinese medicine, Unani, Ayurveda, biofeedback, hypnosis, homeopathy, acupuncture, and diet-based therapies. And very often people suffer illness as these “alternative medicines” fail to give adequate relief.

I think that Sweden’s healthcare serves as a good model for the World to follow.The Swedish health care system is government-funded and heavily decentralized. The health care system in Sweden is financed primarily through taxes levied by county councils and municipalities.But the important point is that Sweden’s entire population has equal access to health care services. That is what I emphatically advocate.

The Importance of Peace

philosophyofpeace — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:09:59 +0000

VEDIC SHANTI PRAYER

May there be peace in the sky,
May there be peace in the atmosphere,
May there be Peace on Earth,
May all the waters and herbs bring peace,
May the trees give peace to all ,
May Nature be peaceful,
May peace spread everywhere,
May all things everywhere give us peace,
And may that peace come to us and remain with us for ever.
——-From Shukla Yajur Veda 36/17

Jesus said : “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” (Matthew 5:9) The Holy Bible says that there is “joy for those who promote peace.”(Proverbs 12:20) and advises us to “seek peace and pursue it.”Psalm 34:14. It asks us to “live in harmony with one another” (Romans 12:16; I Peter 3:8).

The “Active Theory of peace” postulates that “Peace” is part of a triad, which also includes justice and wholeness (or well-being), consonant with scriptural scholarly interpretations of the meaning of the early Hebrew word S-L-M or ‘Shalom’,(arabic “salama”) which is the Holy Bible’s (and Quran’s) word for salvation, justice, and peace.

Reflection on the nature of peace is also bound up with considerations of the causes for its absence or loss. Among these potential causes are: insecurity, social injustice, economic inequality, political and religious radicalism, and acute nationalism. Structural violence and direct violence are highly interdependent. Structural violence, a term first used by Johan Galtung, denotes a form of violence which corresponds with the systematic ways in which a given social structure or social institution kills people slowly by preventing them from meeting their basic needs. When people get desperate, desperate situations emerge.It was a desperate Germany in which Adolf Hitler came to power. It was a desperate Afghanistan where Talibans came to power. And look at the result :– Total disruption of peace.

Unless we have global harmony, we cannot have global peace. Verily, it’s discord that sows the seeds of violence. As Martin Luther King, Jr. said “an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.” Hence we need to abondon all hatred because as Buddha said, “Hatred is never appeased by hatred in this world. By non-hatred alone is hatred appeased. This is a law eternal.”(Dhammapada1:5)

Let us learn to be united for in global unity lies our salvation. Peace is our REAL salvation, and unless we learn to be united with each other, that peace will remain a distant dream.As Albert Einstein had said : “We must be prepared to make heroic sacrifices for the cause of peace that we make ungrudgingly for the cause of war. There is no task that is more important or closer to my heart.”

“Where men of all races have come together,
Awake, O my mind!
Standing here with outstretched arms,
I send my salutations to the God of Humanity,
And in solemn chant sing his praises.
At whose call no one knows,
Came floating streams of men
And merged here into one body.
Today the west has opened its doors,
And from thence come gifts.
Giving and taking,
All will be welcome on the shores of Bharat,
Where men of all races have come together.
Come, O Aryan and Non-Aryan, Hindu and Muslim,
Come, O English and Christian,
Come, O Priest,
Purify your mind and clasp the hands of all;
Come, O downtrodden,
And let vanish all burdens of your humiliation.
Tarry not, but come you all
To anoint the Mother,
On the shores of Bharat,
Where men of all races have come together.”
—–Indian Poet Rabindranath Tagore

JUST WAR THEORY

philosophyofpeace — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 17:03:44 +0000

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” — Edmund Burke

INTRODUCTION

Just-war philosophy looks upon as peaceful those wars that are waged not for motives of aggrandizement, or cruelty, but with the object of securing peace.Thomas Jefferson, the third President of United States had said that “the price of freedom is eternal vigilance.” The same need for vigilance equally applies to peace. If, heeding Sir Winston Churchill’s warnings, Great Britain had opposed Hitler much earlier, when he was definitely very weak, then probably Second World War itself could have been avoided.As the english proverb goes : a stitch in time saves nine.Out of this need for vigilance comes the theory of “just war”. Of course, terrorist criminals misuse the term to propagate “terrorism” and kill innocent people.But just as science can both be used for benefit of man, as well as to do harm, the concept of ‘just-war’ is also misused by some to fight an ‘unjust war’.

JUST WAR THEORY IN HINDU HOLY BOOK GITA

Hinduism, which is famous for its principle of “ahimsa” or non-violence, also supports ‘just-war’ theory.The holy book “Bhagavad Gita” is a treatise on just-war. It goads the soldier Arjuna to “fight for justice”. Lord Krishna says to Arjuna :
” As a ksatriya (soldier), you should know that there is no better engagement for you than fighting for justice/righteousness; and so there is no need for hesitation.
O Partha, happy are the soldiers, to whom such fighting opportunities come unsought, opening for them the doors of the heavenly planets.

If, however, you do not fight for justice/righteousness, then you will certainly incur sins for neglecting your duties and thus lose your reputation as a fighter. “
—-Bhagavad Gita 2:31-33

CHRISTIAN JUST WAR THEORY : ST. THOMAS ACQUINAS

Medieval Christian monk St. Thomas Acquinas in his famous treatise “Summa Theologica” said that in order for a war to be just, three things are necessary :

1.” First, the authority of the sovereign by whose command the war is to be waged…. it is said to those who are in authority (Ps. 81:4): “Rescue the poor: and deliver the needy out of the hand of the sinner”;

2. Secondly, a just cause is required, namely that those who are attacked, should be attacked because they deserve it on account of some fault. Wherefore Augustine says (Questions. in Hept., qu. x, super Jos.): “A just war is wont to be described as one that avenges wrongs, when a nation or state has to be punished, for refusing to make amends for the wrongs inflicted by its subjects, or to restore what it has seized unjustly.”

3. Thirdly, it is necessary that the belligerents should have a rightful intention, so that they intend the advancement of good, or the avoidance of evil. Hence Augustine says: “True religion looks upon as peaceful those wars that are waged not for motives of aggrandizement, or cruelty, but with the object of securing peace, of punishing evil-doers, and of uplifting the good.” For it may happen that the war is declared by the legitimate authority, and for a just cause, and yet be rendered unlawful through a wicked intention. Hence Augustine says (Contra Faust. xxii, 74): “The passion for inflicting harm, the cruel thirst for vengeance, an unpacific and relentless spirit, the fever of revolt, the lust of power, and such like things, all these are rightly condemned in war.”

Therefore, Acquinas’s concept of just war is simple : a war by a just king for a just cause in a just manner.

“JIHAD” IN HOLY QURAN :

If we compare “Just War theory” with the concept of “Jihad” in Holy Quran , we find it is similar to Acquinas’ “Just War” theory. The Holy Quran says:

“ To those against whom war is made, permission is given (to fight), because they are wronged;- and verily, GOD is most powerful for their aid. (They are) those who have been expelled from their homes in defiance of right,- (for no cause) except that they say, “our Lord is GOD”. Did not GOD check one set of people by means of another, there would surely have been pulled down monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, in which the name of GOD is commemorated in abundant measure. GOD will certainly aid those who aid his (cause);- for verily GOD is full of Strength, Exalted in Might, (able to enforce His Will).”
—– The Holy Quran, surah 22, verses 39-40

Then again Quran says :
“Fight in the cause of GOD those who fight you, but do not transgress limits; for GOD loveth not transgressors.”— Surah 2, verse 190

“ And why should ye not fight in the cause of GOD and of those who, being weak, are ill-treated (and oppressed)?- Men, women, and children, whose cry is: “Our Lord! Rescue us from this town, whose people are oppressors; and raise for us from thee one who will protect; and raise for us from thee one who will help!”– Surah 4, verse 75

In other words, the term “Jihad” simply means to fight for justice. It refers to what modern politics call, a “just war”.Hence, analysing the various Quranic verses, Pakistani scholar and professor Fazlur Rahman Malik has used the term to describe the struggle to establish “just moral-social order”.

“JIHAD” AS JUST WAR THEORY

The common misconception about the Quranic concept of “jihad”, is that it is a fight by the muslims against non-muslims. Nothing could be farther from the truth.”Jihad” actually means to “fight for justice”. By that analogy, the Human right activists are fighting a “jihad” too. A closer examination of the Quranic verses will reveal that “Jihad” is similar to the “Just War theory” propounded by Christian monks Augustine of Hippo and St. Thomas Acquinas. In modern Arabic, the word “jihad” means a struggle for a just cause, violent or not, religious or secular. For instance, Mahatma Gandhi’s struggle for Indian independence is called a “jihad” in modern Arabic (as well as many other dialects of Arabic). The terminology is also applied to the fight for women’s liberation. President Habib Bourguiba of Tunisia has used it to describe the struggle for economic development in that country.

MODERN JUST WAR THEORY

Just War theorists combine both a moral abhorrence towards war with a readiness to accept that war may sometimes be necessary. The criteria of the just war tradition act as an aid to determining whether resorting to arms is morally permissible. Just War theories are attempts “to distinguish between justifiable and unjustifiable uses of organized armed forces”; they attempt “to conceive of how the use of arms might be restrained, made more humane, and ultimately directed towards the aim of establishing lasting peace and justice.”
The Just War tradition addresses the morality of the use of force in two parts: when it is right to resort to armed force (the concern of jus ad bellum) and what is acceptable in using such force (the concern of jus in bello). In more recent years, a third category — jus post bellum — has been added, which governs the justice of war termination and peace agreements, as well as the prosecution of war criminals.

Seen in this context, “Jihad” or “just war” can be interpreted as a struggle to establish peace itself, rather than disturbing peace. In that sence, not only is it welcome, but also essential for maintenance of peace. On correct understanding of the term, “jihad” would be the struggle to maintain peace.UN Peacekeeping missions would also similarly be viewed as “jihad” or “just-war”.

Silent Violence

philosophyofpeace — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 17:01:54 +0000

Ahimsa or Non-Violence is a concept emphasized by Mahatma Gandhi. Simply put, it means cessation of violence. However, since Gandhiji’s death, the concept was further developed by Civil Right activists such as Martin Luther King, Jr. During the 1950s and 60s, when Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement carried out various non-violent activities aimed at ending segregation and racial persecution in America, they understood peace as more than just the absence of violence. They observed that while there was not open combat between blacks and whites, there was an unjust system in place in which the government deprived African Americans of equal rights. While some opponents criticized the activists for “disturbing the peace”, Martin Luther King observed that “True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice.”

Kant’s Theory of Peace

philosophyofpeace — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 17:00:39 +0000

18th Century philosopher Immanuel Kant had said that democracy can bring world peace. He had said that democratic republic countries rarely go to war. His logic was simple. Majority of people love peace. They would never interfere in other’s affairs. Therefore, majority of the people would never vote for war, unless in self defense. Hence, if all countries of the world were republics, it would end war. Because there would be no aggressors. Implied in his theory is that republican forms of government are not “strong enough” to overrule public opinion favoring peace. Kant claims not only republics are at peace with each other, but also are more pacific in general.

Modern political scientists have studied this theory in detail. Most have found that this theory is correct. Some have however raised objections. They give examples of USA, which have sometimes gone to war. For example Vietnam (1965-75) and the Gulf wars. However in general, many have found a strong correlation between peace and democracy.

An eye for an eye

philosophyofpeace — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 02:03:18 +0000

The increasing violence in the world today, is because of an attitude of, “an eye for an eye”. Everyone who has been struck, strikes back. Anyone who is hated, hates back. People all over the globe, are over-eager to implement in their own life, Sir Isaac Newton’s Third Law of Motion, : “To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” They forget that laws of physics are not applicable to human relationships.
Modern thinkers have examined this ‘desire for revenge’.They have arrived at a conclusion : that this attitude sets in motion, a chain reaction, which if left unchecked, would soon annihilate everyone. In this context, Mahatma Gandhi said : “an eye for an eye, and soon the whole world is blind”. Martin Luther King Jr. echoing Gandhi, said that “An eye for an eye leaves everyone blind”, to show what violence between races cause. The saying is applicable to all sorts of violence.
However, our religions in fact preach not to strike back. Jesus Christ said : “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who insult you and persecute you, that ye may be the sons of your Father who is in the heavens; for he makes his sun rise on evil and good, and sends rain on just and unjust. For if ye should love those who love you, what reward have ye? Do not also the tax-gatherers the same? And if ye should salute your brethren only, what do ye extraordinary? Do not also the Gentiles the same? Be ye therefore perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect. “
—–Matthew 5:44-48
Quran says : “Let not those among you who are endued with grace and amplitude of means resolve by oath against helping their kinsmen, those in want and those who migrated in the path of Allah. Let them forgive and overlook. Do you not wish that Allah should forgive you? Indeed Allah is oft-Forgiving, most Merciful.” —–Sûrah an Nûr 24:22
Lord Buddha said : “Hatred is never appeased by hatred in this world. By non-hatred alone is hatred appeased. This is a law eternal.” —–Dhammapada, 1:5
Examining this urge to “hit back”, the Greek philosipher Socrates used to say that “one who is injured ought not to return the injury, for on no account can it be right to do an injustice; and it is not right to return an injury, or to do evil to any man, however much we have suffered from him.”
Therefore, I urge you that in our daily life, let us think rationally, and desist from hating back even those who may hate us. Hate the sin, but love the sinner.