Posted on 04/23/2012 7:48:19 AM PDT by Shout Bits
Readers who live in hip neighborhoods might be familiar with 'peace' flags. Either a series of Tibetan Buddhist prayer flags or a US Flag with the States' stars replaced with a peace symbol, these flags are meant to demonstrate the home owner's commitment to peace. Unfortunately, this vision of peace is incompatible with owning a home, and the flags betray a misunderstanding of peace more profound than most peace flaggers can understand.
peace flag
The natural state of mankind is aggression, theft, war, and rule by force alone. Only a superior force prevents anarchy. Most often what passes for peace is enforced by the top thug for his sole benefit. The local crime lord, Kings, and the Pax Romana are all examples of relative peace secured to benefit the ruling power. The US was a unique experiment where the ruling force is a set of laws, the Constitution. While abuses are ever present, even the highest government figures remain servants to their Constitutions.
Regardless of the form of government, all peace relies on force. The result of defiance of authority is a show of force. If the peace flagger on the block refuses to mow his lawn, the City will issue a ticket. If he still refuses, the City will mow the lawn for him and send him a bill. If he refuses to pay the bill, he will ultimately lose his house. If he refuses to leave his house, he will be arrested. If he resists arrest, he will be subdued. If he fights back, he may be shot. More commonly, if the peace flagger's house is invaded by robbers who desire his property, the police might subdue and arrest the robbers. Hidden behind all private property and civil behavior is the threat of force to keep the peace.
The only barrier to the peace flagger losing his home to thieves is force, not his personal beliefs. The best system of peace is the one pioneered by the US Constitution, whereby no single person can become king, or thug in chief. At least in principal, the highest authority in the US serves the common good and does not to benefit a single person or special interest group. No coincidence, then, that the US and the nations that have emulated it are the most peaceful. The imbecilic Kony protestors are fighting a man when they should be fighting a system that invests the responsibility for peace in a warlord.
Those who understand what peace means and requires should display a standard US Flag, or maybe drape copies of the US Constitution across their front porches. No human system yet devised has done a better job of maintaining peace.
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>The natural state of mankind is aggression, theft, war, and rule by force alone.
Only the dead have seen the end of war. — George Santayana
Peace is not the absence of war, but the presence of justice. — Possibly Harrison Ford or MLK
Those are an innovative efficiency.
“People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.”
Attributed to George Orwell, though his authorship debated.
Regardless of who said it, I think it is indisputable.
You’d think the fate of Tibet would say something to these people about the fate of those who cannot or will not defend themselves against aggression.
Correct. The Buddhists use these flags to say prayers efficiently. Lots of people think they are peace flags, however.
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