Tag Archives: United Nations

International Peace day

The United Nations has declared Sep 21st (tomorrow) as the international day of peace.  It would be nice to celebrate another year of peace on Sept 21 each year but sadly world wide peace continues to elude us.

Sometimes peace in the bar down the street, the neighbourhood market or local school eludes us.  This is a sad state of affairs.  Peace is only logical.

On September 21st the United Nations recognizes those  who have tried to keep the peace during the previous year.

A Show of Force

Although the human race excels at innovation and continuous improvement of quality of life and cultural openness, on the whole, there are disturbing pockets of illogical unpeaceful behaviour.

How can an intelligent species like humans (we consider ourselves to be at the top of the intelligence curve) believe the best approach to peace is a show of force.

The United Nations has a peace keeping force.  The sovereign nation of Japan does not have an army but rather a self defence force.  However you label it, using aggression to ensure freedom from disturbance,  that is a state of tranquility, seems a bit of misguided approach.

Peace is Good

Strangely to me, humanity has not yet adopted a universal value embracing a state of perpetual peace.  Peace is the only acceptable condition for co- habiting members of the human race and it should be inviolate.

Peace is good, great, extraordinary.  Peace is the only way.  Protecting the peace with aggression is illogical.  Aggression has no place in a peaceful society.

International Day of Happiness

March 20th is the International Day of Happiness,  unanimously adopted by  the United Nations 193 member states in 2012.  This day is intended to highlight the need to recognize the pursuit of happiness as a human right and a “fundamental human goal.”

Not New

There is no question this is a noble goal albeit not a new one.  Throughout the ages since dawn of civilization humans have philosophized about the pursuit of happiness.

Philosophers  such as Bhudda, Socrates, Confucius, Aristotle, Plato, Epicurus, Mencius, Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, and religious figures like Jesus, Abraham, Moses, and the prophet Muhammad have all comptemplared the definition of happiness, and how to achieve it in some shape an form.

My own personal philosophy of life stems from the work of plato.  I consider my happiness founded in the belief I can persue my own maximum pleasure as long as I don’t impinge on that of others.

Making it Happen

Sadly creating a worldwide environment of happiness and joy for all, while a noble objective, is hard to do.  A simple poll in my workplace today revealed few (actually I found none) aware this was International Happiness Day.

The need to declare such a day, to bring attention to the basic human requirement for global happiness is in itself unfortunate. Happiness should be endemic, the norm rather than something to strive for.

Ah, Utopia.