Reconstruction for Peace
Today I am reminded of a magazine article with the above title, which I had written and had appeared in the October 1951 issue of the “Canadian Friend”. That was a long time ago as years are numbered. Since then, volumes of history have been acted out and written down. The Second World War had then just ended (?) .The world was surveying the physical devastation as well as the millions of lives lost in that useless conflict. I am asking, “To what avail?” What did mankind learn from this massive devastation of lives and property?
It is true that the “Great Depression” was somewhat brought to a close by giving those unemployed a chance to do useful (?) work in revitalized industry. Thousands of young men and women were, either encouraged to enlist or to be drafted into various sections of this huge war machine and taught to kill other young men and women as well as mothers with babes in arms.
When this series of conflicts came to a dead end, those who were left, many with broken bodies, were allowed to return to their broken homes. Many were again and now are now unemployed. However Technology, spurred on by Big Business had made many spectacular advances in order to produce more efficient “killing machines”, to make sure that their side had won.
Then there came a major conflict in Korea. Once again Science and Technology, financially encourage by Big Business made great strides in the design and creation of more modern fighting machines, bombers, fighters as well as ground vehicles. A few years later, Vietnam provided an opportunity to test our battle skills along with our enhanced war machines. Desert Storm, of course should not have happened. This, our war crazed rulers found out too late. But they had to test out some new equipment!
During this time, and to this day, the civilian side of society is based on the theory of Might makes right. The mightier the righter. On the Business side, there are huge profits to be made by keeping this philosophy alive and strong in the lives and minds of their customers. The world has become divided into two main camps, “The Haves and the Have-nots. The Have-nots, totaling in the millions of Souls, are not only destitute to the point of starvation, but many as well have no shelter or proper clothing to wear. They cannot even afford vital health care, which is often too desperately necessary.
Living in, what we have been taught is a Civilization, it is necessary to have money, some coins of the realm, as well as a legal way of obtaining more. These are necessary in order to buy minimum Education, Food, Clothing, Shelter and Medical Supplies (the necessities of life). Without some basic education, these people are often referred to as “Ignorant Savages”, at the very bottom of the human scale.
With all of these modern tools, designed for the production of goods (food and things) and services, which we have developed over the last half-century, should have made living much easier for everyone. However, Businesses, large and small, control the production and the distribution of all the output of these industries and services. It does not seem to matter that the equipment, including the buildings to house the equipment, were all made by people, potential customers of Industry. Business however demands a profit. This restricts who gets what, at what price.
After a half century and more, our science and technology are very capable of producing more than a sufficiency of reliable goods and services, not only for the people of this western hemisphere, but also, with a people-controlled distribution system, for the total population of our Planet.
As long as we tolerate this antique system of distribution; one which dictates who gets what by the amount of cash in the wallet along with the idea that nothing in this life is for free (goods or services); and as long as Businesses can realize some sort of profit and prestige by building war machines, that regenerate new wars; then we will continue to have wars and rumors of wars along with the associated human suffering, loss of life and the waste of unlimited, irreplaceable world resources.
Therefore, my friends and neighbours, let us put “first things first”. Let us substitute this very old antiquated Money-Price-Based system for a modern, much superior “Share Card” system for the control of both production and distribution of everything necessary, for all races, all cultures, all ages and all sexes. When we have succeed with this distribution project, which I believe we can, because on the one hand our scientists have succeeded in controlling and destroying matter (the atom bomb); on the other hand, Living Beings of all kinds have been forced to give up some of their secrets of life (genetic engineering); if men and women in their quest for knowledge can accomplish these seemingly impossible problems, however fraught with difficult consequence, then the rest should fall into place like a jigsaw puzzle. Wars and internal strife, having no place in the cultures of the world, would naturally vaporize and disappear.
First of all, let us all get busy and reconstruct our societies in such a way that PEACE can rein forever and forever!
Yours for PEACE on EARTH in a made-over society!
Timothy Haystubble (Grass Roots Philosopher)