1999-11-10 09:19:00
Introduction
"Project Peace and Goodwill is a ship with not one Columbus, but many. With such power none can stop it from sailing over that ocean called 'Impossible'."
Perhaps the above quote from this following treatise sets the tone of its purpose more than anything else. Indeed Project Peace and Goodwill sets out to accomplish the seemingly impossible. Its goal is to rid the world of all nuclear arms and war itself, eventually bringing a perpetual peace on earth.
More fascinating still is the fact that herein is at last presented a solid, intelligent and workable plan that will fire the hearts and minds of humanity with vision and belief that the words: PEACE ON EARTH, GOODWILL TO MANKIND will finally become a reality.
Is there a better time to present such a plan than the beginning of a new millennium? Mankind certainly needs a candle of hope that this next thousand years will not yield a nuclear winter, but will hold for us sunny skies, green pastures and children with wonder in their eyes looking forward to a brighter and brighter future.
THE UNIVERSAL THREAT
The great heart of humanity trembles more at this one thought than any other: NUCLEAR WAR - AND THE DESOLATION THAT WOULD FOLLOW. Never before has nature or even man himself placed before him such an ominous threat that pierces him to the center and makes him quake with fear for himself and future generations.
In the past man has bravely faced his enemies, his cruel dictators, wars, persecutors, conquistadors, wild animals, savages, hurricanes, floods, and even the violent shakings of the Earth, but until now he has never faced an enemy so overwhelming as that created by the collective mind of humanity when the power of the atom was unleashed. This new enemy is wielded by both friend and foe - both are to be feared and neither trusted.
Mankind now has such great power in his hands that one fears that his own countrymen in a weak or accidental moment may detonate the bomb that will lead to the destruction of the entire world, and there would be no men or history books left to record the greatest blunder of all time.
The real enemy here is not an opposing tribe, nation, people, or even an ideology, but man himself, and wherever there is a person who has power to detonate a nuclear bomb, there we have the potential slayer of mankind - one like ourselves who simply made a mistake: A mistake so grave that we want to hide our heads in the sand and not think about it.
On the other hand, the person who presses the doomsday button is not the one to be held responsible for the destruction of civilization. We are. If parents allow a child to play with a stick of dynamite, and he lights the fuse and blows them up -who is responsible? Certainly not the child, but the parents who should know better.
If you and I allow another person in an insane moment to blow us off the face of the Earth with nuclear or other weapons, similarly, he is not the one to be held responsible. Instead, it is those who know better: general humanity - you and I.
Many parents cry about the mistakes of their children and blame the little ones for their misfortunes, but it is no more ridiculous for humanity, the parents of government, to cry over the possibility of their leaders destroying them, than it is for parents to cry over their children because they have made mistakes through lack of discipline.
You and I, common ordinary people, are the ones who have the supreme power and responsibility, and we must now awake to the fact that we can, will, and must subject the leaders of the nations to discipline so they will lay down their terrible toys, and cease their childish threatenings of desolation, and follow the peaceful way.
From the heart of humanity comes the Plan for Peace - a physical peace that will also lead to an inner peace of mind. Imagine how much better the parents of the world will feel knowing that their children will surely grow to maturity and face a life full of opportunities, a life that will not be cut short by an insane atomic war!
The Plan must not be identified with a political party, else the opposition, in their pride, will oppose it. Neither must it be identified with a religion, race, creed, or nation. Indeed, it must come from the midst of common people: neither the famous, nor wealthy, nor powerful, but a true representation of humanity itself. Only thus initiated can the Plan have the necessary power and momentum to synthesize the people and consummate the great words which are the hope of the world: PEACE ON EARTH; GOODWILL TO MEN.
Project Peace and Goodwill is thus initiated to achieve this very end, which end must be reached by humanity itself through the use of its own freewill. We recognize that no outside power will force man to live in peace, but he must make that decision for himself.
We believe that humanity has come of age and the majority of people want the nations of the world to lay down their desolating weapons and never take them up again. Many there are who deeply desire to trust their fellow men and live their lives without fear - for nations must learn to tolerate each other, make compromises, and spread goodwill, just as a men and women must deal peacefully with their neighbors.
Most individual human beings have become mature enough so they have no desire to store explosives in their basements for possible use against their neighbors. It is time that the nations as a whole rise to the level of the common man and with one accord covenant to make harmless their weapons of desolation and never seek to again threaten the destruction of humanity.
Project Peace and Goodwill is to be the most cosmopolitan group ever established for its goal reaches into the hearts of men in every nation: PEACE ON EARTH, GOODWILL TO MEN. Who would want to argue with it or fight against such a lofty ideal? The words sound good and strike a chord in even the basest of mankind. Indeed, it would be criminal for anyone to lift a finger to discourage such a project. Nevertheless, there will be many who will arise with objections.
Some of the objections to be expected are:
(1) Such a goal is impossible and can never be accomplished. The leaders of the nations are too corrupt.
(2) Only God can bring peace on the Earth and cause men to lay down their arms.
(3) The world is doomed to destruction by God and there is nothing anyone can do about it.
We will briefly counter these three objections.
Objection One: There are always those laggards who claim that progress is impossible. They heckled Columbus, the Wright Brothers, Edison, and every other visionary thinker who ever walked the globe. Their watchword has always been: "Impossible". It's as if their sole purpose is to try and discourage those few who would work to benefit humanity.
"Impossible", said Napoleon, "That is not good French!" Another named Napoleon Hill said: "That which the mind of man can conceive and believe - it can achieve."
Peace on Earth and Goodwill to Men has been conceived, and it is believed by many, so there is no reason why it cannot be achieved.
Disarmament and peace become possible when men believe they are possible, not before and not later. The truth is that mankind tries to limit itself to the eternal hostile atmosphere of the beast. Instead he should set his limitless vision on the peaceful horizons and proceed. Project Peace and Goodwill now sets that vision and men everywhere are called to set their sights on it and accept the possibility so the only barrier - man's limited thinking - can be removed.
Project Peace and Goodwill is a ship with not one Columbus, but many. With such power none can stop it from sailing over that ocean called "Impossible".
Objection Two: Many sincerely religious people adhere to objection number two: that only supernatural interference can bring peace on the Earth. Project Peace and Goodwill is not a religious organization and makes no pronouncements about God, for both believers and nonbelievers must work together in the light of reason to accomplish its great goals. We will, however, point out that there are many who have an unrealistic dependency upon the supernatural that is not supported in any of the world scriptures.
For instance there were many near the beginning of World War II who believed the Allies should not fight Hitler that God would take care of him. It wasn't long before the pacifists in England woke up to the fact that they and their countrymen must immediately ACT or live under the power of the ruthless dictator, and that God was not going to do for them what they had to do for themselves
It should be obvious to believers and nonbelievers alike that the responsibility for peace rests upon man alone for the only way God or anyone else could cause mankind to live in peace when he is not ready is to play the role of a ruthless dictator, take man's freewill away, and force him to do right. History does not record any such event happening nor do we expect any Divine interference that destroys the freewill of man.
The third common objection or problem is that there are many who believe unalterably in a doomsday. Many there are who believe the world will soon end and there is nothing anyone can do about it, but accept it. About once a year from time immemorial a significant new group has arisen preaching the end of the world and setting a date. Periodically the newspapers record how the groups sell all their belongings and retire to some designated place where they alone will be saved from the end of the world. Without exception each of these groups has been sadly disappointed.
Nevertheless, a doomsday is possible now we are in the nuclear age, but it is only a possibility and it can be avoided by the thoughtful will of humanity. Indeed it is something that MUST be avoided at all costs.
If an all out nuclear war were to occur about the best we could look forward to would be the preservation of some human life. If some were to survive these would undoubtedly revert to tribal living and civilization could be set back a thousand years or more.
Doomsday does not have to happen. If humanity accepts the goals of Project Peace and Goodwill then the great holocaust will be proven to be a mere madman's dream and future generations will look upon this point in time as a great turning point for the human family.
Coming Next: Part II
Copyright 1999 by J.J. Dewey, All Rights Reserved