Peace on Earth and Good Will towards Men

by Margaret Turley

Today’s blog is a response to Kerry Blair’s blog on 12/19/08, about her wish for peace on earth. In her blog she tells how her son told her that peace wouldn’t be a good idea as it would put two of her sons and a nephew out of work. My answer to him is: wouldn’t that be nice if militias weren’t needed or the war machines and equipment to kill – to supposedly keep the peace.

What would happen if we didn’t have wars? Would that ruin the world’s or even this nation’s economy? Yes, I have been taught that when we are at war our economy does well, creating jobs in many sectors. We have been at war now for years and the US economy is head in the direction of the Great Depression. The economy of the world is in a terrible downturn.

So what would happen if all of a sudden peace was declared? We would have army, navy, air force, marines, national guardsmen and contractors for the military that no longer had a job. That could be disastrous.

What if we used the billions of dollars we now spend on war and paid off the national debt, to feed the hungry, pay for medical care, finance research for incurable diseases, improve our education systems, or retrain displaced workers to a field that not only help their family financially but will also help the nation? What if we used those dollars now spent on the military to research and develop renewal energy systems, or to halt and reverse global warming? What if we took all of the current military persons and put them to work rebuilding infrastructures? Or what if we used the entire military R&D for making useful every day products out of all the items that would otherwise be scrap metal? Or maybe they could help our industries clean up the air, water and land of pollutants. What if we use the military medical personnel in local civilian public health or world health outreach?

With true world peace, national peace we would have no need for the CIA, the FBI, the Secret Service, or any other spy, body guard, system. Oops – they would also need different jobs and careers. How about having those people service the third world countries and bring them up to pace with the rest of the world? Yes they could make sure there was clean water, enough food, plenty of schools and health care facilities to meet the needs so that there would be no need to go back to fighting over what little resources were available. Maybe they could teach tolerance, diversity, living green, and or arts? Who knows? I’m sure there are plenty of things that could be done once the focus is off how to beat the other guy to the punch.

Homeland Security could focus on building bridges, dams, roadways. They could be ready to respond to natural disasters. Instead of spending time on wondering when the next terrorist attack will happen, they could bring us back to the land of promise, the land that the Statue of Liberty stands for.

“Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

I think, and I know this is probably a dream that could only come true in the millennium, that we would not only have peace, but we could eliminate poverty, illiteracy, and disease. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

The lyrics and music to the song “Let There Be Peace on Earth” were written by Jill Jackson and Sy Miller in 1955. I feel they are more relevant now as they were then.

Let there be peace on earth,
and let it begin with me.
Let there be peace on Earth,
the peace that was meant to be.
With God as our Father,
brothers all are we,
Let me walk with my brother,
in perfect harmony.
Let peace begin with me,
let this be the moment now.
With every step I take,
let this be my solemn vow,
To take each moment and live each moment
in peace, eternally.
Let there be Peace on Earth,
and let it begin with me.

So if Peace on Earth begins with me, what am I going to do to help achieve that goal? I will smile to spread good will. I will extend a helping hand every time that I can. I will practice tolerance. I will think twice before speaking. When I feel angry I will count to ten, walk around the block, do anything other than retaliate so that I don’t perpetuate the situation. I will vote for leaders who seek peace. I will love my neighbors.

Have a very Happy, Peaceful, and Loving New Year!