I was traveling back in time. I visited friends and family, one of whom asked me, "Is the First World War really the last world war?"****It's kind of funny to note that 1) the person I was addressing was not even alive during the First or Second World Wars, and 2) WWI only became known as such once there was a WWII! But you'll have to forgive me, apparently in my dream state I failed to attend to details!
"No," I said sadly.
The friend looked at me, confused. Feeling wise, and in my attempt to explain away the lack of world peace, I responded, "Life is war."
Soon after that, I woke up.
I had to laugh at Dream Sarah's attempt at wisdom, but I wasn't really surprised at the subject of my thoughts. In the last two days, I've listened to a couple podcasts focused on how two great thinkers (The Buddha and Dietrich Bonhoeffer) approached the subject of human purpose and conflict. I found the similarities and differences of their philosophies quite thought-provoking.
I know very little about Buddhist philosophy, but I enjoyed thinking about how Indian journalist Pankaj Mishra applied it. He suggested that it's very easy for us to think that all those warring countries need is a little democracy -- you know, what's worked in the West. But he questioned how well the Western model is actually working, bringing up the many wars of the 20th (and now 21st) century. In his opinion, it's this endless striving for utopias (whether authoritarian or capitalist) juxtaposed with "the idea of history being this great narrative of progress" that is problematic.
It was quite interesting to think about. How else would we think about the world, if not in terms of the "narrative of progress"? I got the impression that Mishra did not think that an altered paradigm would necessarily eliminate political conflict, but it would help detach an individual's peace from the goings-on of the world outside the individual.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a pacifist who approached the subject of peace from a very different perspective. Said he, "Peace is the great adventure. It can never be safe; it is the opposite of security." His life provides important context for this quote: Bonhoeffer was a German Christian theologian who was executed for his participation in a failed attempt to assassinate Adolf Hitler.
I feel that both the philosophies of Buddha (as interpreted by Mishra) and Bonnhoeffer provide meaningful insight. Peace is not in the world, nor is it likely to be achieved by our drive for "modern progress". Yet, pursuing our personal peace also often requires action that exposes ourselves to tension, opposition, and risk. It's a fascinating interplay.