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Ten Ways to Invest in a More Peaceful World
by Dr Mary-Wynne Ashford MD and Guy Dauncey
First published in Corporate Knights, 2005
1. Understand the Roots of Conflict
Conflict is often fed by poverty and injustice, compounded by
religious and ethnic differences, and the interference of outside
governments. The notion that one country can dominate the planet
leads to repeated wars, and undermines the entire system of
international law that has developed over the past half century.
It is this cooperative system of rules that is our best hope
for a stable future. See www.worldfederalistscanada.org 2. Invest in the Search for Common Ground
As the old Soviet Union began to open up, thousands of Westerners
traveled to see the “Evil Empire” for themselves
- and didn’t find it. Instead they met teachers, doctors,
and children who wanted peace, not war. War mongering depends
on our fear of the other, which depends on ignorance. We need
to transform the way the world deals with conflict by building
a global network of peacemakers who seek cooperative solutions,
celebrating our differences, instead of exploiting them. See
www.sfcg.org
3. Invest in Fair Trade
Countries that are still developing need the opportunity to build
economic stability without the crushing debt load that keeps
them down. Globalization that is just could lift them out of
poverty, and out of the hopelessness that generates anger,
hatred and terrorism. Small businesses that sell fair trade
products help farmers and artisans in the developing world
to earn a living, and keep the profits from their work in their
own communities. See www.transfair.ca
4. Invest in Ethical Funds
The world has given or pledged $4 billion dollars in tsunami
relief for the five million people who have lost their homes.
In 2003, the world spent $25 billion on weapons of war. Just
one B-2 Stealth Bomber costs $1 billion. How can we end war,
if we continue to invest our savings in companies which produce
arms? Ethical investments funds screen out these companies,
so it’s easy to invest elsewhere. See www.socialinvestment.ca
5. Invest in Sustainability
Throughout human history, people have fought over scarce resources,
be it land, food, or energy. As our planet heads further down
the road of ecological unsustainability, we will see more such
conflicts, until we are all behaving like jealous grub-hunters.
By investing in sustainability, on the other hand, cultures
can stabilize their economies within the bounds of nature,
and lay the foundations for peace. See www.sustreport.org
6. Invest in Renewable Energy
So remind me, why did the US go into in Iraq? Was it the dates?
The camels? The looming peak in the world’s oil supply
threatens to become a constant cause of conflict and war in
the 21st century unless we do what global climate change is
demanding we do anyway: invest in clean, renewable sources
of energy, from wind and solar to green hydrogen. See www.cleanpowerincomefund.com and www.bcsea.org.
7. Invest in Global Service
Viktor Frankl (Prisoner No 119,104 at Auschwitz, author of “Man’s
Search for Meaning”) wrote that the most important source
of meaning in life is service to others. Young people who travel
with Canada World Youth, CUSO, Rotary, or church projects in
the developing world come back transformed by their experience.
Whether they drill wells or help build a school, they make a
meaningful contribution. They often find that their return to
consumer culture makes them question what is really important,
and work harder for peace. See www.cwy-jcm.org
8. Invest in Electing More Women
When more women are elected to positions of power, the governance
culture begins to change, becoming less aggressive and more
supportive of communities and families. In India and other
Asian countries, new laws require that women must fill 30%
of the seats on community councils, even though the women are
frequently illiterate and inexperienced. Programs to teach
them literacy and democratic rights are bringing far reaching
changes. See www.wedo.org/5050/nigeria.htm
9. Invest in Restorative Justice
The adversarial system of law forces people into greater conflict,
rather than building connections between them that lead to
healing and peace. A community becomes stronger when it restores
the sense that all its members are valued, and belong. First
Nations groups are leading in the field of restorative justice,
without destroying an offender’s chance for rehabilitation
and reintegration into the community. See www.sfu.ca/crj
10. Invest in Your Own Peace
Bo Lozoff, an American who teaches meditation in prisons, gives
three instructions: Live simply; serve others; and practice
a spiritual discipline. If we want to increase the amount of
love in the world, the only place to begin is in our own lives.
If prisoners on death row can find peace and acceptance by
applying Lozoff’s principles, perhaps the rest of us
can too. See www.humankindness.org
Dr Mary-Wynne Ashford MD is the author of Enough Blood Shed:
101 Solutions to Violence, Terror and War (New Society Publishers,
2006). She is past Co-President of International Physicians
for the Prevention of Nuclear War. Guy Dauncey is author of
Stormy Weather: 101 Solutions to Global Climate Change (New
Society Publishers, 2001). They are Co-Directors of The Solutions
Project. (www.earthfuture.com/solutionsproject).
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