Discussion of War and Peace

The Thought Campaign for ePamphleteer.com

Universal Aspects of an Individual

1. We believe that all human beings have values, beliefs, emotions,

the ability to feel pain, people for whom they care, and people who
care about them.
2. We believe that no person is a nameless, faceless person.
3. We believe that every person's life is worth preserving, and that
every effort should be made to avoid the destruction of other
people's lives.
4. We believe that all humans desire to live in safety, free from the
fear of sudden attacks on themselves or people they care about.
5. We believe that the life of each person will some day end.
6. We believe that some ways of dying are less desirable than others.
7. We believe that a large number of influences on a person's life
exist over which they have no control.
8. We believe that events occur in individual's lives over which they
have no control.
9. We believe that no person has consciously chosen to whom they
would be born, nor into which culture, country or circumstance
they would be born.
10. We believe that if it was an option, every person would choose to
live in peace.
11. We believe that for some people, due to circumstances beyond
their control, living in peace doesn't seem like an option.
12. We believe that in order for a person to be involved in military
action, something takes precedence over the desire to live in peace.

The Irrationality of War

1. We believe that killing people kills people.

2. We believe that the reliance on the killing of people and the belief
that it is an effective problem solving strategy are problems in and
of themselves.
3. We believe that warfare is a source of great pain for the individuals
who are involved in its execution.
4. We believe that violent actions invite violent reactions.
5. We believe that unexpected violent deaths should be avoided.
6. We believe that every person who is killed unexpectedly in a
violent manner was cared for by other people, and that these other
people suffer as a result of the death.
7. We believe that ideas, beliefs, and values, cannot be defeated by
killing people who possess them.
 8. We believe that justifying violence in the name of retaliation will
lead to an endless chain of retaliation.
9. We believe that the only way to break a chain of retaliation is to
not retaliate.
10. We believe that killing people for whom living in peace is not an
option is not an effective way to bring about peace; the death of
one person may convince others who cared about them that living
in peace is not an option in their lives either.

The Possibility of Peace

1. We believe that before there can be peace, there must be an end to

war.
2. We believe that peace cannot be achieved through violent actions.
3. We believe that there are solutions to the problems of the world
that do not necessitate the killing of people.
4. We believe that it is impossible to determine whether one side or
another is responsible for military conflicts; each party is
responsible for their own actions.
5. We believe that the actions of governments or other organizations
are not necessarily representative of the beliefs of the people over
whom they claim authority.
6. We believe that finding a way to live peacefully with peoples of
other nations and cultures should be a priority for all world leaders.
7. We believe that the only way there will be peace is if the desire to
live in peace takes precedence over other objectives.

A Call to Action

1. We believe that many people believe what we believe.

2. We believe that until people who believe what we believe are in
the position to guide the actions of governments and organizations,
it is unlikely that peace will be achieved.
3. We believe that leaders who are more concerned with money and
power will act in ways that increase their chances of gaining
money and power, whether or not the actions have a positive effect
on the probability of peace.
4. We believe that leaders who have an earnest desire to make peace
in a peaceful manner must be given the opportunity to lead before
peace will be achieved.
5. We believe that without change, improvement is impossible.
6. We believe that inaction solves nothing.
7. We believe that peace is possible.