COMMUNICATION FOR GLOBAL PEACE
It is always said that bad news travels fast. Bad incidents make good news. Technology has networked the world into a global village. A war, a terrorist attack, economic upheavals in one part of the world have direct consequences world over. Distance has no meaning today, as far as communication is concerned. It is here that communication specialists have an important role to play.
Media professionals & PR practitioners, both being communicators and molders of political will apart from public and corporate opinions and also have the potentiality to lead the way in reshaping and harnessing the world towards peace and order. International and domestic PR professionals and media representatives met in Bangalore, the technology capital of India, from 19th to 21st April and discussed ways and means to analyze and also to understand the emerging media.
The issues affecting communication and global peace came under the micro-scope when the Public Relations Society of India converted its silver jubilee national conference into an International PR Conference.
The topics that were discussed at the three-day conference were “Communication for Global peace”, as the theme of the conference; “Might is right?”; “War and Peace – The Media role”; “PR, Advertising – Changing perceptions & practices”; “Is a Terrorist born or made?”; “Inner peace – the first step”; and “Peace for progress”.
The reason that the participating professional bodies like Public Relations Society of India (PRSI), International Public Relations Association (IPRA), Council for Communicators Asia Pacific (C-CAP), Public Relations Institute of South Africa (PRISA) and Public Relations Society of Australia (PRSA) focusing attention on the issue of global peace is not surprising if we take some facts into consideration
* In the past $8,000 Million was spent on arms alone that are equivalent to three years income of the 3rd world countries.
* Six times as much public money go for research on weapons than on health protection.
* The third world spends 66% more on defense than on education.
* If directed the money spent by the militaries of the developed nations could eliminate third world poverty.
* There is one soldier per 240 people in the third world, but only one Doctor per 1,950.
* Chance of dying from malnutrition and diseases is 33 times greater than dying from war.
* The mortality rate is 1 for 7 at birth and the literacy percentage in eastern hemisphere of the globe stagnated at 44%.
* India’s defense and security budget is 34% where as the country of its cousins allocates 51% for the same purpose.
* In the 266 years history of America, it dispatched its forces 277 times.
There can not be a good war or a bad peace. Every one knows the consequences of a war. Blood-shed is the instant result while hatred is the only thing that remains after a war.
Seed of peace or seeds of war are sown in the minds of men. Man knows what is right but can not follow it. He knows what is wrong but he can not resist it. The 3rd anti-Christ, presumed to be Saddam Hussein (name given to an anti-human as prophesied by the Nastrodamus), is a man in whose mind the seeds of suppression are sown. Gandhi, half naked fakir, who tackled critical issues by means of truth-force (sathyagraha) and non-violence (ahimsa) was also a man in whose mind the seed of peace was sown.
Where there is hunger there is angry. Where there is suppression there is insurgence. History indicates that those countries, which are poverty-ridden, and those countries where all the people are not treated alike are at unrest. In the words of Dalai Lama, “peace can only last where human rights are respected”.
If hammer is your only instrument, you will treat every one as nails. Like Germany, which during the 2nd world war sought a place in the Sun, war again is a major industry for America too. They have a big hammer, enough to crush even the UN, not sparing but treating the defying countries as nails.
America can not disregard the resentment that is being voiced throughout the world. The parallel war i.e. the media war waged against the entire universe by US-UK alliance is based on their inherited principle “suggestio falsi, suppressio veri”, can not stand the prudent scanning of the world public.
It is identified that Communication and Public Relations professions cherished in America though they have their roots in ancient civilizations across the Globe. A 5th of war expenditure if spent on well planned media campaigns and aimed at the mis-deeds of Saddam, entire Iraq and Middle East would have worked against Saddam to oust him from his position.
According to Franklin D Roosevelt, “when peace has been broken any where, the peace of all countries is in danger”. “Peace can not be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding” said Albert Einstein. Hate the sin, not the sinner is a sub- commandment, the Christianity believes in. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” are the words uttered by Jesus Christ intending the two men, when he was crucified. Can the self-styled Liberator, America will ever understand these simple sayings?
India never waged a war and conquered any country. It may not do so in future too. But its sons always won the hearts of the nations each time there was a foreign aggression. So far, its asset is culture and its strength is tolerance. To the outside World, India looks calm. The leader in waiting after Saddam too aspired that their country should have a situation like India. Is India safe? To the outside world it may appear calm and quiet. But it need to maintain its internal peace. Effective communication with people alone can ensure this.
As the world is still gripped in fear with the war of coalition of US-UK forces against Iraq and the threat of war against Syria and the conflicts of the recent past having raised terrorism to its limits, there emerged a need to reflect on the consequences world over both by the individuals and organizations to discharge their social responsibility.
Conferences, Debates, Talks, Seminars, Symposia, and Exhibitions of this nature by all professional bodies throughout the world provide the right platform for influencing the major powers not to resort to wars any further. This is because peace is of concern to all people of all nations. It is the social responsibility of every human being, individually and in group to hate war and welcome peace.
“Vox populi – Vox dei”, Voice of People is the voice of God. This is the communication for Global Peace, not only to America, UK & Australia but to any nation that disregards human values and loves war.
Hope they take to works of love for consoling millions of ailing souls around the Globe than raging the dust for war.
Let them realize that “all works of love are works of peace” as repeatedly preached and practiced by the Noble Peace prize recipient, Mother Theresa.
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