SDG0-4 | The Path Toward the Renunciation of War
Without even the minimum discipline required for humanity to coexist peacefully, we have continued repeating wars throughout the last century, offering only political “apologies” without sincere reflection.
At the same time, humanity achieved remarkable scientific progress.
Science that enriches human life.
Science that destroys human life.
The struggle for domination, symbolizing humanity’s greed, now extends not only across the Earth but even toward the Moon and outer space. Enormous amounts of money are being poured into these selfish ambitions.
Imagine instead directing the money, talent, and time devoted to power struggles toward humanitarian purposes such as eliminating poverty and hunger or helping refugees.
Many urgent SDGs would rapidly move toward realization, and the world would surely be transformed into a place overflowing with hope — filled with the laughter of children jumping with joy.
In such a world situation, the people capable of promising children a hopeful future are their parents’ generation — the adults of today.
For that to happen, adults themselves must act positively and responsibly. If everything is left entirely to politicians, no one knows where society will ultimately be led.
After all, it is we ourselves — and our parents before us — who have chosen those politicians.
In that sense, the distortions of today’s world are deeply connected to the political choices and participation of ordinary citizens.
A Sacred Vote: The First Step Toward Peace
This is an extremely serious issue, because each one of us bears direct responsibility.
The first step is to stop being indifferent to elections.
It is mistaken to think:
“Whoever gets elected, nothing will change anyway.”
If we ourselves act, it is still possible to change society for the better within our own lifetime.
Everything depends upon us.
For the happiness of ourselves, our beloved children, and our grandchildren, we must seriously consider whom we choose to support at the ballot box.
At the same time, individual attempts at social reform are not always efficient. A more effective approach is to involve and challenge the politicians who bear responsibility for creating today’s distorted society and social climate.
First, we must learn to distinguish between politicians driven by selfish interests and power, and passionate politicians attempting to lead people in a wrong direction.
Without being deceived by sweet promises or fiery rhetoric, citizens must calmly judge politicians by their actions and their true nature — and remove them through democratic elections.
We must recognize that voters are the ones who choose political leaders.
We must encourage people around us to understand the importance of elections and work together toward full participation in the democratic process.
One individual vote joins with others to form a larger current, and that current eventually begins creating major change.
That is the certain first step toward social reform leading to world peace.
Humanity must realize that there is no other way to achieve true happiness or protect our children and grandchildren from the tragedies of war and military conscription.
What matters most is recognizing that the current international community faces profound problems — and ensuring that the majority of people share this awareness together at the same time.
Flash Mob
From an international perspective, one possible path would be for all people around the world, at the call of the United Nations, to stop simultaneously for a certain period of time and collectively share awareness of time, tragedy, and human emotion.
Such action could truly be described as a kind of global “flash mob.”
During that time, peace-loving people across the world — filled with determination to somehow change this world stained by slaughter, destruction, and hatred — would reflect deeply upon the grief and frustration of those who have been “left behind” from the supposedly sustainable journey toward the future.
They would pray that children around the world may regain their smiles as soon as possible, and hope that representatives of every nation formally declare the renunciation of war and the abolition of nuclear weapons.
At such a moment, visual media would become a tremendous source of strength.
Through movement, sound, and color, visual media can leave a powerful impression upon viewers and speak directly to human emotion.
The mission of visual media would be to deliver a clear and accurate message: “The renunciation of war” and “World peace.”
By exposing through media the tragic realities of slaughter and destruction, humanity can show that only a small number of people continue driving these tragedies forward — while in truth, most people do not wish for war to continue.
And humanity can appeal directly to those engaged in war that ending these tragedies is the heartfelt wish of eight billion people on Earth, and that the immediate termination and permanent renunciation of war are urgently necessary.
The author wishes to call upon visual creators throughout the world to produce such works.
Major film studios, television networks, newspapers, film-school students, elementary and high school students, and ordinary citizens alike — all are invited to participate.
The destination of these completed visual works should be the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
As this global flash-mob movement grows, works submitted by visual media creators from around the world would be projected upon giant screens at the United Nations.
Leaders of nuclear-armed nations would then seriously listen to the voices and wishes of people across the world appearing before them in breathtaking images.
At the same time, they would be forced to realize that they themselves are among those responsible for creating the tragedies unfolding before their eyes.
They would also come to understand clearly that only they possess the power to decide the exact day when the faces of children appearing on those screens will once again shine with hope-filled smiles — and that their own names will be remembered in history forever for that decision.
What would then be demanded of the leaders of nuclear powers — awakened for the first time to their human emotions by the faces of children on the giant screens — is the courage to make a great decision for humanity: “The renunciation of war and the construction of peace.”
Such a decision would represent a historic turning point in which individuals and nations alike courageously acknowledge their repeated violations of mutual trust throughout history — the negative experiences of war, conflict, destruction, killing, and invasion — and together admit their mistakes, reflect upon them, forgive one another, and proudly begin walking a new path toward peaceful future.
A Gift to Children Around the World
This can truly be described as “A great transformation of humanity, by humanity, and for humanity, toward world peace.”
The responsibility borne by adults is enormous, indeed.
First, we ourselves must recognize the seriousness of the situation. We must rediscover our own will and power to change the world, pressure political leaders to act responsibly, and carefully judge them.
Now is the time to seriously consider taking such action.
A day’s delay will create new tragedies, new victims, and new destruction — deepening the disappointment felt by young people.
Along with resignation and hopelessness among adults.
The earlier we act, even by a single day, the closer we can bring humanity to obtaining the means for a peaceful world.
It brings closer the day when we may witness children overflowing with hope, their eyes shining as they leap and laugh with joy.
Such a historic decision would become a genuine path toward a truly sustainable and bright future — one we could proudly present to children everywhere, to our own children and grandchildren, and to generations yet unborn.
It would be a heartfelt gift from adults to the future.
And perhaps, those who were “left behind” from the journey toward a supposedly sustainable world may finally forgive humanity for its many past mistakes, believing that their deaths were not meaningless after all.
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