The
devastating terrorist attacks in Paris this past weekend reminded the world how
some people are so committed to the death of innocent people that the
perpetrators of such violence would sacrifice their own lives. There is no way to completely stop the
violence that consumes nations, terrorists, gangs, or individuals, but we can
always hope to reduce the number of these unnecessary and unfortunate
killings. Armies and the police can only
do so much to keep us safe. In addition
to their services, we need to enlist another source of help: Authors.
Yes,
I believe writers of books can play a big role in helping to bring about a more
peaceful, loving, and safe society. Now
I know you are probably thinking that I’m a liberal do-gooder who naively
thinks we can solve the world’s problems through talking and education, but the
fact is the world is a violent place and what we’ve been doing has not fully
worked to bring peace and security across the globe. Why not seek alternative methods?
So,
what could a writer do to bring about peace?
The power of the writer is his intellect and her imagination, and the
author’s ability to put things into context.
Writers, like others, want justice and for us to live in a fair
world. Can writers lead the way to
peace, without firing a gun shot, igniting a bomb, or throwing a punch?
What
if we recruited an army of writers, each tasked with a specific mission? Each writer would write about some aspect of
terrorism, war, crime, or violence. He
or she would seek to propose unique solutions to the crisis they write on. More
importantly, others would need to be drafted to promote these books so that
those who need to read them the most do so.
This will require an effort to spread literacy as well. Perhaps we use audiobooks for those who don’t/can’t
read. We must use the weapons of peace –
pens and keyboards – to puncture the balloon of violence engulfing the streets
of all nations.
We already have many books written about peace and how to stop the violence. I don’t believe they are read by those who
need to read them. I also believe many
of these books are written in a way that takes one side over another. We need
books with real creative ideas on how to stop the violence and bring about a
world that everyone values enough to want to live in it and to do so in a way
that doesn’t force others to enslavement, subjugation, or death.
Books
that say we should bomb everyone are not the answer, nor are books that support
appeasement or isolationism. We need a
way to understand, negotiate with, and co-exist with those who find us
detestable, and vice versa. It’s not
easy, but it’s the only way.
The
power of books to inspire, influence, and enlighten is proven, but we must go
beyond such success. We need a global
effort to inform, educate, and lead others to live a life filled with peace and
love, and not violence and hatred.
Perhaps
the reason there are so many conflicting ideologies and violence to support
them is that the world lacks a cohesive mission statement. We let too many things serve as barriers to
us from getting to know and appreciate each other. Something is gravely wrong
when people put death over life, when they are willing to commit to hate
instead of love, when they see the world as a battleground and not a shared
community.
It’s
easier to understand when someone desperately resorts to violence when they feel
wronged, disenfranchised, and isolated, such as when Americans revolted against
the British. We can’t have a world of
haves and have nots without expecting violence.
This certainly needs to be addressed and may come down more to dividing
wealth and resources more equitably. But
the violence in Paris is less understandable and harder to stop because it’s
driven by a faulty ideology that has no solution other than for one group to
die and for another to rule. It’s
insanity at its worst. There’s nothing
to negotiate.
Books
are great at helping people learn how to improve their lives and to live a more
fulfilling life. We now have to call
upon our best authors to dedicate themselves to leading us to peace. It won’t be easy. Every president and military general of every
land of every era has failed us when it comes to bringing about a lasting
peace.
We
need new ideas or new ways to see existing ones.
We
need all sides to read the same books.
We
need everyone to feel invested in the same world.
We
need peace, or at least the hope of it coming soon.
Otherwise,
the events in Paris will repeat themselves elsewhere, with greater intensity
and frequency.
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Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog
are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter
@theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more
important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by
BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2015
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