The Peace Prescription
The Blog of Edward Marshall, M.D.
Dr. Edward M. Marshall's Blog
What We Believe Determines Our Behavior and the Results We Get, So Let's Choose Beliefs That Work Best for Us
Why are some kids bullies, and others are not? Why do some people use alcohol, tobacco, and firearms for stress, and narcotics, while others never do? Why could the Catholics and Protestants of Northern Ireland finally make peace about a decade ago, and yet the Jews and Muslims of Israel and Palestinian territories have not been able to do so?
I should probably be asking easier questions, but I love a challenge, and maybe you do, too. So, let's tackle these tough ones.
If you think a large bomb is about to go off within a few feet of where you are, in just a few seconds, what will you do? You'll get out of there very quickly, unless you want to die, right? You would do that whether or not a bomb then really explodes or not. Your belief determines your behavior. Likewise, if you're convinced that no bomb is going to detonate near you at any time soon, you will more likely remain where you are if you have no other reason to move. That would be true even if the bomb really is about to blow you to bits.
This example is important, because it shows the ;power of our beliefs, regardless of the consequences. And, our beliefs change. Suppose someone opens up the suspicious package that supposedly held a bomb, and you learn that there was no bomb there. You now have a new belief that allows you to return to the spot you had left so hastily. Of course, there could still be a bomb nearby, but you don't believe it at the moment, so you're willing to return.
Why does a child become a bully? Maybe they experienced taking a toy away from another child who had not wanted to share the toy. And, there was no punishment by a parent or teacher, and the other child may have cried, but there were no consequences for our bully-to-be. Now the young bully has learned that you can just grab what you want. Maybe another young bully learned that behavior by watching one of his parents bully the other parent. The bully comes to believe that ruling by intimidation or force works.
Another child who took away a toy, and who was quickly admonished by a parent or teacher who took back the toy and returned it to the victim, has developed other beliefs: It's better to figure out how to share toys with others; just grabbing them isn't going to work.
As for stress management, there are both healthy and unhealthy ways. Some people find that use of certain substances is soothing, whether drugs, alcohol, food, or tobacco. The stress is temporarily reduced for them, and they come to believe that they need such substances for relief. There are other beliefs that make the usage continue: Nothing else will help; others may get into trouble using these substances, but I won't; and so forth. Others try healthier methods that work for them, and they come to believe that they have no need for substances for stress management. As a physician I saw hundreds of people change their beliefs, and by so doing, their behaviors and habits, and therefore, their results changed. If you strongly believe that cigarettes are going to kill you, it makes it hard to smoke, unless you have a death wish. If you believe that cigarettes are not that harmful, or that they may harm some people, but certainly will not seriously harm or kill you, then you are free, based on that belief, to continue smoking, and probably will. You can pick and choose your beliefs, and whatever belief you genuinely hold at a particular moment, will determine what you do at that moment.
Regarding the Catholics and Protestants of Northern Ireland, there is still occasional bloodshed, but nothing compared to what had been going on for centuries. The vast majority of both groups now live in peace and have a working governmental partnership going. It was worked out with the help of President Clinton and other third parties, and was based on a growing belief by the Northern Ireland people that there had to be a better way to go other than continuous killings on both sides. There was tremendous bargaining, negotiating, and deal making. All involved deserve tremendous credit.
Is there a guarantee that the peace will last? No, because one murderous outburst by a tiny minority on either side, could resume the vicious circle of revenge killings back and forth on both sides. General peace can last, after such an episode, if both sides hold to their belief that the best way to show respect for the dead is by making efforts to apprehend and punish the guilty parties, while generally reaffirming the need to keep the peace, and while avoiding random revenge killings which will simply reignite the conflict.
Continued peace activism on both sides will be necessary in Northern Ireland for the indefinite future if general peace is to be maintained there.
And now you know what it will take for the Israelis and Palestinians to make peace. Bargaining, negotiating, and deal making, all based on the belief that never-ending waves of revenge and retribution on both sides are totally useless and destructive. And, based on the belief that the best way to show respect for the dead is to do the hard bargaining, negotiating, and deal making in order to generally bring peace to the area. Both sides should understand and believe by now, that there will never be an ultimate, final military victory for either side. There can only be endless bloodshed, or there can be peaceful resolution. Should be an easy choice. First we must have the beliefs that work well, and those beliefs will cause the behaviors that will give the best results.
Do you believe it? If so, share those beliefs, pass it on. It makes a difference what YOU say and what YOU do.
My First BLOG RADIO TALK SHOW is Scheduled for Tomorrow Sunday at 11AM PST
You can safely say that I'm motivated to get my "preventing violence and war" message out to as much of the human race as I can.
And, I don't for a minute believe that it's just "my" message. Probably 95% or more of all people do not seriously want to, or intend to, personally kill, or commit violence upon, anyone. Nor do they want to be killed or injured by anyone. Just as certainly, none of us want to see the ones we love and care about get killed or injured.
So, tomorrow, Sunday, November 15 at 11AM PST, I will go "On the Air" via the Internet. It will be my first Internet talk show, on BlogTalkRadio.com, and it will be a 30-minute show. Go to that site a few minutes before 11 if you want to catch it. I hope you will, and I hope you will call in with questions or comments. When you click on my show, called "Dr. Ed Marshall", you will see a call-in phone number, or you can just listen. If you have a speaker or speakers attached to your computer, you'll have no problem hearing the show. Just use your telephone if you want to call in.
The subject will be, of course, the prevention of massacres such as Columbine, Virginia Tech, 9/11, and Ft. Hood. We, the vast majority of non-violent people, can manage the violence of the minority if we go at it like we mean it.
Some future shows will be on other subjects, such as how you can have any new habits or behaviors you want, to replace the ones you don't want. We will deal with subjects such as weight management, alcohol and drug problems, and relationship issues (look out, Dr. Laura and Dr. Phil, here I come!).
Still other shows will deal with how all of us at the grass roots can help solve the problems of education, health care, crime and drugs, and other social issues in America, in ways that not only do not require big government spending, bureaucracies, new taxes and deficits, these solutions will actually reduce both costs and suffering.
You might call it "Problem-Solving Radio". That is my intention, and it can't be done without you and many others out there.
Ft. Hood Massacre Could Have Been Prevented With the Peace Law
Now we know that the Ft. Hood Army doctor, turned mass murderer, could have been stopped had the Peace Law been in effect. He was known to have contact with a jihadist Imam, an al Qaeda associate who was involved in the 9-11 disaster.
Yet nothing was done to stop him. He was not detained for questioning. He was allowed to kill and maim innocent victims. Why?
For one thing, the US Army, and the government bend over backwards to avoid appearing to be anti-Muslim. Up to a point, the Army and our government should not oppose any religion or its members so long as neither poses a serious threat of initiating violence. But freedom of religion is not a legalization of murder for those who claim to be murdering in observance of a religion. The truth is, the Koran urges vigorous self-defense for those attacked and prevented from practicing their religion, but there is no other advocacy or approval of violence.
It is the radical jihadists who murder and advocate murder who are to blame for the Muslim religion being viewed with suspicion and even opposition by much of the world's population in recent years. The religion itself is not to blame. The vast majority of the world's 1.8 billion Muslims are not murderers and have no intention of killing except in obvious and immediate self-defense. Even some former radical jihadists have become activists in exposing the improper, anti-Koran, and anti-Muhammad teachings of the radicals, as discussed in The Peace Prescription.
A second reason that the Ft. Hood massacre was allowed to occur is that the Peace Law is not yet the law in the United States, or, to a proper extent, anywhere in the world. Advocating murder, war, and destruction, and joining with such advocates, are not yet against the law. It leaves people like the Ft. Hood murderer free to communicate with fellow assassins and murder advocates, and to carefully plan and carry out violence.
We need the Peace Law, as fully explained in The Peace Prescription. Under that Law, any person who seriously advocates violence would be subject to arrest, prosecution, and imprisonment. The Peace Law will make it difficult for people to organize for violence and war. Any person who can be identified as a significant, real threat to public safety could, by court order, be detained for a limited time frame, such as three days, for medical, psychological, and forensic evaluation. The courts would then decide what needs to be done as a matter of justice and to guard public safety, following such evaluation. Do we have the right to prevent murder? I think any answer other than "Yes!" borders on suicidal insanity for us as individuals and as a society.
Does the safety of you, your family, and those you care about, interest you? Then begin small steps: Speak up for the Peace Law to people you know; contact public officials with letters, phone calls and emails. Refer people to The Peace Prescription book and this Blog site.
Let's be active in the quest to lessen the chances of events such as the Ft. Hood massacre from happening in the future. It will take time, perhaps a generation, to develop a peace maintenance environment. And, that's only if WE begin that process. If we wait for others, the government, politicians, international organizations, we will wait forever. It's you and me, and everyone we know, or don't count on it ever happening.
It does make a difference what you SAY and what you DO. Please don't hesitate to post your comments about this or any of these blogs.
You Can Help the Business of Stopping Violence and War - All Book Profits Will Go for Peace
Today's Blog is strictly business - the business of helping to stop violence and war before such awful behavior starts.
The Peace Prescription ("TPP") book sales were slow in the first month on the market, for two reasons:
1) Self-published books are not automatically available in the big chain bookstores such as Barnes & Noble, and Borders, because, understandably, the books first have to be scrutinized by the central offices of those chain stores, whereas books from big publishers are readily accepted. The problem is that many thousands of new books are published every day, so it takes a few months for the process to happen.
2) My name, as the author, is not famous - not yet 
, and it always takes time to build name-recognition.
, and it always takes time to build name-recognition.Meanwhile, TPP is available: On this website; from Amazon - including as an e-book for Amazon's Kindle owners; and on BarnesandNoble.com. Ingram, one of the largest book distributors in the world, has recently begun acting as a distributor for TPP.
A lot more is pending.
If you are interested in promoting peace and defeating violence and war, here is how you can help:
You can call your local Barnes & Noble or Borders stores and ask them if they have TPP in stock, and if they say "No" (which will surely change to "Yes" within a few weeks or months), you can ask if you would be able to order a copy of TPP from them. Even if they say you can do so, you're not obligated to place an order, of course. Meanwhile, your calls may do some good when the local managers are finally allowed to order the book for their stores to put them on their shelves. If you have read the book, and you purchased it from Amazon, you can post a review on Amazon. And of course, you can tell the people in your life about the book that aims to "immunize" the world against violence and war to the maximum possible extent.
One more thing: If you have personal contacts such as reporters, book reviewers, or other media people, especially people connected with talk shows, it would be great if you mention TPP and me to your contacts, and then refer me to them, or them to me.
My plan is to plow all net book sales proceeds back into promoting the book and the cause of peace and non-violence in every way that I can. All campaigns for worthy causes cost money, so TPP book sales can help reduce violence. Thank you in advance for being a part of the solution. Let's get the job done in one generation or less!
Violence & War at Fort Hood, Orlando, or Anywhere Can Often Be Prevented
Human beings all too often initiate violence. When a certain size and duration of killing occurs, we call it war. But, it's all the same from a behavior viewpoint. Initiation of violence needs to be prevented before people are killed or injured, whether it's one person or millions of victims at stake. Any tolerance for starting violence means we are simply not on board to prevent it, and it will just keep on happening as long as humans exist. Ft. Hood, Orlando, Columbine, Virginia Tech, the Middle East, anywhere and everywhere. We would run out of paper if we tried to make a comprehensive list of violence being initiated all over the world. And that would be true for just this month!
There are often clues that violence is imminent, probable, or likely. We don't yet have all the facts for Ft. Hood and Orlando. We will no doubt learn more about these two who committed those killings in the past couple of days. But, from our experience we know that people who lack sufficient self-esteem, or self-love, and who have become pre-occupied with hateful feelings and thoughts, often write or talk about their extreme and violent thoughts, usually many days, months, or even years before they actually kill.
We, communities, society, all need systems to allow preventive measures to be taken when there are clues pointing to imminent, probable, or likely violent behavior. Yes, restraining orders are issued against people who have stalked or threatened individuals. But, these orders are often ignored, and people get murdered anyway. Rarely is any therapy ordered by the courts, with reports by therapists to be turned in to the courts so that judges can decide on whether detention for more serious treatment, or even detention to save threatened lives, is necessary. People who openly and seriously advocate the initiation of violence in any form, murder, or war, should be subject to arrest, trial, and imprisonment if convicted. We put people in jails and prisons for having a few ounces of an illegal drug in their possession, but those same persons can seriously proclaim the intention of killing many people tomorrow, yet will not be subject to arrest unless and until they actually do the killings.
The Peace Law that I recommend in The Peace Prescription would change all of that. But that change will not happen, and countless lives will not be saved, unless thousands of people get involved to make the Peace Law into reality in the United States and around the world. You can express support for the Peace Law to your family, fellow students, co-workers, and everyone you know. You can write or phone your elected representatives, if you live in a democracy. Or, you can do nothing but just read the headlines and listen to, or watch, news reports of killings upon killings, violence after violence, wars upon wars. Or, perhaps you and those you care about will become the victims, and others who still survive, will get those reports of the violence perpetrated against you and yours. We all have the choice: Be pro-active to get good results, or live with the consequences of not doing so.
You, and everyone you know has the choice to get involved in immunizing your community and the world against violence and war, by means of the Peace Law and all the other steps of the Five Key Steps needed to make that happen. What you SAY and DO does make a difference. We can all be uninvolved and inactive after we're dead. I guess we can pretend to be dead now, when we're supposedly still alive, if that's our choice, and not get involved to end, or at least markedly reduce, violent behavior. There are lots of excuses at our disposal: We're too busy. It's too hard to do. Lao Tsu said it best: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Speak up. Pass it on. Do good, feel great about it, and be proud when you look in the mirror.
It Hasn't Happened Yet, But Can the Peace Movement End and Prevent Wars?
People have been demonstrating for peace, speaking up for peace, voting and marching for peace, using peace symbols, peace bumper stickers and T-shirts, and praying for peace. These pro-peace advocates have had an impact. President Lyndon Johnson had to abandon running for a second term largely because of the Vietnam War protests, the United States and Russia have dismantled some nuclear weapons, and perhaps there has been some success in limiting their proliferation. This international grass-roots movement has something to show for all the involvement and effort.
But let's not get carried away by any illusion or delusion of overall success. There are tragic wars going on all over the world. We don't see or hear it in the news, but in just one war, the Second Congo War, 5.5 million people have been killed in about the past 10 years. Daily deaths from the war there are estimated at around 1,000 men, women, and children each and every day, and it's happening right now.
Violence between individuals, gangs, tribes, countries, religions, and religious sects is a daily event around the world. Pakistan, India, Israel, North Korea, and Iran are among the nations who either have, or may soon have, nuclear weapons, in addition to the United States, Russia, and China. And terrorist organizations have been trying to acquire them, and maybe they have some, or soon will. Poison gases, toxins, and Anthrax are likely available to those who would use them.
Why has the Peace Movement not been able to end most wars, if not all of them, and prevent new wars?
Many people, though a minority, have been relying on violence to gain power and to get what they want, throughout the history of mankind, and people of that ilk are not going to stop that behavior without activism being asserted by others.
There are specifically Five Key Steps, spelled out in The Peace Prescription, that are needed to prevent wars, to prevent the organizing and recruiting for the violent behavior that is required for any war, whether on a small or large scale. These five steps have yet to be taken.
Some in the Peace Movement have focused on political partisanship. Peace does not belong to any political party, group, or nation. Let's focus on getting the job done, not on bashing the politicians and political groups some of us love to hate. That is a waste of valuable time and energy. Yes, oppose any politician or office-holder who advocates the initiation of violence, but continuous bad-mouthing of a particular official or political party discourages some from joining with us and diverts us from what needs to be accomplished.
It's fine to demonstrate for peace, to take part in candle-light vigils, and use pro-peace bumper stickers, etc. But, the specific five steps will have to be taken by many of us at the grass roots, such as bully management at young ages, invoking the Peace Law that makes illegal the serious advocacy of violence or war, the barring and removing of violators of the Peace Law from any positions of political authority or power, and so on.
The challenge is for the vast majority of non-violent people who want peace to take the necessary steps to manage the minority who advocate and commit violence. Prevent violence - Enjoy peace. That's the formula. Now let's do it. Pass it on.
We Can Prevent Violence by Managing Bullies and Dangerous Loners
Were you ever menaced by bullies when you were in school? Have any of your children told you about bullies at their schools? How did you react? What should we do about bullies? And, what about dangerous loners? Remember Columbine? Remember Virginia Tech?
Every school ought to have a Bully Control Committee. All over the world. Why? Because there will always be some bullies at schools. Some children were not disciplined when they first grabbed a toy from a playmate or sibling, so they learned that bullying behavior pays.
"OK," you say. "So there a few bullies at my kid's school. So what? Nothing serious happens." Really? You mean no innocent children have been robbed, badly beaten, raped, even murdered? As the bullies get older, then what? They may organize or join criminal gangs, move up the ladder to greater violence, armed robberies, rapes, and murders. How many innocent children have been shot by "stray bullets" fired by drive-by gangsters?
In some countries, bullies organize violent militias or terrorist groups. Sometimes they become military leaders, take over countries, and start wars. They are then bullying entire nations, whole populations, the world.
"Well, maybe those things can happen, but what can we do about it?" you ask. "And, how can we possibly prevent loners planning violence, like happened at Columbine High School, and at Virginia Tech, or with the Uni-bomber?"
I'm glad you asked. Fortunately, we can be very effective at managing bullies and dangerous loners. If you help organize a Bully Control Committee at your local school, and if people would do that all over the United States, and all over the world, lots of violence would be prevented, and the bullies and dangerous loners would have better lives themselves.
Start with the school that you go to or that your children or grandchildren go to. Ask if there is a Bully Control Committee, perhaps with a different name. If so, join it and participate. It's a worthy cause, and won't cost you any money. If not, organize one. Try to get the cooperation of the school principal, teachers, and other parents. The students should be involved as well. Bullies should be reported to the committee, and the committee should gain cooperation from the schools and school boards so that bullies and their parents or guardians will be contacted, and counseling will be arranged when needed. And, there have to be consequences if the bullying continues: Suspension, finally expulsion in the worst cases. Counselors should have access to juvenile courts so that the most dangerous and difficult bullies can have to spend time in juvenile detention centers, if they are an imminent threat to anyone. Parents of bullies can also be counseled and trained by professionals who volunteer to help the committees.
"Most loners are not dangerous, so how do we know which loners need any intervention?" It's true. Not all loners are dangerous killers waiting to happen. But there are clues. Teachers and fellow students have been suspicious in most cases before murders actually occurred. When these concerned people went to parents, school authorities, or the police, they were told that if no one has been killed yet, nothing can be done. Laws may have to be changed. Schools need to make rules that allow intervention. People deemed to be an imminent threat to themselves and/or others can be ordered medically evaluated by courts in some states, such as California. I have been involved in some of those cases, and it is clear to me that serious injuries and deaths have been prevented.
Work to have your schools, your communities, and your states and nations pass laws and make rules to allow reasonable intervention before it's too late. Talk about these issues with family, friends, and co-workers. Write to your officials. If you know a loner, try to get to know them. Loners often have a history of having been rejected, and some may respond to real friendliness. Which loner do you think is going to be more dangerous: The ones who feel totally alone, rejected, and isolated, or the ones who have been shown caring and friendliness?
What you SAY and what you DO does make a difference. People who give often say that the giving makes them feel that they have received much more than they gave of themselves. And, this is not just about giving of money. This is about involvement, activism, participation.
All of us can help produce a more peaceful environment for ourselves, our families, and our communities. Or, we can just wait until the violence comes to us or those we care about. Should be an easy choice.
Let's Immunize Against Violence and War With the Same Intensity and Concern We Have for Swine Flu
Parents are intensely interested in getting their children immunized against the swine flu. Long lines are no deterrent. People are concerned and they are taking action, as they should.
How many of these children will be immunized to avoid swine flu, only to go off to war and be killed or badly injured a few years later? How many children, having dodged the swine flu bullet, will be struck down by the bullets of uncontrolled gang bullies?
We need to manage violent behavior before more millions are killed, whether in large or even world wars, or by the action of one or more people committing horrible acts of violence on a smaller scale. We can do it if we will just take the Key Five Steps spelled out in The Peace Prescription. It's a kind of immunization process, and it doesn't even require us to be given a shot. It does require our participation, to speak out against those who advocate violence, to help manage bullies while they are young, and the other steps that can manage and prevent violence before it happens.
Yes, let's prevent H1N1, aka swine flu. It's fine to be concerned and get your children immunized, perhaps yourself as well. But, there are other vaccines, other diseases to take care of as well, and violence and war is the most serious disease the human race has always had to face, and should be high on our list of ailments to prevent.
Regarding the prior Blog on Afghanistan, let me make it clear that a military surge can play a role in helping bring an end to a war. It's just that it cannot work alone in a guerrilla conflict. In Iraq, violence is obviously not over, but it's generally quite reduced compared to what we saw before the al Anbar tribal chieftains began to oppose the foreign Sunni insurgents in their villages and cities. Afghanistan may in fact see a shortening of the war if there is a combination of more NATO troops and an involvement of the tribal chieftains in opposing the foreign Taliban from Pakistan. Keep in mind that not all terrorists and insurgents are foreign in either Iraq or Afghanistan, but very many of them are.
In all parts of the world, there are advocates of violence, murder, and war, and it's critical that the vast majority of people everywhere, including community leaders, declare and enforce their opposition to those advocates of death and destruction.
Can We Have Peace in Afghanistan? Yes, if We Learn From What Happened in Iraq!
Greetings to all of you who not only want peace in your lives and in the world, you are actually willing to take the small steps that lead in that direction.
This is the first of a regular series of blogs that I will be posting, most likely three times a week, on this site. I invite your comments. Your involvement is crucial to establishing a peace environment. What you say and do DOES matter, DOES make a difference.
I don't have to tell you that war is hell, and that there is a lot of hell going on in many places in the world. But, in this blog let's focus on Afghanistan. There's talk of an Iraqi-style Surge possibly to take place. Sure, wars can be won with brute force, but guerrilla warfare requires clever strategy, not just brute force. Besides, shouldn't the goal be to win the peace? Isn't peace supposed to be the result of a war ending? What if we can have peace without hardly any killing taking place? That's how the Cold War ended. That's how the civil war in Northern Ireland ended.
And, that's basically how the war in Iraq has wound way down to the point that American and coalition troops have been leaving Iraq. Was that due to the success of the Surge? Not really. The Sunni tribal chieftains of al Anbar Province in Iraq realized, a couple of years ago, that the best way to stop the killing, the best way to get ALL foreign troops, insurgents, and terrorists out of the country, was for them to stop providing refuge for the foreign insurgent Sunnis. Those insurgents would blow up Americans and other coalition troops, but they also were killing many thousands of Iraqis, especially Shiites. The Shiites countered with their own insurgents from Iran and elsewhere, and the killing, maiming, and property damage was intense.
As soon as the tribal chieftains rounded up and ousted the foreign insurgents among them, the whole war began to wind down. Death and destruction were no longer welcome.
Guess what. Afghanistan is also a tribal society with tribal chieftains who really run the show, village by village. What if the tribal chieftains there would come to realize that permitting and sheltering foreign insurgents and terrorists, especially the Pakistani-led Taliban, will keep the war and killing going indefinitely. Once the Taliban are no longer welcome, because the chieftains realize there will never be peace with them there, then ALL foreign mercenaries, including NATO forces, can leave. Yes, the Taliban are a fearsome bunch, but don't underestimate the will and power of the Afghan tribal chieftains. The Taliban cannot maintain their presence and their offensive ascendency in Afghanistan without the welcoming, the permission, and the approval of the Afghan tribal chieftains and the people they lead.
It wouldn't surprise me if many chieftains are already thinking exactly this way, some way ahead of me. But, it wouldn't hurt for NATO, including American, diplomats and military leaders to encourage this viewpoint. Who knows? Peace could break out in Afghanistan the way it has been happening in Iraq.
The Peace Prescription is officially published today!
To everyone out there who seriously favors peace and is willing to be part
of the solution:
The Peace Prescription: Five Key Steps We Can Take to Prevent Wars is
officially published today. Amazingly and appropriately, the shipment of the
first printing of books arrived late yesterday, exactly as planned.
Everyone can now go to the Order page of this website and order copies of
that book, and of one of my previous books, Jump-Starting America: The
Grass-Roots Revolution.
The whole idea of The Peace Prescription is that only we at the grass-roots
have the ability to push for the Peace Law and the other four of the Five
Steps needed to gain a Peace Maintenance Environment around the world,
perhaps as soon as in a single generation of some 25 to 30 years. Waiting
for governments, international organizations, and politicians to bring
lasting peace to the world by themselves hasn't worked over the millennia of
human existence, so that's not even a viable option.
Just as a British doctor ended up saving many millions of lives by insisting
that the cow-pox virus could be used to make a small-pox vaccine, I'm
pushing for the Five Steps that all of us can take as a kind of immunization
against war. Because something that is advocated sounds unlikely, or even
preposterous, doesn't make it so. The British doctor was roundly ridiculed,
but persisted and succeeded. Thomas Edison failed over 10,000 times to make
a properly working electric light bulb, and when asked about that, he
replied, "I've discovered 10,000 ways how not to make a light bulb." He then
persisted and succeeded. When Mahatma Gandhi led demonstrations for India's
independence from British colonial rule, many scoffed at the prospects of
his peaceful methods in opposition to the powerful British military. He
persisted and succeeded.
Welcome to this blog. I look forward to your comments. I realize it will
take time until very many of you will have read the book. I welcome
translators who can help make The Peace Prescription available in other
languages as ebooks, and eventually as printed books.
This is the first step of the journey. As we know from the ancient wisdom of
Lao-tzu, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
Ed Marshall
of the solution:
The Peace Prescription: Five Key Steps We Can Take to Prevent Wars is
officially published today. Amazingly and appropriately, the shipment of the
first printing of books arrived late yesterday, exactly as planned.
Everyone can now go to the Order page of this website and order copies of
that book, and of one of my previous books, Jump-Starting America: The
Grass-Roots Revolution.
The whole idea of The Peace Prescription is that only we at the grass-roots
have the ability to push for the Peace Law and the other four of the Five
Steps needed to gain a Peace Maintenance Environment around the world,
perhaps as soon as in a single generation of some 25 to 30 years. Waiting
for governments, international organizations, and politicians to bring
lasting peace to the world by themselves hasn't worked over the millennia of
human existence, so that's not even a viable option.
Just as a British doctor ended up saving many millions of lives by insisting
that the cow-pox virus could be used to make a small-pox vaccine, I'm
pushing for the Five Steps that all of us can take as a kind of immunization
against war. Because something that is advocated sounds unlikely, or even
preposterous, doesn't make it so. The British doctor was roundly ridiculed,
but persisted and succeeded. Thomas Edison failed over 10,000 times to make
a properly working electric light bulb, and when asked about that, he
replied, "I've discovered 10,000 ways how not to make a light bulb." He then
persisted and succeeded. When Mahatma Gandhi led demonstrations for India's
independence from British colonial rule, many scoffed at the prospects of
his peaceful methods in opposition to the powerful British military. He
persisted and succeeded.
Welcome to this blog. I look forward to your comments. I realize it will
take time until very many of you will have read the book. I welcome
translators who can help make The Peace Prescription available in other
languages as ebooks, and eventually as printed books.
This is the first step of the journey. As we know from the ancient wisdom of
Lao-tzu, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."
Ed Marshall