I’m coming to believe that prosperity is part of the pathway to democracy. An individual concerned about his next meal isn’t likely to be an informed, articulate, wise voter. Therefore, prosperity has a direct role in the establishment and maintenance of democracy.
I have spent a great deal of my time reviewing the fifth chapter of Henry Kissinger’s book World Order, which focuses on the Middle East. As Henry Kissinger says, it’s the most complicated part of the world right now.
If these religious (non-loving and thus, in my opinion, invalid) zealots gain access to nuclear weapons, the whole world is directly threatened. Thus, every effort should be made to deny Iran nuclear capability. It would and will upset the geopolitical balance, but it will also make a real mess in the Middle East—from the security of Israel to religious (non-loving) instability.
Every measure, especially non-violent, should be used to the greatest extent possible. A peaceful world is at stake, to put it mildly.
Gandhi said, “Violence begets violence.” And as I’ve mentioned before, I believe kindness begets kindness. I deeply believe in both of these statements, and they go hand in hand.
The Middle East is full of violence of the worst kind, a kind that is supposedly ordained by “God.” I simply believe that is not the case. It is a very misguided and “lost” cause for all those fighting and killing outside the norms of a loving humanity.
People are peaceful and non-aggressive on the whole. We would rather treat others with kindness than with hate or violence. But there are exceptions, such as Adolph Hitler or President Putin, who must be deterred from his present course of trying to restore the Soviet Union.
