Response to Joint statement by Gordon Brown and Kevin Rudd

I subscribe to news from No10.gov.uk to get the latest view of events and policies from the highest elected position in the land!  In this post from the PM’s office, is a joint statement from our own and the Australian Prime Minister.

My interest is piqued by the numerical incidence of the two words “peace” and “security“.

In Nichiren Daishonin’s epic treatise, On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land, these are the statistical incidences of the two words:

• Peace (or peaceful) = 7 times
• Security = 3 times

In the statement from the two Prime Ministers we have the incidences as follows:

• Peace (or peaceful) = 2 times
• Security = 54 times

What this means is that the single thing that pre-occupies their minds above all else, (even more than “economic” which only occurs 6 times! ) is security.   It’s as if security is the be-all and end-all of everything.

But that’s the wrong approach.  Peace should be at the forefront of their minds if they really care about the “security” of their citizens (or subjects in my case).  Security should be but a temporary tool in the quest for peace not a thing in itself.  That’s why, in his treatise, Nichiren stresses peace more often than security even though he recognised the need for both with the impending Mongol invasion imminent ( it was written in 1260!).

If we search and strive for peace, with peace always at the front of our thoughts, the world will surely turn that way.  If all we do is think in a paranoid manner about security, then the world will surely turn that way.

And so it has.  The UK and Australia are mired in long-term conflicts with no end unless a peaceful solution is sought. They were lured by bad words and advice from America.

But the UK has already successfully trodden the peace path with Northern Ireland on it’s doorstep.  Historically, enhanced security in Northern Ireland did nothing to improve people’s lives for 3 decades and bring them peace.  It was only the mindset of peace that brought peace by getting dialogue between the parties.

This mindset of peace should be evident in this joint Prime Minister’s statement, but sadly it’s not.  The dialog is about enhancing the warlike alliances that already exist, not about finding peaceful solutions to the world’s problems.  It’s about using “technology” and “security” as a magic pill to ease all aches, not grabbing the nettle of discourse with an enemy.   That’s why we are where we are.

Significantly, the No10 website is made with WordPress, like this one.  I use the “tag” feature as does the PM’s site.  It’s supposed to be used like a keyword sort-of-thing.  Check the tags at the bottom of the post.

Peace is not a tag.  But security is.

Say no more.