Gallup and the Worldwide Independent Network polled 68 countries at the end of 2013 to determine which country was considered
the biggest threat to world peace. The winner for this undistinguished
honor was the USA, with Pakistan coming in a distant second. The other baddies of the world ranked so low that they are not even worth citing. (China was almost off the radar, which was an oversight of gargantuan proportions.)
Granted, the countries most wary of the the United States are in the Middle East and our neighbors in South America, all of whom have experienced the wrath of Uncle Sam's military-industrial complex directly.
Granted, the countries most wary of the the United States are in the Middle East and our neighbors in South America, all of whom have experienced the wrath of Uncle Sam's military-industrial complex directly.
Ironically, when questioned which country was the most
desirable for habitation, the US was also number one again.
This raises an interesting point. The United States is perceived as the world cop because it plunders the planet for resources, to insure its high standard of living - often in the name of democracy. While the rest of the world abhors the rape of their resources for American comfort, it is that very American standard of living that appeals to the rest of the world.
Herein are the ties that bind. The quest for material wealth puts the needs of the powerful few over the vast majority. And that majority, witnessing affluence, dreams of it as well. The cycle of materialism thus becomes a prison of the mind whether one is king, bean counter, or worker bee.
Thus, the wheel of samsara rolls on. Getting off this merry-go-round, which spins faster and faster out of control, requires one to go to the power source to regain control. But that power source lies not in an electrical switch built from copper and wire. It is an inner awareness that triggers decisions dictating every molecule of life.
Working for the welfare of the whole will be the only way to insure the survival of earth's population in the coming centuries. Let's not saw the branch we are sitting on, please, and enjoy the view instead.
This raises an interesting point. The United States is perceived as the world cop because it plunders the planet for resources, to insure its high standard of living - often in the name of democracy. While the rest of the world abhors the rape of their resources for American comfort, it is that very American standard of living that appeals to the rest of the world.
Herein are the ties that bind. The quest for material wealth puts the needs of the powerful few over the vast majority. And that majority, witnessing affluence, dreams of it as well. The cycle of materialism thus becomes a prison of the mind whether one is king, bean counter, or worker bee.
Thus, the wheel of samsara rolls on. Getting off this merry-go-round, which spins faster and faster out of control, requires one to go to the power source to regain control. But that power source lies not in an electrical switch built from copper and wire. It is an inner awareness that triggers decisions dictating every molecule of life.
Working for the welfare of the whole will be the only way to insure the survival of earth's population in the coming centuries. Let's not saw the branch we are sitting on, please, and enjoy the view instead.
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