Peace: Understanding Distrust III

So far we have provided sufficient evidence to show that distrust is not merely an interesting social discussion subject but a viable research subject. We have shown that distrust is a scientific variable because it appears in varying quantities in nature. It is not present in non-human species but it is present among humans, but only in adult humans. I suggest a line of research that takes advantage of the fact that while distrust is present in humans but not present in non-human species it is also not present in the infant stage of the human species.

The absence of distrust, in favor of trust, from any of the other species that share the earth with us is an indication that distrust is a less desirable trait than trust; an undesirable trait that is harmful to the species. That being so the obvious conclusion is that distrust is not part of the natural identity of any of the non-human species on earth. The fact that distrust is never found in infant humans indicates that distrust also is not part of humanity’s natural identity. Somehow we have become infected by a foreign quality. No other explanation fits the conclusions we have drawn. Both evolutionary theory and creation point in that direction.

I guess one can say that any attempt to eradicate distrust is really aimed at regaining trust as an essential quality of the species. This means that the search for world peace by eradicating distrust is not an effort to become something we are not but an effort to regain a quality that we lost. The process is actually more of a restoration or healing than a transformation or conversion. Distrust is threatening the future existence of the human race. We now have the military capacity to destroy significant portions of our population. If we think of the human race being divided into trusting infant humans and distrustful adult humans it is easy to see that in order to guarantee the survival of the species we must "become as little children" and regain the trust that characterized us in the "infancy" stage of our development as a species.

This highlights the fact that the human species, just like any other species on earth, is a natural system and therefore is one organism, even though it looks like a collection of individual specimens. So, instead of being viewed as an inefficient machine in need of improvement humanity actually is a sick body that is in need of healing. To understand this reality metaphor, we need to take a look at how a body functions. (I call it a reality metaphor to drive home the fact that the species is not being compared to an organism or body; it actually is an organism and ought to function as one.)

We will use the human body to illustrate the point. Each body is made up of trillions of atoms grouped into eleven organ systems. Each moment an unknown number of instructions are being issued and carried out throughout the body. For the body to function in a state of optimal health these instructions must be issued on time and must be carried out on time. It would not do the body any good if the heart were to contract when there was no blood in it. The heart pumps blood to the tissues to supply them with oxygen. The haemoglobin molecule in the red blood cells has instructions to pick up oxygen from the lung and transport it to the rest of the body where it is released for cell use. Good health depends on those instructions being carried out precisely and on time.

Examples of this can be seen all around us. For an orchestra to produce a musical masterpiece its members must carry out thousands of instructions precisely and on time. Each marking on the score is an instruction that must be followed. Each beat of the conductor’s baton is an instruction that must be followed. The conductor trusts each member of the orchestra to follow his instructions and to follow the instruction on the score. The members trust the conductor to read from the correct score and to interpret the score accurately. Without trust among its cells a body is not healthy. Without trust among its members an orchestra cannot perform. Distrust has inhibited the ability of the human race to function as it should.