Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Peace: Separating Good from Evil

War is often described as a contest between good and evil. Those on one side call the enemy the evil one. Even today, some people describe Adolf Hitler as an evil man. I would like to think that Adolf Hitler thought that the Jews were evil. That is the nature of the beast. You don't wage try to annihilate people you agree with. But who decides what is good and what is evil? Obviously, Adolf Hitler had a different meaning for evil from the Allies.

If we could isolate all the good in the world into a bundle and do the same with all the evil in the world, what would be the result if we got rid of all the evil? A reasonable answer is that we would have a world of only good. What if we did the "unthinkable" and got rid of all the good in the world? What would be the result? It appears that all we would have left would be evil. A world of evil.

But there is one problem. If all the good has been eliminated who would be available to say that what is left is evil? Evil can only be called evil in the presence of good. So, if we got rid of all the good in the world we would be left wit a world of good.

It really does not matter who wins the war or what their philosohy is. The result is always the same. What matters is whether the people agree. To farmers in the midwest a tornado is a destructive force but to the particles and forces that make up the tornado everything is just as it should be.

Peace is elusive because we are trying to get one philosophy to win when we should be trying to get us all to be of the same mind.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Peace: It Begins with the Body

The year 2000 was an important one in human history. Of course, most people will remember it as Y2K, the year when many feared that our digital world would come crashing around our fingers. Some had an apocalyptic view and envisioned the end of the world or of civilization as we knew it. Few will recall that in the same year that so many were able to breathe again as the anticipated disasters failed to materialize, scientists released the first working draft of the human genome. The race to sequence the human genome was almost over; a complete draft was released three years later, thirteen years after the Human Genome Project had begun.

A new era in human science had begun. Scientists were now able to look at the blueprint of life and many anticipated that knowledge of the variation of DNA among individuals would revolutionize the ways to diagnose, treat and, possibly prevent a number of diseases that have vexed us for years. Significant budgets have been devoted to that task. Leading the way is the United States National Institutes of Health which is the home of the National Human Genome Project.

To me it is ironic that we are willing to spend millions of dollars to find cures for diseases with a genetic base while we spend nothing on a similar approach that would bring peace to all of humanity. Let me explain.

The link between genetic diseases and the sequencing of the human genome was established by the Dulbecco in his article in which he advocated for the sequencing of the human genome. In his search for the elusive universal treatment for cancer he had observed that the shift to malignancy in natural cancers was not caused by changes in the environment of those cells but by changes in the structure of the genes. We already had methods of treatment for cancer but surgery, radiation and chemotherapy were all destructive methods, and each could only be applied on an individual basis.

He realized that cancers cannot be eradicated one tumor at a time and reasoned that we could possibly make the current treatments unnecessary if we could reverse the structural changes in the genetic code that caused the shift to malignancy, or even correct the instructions that caused cancer to form in an organism. Before that could be done we would have to understand the genetic map. The goal would be to restore cancer-stricken bodies to their natural homeostasis.

But success in this area would not be a universal cure for cancer nor would it prevent cancer because the structural change in the genes is caused when cells divide naturally. Correcting genetic flaws in an individual would affect all the cells in that individual but that correction would not be passed on to that individual’s progeny.

The same argument applies in the search for human peace but we must first come to terms with the fact that the human race is an organism, and the fact that our individual DNA that defines who we are as individuals is a copy of the DNA that defines who we are as a species.

Each of us is to the human species what each of our cells is to our bodies. We can no more rid the body of cancer one tumor at a time than we can bring peace to humanity one trouble spot at a time. Ignorance is not the cause of violence and war. In fact, most wars are started by educated humans. The answer lies in getting us to see each other the same way normal cells see each other.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Peace: Abiding by the rules

It is obvious that the absence of universal peace among humans is a result of humans acting contrary to the principles of systemic reality that govern the entire universe. If we were all convinced that we belong to one system we would never indulge in the self-destructive behavior that is evidenced among us. Throughout the rest of nature we observe the results of systemic living. All other species follow the principles of systemic living.

It would probably surprise you more to learn that the reason why we have been unable to reverse this self-destructive trend among us and bring lasting peace to our world is for the very same reason: acting contrary to the principles of systemic reality.

The two primary principles that we violate are found in that definition of a system that we discussed in a previous blog: "an entity that maintains its existence through the mutual interaction of its parts."

That definition of a system implies that a system's primary reason for being is to ensure its existence and it does so through the interaction of its parts. Because each of these parts is a system defined by the same reason for being, we can deduce 1) that each system is only concerned with its existence and not the existence of other systems around it and 2) that it is not within the domain of any subset of systems within a larger system to make decisions about maintaining the existence of the larger system. Interaction among the parts of a system occurs under the direction of the larger system, not because of any desire among these parts.

Within the other parts of nature these principles are obvious and they work perfectly for the benefit of these systems. Among humans, who have the unique ability to pretend, the perfect working of these systems have had the opposite effect.

Thousands of groups have been working assiduously over the millenia to bring peace to humanity. But because of the principles of systemic reality we have discussed, these self same efforts ensure that peace cannot be achieved as a result.

The principle is clear that maintenance of the existence of any system is the responsibility of the entire system. One of the parts of that system cannot decide to act on behalf of the larger system. Any such designation must originate with the entire system. Because each part of a system is also a system, any time a subset of humans embark on an effort to attain peace it is acting on behalf of itself and not on behalf of the entire species. Consequently, its efforts, though well-meaning, only serve to distinguish it from other humans and turns them into "enemies", in the same way that other species have natural enemies while still being part of this ecosystem.

There is no way to override the operation of this principle because the principles of systemic reality are not subject to alteration by humans; they were firmly established long before humans first appeared on this planet. In addition, unlike organizations that have designated leaders humanity does not have a global leader. Any decision on behalf of the species must be taken by the entire species.

Hence, the challenge before us is to find a way to change the thinking of humans so that we no longer see ourselves as individuals but as part of a single species.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Peace: A Most Ingenious Paradox

What can we make of these facts that we have discovered? The DNA molecule is responsible for the great diversity of unique living species on the planet as well as for the diversity of unique individuals within these species. Because of way in which DNA replicates itself mutations are often introduced into the DNA of living things that often cause the organism to turn against itself. This occurs in all living species; human and non-human. Yet the same division of the DNA molecule that brought diverse species into existence did not produce in non-human species the same self-destructive behavior that plagues humanity.

This is just another of the paradoxes of this thing we call life. What does it mean that ours is the only species that seems intent on destroying itself while the individual organisms within non-human species have the same potential to turn against themselves as ours do?

An illogical world
It is illogical that an organism should seek its own destruction. The primary reason an organism exists is to perpetuate its own existence as long as its life cycle dictates. So how is it that the immune system whose sole role is to defend the body against all enemies begins to attack the body it is “sworn” to defend? How is it that otherwise normal cells continue to divide beyond the limits ordinarily imposed?

Autoimmunity has been defined as “the failure of an organism to recognize its own constituent parts as self” which means that it treats its own cells and tissues as it they were not self. In other words it pretends that they are what they are not. But, since they really are self, in allowing an immune response against them it is pretending to be what it is not. The same is true of cancer cells which, by refusing to adhere to the normal limits of cell-division, pretend not to belong to the organism.

Once again we observe that a characteristic that is unique to the human species is at the level of the individual members of the species shared with all other living species. Non-human species do not engage in self-destructive behavior but within the individual organisms the cells do. Non-human species do not pretend but within the individual organisms their cells do. There is something to be gained from this paradox.

A light emerging
It is not out of malice that the immune system decides to attack the organism’s cells and tissues, or cancer cells decide to cast off the natural restraints on their division. In both cases the body acts abnormally because of misinformation. The mutations in the DNA that are caused by the natural process of splitting the cell’s DNA result in faulty information being transmitted to certain cells and organ systems within the body.

Nature has not found a way to fight this condition. Indeed, it cannot. But we have. And what we have learned about correcting the flawed information that leads to autoimmune diseases and cancers must be used in finding the path to permanent, universal and lasting peace.

Monday, April 5, 2010

Peace: Teaching the teacher so we can Learn

Our efforts at finding a solution to the self-destructive behavior that prevents us from enjoying permanent, universal and lasting peace are hampered by the fact that among the species we have discovered on this planet we are the only one that displays such behavior. But we are not only a species. Because we live in a world of systems we are also a system. It turns out that we are not the only system that displays self-destructive behavior.

One of the organ systems that make up living organisms is the immune system. The immune system enables the organism to fight off any attacks by antigens. But there is a class of disorders among living organisms called autoimmune disorders in which the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys healthy body tissue and threatens the existence of the organism. It should not be too difficult to see the parallel with human behavior. Cancers are one class of antigens that the immune is supposed to fight. Cell division is the basis of all life; cells grow by dividing. Normal cells multiply when the body needs them, and die when the body doesn't need them. Cancer appears to occur when the growth of cells in the body is out of control and normal cells divide too quickly. It can also occur when cells “forget” how to die. The immune system is unable to fight cancers for the same reason that it mistakenly attacks healthy body tissue: faulty information from the organism’s DNA.

No help from Mother Nature
Nature is unable to correct these disorders because each organism operates on the assumption that every instruction that comes from DNA is correct. But the absence of a natural model for curing cancers and autoimmune diseases does not mean our cause is hopeless. Medical research has taught us enough about these “natural” disorders to direct us in our search for permanent, universal and lasting peace. DNA accounts for everything that happens in the world and we have learned quite a bit about DNA since its structure was revealed. Now that the genome has been sequenced scientists hope to be able to change an organism’s DNA to correct the faulty instructions that cause the body to behave abnormally.

Creating lessons Nature does not teach
Cell division is the most likely reason for the incidence of faulty instructions in an organism’s DNA. Before a cell divides the DNA replicates itself so each of the two new cells formed will have a copy of the original DNA. The two strands of the original DNA molecule are unzipped and, through a complicated process, new strands chains of nucleotides are attached to each strand to form two DNA molecules for the new cells. This process often results in errors that cause mutations of the DNA and faulty information. Scientists have determined that they could correct these mutations by removing the errors.

Even though gene therapy has not yet provided the hoped-for cures, an understanding of this process holds hope for humanity’s future when considered in the context of systemic reality.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Peace: The Way Ahead

If we persist with the biological perspective, thinking of the human race only as a species, then the prospects for permanent, universal and lasting peace are hopeless. They are hopeless because every significant human advance is accomplished by adapting what we observe from nature. Because we are the only species that displays such self-destructive characteristics in all of nature we can also find no example in which such self-destructive behavior in a species has been overcome, and from which we can learn.

Fortunately, we have discovered the systems perspective. The human race is not the only system that displays such self-destructive behavior. Among living systems, millions of such examples exist in nature. It is here that the true genius of human nature can be applied to our best advantage. Even though nature contains millions of examples of living systems that inexplicably turn on themselves nature has been unable to find a cure. Fortunately, our unique ability to pretend on which our scientific exploits are founded can be quite handy in this case. Before we look at what we have learned from these self-destructive living systems let us take a small look at our ability to pretend.

How do we pretend?
It is unfortunate that pretence is often confused with deceit. Pretence is such a vital aspect of our existence that we have come up with a variety of ways to describe it. Here is a short list of positive ways in which we express our ability to pretend: Imagine; what if; suppose; for instance; for example; assuming that; in the event that. In each case the individual is being asked to pretend that something that does not exist at that moment or in that place actually does exist. She is being asked to find a solution for a situation that would exist only in her mind. In a more structured format this is what experimental scientists do.
Animals cannot do this. Animals instinctively do what their DNA dictates; this is true even for animals like the mockingbird that tries to sound like other birds.

Problems with Pretence
Science has shown the power of pretence, but just as pretence can be used to deceive another it can often result in one deceiving himself. Because the mind does not differentiate between what we are and what we are pretending to be we can sometimes convince ourselves that we are what we are not. Sometimes that can be to our advantage and other times it can retard our development.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Peace: It Is What It Is

It is no surprise that the systemic nature of humanity bears some relevance to our efforts to understand what is wrong with humanity and how we will be able to return our species to a state of normalcy. The underlying principle is the reason behind our ongoing push for specialization. An artisan is most effective when he is working in a area with which he is familiar.

What is surprising is that even though we now accept that the human race is a system we continue to exclude vital information about the behavior of systems in the myriad of efforts we have made to bring permanent, universal and lasting peace to our troubled world. Ironically, the reason for this lack in our efforts is directly related to this very issue of how systems function. It all begins with the basic definition of what a system is.

As we discussed in an earlier blog, a system is “an entity which maintains its existence through the mutual interaction of its parts.” This definition contains three important ideas about a system: 1. it is an entity, 2. it exists to maintain its existence, 3. it does so through mutual interaction of its parts.

The difficulty arises in the definition of its parts. These are not just parts. Even though the definition does not address the fact that each part of a system is also a system this is the most relevant aspect of systemic reality. The requirement that each system is only concerned with its own existence is clearly applicable to the Universe, which is the primary system. By definition there is no other system separate from the Universe whose existence it would need to maintain.

Because every individual and object within the universe is also a system each of these exists to maintain its own existence. The only time that a system would have anything to do with the existence of another system that is external to it would be if that system poses a threat to its existence.

The only condition under which one natural system would attack and threaten the existence of another would be if either system viewed the other as its enemy, whether real or imagined.