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UNITED NATION CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT (UNCTAD)
THE BOOK OF ASPIRATIONS
Page 48 The Book of Aspirations
Open-home for peace and development: a grassroots prototype solution
1. Overcoming the culture of war... The world has been plagued with wars since time immemorial, and they persist into the twentyfirst century with no end in sight. Wars are waged for four reasons: territory (for natural resources), race (racial leadership), religion (faith leadership), and economics (for business, financial superiority). There are no winners in wars, only losers. And the most affected are innocent citizens, plagued by fear and apprehension and shattered dreams, victims of collateral damage, who manage to survive only to face horror and destitution. If present world trends continue, universal peace will remain a transient illusion, a dream. To transform this dream into a potential reality, we must address the problem at its roots eliminate 'seeds of fear and apprehension'. We must seek to rid this seed from the heart of every living being, and accord humanity a fresh start, a clean slate to launch a new peaceful beginning into the twenty-first century.
2. Nurturing the culture of peace... Only peacemakers at heart will discover the pathways to build societies of collaboration without aggression. A society of peacemakers has the potential to build an economy that adds value, rather destroys, by beginning to build an open-home for peace, non-violence, integrity and ethical development. Citizens from these societies will ultimately nurture the culture of peace, not lead the world into a culture of war ever again. Open-home model projects in Thailand have provided hope and a second chance in life to over 62 million people, especially children from broken families and homes. Collaborative programmes are designed and implemented with parents, schools, churches and temples, and social groups. The project focuses on the family unit, where parents provide the foundations for children. When the relationship between a stable home and society falls into place, national stability at the economic and political level follows. The United Nations could, perhaps, speed up world peace at the grassroots level by embracing the 'Open-Home for Peace and Development' concept. This prototype is simple. It can be adapted and duplicated into all social models, as it transcends all racial, cultural and religious boundaries.
(Chatchai Sribundit, representative, 33 years, Dhammakaya Foundation, Thailand)
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