THE SIXTH PRINCIPLE -Presented by Fred Harland, May 28, 2000
"We affirm and promote the goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all"
1. A big jumbo jet was having serious problems in flight, and it became apparent that the plane would crash. Everyone on board began to pray-except for the Unitarians. They tried to organize a committee on air safety. And this morning we look, through a discussion of matters related to our 6th Principle, at the issue of safety-- for all of us.
2. The sixth principle states We affirm and promote the goal of world community with peace, liberty and justice for all–we believe that we should work for a peaceful, fair and free world. In this talk I'll be suggesting three things:
3. First, that we do indeed live in one world community, increasingly interconnected, but in which it is not always peaceful, fair or free.
4. Second, that even though the world is not always nice, things can and do change.
5. And, third, having freshly returned from the Annual Meeting of the CUC (Canadian Unitarian Council) where many people are working actively and creatively on these matters, that I am convinced that there is much that can and is being done, that there are opportunities for all of us to contribute. So now that you know what I'm going to say, any who are in a hurry to get home or to go downstairs for an early start on coffee, are permitted to get up and leave.
6. Our international interconnectedness was demonstrated vividly with the Love Bug computer virus through which a college student in the Philippines, he suggests inadvertently, wreaked havoc upon people, organizations, businesses and governments around the world.
7. And what about trade–there has been international trade, of course, for thousands of years, but it's interesting to note how much most of us are tied into it, and increasingly with non-Western, non-European places. Did anyone have something for breakfast that came from somewhere other than Canada, the US or Europe? What was it? Anyone drive to the Centre this morning in a foreign car? Is anyone wearing clothing made elsewhere?
8. What about finance? Anyone with here with a pension–how much foreign content does it have? With foreign stocks or mutual funds?
9. What about communications? Anyone with close friends or family living outside of North America or Europe? Has anyone travelled recently outside Canada? Phoned or e mailed or wrote anyone outside Canada?
10. International links are increasing enormously, in ways that people a generation ago would probably find it hard to fathom (a lot of us too, I suspect!). And they are likely, in a lot of ways, irreversible. And so it is pertinent to ask just what kind of a world we are connected to.
11. And, I guess no surprise, it seems to be one that is getting better, in some ways, but worse in others–life expectancy and overall standards of living seem to be going up, and more and more countries are developing some form of democratic governance, at the same time as the gaps between the rich and poor are increasing (we're growing faster than they are). As well, the world stands by and watches, even abetting, tragic domestic conflicts such as the barbarous mutilation and slaughter of children and adults in Sierra Leone and the genocide of Tutsis by Hutus in Rwanda. And we still live with the nightmare of thousands of nuclear missiles, on ready alert, with the United States threatening, through the NMD (National Missile Defense), to renew the arms race all over again. I'll now say a bit more about two related matters: about international involvement in domestic conflict and about globalization. Yes, we have a world community, but there is not peace, liberty and justice for all.
12. First , then, domestic conflict. I would like to read from a piece by Stephen Lewis in Thursday's Globe and Mail. Stephen, as many of you know well, is one of our shining lights, as an intelligent observer, advocate, and voice of conscience, on matters national and international. He has been very important in Canada's work in the United Nations and in UNICEF. Here is a brief excerpt from what he had to say:
13. "Between April 6, 1994 and the middle of July, some 800,000 Rwandans died in a genocide that saw them hacked and butchered to death. And the entire world sat by and raised nary a finger. In fact, in an act of almost incalculable ethical turpitude, the great powers of the United Nations voted to pull out the majority of UN troops who were actually in the country, as the genocide began with the killing of 10 Belgian peacekeepers . Yes, they sent in some Western troops but only to rescue foreign nationals. The Rwandans were left behind to die." Mardele and I, of course, identify strongly with this tragedy. Our son, Chris, spent a couple years in Rwanda with the United Nations, documenting aspects of the genocide, talking with both victims and perpetrators, monitoring trials of those accused of killing. He was also jailed briefly in the Congo because his work entailed trying to ascertain, in the area of the Congo bordering Rwanda, who was killed and by whom.
14. And in recent days we've become more aware of the horrors of Sierra Leone, where young boys, doped up with drugs, are forced to maim, mutilate and slaughter their countrymen, children and adults alike. And, until recently, the outside world did nothing to protect the peacekeepers sent in to calm the situation. What we did do and continue to do, however, was buy the blood-stained diamonds that financed this slaughter.
15. We know what causes and fuels these wars: in Sierra Leone it was diamonds and small arms, in other conflicts it is timber, oil and gold. We also know what's needed to stop them:
an armed UN rapid-response force capable of responding to emergencies; documentation of who is selling small arms so that this slaughter-enabling trade can be choked off; and rules of trade governing the diamonds, gold, oil and small arms that, whether in Rwanda, Sierra Leone, the Congo or East Timor, finance and support this domestic conflict.
16. We know what's needed. The question is whether we care enough to do something. Dare we hope that our revulsion at the butchery of this world's Sierra Leones, or that our committment to a world of peace, freedom and justice, might lead us to do what needs to be done?
17. So much for domestic conflict. Let's turn now to globalization.
18. I recall a cartoon from a Philippine magazine a few years ago. Jose says, reading the paper to Ramon, "The newspaper says here that our country increased its exports of shoes. It says that they are cheap and well received in the U.S. and Europe. These exports reduced our external debt by 1.07%. 1.07%, replies Ramon, looking down at his bare feet and those of Jose, "Then it will take still some time before we can have ours".
19. So what should we think, say and do about globalization, trade and investment? I find it a difficult and complex issue. On the one hand, I am convinced that increasing links and trade with other countries is inevitable. And, too, I think trade has its benefits–and not just my morning coffee, or that of guzzling Unitarians everywhere. It also seems clear that trade helps disseminate technology and knowledge that are key to rising living standards.
20. But that of course is not the whole story. As the Philippine cartoon suggests, present trading patterns can be blatantly unfair for third world workers..
21. By and large, northern companies don't like competition and do what they can to erect barriers to trade from competing businesses in the South. And Southern countries are thus justifiably fearful of Northern protectionist motives. And consequently unwilling to accept intrusion into domestic policies related to, for example, wages or workforce safety, intrusion that could undermine any competitive advantage they might have.
22. And Northern companies, seeking to maximize profits, often prefer to invest where wages are the lowest, safety or environment standards least stringent, and taxes lowest.
23. And it's sometimes hard to be sure when Northern people's organizations are acting from protectionist motives or in the interests of third world workers whose conditions of employment are often atrocious.
24. We do need, as the supporters of the WTO (World Trade Organization) frequently point out, a rules-based system–the alternative is one based on power. But what is also needed is a global ethic to shape these rules to ensure that globalization benefits all and to ensure, which seems not to have been true of WTO operations so far, that globalization is accountable, transparent and participatory.
25. After the Great Depression the industrial countries laid the basis for liberalization and growth through safety nets to limit volatility and human damage. The challenge today is to devise a similar compact on a global scale, a compact that could underpin the new global economy. To ensure that business supports core values concerning human rights, labour standards and environmental practices. For that, we need global vision and leadership.
26. A global vision that would recognize that with growing interdependence, we need effective governance at the international level. A vision that would question our priorities, where we of the enlightened North, for example, can afford to spend far more on booze and cosmetics than on the UN, where we can afford to invest more than seven hundred billion dollars in arms but only four and a half billion dollars for the entire United Nations.
27. These problems, of domestic conflict, of globalization, and of many others like environmental degradation, nuclear weapons and a possible new arms race, remind me of another cartoon. It's raining cats and dogs, the car has a flat tire and is stuck in the mud, the kids are squabbling in the back seat, Mom is frantic and Dad says "I'm sorry folks, but this is life, this is reality, we can't change the channel".
My first point, then, has been that we do indeed live in one world community, increasingly interconnected, but which is not always peaceful, just or free. That woe need a more responsive global governance to confront major global challenges. That many trends are troubling and that achieving a more just world will not be easy.
28. My second point, though, one that I'll make briefly, is that if history teaches us anything it is that trends are not destiny, that problems can be successfully confronted, even if their solutions often give rise to new problems. That even the most pernicious and seemingly permanent institutions can and do come to an end. Corrupt Chinese dynasties were finally overthrown, making way for new dynasties. Slavery, standard practice for thousands of years, has been abolished. During the lifetime of some of you, women secured the right to vote here, and in many countries around the world. Colonialism was ended, and 20th Century Eastern European dictatorships toppled.
29. There seems to be at least one common thread in all these epoch-making changes–people became convinced that the old way of doing things was not good enough. People no longer gave their assent and old ways had to give way to new. Are we, like the pioneers of earlier times, ready to say, "We won't tolerate this"? "We won't tolerate genocide, even if it's committed inside someone else's country, we won't permit the wanton sale of small arms that foster conflict". "We insist that trade be not only free but also fair, that the rules of globalization be ethically based, accountable, transparent and participatory." "We will eliminate nuclear weapons, we will not tolerate another arms race".
30. It is, of course, an open question and sometimes I feel like Snoopy in Schultz's cartoon. Linus says to Snoopy, "I've decided to write a book. I think I'll call it "The day I gave up my blanket." To which Snoopy replies, "I'll believe it when I see it".
31. III. Which brings me to my third and final point which is, having freshly returned from the CUC's Annual Meeting where many people were working actively and creatively on these matters, I am convinced that there is much that can and is being done, that there are opportunities for all of us to contribute.
32. I want to refer to two stories, familiar to most of us, which can inspire our journey, and, I think, are worth telling and retelling.
33. The first story was hi-lighted at the Calgary CUC by our keynote speaker, Chris Levan, the Principal of St. Stephen's college in Edmonton. It's Tommy Douglas' tale of the mice and cats. You may recall how the mice always elected fat cats to run their affairs, but no matter whether they changed from electing white cats to instead choosing black ones, or Tabbies instead of Siamese, the cats always acted the same–grabbing the mice from their holes, even passing rules to make the holes bigger so their paws could get in more easily. The kind of legislative change the cats considered, which mice sometimes fell for, was changing the shape of the holes, square to round, etc. But the fat cats, being cats, never did anything to limit their persecution of the mice. And Tommy asks, "D'yuh nae see the problem?" And Tommy's lesson of accountability is no less relevant today, whether dealing with e coli outbreaks in Walkerton, Ontario or the faceless bureaucrats of the WTO.
34. The second story, or parable, is the biblical one of the Good Samaritan...The question I want to pose is, if the Good Samaritan were, say, a travelling salesman, walking that Jerusalem/Jericho on a daily basis, discovering some poor beaten-up wretch on the side of the road every day, might he not feel compelled, instead of helping each victim after the fact, to get into politics and organize for adequate policing to ensure that no one need be beaten up? And, if that good Samaritan were to learn of a child blown up by one of the millions of landmines scattered around the globe as remnants of war, were to see on TV the diamond-financed mutilations of innocent bystanders in Sierra Leone's ugly war, were to read of the poverty and hazardous working conditions of the Third World sweat shops in which we invest and that provide goods we take for granted, if that Good Samaritan were alive today, might he not take to the streets and get on the Web and, joining hands with all of us, proclaim "Enough is enough".
35. And two years ago we said "Enough is enough" with the historic signing of the landmines convention in Ottawa. "Enough is enough. We will no longer tolerate the production and use of landmines, we will eliminate existing stockpiles, we will make safe those places that still have these lethal weapons buried in the ground, ready to maim and mutilate innocent men, women and children." The development and signing of this convention, opposed by the U.S., was led by the NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations or citizen's groups) around the world, with major assistance from Canadian NGOs and our federal Government. It would not have come about without the collaboration made possible through the Internet, through the Web.
36. The Multi-lateral Agreement on Investment was scuttled, and the WTO meeting in Seattle last year severely jolted, with protests led by NGOs and other citizen groups (the Council of Canadians, including many Unitarians such as the Cowleys was a key participant). Central to the protest was the demand for accountability, transparency and participation. And for appropriate environmental protection and workplace conditions. Again, the extensive collaboration for these protests was made possible because of the Internet.
37. Sometimes, you know, I'm proud to be a Unitarian. I recall, for example, attending the Victoria CUC two years ago and learning about the activities of Unitarians in the CUSJ (Canadian Unitarians for Social Justice). Of their work in investigation, report writing and analysis and promotion to secure basic human rights–for the disadvantaged among us, for aboriginals, for the homeless. Work to maintain social institutions like medicare on which we all rely. And work for the cause of peace, liberty and justice, not only here, but everywhere. And this work continues and all and any of us, should we choose, can be a part of it. To illustrate, I'll mention three issues that were discussed at Calgary.
38. Canada, through both its NGOs and Federal Government has been important in the formation of the International Criminal Court. This Court, which will try perpetrators of genocide and crimes against humanity, is a critical step in accountability for war crimes. It has been opposed by the United States, which hopes to ensure that American citizens could never be tried. Some of you may not be aware that we, as Unitarians, have an office and representative at the United Nations. Elaine Harvey, of the Kingston Unitarian fellowship, represents both the CUC and the Unitarian Universalist Association at our United Nations office. She has been very important in ensuring that religious communities and other citizen groups have an input into the structure and work of the Court. And most recently, she was key to ensuring that child victims of crimes against humanity have an effective voice in bringing their victimizers to account.
39. The Calgary Meeting passed a motion calling on the Canadian government to oppose the American government's most recent version of Star Wars, the National Missile Defense. Development of this missile defense system seems certain to expand military spending, to start a new global arms race, and have no benefits other than significant investment in and profits for, in Eisenhower's words, the Military-Industrial complex.
40. The Meeting, building on the efforts of the CUSJ, and of many other groups such as the Council of Canadians, also approved a motion on globalization. This motion, which seeks a fairer world, critiques globalization utilizing our Unitarian Principles. It recommends further study of this issue by us and other Canadians.
41. These and other CUSJ initiatives are key to our bringing the vitality of the UU vision, a vision of love, freedom, justice, dignity and accountability, to our world. They also demonstrate the emerging power of what Kofi Annan, the Secretary General of the United Nations, calls the Civil Society. As he says, the "activity of non-state actors has become an essential dimension of public affairs in all parts of the world...(by) utilizing the instant access to information made possible by new technologies (they) have themselves become primary sources and disseminators of information." NGOs, the Civil Society, are now being recognized as partner of the UN, in information, guidance and inspiration, in preventive diplomacy, humanitarian work, development and Human Rights.
42. In summary, then, Yes, our world is not always peaceful, fair or free.
43. But, change is possible,
44. And our vision of peace, freedom and justice is key to making this world a good home for all who live in it. Indeed, with the help of sisters and brothers in our fellowships and around the world, we're well on our way.
45. As Margaret Mead has said...Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it's the only thing that ever has.
46. Ellen Campbell, outgoing president of the CUC, closed the Annual Meeting with a prayer from that great Latin American martyr, Bishop Romero. I'll do the same:
It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view. This is what we are about. We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces far beyond our capabilities. We can not do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very well. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for grace to enter and to do the rest.
We may never see the end results, but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker. We are workers, not master builders, ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own.
Amen.