Vol. 1 No. 1 April 2001
Greetings!!
Welcome to the first issue of The Path e-mission! The Path is the quarterly
electronic publication of Syntony Quest -- an educational nonprofit organization
dedicated to helping those who wish to learn how to cope with change and
uncertainty in ways that foster community and sustainability. We
hope you will find the e-mission a useful and refreshing learning tool
on the path toward a sustainable future.
In this inaugural e-mission we will introduce you to the concept of syntony as it relates to peace. If we were to boil down the major global challenges that we humans face today, we could say that peace and environmental sustainability represent most of the challenges and opportunities for the creation of a positive future. The active creation of peace is a process that need take place everywhere, from our homes and communities to the national and international arenas. Learning actively to co-create peace is part of the syntony quest. The Path is intended to be full of action-oriented ideas useful for our daily lives and relevant for our common future.
We hope you enjoy our e-mission. We always welcome your feedback, suggestions and contributions.
In partnership,
Kathia & Alexander Laszlo
The syntony path toward peace
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The
Syntony Path toward Peace
by Alexander Laszlo
alexander@syntonyquest.org
Syntony is a purposeful creative aligning and tuning with the evolutionary
flows of which we are a part. The term is currently relegated to
the realms of radio engineering to denote tuning in to a given radio frequency.
But it has been used by other philosophers and scientists to denote a process
central to evolutionary competence.
Syntony involves active learning to become active participants in the
shaping of our future. It means learning to join creatively in the
play of evolution that nature has already been performing for so long.
Along this path, syntony can lead to harmony and peace.
Peace can be thought as a dynamic, living process. However, peace is most often thought of as a state of being; the realization of a particular state of consciousness. We consider people like Gandhi or the Dalai Lama to be "peaceful" people. Peace, in this sense, is a state free from struggle and strife, free from dissonance and disharmony, and full of tranquillity and calm. In societal terms, it is the absence of war, which at the individual human level is the absence of conflict. If there is any dynamic quality to it, it resides in the way such conceptions of peace view issues of accord with others and the environment in general: the more peaceful, the more one is in compliance with the flows of which one is a part; offering no resistance and creating no disturbance. In short, peace as a state is conceived as tranquillity and accord with one's milieu. It is a static conception of harmony - like being balanced on one leg. And surely, this is a state that is difficult to attain and even more difficult to maintain. But it is not the sort of peace involved in syntony and evolutionary stewardship. That is to say, it is not a sufficient conception of peace, for syntony involves the dynamic balance of walking and running and jumping and dancing, not just balancing on one leg!
How can any formulation of something as "the absence of" another lead to growth, development, and evolution? Peace should not be conceived of as merely an emptying of the sentiments and dispositions that lead to conflict and war (simply - or not so simply - ridding ourselves of impulses and desires, especially those of rage, reprisal, or revenge). It must be the creation of something as equally strong and palpable as conflict and war, but opposite to it; something we can sense just as we can sense conflict and war; something we can purposefully produce - just as we do conflict and war.
One of the great leaders of Mexico, President Benito Juárez, once said, "El respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz" - respect for other's rights is peace. This formulation of peace captures its intentional quality, for one can only create this type of peace through the conscious practice of respect in interaction with others. And beyond respect, peace draws dynamism from understanding. Understanding brings people closer - without requiring that "respectful distance" that would otherwise keep us from reaching out to help them - and thereby allows for the dynamic growth and nurturance of peace.
This augmented notion of intentional, interactive, dynamic peace is at the core of evolutionary conceptions of syntony. One way to remember it, and to distinguish it from conceptions of peace as a static state, is to think of the following acronym:
P eople
E ngaged in
A ctive
C o-creative
E volution
So, syntony can provide a path to learning how to live in harmony with deep enjoyment - in harmony with ourselves and in exultation of dynamic and constructive relationships that cultivate positive synergy and vitality. Syntony is a process that we can create - if we want to. But to want to means wanting to co-create peace in an ongoing dance of harmony and interaction with others (other people, to be sure, but also with other beings, and indeed, with other things as well). This type of stewardship, of taking on the mantle of evolutionary co-creator, breaks down the barrier between "us" and "other." We can only engage in it if we care enough to do so. That is, if we care enough for "all of us," and if we stop separating things into atomistic, individualistic compartments. In short, it means reaffirming the sacredness of life - of life as a dynamic process to be maintained and furthered, and not as a state of being. Our true nature is as Human Becomings, not only as Human Beings.
It all begins at home! A peaceful partnership society begins with healthy and vibrant families. Here are some facts that show the gravity of domestic violence:
In the United States, estimates range from 960,000 incidents of violence
against a current or former spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend per year to
4 million women who are physically abused by their husbands or live-in
partners per year.
(Source: "Violence by Intimates: Analysis of Data
on Crimes by Current or Former Spouses, Boyfriends, and Girlfriends," U.S.
Department of Justice, March, 1998.)
Family violence costs the United States from $5 to $10 billion annually
in medical expenses, police and court costs, shelters and foster care,
sick leave, absenteeism, and non-productivity.
(Source: "Medical News," American Medical Association,
January, 1992.)
Between 50 and 70% of men who abuse their female partners also abuse
their children.
(Source: Bowker Lee H.; Arbitell, Michelle and McFerron,
Richard (1998). "On the Relationship Between Wife Beating and Child Abuse,"
in Kersti Yllo & Michele Bograd (Eds.). Feminist Perspectives on Wife
Abuse.)
Children who witness violence are at a high risk of anxiety and depression,
and exhibit more aggressive, antisocial, inhibited and fearful behaviors.
(Source: Kenning, Mary; Merchant, Anita and Thompkins,
Alan (1991). "Research on the Effects of Witnessing Parental Battering:
Clinical and Legal Policy Responses" In Michael Steinmen (Ed.) Woman Battering:
Policy Responses.)
We live in an interconnected world and we need to live together on this planet. Cultural diversity calls, as a first step, for tolerance. But tolerance can be interpreted as "to put up with others and restrain my impulses to do violence to them even though I don't understand them and maybe even hate them!" Is this an attitude that is conducive to peace? We don't think so. Why not strive to help others to learn empathy and acceptance? Tolerance is a neutral conception - static and uninvolved. Empathy and acceptance are positive conceptions - active and caring. Simply put, non-violence is to peace as tolerance is to empathy and acceptance.
Try to reach out, to put yourself in the shoes of another. Why do they feel that way? Where are they coming from? What would you do in their situation? These kind of questions can help you understand others and empathize with them. The next step is to search for common ground. As Einstein once said, "Remember your humanity, and forget the rest!"
What is syntony? Where does the term comes from? Why is it important? How can we learn more about it? These and more questions are answered in the book, The Syntony Quest: Evolutionary vision for change in your world, by Alexander Laszlo. The featured article of this issue of The Path drew on several sections of the book. So if you enjoyed it, you may enjoy the rest of it! The book will be available later this year. If you want to receive more information contact alexander@syntonyquest.org.
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The Path: Action-sparking ideas of today for tomorrow
is a publication of Syntony Quest © 2001.
The ideas expressed here do not necessarily represent the views of
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but rather of the individuals who contributed to this issue.
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