Intuition and the Creation of a Better World
What is the Meaning of Peace
Ton Alberts
The late Ton Alberts was a pioneering figure in the field of Organic Architecture. He won particular acclaim for his work on the head office of the NMB Bank in Amsterdam. Built in 1987, the bank was described at that time as the most energy-efficient , large office building in the world. The following article (reproduced here with permission) was written as part of preparations for a conference in The Hague in May 1999, World Peace - Inner Peace. This conference was one of a number of gatherings held at The Hague to celebrate the centennial of the first ever official international Peace Conference.
We think in opposites. This means we only know what is good because we know what is bad. We only know what is beautiful because we know what is ugly. We only know who is rich because we know about people who are poor. In the same way we know what peace is because we know the opposite: war or violence. Both belong together. One cannot exist without the other. If we believe in this kind of peace, we also believe in war or violence. This is the great danger of the future. People want peace and not war, but this kind of peace brings war in its wake.
Real peace is to do with evolution, with growth. Evolution means changes. It means taking the next step, for in nature everything is constantly changing. That is essential to nature, yet our senses do not like changes, and our body is lazy. And people have labeled growth as trouble, and standing still as safe. And standing still, too, is often labeled as peace, but this is also the kind of peace that is the opposite of war.
If we do not follow our evolution we create blockages, then if we do not create solutions to bring our evolution back on schedule, nature finds other ways of accelerating or provoking growth.
This happens with individuals who don't take the next step in their lives, and become sick or have other problems as a result. It happens in countries that stay too long in the same peaceful situation. Violence and war are the result. For example China needed its cultural revolution under Mao to develop into a modern country. Many economically deprived countries are far behind their schedule of evolution and violence may continue as a result for a long time .
The USA is very creative in its new ideas and new developments. It destroys and builds houses, roads, companies, even cities! We should not have to consider war in this country for the next 25 years. But in the not so distant past, when slavery did not disappear, the USA had a civil war, with the result that the next step was taken and slavery was abolished.
The last world war was the sign for Europe to integrate. This process develops slowly. If Europe stops this process, another war can be expected. We have to look for the European creative forces to find new ways for integration to prevent a future war. This is the science of peace. If we see that somewhere in the world evolution is behind schedule, we have to mobilise the creative forces in that country (or countries) to hasten development. Otherwise nature will do the work.
Life is an ongoing, never ending process of creating and recreating. It is in fact an alchemical process in which the alchemist destroys the form, to liberate the energy of that form. With that energy he is able to make a new form. He does this continually until he finds the golden ÷ the holy ÷ solution.
Peace is an ongoing, creative action that ensures that evolution is on schedule, the evolution that nature imposes upon us.
If we see peace as the opposite of war then there is an enormous danger, because that kind of peace does not exist without war.
If we see a crisis coming up somewhere we must mobilise the creative forces in that country, and that is not always easy because the democratic forces can be very conservative and resist all changes. We have to study how we can give people in crisis the tools to become creative. A healthy world grows organically, and stagnation is the sign of trouble.
The works of evolution are the works of Love. Creative work is the most adequate expression of Love. Love is the ultimate creative force and creation is necessary for the next steps in evolution.
Aggression is frustrated creativity. Aggression is a call for help. Our nature is evolution. Turn aggression into creativity and our nature will be fulfilled. We need a harmonious interaction between Humanity, Nature (nature spirits and angels) and God. Peace is the science of Evolution. Evolution is the science of Peace.
Last updated 23 August 2000
