Alt Franz - An Appeal to the World: The Way to Peace in a Time of Division

FOR THOUSANDS OF years, violence has been committed and justified in the name of religion. Religions have often been intolerant and still are in many cases. Religion is often abused or exploited even by religious leaders in order to further political or economic interests. For that reason I say that in the twenty-first century, we need a new form of ethics beyond religion. I am speaking of a secular ethics that can be helpful and useful for over a billion atheists and an increasing number of agnostics. More integral than religion is our fundamental human spirituality. That is the affinity we humans have for love, benevolence, and affection no matter what religion we belong to.

I believe that humans can get by without religion, but not without inner values, not without ethics. The difference between ethics and religion is like the difference between water and tea. Religion-based ethics and inner values are more like water. The tea that we drink is made mostly of water, but it contains other ingredients as well tea leaves, spices, perhaps a little sugar, and, at least in Tibet, a pinch of salt and that makes it more substantial, more lasting, something we want to drink every day. Yet no matter how tea is prepared, its main ingredient is always water. We can live without tea, but not without water. Likewise, we are born without religion, but not without the basic need for compassion and not without the fundamental need for water.

I see with ever greater clarity that our spiritual well-being depends not on religion, but on our innate human nature, our natural affinity for goodness, compassion, and caring for others. Regardless of whether or not we belong to a religion, we all have a fundamental and profoundly human wellspring of ethics within ourselves. We need to nurture that shared ethical basis. Ethics, as opposed to religion, are grounded in human nature. And that is how we can work on preserving creation. That is religion and ethics put into practice. Empathy is the basis of human coexistence. It is my belief that human development relies on cooperation and not competition. That is scientifically proven.

We must learn now that humanity is all one big family. We are all brothers and sisters: physically, mentally, and emotionally. But we are still focusing far too much on our differences instead of our commonalities. After all, every one of us is born the same way and dies the same way. It doesnt make much sense to take pride in our nations and religions all the way to the graveyard!

Ethics run deeper and are more natural than religion.

Climate change, too, can only be solved on a global scale. I hope and pray that the 2015 Paris climate accord will finally bring tangible results. Egotism, nationalism, and violence are the fundamentally incorrect path. The most important question we can ask for a better world is How can we serve each other? To make that shift, we need to sharpen our awareness. The same holds true for politicians. We need to maintain positive states of mind. I practice that four hours per day. Meditation is more important than ritualized prayer. Children should learn morals and ethics. Thats more important than all religion.

The primary causes of war and violence are our negative emotions. We give them too much space and give too little space to our intellects and our compassion.

I suggest more listening, more contemplation, more meditation. I agree with Mahatma Gandhi: Be the change you want to see in the world.

In some totalitarian countries, we see that peace can only last if human rights are respected, if people have food to eat, and if individuals and communities are free. We can only achieve true peace within, among, and around ourselves by first achieving inner peace. Part of happiness is developing a universal sense of responsibility and a secular set of ethics.