Chapter 5 The Path of Justice now The Bridge
of Planetary Justice
- Think Globally and Act
Justly
- Global sustainability
through Local Justice
- Goodwill begins with global
fairness
- Local justice ripples
through nations.
- Justice can sustain peace
worldwide.
- We cannot afford to
fail.
In
1959 The Path of Justice was rightly framed
in terms of legal fairness and human rights.
In 2025 a Bridge of Planetary Justice is
needed by connecting nature’s rights to human Justice. Like connecting
climate protection/restoration with corporate accountability and AI ethics. New threats linking AI bias with environmental
destruction, corporate legal loopholes, plus tax evasion in offshore accounts by
billionaires, crime cartels, violent extremists, oligarchs, kleptocrats, and
arms suppliers will be essential for funding and achieving the United Nations’
17 Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
Rotary opportunities include international climate courts (e.g.,
lawsuits against fossil fuel companies), ethical AI standards (e.g., EU AI
Act), and new human rights frameworks (e.g., Universal Declaration of Digital
Rights) including the direct purchasing of most unalienable human rights.
“At his best, man is the noblest of all animals;
separated from law and justice he is the worst.” Aristotle
"If we do not maintain Justice, Justice will
not maintain us.": Francis
Bacon
We will uphold the principles of justice for mankind,
recognizing that these are fundamental and must be worldwide. (From the Outline of Policy in International
Service.)
More than 700 years ago, the Magna Carta, or Great
Charter, established the concept that kings must answer to the law. King John
of England and a group of rebel barons agreed to terms in the document on June
15, 1215. The king had raised taxes and
the barons rebelled insisting he was violating established custom. The barons
armed themselves. Then two armed groups
met at Runnymede, where the King’s negotiators and the barons created a
document with 63 clauses, primarily relating to feudal customs and the way the
justice system would operate. It put
into writing: “No free man shall be seized, imprisoned, dispossessed, outlawed,
exiled or ruined in any way, nor in any way proceeded against, except by the
lawful judgement of his peers and the law of the land.” It also specified that
“To no one will we sell, to no one will we deny or delay right or justice.”
“...the truth
is that men's ambition and their desire to make money are among the most
frequent causes of deliberate acts of injustice.” - ― Aristotle, Politics
But both the King and the barons were unaware of the
costly and inevitable consequences of injustices to follow. But justice is hardwired into genes. Likely a group of genes for justice in most
animal DNA. Without this a species would
have gone extinct long ago. There are
multiple examples with different species in the animal kingdom uniting and risking
their own life to protect another species.
While competition within animal species is certainly present, it’s
rarely deadly. Animal species uniting and using cooperation
and coordination to survive and thrive on this amazing planet may dominate earth
in shear body mass.
“Although they represent only a fraction of Earth’s total
biomass, cooperative and coordinated animal species — notably ants, termites,
humans, and human-managed livestock — account for a significant share, and
likely the majority, of terrestrial animal biomass. For example, social insects
such as ants and termites alone may comprise over 20% of land-based animal
mass, while humans and their domesticated animals outweigh all wild mammals and
birds many times over.” Bar-On, Phillips, and Milo (2018), The biomass
distribution on Earth, PNAS https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29784790/
With humans the need for
justice is increasingly essential for our own survival. Any nation or group now has the capacity to
make, purchase, or trade multiple forms of weapons of mass destruction. And only nuclear weapons offer the best chance
of detection given they ‘radiate’ a presence.
But even that can be shielded from detection. And identifying a reliable
source of origin and speed of delivery makes the concept of deterrence, except for
Mutually Assured Destruction (WMD) basically irrelevant.
So far, at least two Popes
have suggested ‘no justice, no peace’. And this wisdom is ancient.
"Iniquity
[gross injustice], committed in this world, produces not fruit immediately,
but, like the earth, in due season, and advancing by little and little, it
eradicates the man who committed it. ...justice, being destroyed, will destroy;
being preserved, will preserve; it must never therefore be
violated." Manu 1200 bc.
But humans are yet practice it globally. And the most powerful nations don’t want to. Even those holding the principle of Justice as
a self-evident Truth.
“Justice is the great interest of man on
earth. Wherever her temple stands,
there is a foundation for social security, general happiness and the
improvement and progress of our race.“
Engraved above the entrance to the US
Dept. of Justice in Washington DC.
In business, international relations, personal relationships,
or any segment of life in which children or adults must interact, there is a great
reason to refer to ‘justice’ as the “lesser evil”. The greater evil being vengeful violence. And violence is often justified in the absence
of effective Justice. But violence is rarely just. Thus, the predictable escalation of violence that
is often very hard to stop will persist. And lacking a wise Justice system to end or
remedy injustices - more are inevitable.
This provides obvious job security and justification for sustaining
governments, militaries, and the best weapons systems possible in most nations. And this expense will be unyielding...and ultimately
unsustainable.
This passionate sense of justice is truly fundamental
in human nature. Voltaire said: “The sentiment of justice is so natural
and so universally acquired by all mankind, that it seems to be independent of
all law, all party, all religion.” Here then there is something universal. Reasonably and rationally all humankind
should be able to agree to engineer a global institutional framework to
administer Justice. Some efforts have
been made. But the superiority of
national sovereignty over the unalienable rights of people and protecting
nature remains the greatest barrier.
Under existing circumstances, universal
principles still exist. These are known
as fundamental principles, first principles, self-evident Truths, or common
sense. But it is far more common for humanity’s creative minds to make up
principles. Principles that too often have short term value to an individual,
group, or nation.
What are these principles of justice that the Rotary Outline
of Policy calls upon the Rotarian to uphold?
To be recognized as fundamental and as demanding application worldwide,
these principles must cover every territory, an infinite variety of
values, and a great many opposing points of view which are passionately
held. In a world where many disputes are
settled by robbing Peter to pay Paul, this is not justice. And sometimes justice occupies the mourner’s
bench at peace conferences. Fundamental
principles must have a superior logic to be capable of raising justice from the
level of partisanship to the level of principle.
Can nations be so persuaded? Not without a massive number of citizens
persuading their leader without violence.
Can the personal relations that Rotary fosters between people of
different nations help in the establishment of this universal principle of
justice? Absolutely. With non-violent means a massive number of
citizens and persuade their leader that justice is a “self-evident” “Truth” as
offered about 250 years ago in a 1776 premised on “the Laws of Nature and of
Nature’s God”. A premise President
Abraham Lincoln claimed was "liberty, not alone to the people of this
country, but hope to the world for all future time." And he called it
"a rebuke and a stumbling block to tyranny and oppression" everywhere.
He recognized the Declaration of Independence
contained the universal Truth that ‘Nature’s God” is basically the Gold Rule. The foundation of every religion and
indigenous cultures that existed before religions. Why is it so hard for the common person or
powerful leader to comprehend humanity’s need to take care of nature and each
other - via the Golden Rule?
What people and nations of the world need most now is
to look at every situation from the direction of the other citizens’ view.
An American Indian proverb suggests: “Do not condemn
the other man until you have worn his moccasins.” Humanity’s challenge is to
“get into the shoes” of the other people. There are many ways to do this, but
fundamentally - one needs compassion for others. With this anyone can find the need for
justice by the normal processes of reading, correspondence, discussions,
hearing TED talks, and travel. Next
steps involve action. Like putting
knowledge to work “role-playing” – pretending to be someone else or a
representative of an organization or nation which embraces a point of view
different from your own.
In the past many Rotary clubs used this as a program
technique. Done well with preparation by
the participants and the audience knowing it will be an open discussion. This might
involve the club president or program chairman saying, “If you were an American
Arab how would you feel about the recognition of Israel by the Palestinians? It may
be a struggle of one’s imagination for an Arab Rotarian putting their self into
the shoes of an American or Israeli – and vice versa. But such an effort can help them escape from regional
limitations in their thinking. Most
importantly it reveals that justice is a two-way bridge.
Going one step further, several communities even
organized ‘into-their shoes conferences’.
Using local citizens organized into groups of five to eight, each group
to “represent” a nation in an international conference. These events debated a
major world problem. Sometimes in a public meeting or a series of meetings over
several weeks.
Such an engaged intensive study can now be done over
the web with Rotarians in other lands to get firsthand information in defending
“their country’s” policy in public by really putting themselves “into the
shoes” of another person thousands of miles away. This should be done with great caution regarding
the freedom between clubs to express their views without recrimination against them
by their government or others who might violently disagree. But done well, it could build a new concept
of justice and fair play. Braver Angels
is an organization bringing polarized people together in wise way Braver Angels https://braverangels.org/
Rotary’s genius technique, developed by Rotarians –
and sometimes used by non-Rotarians, too – works well as a “yardstick” for
justice. It is “The Four-Way Test of
things we think, say, or do”:
Is it the
TRUTH?
Is it FAIR
to all concerned?
Will it
build GOOD WILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
Will it be
BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
Although this test was devised originally for use in a
business faced with crisis and has been developed in Rotary initially as an addition
to vocational service, it actually has a global application in ‘wrestling’ with
Truth decay. Experience has shown that
when someone uses The Four-Way Test in his business, profession, or personal
conversations more clarity and confidence often occurs between others as a
friend and citizen. This simple
yardstick of human relations can be useful in international service and
promoting a more just and non-violent world:
In the promotion of Rotary’s fourth avenue of service,
the exemplification of The Four Way Test in the diplomatic relations between
nations can exert a tremendous influence. The world is flooded with so much
propaganda, fake news, and misinformation that confuses our minds and distorts
our views. There is so much distortion of the Truth that leads to
misunderstanding and mutual animosities. The challenge for Rotary to use and
spread the genius of The Four-Way Test through its fourth avenue of service.
These four simple questions will prove helpful in the
quest for universal principles of justice, freedom, and the rule of law. It is not a code of ethics. No one can object
to it because it merely reminds him to use his own best judgment. It does not
tell anyone what to do. It merely suggest they look at whatever they think, say,
or do in light of their own standards. A
principle of justice or the golden rule which is upheld by The Four Way Test
should, accordingly, be acceptable to all peoples.
The Rotarian who is exploring the path of justice may
wish to start the testing for themselves. A critical examination of their own
principles of justice is one way of upholding them, as more than just a high-sounding
slogan. And provide opportunities to them to assist in using them world-wide.
For example: Consider the much-discussed principle of
self-determination. How does it meet The
Four-Way Test? The Truth is that
this principle has a formidable place in the history of our times. One fact in world politics for generations has
been when both wars or the achievement of a nation’s self-rule have claimed the
headlines. Fair to all concerned
is certainly the freedom of everyone to pursue their own destinies, to make
their own mistakes, and their distinctive contributions to humankind.
The principle of self-determination would seem to meet
The Four-Way Test. But upholding a principle calls for more than passive
approval. Disraeli, once the prime minister of England said, “Justice is truth
in action.” Justice must surmount the real problems now involved in making
things work world-wide. And there are many problems. One consequence of
self-determination is now more often the division of nations - no longer the “balkanization”
which occurred in Europe after World War I -- which was largely responsible for the
second world war.
Today, there’s a growing gap between how irreversibly
interdependent nations are economically - and how much their leaders are determined
to keep ‘independent’ politically and govern themselves. Sometimes democratic and the force of law - and
other times by the law of force. This highlights another insurmountable
problem. The monstrous challenge of
whether people are ready to run their own governments. By now it should be a self-evident Truth that a
certain level of education and wisdom is necessary for a country to work well
in today’s rapidly moving interdependent and hyper connected world of events and
challenges. Changes driven by the
exponential advancement of technology with its unprecedent power to save and
protect life or mass murder it. In the
context of Thomas Paine’s 1776 pamphlet — it is just ‘common sense’ that the only
legitimate purpose of government is to protect the “freedom and security’ of people.
For the individual Rotarian, many opportunities
leading to the path of global justice arises in efforts to overcome both
problems. Globally these efforts must be made much sooner. But given the varying global conditions now
in many nations - the solutions will be as varied as each nation’s particular
situation. Still, within some Asian nations,
Rotarians wrestle with the problems of achieving responsible external relations
along new frontiers. Individual Rotarians in Europe, understanding the reality
of their economic interdependence, supported the unification of their nations
by creating the European Union. Then
some nations later rejected it, creating problems for themselves. The creation of the EU was empowered by the
possibility that a completely united Europe would greatly reduce the chances of
another war on their soil. Unfortunately,
with Russia’s attempt to reclaim its former glory by invading Ukraine sparking
a war on EU’s border – that possibly rises again.
In South Africa, Rotary club committees were active in
assisting people there in developing more effectiveness in self-government
without sacrificing the cultural integrity of citizens there. In places
like Australia or New Zealand when individuals there showed a desire for
self-determination – they immigrated to South Africa where they received a
Rotary welcome upon arriving. It was a
Rotary club that invented the description of being “New Australians” and then pledged
to welcome them with open arms.
Other principles of justice and self-determination can
be explored similarly when discovering opportunities for service in empowering others
who often make the same decision to move world-wide. But now those opportunities are dwindling because
of populist movements with governments building walls and ordering deportations
of those who once achieved acceptance.
Throughout this singular most fundamental human right
- the right to move when one is threatened
or facing gross injustices - has woven the urgent need to further develop
justice within our current unjust system of international law. For it to remain as things are now in the UN Charter is a great injustice for any
society where ‘might makes right’. As Pascal
put it, “Justice and power must be brought together, so that whatever is just
may be powerful, and whatever is powerful may be just”. The course of
civilization has been the search for a global rule of law to replace the creed
of the caveman.
“Where law
ends, tyranny begins.” John Locke
“Power without love is reckless and abusive, and
love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love
implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power
correcting everything that stands against love.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.
The World Justice Project https://worldjusticeproject.org/rule-of-law-index/global/2024/ WJP is an
independent, multidisciplinary organization working to create knowledge, build
awareness, and stimulate action to advance the rule of law worldwide. The effective rule of law reduces corruption,
combats poverty and disease, and protects people from injustices large and
small. It is the foundation for communities of justice, opportunity, and
peace—underpinning development, accountable government, and respect for
fundamental rights.
Citizens for Global Solutions www.globalsolutions.org is working
for a Peaceful, Free, Just and Sustainable World Community.
The global rule of law requires
that laws be just, with fair systems of adjudication, a separate legal
profession, robust civil society, and a dynamic system for revising,
challenging and remaking international law to better serve the needs of the
world today by establishing a reliable means of enforcing the unalienable
rights referenced in both the 1776 Declaration of Independence and the 1948
Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
www.cigionline.org/articles/introducing-global-rule-law/ 12-1-2014
In a mid-1990s C-Span
interview with an international audience U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony
Kennedy offered a clear definition of the “Rule of Law”. When asked ‘What makes the “rule of law” most
effective?’ he answered, ‘it requires three
essentials.’ ‘First, the laws must be
made and enforced by a democratic process.
People want to participate in the rules they live under.’ Then warned ‘that’s not enough! Hitler had
that.’ Second, he asserted that the ‘laws
must be applied equally to everyone’.
This principle of justice is universal.
But even that isn’t enough.
People can still be mistreated equally.
Last he said ‘laws must be protective of a certain set of inalienable
rights. Rights people have just because
we’re born. Not because of any immutable
characteristics we were born with, like skin color, sexual orientations, or genetic
variations. Or the group identity we
were born into (ethnic, economic, religious, nationality...). These are mental identities that each person
can freely change.
If Humankind understands this is knows what must be
done. Benjamin Franklin’s logic and
words validated this choice: “Justice is as strictly due between neighbor
nations as between neighbor citizens. A highwayman is as much a robber when he
plunders in a gang as when single; and a nation that makes an unjust war is
only a great gang of robbers.”
Laws can be made to apply to our nuclear, biological,
space, and AI era. Enforcing them will always
be a problem. Secrecy and privacy will
limit some nations in prioritizing their freedoms and security even when it
endangers everyone everywhere by circumventing the global rule of law.
According to this author’s study of human history, war, and the evolution of
weapons, “the only way to make the mass of humankind see the beauty of justice
is by showing them, in plain and simple terms, the consequence of injustice
…”
This is now witnessed daily on the mini screens most
people carry with them - if they have access to reliable and affordable sources
– horrible human and animal suffering if they dare to watch it. Still the most powerful nations and their
leaders don’t care – even when the mass casualty consequences have never been
clearer. This horrendous loss of life
and freedom from each pandemic, invasion, genocide, extreme weather condition,
or violent extremist mass murder- has usually been preventable. And justice/accountability for those responsible
for most of these catastrophic failures is still lacking.
In the 1950s a president of the American Bar
Association said, “The atomic and hydrogen bombs have attuned the people of
the world to an overwhelming desire for peace, stronger than any such desire in
all history. Here a great opportunity will be won or lost. We lawyers must
write the necessary legal machinery to maintain essential national sovereignty,
yet provide for the peaceful settlement of disputes between nations under the
rule of law …”
Even before this urgency the late U.S. Senator Taft
saw with almost prophetic insight of what was coming. “I believe that in the long run the only way
to establish peace is to write a law, agreed to by each of the nations, to
govern the relations of such nations with each other and to obtain the covenant
of all such nations that they will abide by that law and by decisions made
thereunder.”
December 14, 1787, "Government is instituted for
the common good; for the protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness of the
people; and not for profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family,
or class of men; therefore, the people alone have an incontestable,
unalienable, and indefeasible right to institute government; and to reform,
alter, or totally change the same, when their protection, safety, prosperity,
and happiness require it." -- Alexander
Hamilton (1757-1804) Source: Federalist No. 22.
In 1873 “As commerce, education and the rapid
transition of thought and matter by telegraph and steam have changed
everything, I rather believe that the great Maker is preparing the world to
become one nation, speaking one language, a consummation which will render
armies and navies no longer necessary.”
General of the Armies/President Ulysses
S. Grant (born in Ohio, buried in New York City)
In 1945 "We believe that peace and security can
be established and assured only if we, the sovereign people, who, for our own
safety and well-being have delegated parts of our sovereignty to cities to
handle our municipal affairs, to departments, counties, provinces, cantons or
states to take care of departmental, county, provincial, cantonal or state
issues, [and] to our national governments to attend to national problems -- [in
order] to protect ourselves against the danger of inter-national wars, now delegate
part of our respective sovereignty to bodies capable of creating and applying
Law in inter-national relations."--Emery
Reves, The Anatomy of Peace
“World federation is an idea that will not die. More and more people are coming to realize
that peace must be more than an interlude if we are to survive. That peace is a product of law and
order; that law is essential if the
force of arms is not to rule the world. “ Justice William O. Douglas (died 1980)
In 1949 the U.S. House of Representatives and the
Senate in the House Concurrent Resolution 64 stated: Resolved
by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring, that it is the sense of
the Congress that is should be a fundamental objective of the foreign policy of
the United States to support and strengthen the United Nations and to seek its
development into a world federation,
open to all nations, with defined and limited powers adequate to preserve peace
and prevent aggression through the enactment, interpretation, and enforcement
of world law. And four Republican US
Presidents have endorsed “world peace through law” proposals: Ulysses S. Grant,
Teddy Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Dwight David Eisenhower.
And on September 11, 1990 (exactly 11 years before the
9-11 ‘terrorist’ attack on the US) President George Bush Senior called for a
new world order. Imagine where the world
would be today if those in power transitioned to this ‘rule of law instead of
the law of force’ global legal system now sustained for nearly 8 decades.
Sacred belief systems we still keep today will cause still
more mass murder responses that will persist in threatening global
security. Armageddon is a good example with
Evangelical Christians siding with Israeli Nationalists in current
conflicts in the Middle East. Some hope
it will lead to a world war -- so their profit can return to them.
Ironically, these folks aren't really opposed to world government abiding
by “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God”.
At least some of them are. Most
are opposed to a just and democratic world government. What they seek is
a theocracy -- where their view of God rules everyone’s world.
The world community may now however be witnessing the
wisdom of the fundamental necessity for global justice through the rule of
laws, specifically “the Laws of Nature and Nature’s God” referenced in 1776,
nearly 250 years ago. The accelerating need for taking care of nature and each
other.
February 6, 1788, James Madison, a signer of that 1776
Declaration of Independence intended for all humankind, wrote in Federalist No.
51 (the most widely cited of the Federalist Papers) “If men were angels no
government would be necessary.” He was
explaining the need for checks and balances in government because people are
fallible, selfish, and have a wide range of self-interests. So, government must be structured in a way
that controls both the governed and the governors.
If there is a problem which should engage the
attention of every man, woman, and child in this generation, it is the need for
development and application of just and enforceable international laws to
protect people and nature. Given the
difficulty of this goal and the urgency of our era it is not just about the
prevention of wars. Nations, extremist
groups, and even individuals can now acquire the means of mass murder, destruction,
and/or disruption for creating economic and environmental global chaos, that
could derail civilization as we ‘the well off’ now know it.
Human advancements in all fields can now contribute to
the establishment of a sound system of the global rule of law capable of
addressing the root causes of most threats.
Unfortunately, for most people, international law is a remote subject,
with too little reference to their own survival, prosperity, and the prospects
for their children thriving in generations to follow. Too many people have understandably given up
on the United Nations given the persistently escalating global problems and the
lack of collective progress in stopping or reducing them.
Once again, the Rotary’s Outline of Policy challenges
the individual Rotarian to a practical endeavor. To uphold the principles of
justice by law -and to make them applicable world-wide. Failing such legal enforcement of
international laws for protect human rights and the environment, the next best
thing is purchasing them. At least most
of them. This could be achieved by
sufficiently investing in -and achieving the United Nations’ 17 SDGs as soon as
possible.
With Rotary’s connections to businesses and Chambers
of Commerce globally, Rotarians have a unique opportunity considering the
comments made by Brian Moynihan, Bank of America’s chair and CEO on
C-span June 2023. In an interview on the
state of the economy, the U.S. financial system, and capitalism hosted by the
City Club of Cleveland.
Program ID: 529044-1 https://www.c-span.org/video/?529044-1/bank-america-ceo-remarks-city-club-cleveland
Moynihan said,
‘the Sustainable Development Goals will cost approximately’ “$6 trillion
annually”. But “governments are too debt
burdened” and “charity is insufficient”. “Business leaders” “like the oil
companies” and others must step up and prioritize a balancing of ‘short-term
gains’ with ‘long term interests’.
‘Profits must be good for business and society all the way down to the
community level’. “Capitalism...requires
a greater purpose than making more profit.”
‘Neither capitalism or profit making are sustainable without these goals
being achieved.'
Rotarians must inform ourselves and others about these
needs. Not only about transforming the
present unsustainable status of international law given its inevitable
catastrophic costs in blood and treasure of ignoring it -- but also on the need
for human development globally...as a precursor to establishing the rule of law
globally by generating sufficient human unity that will likely demand it.
How can we best motivate nations to resist using the
law of force and to accept the global force of law - or directly purchasing the
global protection of the environment and most human rights? Both carry a hefty price tag. But the price of failing either is ultimately
unacceptable for anyone’s life and/or God loving soul.
Clearly, many now in power benefit by maintaining the
status quo by keeping their citizens fearful, misinformed, and convinced that
more walls, a bigger military, and better weapons will keep them safe. But this ‘Peace through strength’ mentality
is the ‘great delusion’. And both these
leaders and a majority of their followers have it. And it is maintained under the illusion of
their independence – that blinds them of the Truth. Everyone’s total and irreversible
interdependence and vulnerability is dependent on the health of others and
nature.
Does this situation not suggest a specific and
increasingly urgent task which is within the competence of any Rotary club to
act on? An intensive study under the
guidance of members in the legal classification. Or in home or community
meetings, club programs, public forums, zoom meetings, YouTube videos, blog
posts, Facebook/ LinkedIn communications, or the old ‘into-their-shoes
conferences’, or community events every 4th of July?
How can more public interest be created? Is it
worth the struggle and sacrifice needed our conscience, legacy, and what our children
need? Our species posterity demands it. Everyone has the freedom to abstain or
disagree. But no one will avoid the
totally predictable, costly, needless, and unacceptable consequences.
Historian Toynbee, after examining the history,
development, and fall of various civilizations which have flowered,
concludes: “As a rule the demand for
codification (of law) reaches its climax in the penultimate age before a social
catastrophe, long after the peak of achievement in jurisprudence has been
passed, and when the legislators of the day are irretrievable on the run in a
losing battle with ungovernable forces of destruction …”
Nearly 250 years ago near the end of the second
profound paragraph of the 1776 Declaration of Independence is another profound
warning, “all Experience hath shewn, that
Mankind are more disposed to suffer,
while Evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the Forms to
which they are accustomed.”
Abraham
Lincoln wrote that this document is our “Apple of Gold”. And the U.S. ‘Constitution its Silver frame’. What is now urgently needed is exposing the silver
frame’s failure. And shining light on the
enlightenment of “self-evident” “Truths”.
This remains a job opening for Rotary, Rotarians, and the rest of
humanity. And its outcome could globally
achieve each of the seven intentions within the preamble of the US
Constitution.
1.
“to form a more perfect Union”
2.
“establish Justice”
3.
“insure domestic tranquility,
4.
“provide for the common defence,
5.
“promote the general Welfare,
6.
“and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves,
7.
“and our posterity, ….
The
intention of updating Rotary’s 1959 book ‘Seven Paths to Peace” with this 2025 ‘Seven
Bridges to Peace’ is to be inspirational, a study guide of the wisdom humanity has
always had and needs now - instead of more intelligence, and most importantly a
call to action.
Given
humanities existing global communications capacity combined with Artificial
Intelligence, existing resources, and human wisdom heaven on this earth can be
achieved - with maximum security, liberty and justice for all.
We must ensure that all people in villages, rural
communities, larger towns, the world’s largest cities, and the halls of every governments
- clearly hear that the time has come, and way past due, for such sanity and
progress in human affairs to happen. Perhaps
culminating in a world summit for unity instead of more violence and
destruction. Daniel Webster called a “summit”...
“the ligament which holds civilized beings and civilized nations together.” And Justinian, the great lawgiver, called
justice “the constant desire and effort to render to every man his due.”
SUMMARY Chapter 5:
“Justice is the great interest of man on earth. It is the ligament
which holds civilized nations together.”
Daniel Webster
Chapter five: Planetary Justice, is a call to action that recognizes justice must now
extend beyond national borders, human generations, and even species. As our
home planet faces overlapping crises—climate disruption, biodiversity loss,
global inequality, more wars, new pandemics, political polarization,
unsustainable government debts, and technological upheaval—traditional notions
of justice are no longer sufficient. This chapter argues that justice must be
redefined to account for intergenerational equity, global fairmindedness, and
our responsibilities to each other and the non-human world.
Humanity’s current systems privilege short-term, local
interests at the expense of long-term planetary well-being. Wealthy nations and
elites disproportionately benefit from resource use while poorer populations,
future generations, and ecosystems bear the brunt of the consequences. Climate
change, for instance, is not only a technical or environmental issue—it is a
moral one, rooted in deep imbalances of power, consumption, and voice.
The current lack of justice within and between
existing governance systems, which remain fragmented and anthropocentric, are ill-equipped
to ensure justice across boundaries of time, geography, and species. It calls
for a bold reimagining of legal, political, and ethical frameworks to support a
more inclusive vision of justice that aligns with Earth’s limits and humankind’s
shared fate.
Planetary justice demands systemic changes. From
redefining rights and responsibilities to reshaping economies and laws it urges
a shift from domination to stewardship, from extraction to regeneration, and
from individualism to collective interdependence. Achieving the SDGs,
particularly those tied to climate, violence, equality, and strong
institutions, is presented not just as policy targets but as moral imperatives
in the pursuit of global justice.
"I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that
his justice cannot sleep forever." - Thomas Jefferson
Truth decay and deception remain the ultimate source
of accelerating political polarization (both locally and globally). This disruptive force is at the heart of the
growing chaos and injustices that we must urgently adjust to - or continue
suffering killer and costly consequences – the path we are now on. We still have a choice. And Rotary is well placed to globally
advocate for the sustainably of our species, and most others (except Polio, and
other pathogens like it). And what is
needed most is urgent action. Time is
not on our side.