Hunger is the primary driver of so many problems. It is insane it still exists on earth.

These are again the times that try men's souls.  Thomas Paine’s ‘uncommon sense’ today would agree.  Humankind’s global governance and economic systems are clearly broken.  To fix what’s broken we must first know it’s broke.  The ‘Peace’ movement and the Capitalist system are clearly broken.  We now witness increasing hunger, global conflicts (some seeming permanent and fueled by hunger), failing democracies, lethal economic inequality, and growing political polarization.   This is evidence of two flawed principles created by human minds.  Yet we continue to defend them -- costing humankind millions of lives and tens of trillions of dollars annually.

Principles like ‘Peace through Strength’ and ‘Free market forces’.  Free-for-all/rogue capitalism has no empathy, compassion, justice, or accountability.  Just the principle of profit above people and the planet. 

This principle is a mental delusion.  It cannot stop the globally disruptive forces of poverty, hunger, war, genocide, pandemics, extreme weather patterns, domestic/globally violent extremists, the weaponization of every technology, and deteriorating ecosystems -- not without a social species guiding it.  The existing disruptive forces are perpetuated by our collective mental disorder.  The delusion that we are separate (independent) of each other and nature.  It should be a self-evident Truth that we can no longer operate on this illusion of independence - given the reality of our irreversibly interdependent world.  And until we can mobilize and transform these two global systems, the best we can do is finance the global achievement of the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.  The only comprehensive and holist plan for planetary health that is already approved, affordable, and measurable achievable.  If not by 2030.  Definitely by 2035.  The transformation of our thinking is urgently needed to make this happen ASAP. 

So, to engineer a functional and sustainable solution to achieve health for all and the planet -- humankind can no longer rely on ambiguous words.  Peace is an ambiguous word.  For a world that works for everyone and each of nature’s systems all life depends on - we must insist on unambiguous words in moving efforts forward.   Unambiguous words that effectively prevent or needed to preempt breakages.  Preemption saves lives, money, and other vital resources. But prevention does so at an earlier stage that addresses a root causes or a systemic failure.  The last needs to be applied comprehensively and holistically globally -- using fundamental principles instead of those now failing us.  Principles like “inalienable Rights” listed within the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  Fundamental Principles congruent with other “self-evident” “Truths” offered within the 1776 Declaration of Independence that was founded on “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God” (take care of nature and each other in abiding by the Golden Rule).

The word ‘health’ may seem ambiguous.  Yet prevention is the foundation of health.  Every sane human wants to be healthy.  With a healthy mind, body, spirit, family, community, environment, democracy, economy, or future - for humankind.  In this context a personal desire for wealth and power over health will likely have negative consequences globally.  Like those now driving dozens of unsustainable trends no humans will escape from for long.

Consider everything now demanding your mind’s immediate attention or simply distracting it.  Most people respond impulsively with expensive actions to urgently address a singular disruptive factor.  Meanwhile, deeper systemic thinking leads to greater freedom, security, and prosperity for generations to follow.  

Most conflicts and divisions between people are born from mental constructs. Specific mental constructs that human minds invented over the last few millenniums.  These constructs empowered our tribes to bond, prosper, and expand to unprecedented numbers.  But now, these same flexible mental identities (political, national, economic, religious, race...) do not reflect our biological social nature.  Genetically we are all the same species – with minds prioritizing different adaptable constructs.  Then mass murdering or dying for in large numbers attempting to defend those mentally malleable and usually ambiguous constructs (peace, democracy, nationalism, socialism, terrorism, race...).

Unfortunately, about 8 decades ago our minds invented weapons of mass destruction (WMD). With these humankind then failed grasp that war is essentially suicidal insanity.  Then blindly most people accepted the United Nation’s flawed system of global governance.  Now decades later we must transform this governing system and economic system to achieve ‘heaven on Earth’ - for ourselves and future generations.  We’ve survived and thrived. But the cost to other humans has been tragic and preventable.   And now, humankind will never flourish without making a simple, but not easy, mental transformation.  In reality we are the human family.  And we are irreversibly interdependent globally - with billions of vulnerabilities within each of us.   

 

Peace is an ambiguous word that yields powerful feelings. Different feelings in different people. Feelings that rarely synchronize with reality.  Truths are different.  And in this critical historic era the word “peace” itself can start an argument.  Not only over life and death disagreements around big and complicated plans—but the very concept itself.   People think and then say “peace,” yet powerful nations risk debt default (a national security threat itself) firmly believing in “Peace through strength”.  Then continue investing in the evolution of weaponry to protect their ‘national sovereignty’.   Meanwhile idealists think ‘Peace through disarmament’, preach ‘non-violence’, or prioritize ‘love’.  While a few greedy thinkers scheme to get rich by making a new app profiting off any polarizing ill-defined belief. 

 

"Neutrality is not healing. It’s what the colonizer taught us to call “peace."  Dr. Jennifer Mullan

 

In Truth, most people seek to prioritize and balance their freedom and security.  To achieve this our mind must grasp the reality of our global interdependence.  This is a hard Truth for most minds.  So most people keep acting on this unhealthy and lethal delusion.

 

In the movie “A few Good Men” the antagonist rages, “YOU CAN’T HANDLE the TRUTH!”. Yes, there will always be tensions between our concepts, ideals, values, wants, and needs given our variable personal mental truths within our religious, national, cultural, racial, or economic identity.  Plus, the insanity of our mind’s capacity to BELIEVE ANYTHING!   Then persist defending what it believes until the body’s death or dismemberment.  Even continue believing it with absolute certainty - that it will achieve peace through victory. That is a deadly gamble.

 

Rotarians or any other organization prioritizing ‘Peace’ over global unity for ‘Global Health’ – profoundly dilute their impact.  By competing within their own clubs (organizations, progressive movement, or between multiple ‘issue’ Action Groups) - to gain active members, sufficient funding, media attention, with limited time -- then keep believing Peace is possible -- is an act of faith attached to a mental addiction --  that continues to gamble with the fate of humankind.  Given the multiple perspectives we all have globally, which can change within, and between peoples, places, and things -- while overlooking life’s irreversible interdependence, vulnerability, and dependence on HEALTH and the mental health of all other people - and NATURE – do not expect many people to overcome their strong beliefs and adopt the “self-evident” “Truths” needed to unite globally on the same sane plan to make things work. 

 

Most people know that Peace is not just the absence of conflict.  It is the presence of healthy connections, trust, and shared dignity. Now unfortunately, with Truth decay, new conflicts, failing democracies, and persistent political polarization... people’s hopes, prayers, and optimism are NOT an effective strategy.   Progress is built on Truth and relationships with one sane and meaningful conversation at a time.  Conversations using unambiguous words like Health.  Health of mind, body, spirit, family, community, environment, government, economy...  This requires a willingness to adapt one’s own mind to humankind’s global reality.   Rotary once urged this its 1959 book “Seven Paths to Peace”.  It and an updated, unapproved, weakly edited version, but with vital key insights - are free. Email Project250@earthlink.net and request them.

 

Nature creates competition, fixed biological identities, and useful aggression.  Now however, it is our mind’s favored identity that drives unnecessary competition, artificial divisions, hostile polarization, lethal violence, and mass murder.  Progress thrives on uniting our mental identities and reconnecting with nature.  Polarized minds say, “Pick a side.”  Healthy minds say, “Let’s talk”!   Polarized concepts divide.  Health concepts unite.  Efforts to globally redefine peace will fail.  Definitions set boundaries.  Health is about testing and expanding what we believe. Then action on the objective Truths obtained globally.  Humankind’s sustainable path forward is transforming our thinking and prioritizing the one rational and globally approved plan to achieve the UN 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.   We must all  find the courage and flexibility to speak with others we may disagree with.  Practicing this first within our own communities.  Then doing it with others who are not.  Choosing curiosity over certainty.  With humility, respect, and kindness, with ‘love’ over dominance.  Peace efforts are at best a hypothesis. There is no peace theory.  We have the SDGs as the only comprehensive and holistic plan already globally approved, with the capacity to address most of the root causes now driving individual, community, and global violence – plus other insecurities taking far more lives and causing far more suffering.   We must transform our thinking and prioritize Health at every level: mind, body, spirit, family, community, environment, government, economy for our legacy.  Or, prepare for the consequences.

 

Fighting Truth decay is not easy.  First we must have the courage, whit, and support in recognizing the health of people and nature must be our highest priority.  Below, should be enough backup support you mind needs. And if these don’t work, your mind will be making other excuses to for defending its personal or political truths...until your body dies and you rest in peace. 😉

 

17 Core Reasons our Mind Resists Change: These are the most widely recognized psychological and behavioral reasons, written simply and accurately. If you find more, please share them. chuck@igc.org

 

1. Loss Aversion: People fear losing what they have more than they value gaining something new. Even small losses feel huge.
2. Nature’s Cognitive Efficiency: The brain prefers autopilot. It saves energy. Change requires new neural and calorie costs. The brain pushes back. Technologies thinking for us increases mind change resistance. 
3. Uncertainty Avoidance: The unknown feels unsafe. People prefer predictable discomfort to unpredictable possibilities.
4. Identity Protection: If a change threatens how someone sees themselves — their role, beliefs, or status — the mind resists automatically.
5. Social Norms and Group Loyalty: People align with their tribe. If their community or peer group isn’t on board, they hesitate.
6. Fear of Failure: Change introduces risk: embarrassment, mistakes, wasted effort. Safety feels smarter.
7. Comfort of the Familiar: Familiar routines offer emotional comfort, even if they’re inefficient or out of date.
8. Information Overload: Too much data or too many options create paralysis, not progress.
9. Short-Term Pain vs. Long-Term Benefit: Human brains discount the future. A small inconvenience now outweighs a big benefit later.
10. Memories of Past Failed Attempts: “We tried that once” becomes a powerful psychological barrier.
11. Lack of Agency: If people feel a change is forced on them rather than chosen by them, resistance intensifies.
12. Emotional Attachments to Old Ways: Old systems often carry memories, pride, and meaning — letting go can feel like personal loss.
13. Ambiguous Rewards: If people don’t see what’s in it for them, they hesitate to participate.
14. Biological Threat Detection: Sudden change triggers fight, flight, or freeze — a survival instinct from our evolutionary past.
15. Social Risk: People fear criticism, exclusion, or losing standing if they support a change the group might reject. 
16. A mind can believe anything.  Then kill, die, or let other people and species suffer or die defending it.  Instead of protecting humankind & the environment all life needs to survive and thrive...so we can flourish.
17. The Intelligence Trap. When an intelligent mind cannot believe it could ever be wrong.

If the Taliban and Marjorie Taylor Green can change their minds.  Anyone can.