Economic peace & love

It is curious that at the times of mandatory military service, or late XXth Century wars, like in Viet-Nam, we got easily conscientious objectors; but nowadays, in our time of economic warfare, it seems so hard to hear voices helping us to realize that something is wrong in the reasoning.

Because what looks wrong in a military war is contemplating soldiers killing each other for the victory of one of the camps, whereas these soldiers could become good friends and neighbors in time of peace. And friends killing each others just look stupid. If it is normal to face conflicts occasionally because the dialogue failed for good or bad reasons, it is not normal that the winner is the most brutal and not the wisest. Wisdom and justice should be the keys to sort out wars.

But even though we could consider some value in wars if the warriors get pride from their fight. After all if they want to commit a kind of suicide, play on a boxing ring where outcome is fatal to one of the opponents, like wild male animals fighting for a herd of females, is that something against nature? But the warfare turns awfully barbarian when it cause victims among beings nearby who don't care about who wins and cannot escape the dangerous area. We got such example of barbary when Julius Caesar massacres the women, kids and eldest of the city of Bourges because he's upset that after a siege tormented by mosquitos the Gauls warriors flee the city, leaving it open to Caesar.

Because we got during the XXth Century bloody and atrocious wars implying the involvement and death of million of civilians, we got the emergence of Non-Governmental Organizations supporting the difficulties faced by unfortunates direct witnesses of combats. I wonder if we shouldn't help the emergence of Non-Commercial Organizations supporting the victims of the current economic warfare, the workers and their families, especially when they are sacked because their “army” is facing losses.

I find very awkward that European Parliament votes laws for our Continent that encourage economic competition. A competition looks attractive when it uses the spirit of Olympic Games. The competitors confront together for the pride of the Gods. The winners are acclaimed and the losers will try again next time. But an economic competition is much different, it is totally similar to a war between countries for a limited resource, hard to share because insufficient for the sake of everyone: the capability of clients to support all suppliers. And their natural tendency to support those who provide their satisfaction rather than unsatisfying providers.

If you manufacture and sell goods, like shoes, to a little local market like a small city, and you see your customers starting to prefer another shoe-maker, you must question your way of making shoes and evaluate if you can change, evolve. If you have the means to recover your level of income. Or you can meet your fellow, your “brother” in shoes manufacturing, and see if you could collaborate to share harmoniously the local market, without harming the satisfaction of your clients. Because if these clients notice you chosen to adjust the quality to the lowest skilled worker, they are going to seek for shoe-makers from other cities. And you're going to share your difficulties, not your forces.

So the key to real community progress is not maximizing your utility and being selfish, like pretended John Stuart-Mill, but being virtuous. Having a deep sense of citizenship and concord. Starting with local city concord, well-being, and progressively extending it to continental concord and well-being, up to the whole Earth. Each moment ask yourself about what good you can make, to your neighbors and to yourself. This is where you're going to be loved and supported. The people will want to wear your shoes not because they are the best shoes, but because you are the best shoe-maker. They will want to acclaim you, which is the true victory in a fair competition.

And the result, normally, will be that you will be able to keep your workers, not fire them. And they will get pride of helping you in your dedication to the community, which is yours, theirs, and the neighbors, the local citizen. We truly need peace-makers, urgently! Because if the looser in a combat is the first most exhausted, they both exhaust in the fight, wasting energy, resources, which would be more fruitful if used collaboratively, pacifically. I am supporting the consortiums!