32
C. W. Ayre et al.
of which analogy of the Earth is preferred, it can be argued that reconciliation is best
achieved through a more familial identity with the Earth where the fate of all earthly
creatures is viewed as indelibly intertwined.
Conclusion
This discourse has argued that true reconciliation extends far beyond human reconnection. In the context of the significant impact of war on human life and ecology,
there is arguably no more important role for faith communities than to urge all parties
to seek reconciliation. This imperative to advance peace and reconciliation has also
been noted implicitly in the latest Doomsday Clock
2 assessment:
[T]he Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Science and Security Board today moves the
Doomsday Clock 20 seconds closer to midnight—closer to apocalypse than ever. In so doing,
board members are explicitly warning leaders and citizens around the world that the international security situation is now more dangerous than it has ever been, even at the height of the
Cold War … Humanity continues to face two simultaneous existential dangers—nuclear war
and climate change—that are compounded by a threat multiplier, cyber-enabled information
warfare, that undercuts society’s ability to respond. (Mecklin 2020, p. 3)
This vulnerability assessment shows that contemporary security threats are multiplex
and need to be tackled in concert. Furthermore, it suggests that people of faith can play
a special role to promote peace and reconciliation, both in the Pacific Islands region
and beyond. One of the best strategies is to work with God to generate a genuine
spirit of community as the best antidote to alienation (Peck 1998). When this is based
on core values such as acceptance and respect for difference, it will give substance
to the deep need that all humans have to belong to something larger than themselves
(Swinton 2012). As the net is cast wider, we also negate those negative issues that
lead to division and conflict. On 3rd April 1968, the day before his assassination,
Martin Luther King Jr gave a speech which included this important observation:
Men for years have been talking about war and peace. Now we can no longer just talk about
it. It is no longer a choice between violence and non-violence in this world, it is non-violence
or non-existence. That is where we are today. (Burrowes 2018, para. 3)
King, speaking in the tradition of Gandhi, is correct. There is a choice between nonviolence and non-existence, or in other words, between one world and none. Or in the
words of Rev James Bhagwan (2020), General Secretary of the Pacific Conference
of Churches, “Let’s end the nuclear age, before it ends us” (para. 1). Against that
backdrop, humans are bound to become part of a movement toward a more peaceful
co-existence with all living beings. Walker (2009) has demonstrated how peace with
2 The so-called Doomsday Clock is a globally recognised indicator that reflects human vulnerability
to disasters. It was created in 1947 by scientists who had been involved in developing the first atomic
weapons as part of the Manhattan Project. The Doomsday Clock uses “imagery of apocalypse
(midnight) and the contemporary idiom of nuclear explosion (countdown to zero) to convey threats
to humanity and the planet” (Mecklin 2020, p. 3).
C. W. Ayre et al.
of which analogy of the Earth is preferred, it can be argued that reconciliation is best
achieved through a more familial identity with the Earth where the fate of all earthly
creatures is viewed as indelibly intertwined.
Conclusion
This discourse has argued that true reconciliation extends far beyond human reconnection. In the context of the significant impact of war on human life and ecology,
there is arguably no more important role for faith communities than to urge all parties
to seek reconciliation. This imperative to advance peace and reconciliation has also
been noted implicitly in the latest Doomsday Clock
2 assessment:
[T]he Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Science and Security Board today moves the
Doomsday Clock 20 seconds closer to midnight—closer to apocalypse than ever. In so doing,
board members are explicitly warning leaders and citizens around the world that the international security situation is now more dangerous than it has ever been, even at the height of the
Cold War … Humanity continues to face two simultaneous existential dangers—nuclear war
and climate change—that are compounded by a threat multiplier, cyber-enabled information
warfare, that undercuts society’s ability to respond. (Mecklin 2020, p. 3)
This vulnerability assessment shows that contemporary security threats are multiplex
and need to be tackled in concert. Furthermore, it suggests that people of faith can play
a special role to promote peace and reconciliation, both in the Pacific Islands region
and beyond. One of the best strategies is to work with God to generate a genuine
spirit of community as the best antidote to alienation (Peck 1998). When this is based
on core values such as acceptance and respect for difference, it will give substance
to the deep need that all humans have to belong to something larger than themselves
(Swinton 2012). As the net is cast wider, we also negate those negative issues that
lead to division and conflict. On 3rd April 1968, the day before his assassination,
Martin Luther King Jr gave a speech which included this important observation:
Men for years have been talking about war and peace. Now we can no longer just talk about
it. It is no longer a choice between violence and non-violence in this world, it is non-violence
or non-existence. That is where we are today. (Burrowes 2018, para. 3)
King, speaking in the tradition of Gandhi, is correct. There is a choice between nonviolence and non-existence, or in other words, between one world and none. Or in the
words of Rev James Bhagwan (2020), General Secretary of the Pacific Conference
of Churches, “Let’s end the nuclear age, before it ends us” (para. 1). Against that
backdrop, humans are bound to become part of a movement toward a more peaceful
co-existence with all living beings. Walker (2009) has demonstrated how peace with
2 The so-called Doomsday Clock is a globally recognised indicator that reflects human vulnerability
to disasters. It was created in 1947 by scientists who had been involved in developing the first atomic
weapons as part of the Manhattan Project. The Doomsday Clock uses “imagery of apocalypse
(midnight) and the contemporary idiom of nuclear explosion (countdown to zero) to convey threats
to humanity and the planet” (Mecklin 2020, p. 3).