The Eternal Peace

As everyone who has ever witnessed a beauty pageant can attest to, one of the most desirable of all human wishes is that of world peace.

Despite millennia of untold bloodshed, strife and power struggles for kingdoms, dynasties, regimes and spoils, the world will continue in vain to strive for the seemingly elusive goal.

Numerous peace treaties have been signed through the ages and some have even helped to maintain their noble objectives. The mother of all these treaties can be traced back to 1259 BC and is credited to the Egyptians in a truce between the Hittites.

Engraved on silver tablets, the treaty was established between King Hattusili III and Ramesses II to promote alliance and brotherhood between their lands. The two kingdoms agreed to cease invasions and eradicate the financial burdens caused by centuries of warring. The Hittite king believed a treaty would be instrumental in stabilizing his throne.

‘The Eternal Peace’ would not live up to its name but it undoubtedly set a precedent that would be imitated and attempted in various parts of the world through different time periods, not exactly something to scoff at.

Often well-documented failures contain the best intentions and despite the Eternal Peace’s shortcomings, the mere fact that such a treaty was negotiated so long ago is inspiring in itself.

The next time Miss USA contestants expatiate on the possibilities of instantaneous harmony blossoming across the globe, they should be reminded that it’s all still very much a work in progress, one that was initially tried out a lot earlier than they might have guessed.

Contact Chris: Name: Email: Comment:

Christopher Robinson

Symbol-mindedness

“If you listen to fools, the mob rules.”
                            --Black Sabbath

Peace Symbol

Symbols are undeniably useful tools in our world. They serve an unlimited array of purposes and the universal power they hold are obviated in their ubiquitous presence throughout all regions and cultures. They offer a means of communication without words or sound and can often convey more than that which is voiced or written.

yin and yang

Symbols play integral roles in everything from the signage of traffic safety to recognizable brand marketing to the identifiable representation of corporations, restaurants, sports teams and popular music bands. In many cultures, especially that of indigenous peoples, symbols go hand-in-hand with written and spoken language.

Food and lodging

Arguably, one of the most classic of all symbols is the peace symbol, which in the 1950s, was initially designed during British nuclear disarmament campaigns.

The yin and yang is another familiar design dating back to ancient China which signifies the codependency and unlikely harmony of two often opposed or contrasting concepts. Like Chi, the intrinsic energy flow through all living things, it is a prevalent force in the study of Chinese science, medicine and nature.

Scales of justice

Lately symbols are being exploited as a substitution for discourse and rational thought and action. The trendy stunt of toppling symbolic statues are rationalized as symbolic acts themselves by those who favor slogans and symbolism in half-baked activism running low on positive messages.

Public restroom symbol

If these actions are only in the name of symbolism than why destroy that which is, also, only symbolic? History invariably shows us that the destruction of societal symbols never ends merely with that destruction(or ends well at all, for that matter).

Are you symbol-minded? What are the symbols that mean something to you? Why do they speak to you? Please send me your thoughts: click here, or use the form below.

Contact Chris: Name: Email: Comment: