Initially, the author questions if, at all, the formation of a non-killing society is possible. The positive answer to this question is not easy to find. Violence dominates the scene globally. It is socially learned and culturally reinforced in many parts of the world. Knowledge of killing is imparted to the people formally, informally, legally, and even illegally.[break]
Millions of people are professionally trained in lethality. In the name of self-defense, many businesses impart the knowledge of killing. Private militias train people in activities related to combating. Even several high schools, colleges, and universities provide preparatory military training.
Most importantly, street gangs are known for their specialization in killing. Certain prisons are known as learning centers for predation. Magazines for mercenaries provide techniques in combating, selling weapons, and advertising killers for the purpose of hiring. Over and above, modern-day video and computer games enable young children in simulated killing on land, air, sea, and even in the outer space with the help of all sorts of lethal technologies.
However, even amidst the gloomy picture of violence, the author soon discovers that killing is not the only part of society. There is another side to the coin, which brings hopes. Only the minority are killers. Not more than .01% people kill each other in the world. This is because people’s spiritual and scientific roots are strong enough to dissuade them from killing. Perhaps it is the non-killing instinct in human behavior that 137 countries of the world have abolished death penalty, 27 countries are without armies, and 54 countries have recognized conscientious objection to military service.
Moreover, a host of institutions have been working at the global level to create non-killing societies. Of them, mention could be made of spiritual institutions like the Jains in the East, and Quakers in the West. They have strong vision for creating a killing-free world. Similarly, the Universal Peace and Brotherhood Association of Japan, the Simon Kimbangu Church in Africa, and the Jewish Peace Fellowship in the United States have also contributed significantly to this endeavor.
Among political institutions, the Fellowship Party of Britain, the Green Party in Germany, non-violent movements associated with Mahatma Gandhi, and the Martin Luther King, Jr., Pacifist Party in the United States, and the Transnational Radical Party have been trying to create an environment of non-killing at their own levels.
In India, the bhoodan (donation of land) movement launched by Acharya Vinoba Bhave and Jayprakash Narayan is still relevant to the society. G. Ramchandran, founder of the Gandhi Gram Rural Institute in Tamil Nadu in India has contributed a lot to the education sector. His effort to create Shanti Sena (Peace Corps) is a monumental contribution to world peace. Certain research institutions, such as the Gandhian Institute of Studies in Varanasi in India founded by Jayprakash Narayan have been promoting research on non-violent struggles meant for strengthening democracy, security and justice throughout the world.
Significantly, a host of training and security institutions and problem-solving organizations have been addressing such issues as human rights and abolition of death penalty. Equally important is the role of the Greenpeace International, which has been raising voice for environment protection and abolition of nuclear weapons. War Resisters International opposes all preparations for war. And certain media and cultural groups have been making praiseworthy attempt for peace-building at the global level.
Towards the creation of a non-killing society, the author feels the need to establish non-killing department of political sciences, non-killing universities, non-killing political parties, and non-killing public service departments at all levels of governance with a view to reducing the magnitude of homicide, suicide, family violence, crimes, police violence, prison violence, media violence, sports violence, economic violence, military-paramilitary-guerrilla violence, etc. Similarly, a non-killing global common security council at the level of the United Nations could be formed by the nations with records of the lowest rank on lethality index, including non-nuclear status, non-armies, no capital punishment, low homicide rates, and no-arms trade.
Also, non-killing civil society institutions, such as non-killing spiritual councils, non-killing consulting groups, non-killing training institutions, non-killing leadership studies and revitalization centers, non-killing centers for creativity in arts, non-killing research and policy analysis institutes, non-killing media communications, non-killing memorials, non-killing zones of peace and non-killing economic enterprises could be established and promoted in the world.
The book, however, could be made more interesting if certain statistics were updated and wider coverage was given to the society in different parts of the globe. The book is freely available at www.nonkilling.org along with translations in Hindi, Urdu, and twenty other languages.
The book is so useful that former Indian Prime Minister I. K. Gujral recommended it to be taught to political science students at universities the world over. In my view, the book is not only important to political scientists but, cutting across the line, it is important to the entire spectrum of humanity.
For the conflict-ridden Nepali society, as well, the book will prove a torchbearer as it presents tested techniques of converting a killing-prone society into a non-killing and peaceful one.
Professor Jha is a member of the Nonkilling Economics Research Committee at the Center for Global Nonkilling, USA.
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