Throughout human history, "peace" has been sought through war. But in an age of mutual interdependence, peace is more difficult to attain if any one part of the world is exploiting another. Why should I expect you to respond peacefully to me if my actions create suffering for you?

Today, trade imbalances and transnational market forces mean that a small country could be made bankrupt within a matter of days merely by a consortium of just a few large finance corporations. Huge sectors of the earth’s population remain in poverty because of debts imposed on their country through corrupt or inept leadership, and as a result of the policies of western governments and financial institutions.

Why does terrorism occur? Violence in every form begets more violence. Many journalists have commented that if someone has spent a lifetime being abused and oppressed, has watched family and friends imprisoned or killed, and feels forgotten by the world and bereft of hope – perhaps then they would be desperate enough to kill more innocents in order to try to attract enough attention to change their circumstances.

The cost of defence against terrorism is enormous.

The cost of defence against another country is even greater.

The cost of defence against an all-out war is almost impossible for any country on the earth to conceive of being able to afford.

It is one of the quirks of modern history that war is becoming so expensive to conduct that peace has become a more attractive option on purely fiscal grounds. Today, there are whole sections of military organizations investigating the peaceful settlement of disputes, simply because it has become too expensive to resort to arms. Countries such as New Zealand, which disbanded its air force in 2001, and Costa Rica, which dismantled its army more than thirty years ago, have found that not only do they feel more secure, but they also have vast sums available for financing a better social infrastructure.

Perhaps the very nature of the profit motive will eventually drive us to peace.

As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said we have the choice to live together on the earth like brothers and sisters or perish together like fools.

The principles of commerce with morality tell us that the end does not justify the means; rather, the means creates the end.

From a purely economic point of view peace is cheaper than war.

Economics means the "study of one’s home." If we are to make our planet into a home worth living in, we will have to adopt policies that create peace without even considering violence. After 9/11 the need for creating a peace that works for all has never been greater. Let us work together with the maturity and power that our children have expected from us.

Dr. Mansukh Patel, Savitri MacCuish and Andrew Wells are authors of A Call To Action: From Personal Responsibility to Global Empowerment.

Louise Rowan, Director of the Life Foundation in Canada will be presenting an evening of Dru Yoga; the main philosophy from which the techniques in A Call to Action are drawn from.

The evening will take place on 7 May, 7pm - 9pm, Hellenic Centre, 4500 Arbutus & Valley (around 33rd), $17. More info on 604-739-8324.