A Call for Unitive Justice — Women, Life, Freedom
We are witnessing tremendous courage and resilience sprouting fresh in new and new places — in the women and men in Iran and their sisters in Afghanistan and elsewhere; in the unwavering stamina of Ukrainian people to defend their country from brutal invasion and destruction; in the courage of many Russians to risk their lives to protest the actions of a ruthless dictator; and in a number of other places around the globe, which are moving and inspiring us with a deeper loyalty to fundamental human values of caring, justice, and safety for all.
Granted, the politics of each of these places, and every other country, are very complex. One just must read award-winning chief international CNN correspondent Clarissa Ward’s On All Front’s, in order to appreciate the countless forces that are now colliding in our rapidly shrinking and very chaotic world and taking the toll of millions of lives. But amidst that complexity, a clear theme is surfacing for those that listen deeply. A call is rising from every corner of our interdependent global crises — a call to finally uphold the feminine principle of loving kindness, justice, and care for all, and to do so with muscle and stamina that are no longer possible to ignore by politicians. People are seeing increasingly clearly that the only kind of justice that can really protect this planet and bring peace to it, is a justice that unites and heals the many facets of our broken world.
In a recent statement pending publication, a group of evolutionary leaders describe unitive justice as “an emancipatory project that simultaneously advances human freedom while also embracing a renewed ecological consciousness of unity and interdependence” in the recognition that prosperity of the individual or the group only works when there is prosperity of the whole. It requires a regenerated relationship with nature, and “a new model of global security appropriate for the Anthropocene — a world where humanity is the dominant force shaping planet Earth. Our current structures, that emphasize national sovereignty, borders, and nationalist militarism, no longer protect human security. Unitive justice requires a federalist international structure which can progressively and effectively subsume the task of the protection of peace and planetary life through a global entity, freeing humanity from military competition in the creation of ever more sophisticated weapons of destruction.”
This, of course, is a radical shift from the outdated current structures in which we still struggle to live — ones dominate by greedy and corrupt bullies, and a global economic system that overshoots the planet’s carrying capacity and benefits primarily those who steal shared environmental resources. This crudely materialistic economic system has created a material civilization that knows no moderation, no justice, only consumption. It feeds ideological clashes that cost millions of lives.
How much longer will we tolerate the obviously unsustainable?
Well, the young women of Iran and Afghanistan, and their mothers, brothers, fathers, are saying enough is enough.
How can every one of us support that? What can we do to support justice for Ukrainian and Russian people who do not want war and dictatorship? How can we support those most vulnerable millions who are also now the most affected by global warming?
There is a clear path forward — not an easy one, but certainly the only one we have not tried yet, and that is based on principles that can carry forward the full diversity of humanity. As the Earth Charter says, “in the midst of a magnificent diversity of cultures and life forms we are one human family and one Earth community with a common destiny.”
We all know that a family needs structure to meet the many challenges of living. Patriarchal, oppressive family structures are rapidly being replaced, in more and more places in the world, by family structures based on equality, respect for the dignity of each family member, and collaborative and consultative decision-making.
The same applies for the human family. Such a global structure must be able to protect itself from the rise of tyrants, through both a system of international law, and a system of enforcement.
Seems far-fetched? What other and better alternative do you see?
Do you really think a politician will come along that will rescue humanity from its current and deepening plight?
It seems clear that we must unite and act, from a common vision and purpose, in all our diversity of emphases and particular pressing issues. History has shown again and again that in the most unlikely moments and in the most unlikely places, real waves of change rise and sweep through. Watching Iranian High School girls take off their head scarfs and risk their young lives with no promise of protection from anywhere and watching Ukrainians sweeping the rubble of their destroyed homes and preparing to help others and push forward, makes me at least think that the time has come, and we are ready.
International lawyers are already hammering out the principles of just and sustainable universal laws. (see https://www.sef-bonn.org/en/publications/global-governance-spotlight/12022/ ) Environmentalists and economists are developing a blueprint for a just global systems accounting. (see https://iefworld.org/ddahl_accounting ). There is a strong Earth Governance alliance headed by World Federalist movement.
What is needed is a real push by all of us and every one of us in our local contingencies, so that politicians can begin to listen and move from their comfortable inaction. Until we mobilize in this direction, we will continue to watch violent atrocities unfold, and anxiety and depression will continue to rise.
As a psychologist, psychotherapist, and educator, I keep trying to help my clients understand that inner and outer, personal and social are interwoven, and health and healing are unitive by nature. Not until we heal divisions within and without can we really thrive.
On Saturday, October 22, 2022, I start teaching a course which is still open for registration for a few more days, on Horizons of Unitive Healing (https://www.fourworldsindigenous.university/courses/global-unitive-healing). Watch the short video on it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ydu08EcjPh8 ), join, and spread the word. We will explore the dynamic connections between justice and healing from the most advanced scientific and spiritual perspectives. It will be based on my award-winning book, Global Unitive Healing, written precisely to help a floundering humanity awaken from its daze and find its way.
