Mightier than the sword

How amazing the potentialities latent within a single word. The multitude of passages from past or future texts to which it can refer and the myriad meanings and interpretations it may contain or be subject to endow each word with a potency greater than that of all the world's powers combined. Thus hath it been said: "The pen is mightier than the sword."

The need for arms

I found the following quotation of Baha'u'llah in Mr. Ali Nakhjavani's Towards World Order:

"that ye may need no more armaments save in a measure to safeguard your territories and dominions..."

This for me represents the Baha'i view on armaments. The goal is to have the minimum necessary. Thus the approach to military spending and readiness is predominantly one of "how little can we get away with" rather than "how much?" Contrast this with the attitude currently en vogue in the world.

To constantly be thinking of new vulnerabilities is to chase one's own tail. By this logic, no amount of spending is ever sufficient and we are never safe. One must pause and seriously consider the implications of such an attitude.

Divestment as political strategy

Apologies to all my loyal fans who have been anxiously awaiting the next installment of Physics+Faith=Music. Here it is.

As I was perusing the BBC World News website this morning I came across this article on the Darfur genocide. There is a systematic and well-organized campaign in the U.S. that has been lobbying state governments, cities and other institutions to divest their investments in companies whose business with the Sudanese government most impacts the poor victims of genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan. Their website is called the Sudan Divestment Task Force and it contains some very interesting information, including documents and reports on the efficacy of divestment as a pressure strategy. I am happy to report that Cornell University has adopted such a policy.