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Human internal harmony and internal synergy ('innergy') of body, mind, spirit

Human social harmony and synergies in all human dimensions, with commonalities as bonding element and diversity as dynamic factor.

Recognition of universal, inviolable and indivisible Human Rights based on the universality of Human Dignity

Human Dynamic Harmony and Full Respect for Human Rights as requirement of Genuine Peace

  Violence, especially physical, as violation of human dignity of both perpetrator and victim, and the culture of violence as an indicator of lack of human development and an obstacle to any further human development.

  1. Total Human Development and Harmony Through Synergism

  2. Holistic Health Care and Medicine

  3. Deep Ecology and Harmony with Nature 

  4. Sense of History and Sense of Mission

  5. Civics and Democratic Governance

  6. Culture as Community Creativity

  7. Light-Seeking and Light-Sharing Education

  8. Gender Sensitivity, Equality & Harmony

  9. Reconstructive/Restor-ative Justice

10. Associative Economics, Social Capital and Sustainable Development

11. Synergetic Leadership and Organizations

12. Appropriate/Adaptive Technology

13. Mutual Enrichment of Families and Friendships

14. Human Dignity and Human Harmony: Human Rights and Peace

15. Aesthetics Without Boundaries: 'Art from the Heart'   

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War Kills Human Rights

By Ed Aurelio C. Reyes

Chairman, Board of Trustees, Philippine Human Rights Information Center (PhilRights)

This article was first published in The Phil. Human Rights Forum, July-December 2000

AFTER THE SECOND World War, a special court was convened at Nuremberg to try the so-called "war crimes" said to have been committed only by the losing side. By now, or half a century later, the United Nations has gone well within the process of organizing what may be called a permanent war crimes tribunal. The logic of both these efforts has been that even in circumstances of war there are certain rules of engagement to be observed, and to violate these rules, like the Geneva conventions of 1949, would be considered a war crime.

In the present period of a greatly expanded view of human rights, when awareness of economic, social and cultural rights have been substantially added to that of civil and political rights, such logic is fast becoming passé. One cannot really even begin to "civilize" war; one cannot draw the line between war itself and war crimes to be imputed only on individual officers and soldiers. Neither one is inexcusable and neither one can be civilized. War itself is a monstrous crime. It is a large-scale violation of human rights.

Even if a UN court or any entity whatsoever could prevent all acts that have been broadly recognized as war crimes, any war situation by itself "carpet-bombs" the indivisible human rights of the entire population directly, and especially, their economic, social and political rights. Economic activities of the population, all they do to produce, to exchange and to consume, are of course impaired. Contrary to the concerns of our economists, it is not only the fragile investor confidence that is at stake here. Schools are being used as evacuation camps. And even if they were not, the overall atmosphere of tension and hostility renders education work futile.

It may be argued that war cannot really be prevented. When government is provoked by a hostage-taking force, or when a territorial boundary is breached, there has to be a commensurate response. Yes, but war can actually be prevented in the longer timeframe, if the causes of most of the wars can be addressed, alleviated, or altogether eradicated in earnest. When division of benefits of a national economy could finally be made equitable, when cultural differences could finally be handled in a way consistent with respect for every human being's right to cultural identity and right against discrimination in any form from any quarter. Or when there are obvious indicators of progress in that positive direction.

Enjoyment of human development in the context of all the human rights abets human harmony; conversely human harmony insures the undisturbed progress of human development towards the full assertion and full enjoyment of all those rights. We concede that this takes time. And in the time span that we are supposedly marching in that direction, there can really be setbacks like the hostage-taking crisis in southern Mindanao.

But a setback in the march to sustainable peace, cannot validly excuse a u-turn back to the war-freak culture where all previous gains in building a constituency of peace and harmony in the whole of Mindanao would be thrown out the window! Now is not the time for our commander-in-chief to remember a lady predecessor's heckle that she had faced bullets directed at her office while all he ever had to face were fake bullets as an actor. Now is not the time for a commander-in-chief to forget that the Constitution gave that post to him because he is supposedly first and foremost a statesman. It doesn't help the situation any that propaganda through the commercial media tends to sharply polarize the nation into pro-Muslim and anti-Muslim camps, even encouraging the latter to arm themselves and form militia gangs. Neither does it help at all that some Muslim leaders would overreact to this by playing into the game, instead of insisting on sobriety and instead of condemning hostile acts of all sides including those of groups invoking Islam (while violating its peace-loving tenets).

It took Humankind the whole of the 20th century to realize that nobody really wins a war. And the total cost of this war can not be accounted for only in the body bags that the military planes fly to Manila or in the casualties on the non-government side (the rebels or the terrorists, plus all the civilian victims of any which armed group). It is taking the toll on the entire populations of all the affected areas, including the national community and its continuing quest for a national synergy strongly enriched by diversity.

All talk that inflames passions against any which side in effect justifies the other side and sustains the war itself. All passionate talk should be directed instead at the war itself and at all the war hawks in our midst. And they are all around us. In the consciousness contest, the war hawks are direct adversaries of human rights advocates.

With a humble compilation of essays carrying varied viewpoints on the current conflict in Mindanao, Philippine Human Rights Forum seeks to support the force of logic in its ongoing fierce battle with the logic of force.

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