Abstract
Peace is not merely the state of not being at war. It is a state without violence, prejudice, or discrimination. Peacebuilding includes all the steps toward constructing such a state of affairs. On the other hand, a steady-state society is one that is attained when humanity accepts limits on the growth of its population and its economy. It is the culture of the so-called “slow lifestyle” where almost the entire population reaches a ripe old age, the natural environment is preserved as a functioning entity, and enhanced social wellbeing as well as sustainable growth are achieved. Even though humanity has lived through the agricultural revolution, the industrial revolution, and the information revolution, we still keep going through cycles of war and conflict. Wails of grief uttered by women and children suffering in regions torn by war and afflicted by dioxin during the Viet Nam War are still heard today. Japan has now become the first country in the world to have an extreme aged population. It is becoming the first country to experience life in a steady-state society. I believe there are some perspectives and tips to be gained from Satoyama study - the study of nature as a pillar of culture – that could reveal substantive models for a Steady-state Society that is moving toward peacebuilding. Humanity now faces the challenge of creating new communities that are appropriate for the age of Eco-social welfare. To achieve this, we need to integrate the forces of science, nature and culture.
Highlights
This is the crisis faced by living organisms exposed to harmful materials, including dioxin, genetically modified organisms sold as food, and “medicinal” drugs that cause adverse reactions
It proved difficult or impossible to maintain a balance between economic growth and an equitable distribution of welfare, which had been the goal of the welfare state after World War II. (Hiroi, 2008) I would like to describe the relationship, as I see it, between the social systems of Asia and a future Asia based on Eco-social Welfare principles
I have been talking about the steady-state society and peacebuilding
Summary
For 70 years, since World War II, we have been facing three major crises. The first core crisis is based in the natural world of physics. After experiencing the giant tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear power plant accident caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake, and heavy flooding caused by unusual world-scale climatic conditions, we need to stop and take stock To overcome these core crises, we must reexamine our ideas about life, our views on life and death, and our understanding of history. We must reexamine culture and society as the forces that support all aspects of life, and their relationship to the forces of nature: the strength of nature and the power of the environment This reexamination will cause us to recognize that we human beings cannot continue to survive on the globe unless we give up the towering economic growth that is depleting global resources, think earnestly about human culture and social harmony, and find a way to live within the confines of a sustainable natural world.
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