Segment 1: The Three Myths that Perpetuate War.
Our guest on this edition of The Doug Noll Show is Paul Chappell. Paul graduated from West Point in 2002 and served in the army for 7 years before leaving active duty in 2009 as a Captain. He is the author of a number of books and currently serves as the Peace Leadership Director for the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, speaking throughout the country to colleges, high schools, veterans groups, churches and activist organizations.
Paul believes there are three myths that perpetuate war: first, human beings are naturally violent. Second, war is inevitable, and third, war makes us safe. Regarding the first myth, we are not born killers and do not have an innate desire to kill people, although there are all sorts of factors that cause people to become violent. Violence is taught by life experience and by our environment.
Segment 2: To Conquer or Be Conquered.
The second myth is that war is inevitable. This is a dangerous myth because as a country you only have two options: to be the conqueror or the conquered. In the U.S. we are considered to be culturally evolved and civilized, but if you look at countries like Afghanistan or Africa, they still see the world in terms of a power struggle. However, it is possible to renounce the use of war in one generation (i.e. Japan or Germany) especially if it is believed that it is their own best interest not to be waging war.
Segment 3: Peaceful Revolution.
The third myth is that war makes us safe. A lot of people believe that war is necessary to protect us from invasion, which is a philosophy based on fear. Paul believes virtually everyone wants peace, but they disagree on the means of achieving peace.
Trying to end war without understanding human nature is like trying to go to the moon without understanding the law of physics, so in Paul’s latest book, Peaceful Revolution, he sets out to research human nature within the context of war. Once we understand human nature we can pave a new path and look at alternatives to help us live in harmony. Paul looks at a large sample size (every war in human history) and finds that in every war the two sides dehumanize each other. He also discovers that in every war the propaganda says that people are fighting for something noble like protection of freedom (never for greed or money). These are universal truths in every culture and every time period and he uses them to make assertions about human nature and our powerful instincts.
Segment 4: The Mysteries of Human Nature.
So how do we go about teaching people about the positive values in human nature? Paul explores topics like empathy, hope, appreciation, discipline, curiosity and takes them out of the moral context and puts them into the context of human survival and human happiness. These attributes are vital for human survival and lead to more fulfilling and meaningful lives. Our commonalities transcend our differences. This is the path to peace.
To listen to the complete interview: