Hello Family!

I came across this website called Vision of Humanity.  It's a website and a think-tank filled with people WAY smarter than the average bear who've come up with a way to measure peace.  Taken from their website:

"The GPI (Global Peace Index) measures the state of peace in 162 countries. The index uses qualitative and quantitative data to gauge internal and external levels of peace. The GPI Report provides an analysis of the data, identifying trends in peace over time, as well as the key drivers of peace and an economic calculation of the impact of violence to the global economy."

So what IS peace, anyway?  Again, taken from their website:

"The GPI defines peace as: “the absence of violence and the absence of the fear of violence”, which is commonly understood as negative peace. The GPI report now includes a Positive Peace Index, which measures the strength of the attitudes, structures and institutions that move a society away from violence and towards peace."

Okay, so how is that measured?  Once more we look to their website:

"The GPI is a composite index, comprised of 22 qualitative and quantitative indicators. The indicators were selected by an international expert panel and are reviewed annually. GPI indicators can be classified under three broad themes: ongoing domestic and international conflict, societal safety and security and militarisation."

Ongoing Domestic and International Conflict

•Number of external and internal conflicts fought

•Number of deaths from organised conflict (external)

•Number of deaths from organised conflict (internal)

•Level of organised conflict

•Relations with neighbouring countries

Societal Safety and Security

•Level of perceived criminality in society

•Number of refugees and displaced people as a percentage of the total population

•Political instability

•Political Terror Scale

•Terrorist activity

•Number of homicides per 100,000 people

•Level of violent crime

•Likelihood of violent demonstrations

•Number of jailed population per 100,000 people

•Number of internal security officers and police per 100,000 people

Militarisation

•Military expenditure as a percentage of GDP

•Number of armed-service personnel per 100,000 people

•Volume of transfers of major conventional weapons as recipients (import) per 100,000 people

•Volume of transfers of major conventional weapons as supplier (export) per 100,000 people

•Financial contribution to UN peacekeeping missions

•Nuclear and heavy weapons capability

•Ease of access to small arms and light weapons

I found all of this to be interesting and informative.  Plus it's fascinating to me that people - MUCH smarter than I could ever dream of becoming - has come up with an actual way to measure peace.  Fascinating. 

Currently the US ranks at #99. In other words, the United States is smack dab in the middle.  To be sure, e're not the WORST country as far as peace is concerned, but we're not the best either.  Not by a long shot.  We're right in the middle.  And that got me to thinking:  What are WE doing to create peace in our homes? In our neighborhoods? In our communities? In our cities? Our counties? Our states? Our country? Our world? If we're being completely honest with ourselves, are we truly being the change we want to see in the world?  If not, maybe it's time for us to pay more than just lip-service to the notion of peace.

Until next time family, be blessed.

Stephen Dillard-Carroll

The Traveling Tarot

http://www.travelingtarot.com

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Vision of Humanity's website: http://www.visionofhumanity.org/#/page/indexes/global-peace-index