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Whose World Order? |
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| 25 June 2022 | ||||||||||||
Comparison between the majority society and the ecospirituality society of Natural peoples
Today we live in a world full of conflicts, the war in Ukraine is just one of many wars, at the moment there are at least 59 in the world. The void of values of the majority society increases this situation and no peace situations are expected on the planet. The societies of natural peoples, those indigenous peoples who have preserved their traditions and have not allowed themselves to be assimilated by the great historical religions, do not have any impact on the planetary situation because they have been relegated to historical pockets that count for nothing. Yet they would have a lot to teach. We can give some examples. Viking society, which is usually considered to consist of crude and uncultured warriors, had a parliament, the Thing, called the "assembly of free men" in which all citizens participated. In this assembly the most important decisions affecting the community were made, in a form of direct democracy. Women voted and fought with equal men, as evidenced by the findings, the latest of which in Sweden and Norway where remains of female warriors buried with their arsenals of weapons were found in Viking cemeteries. Viking tomb remains containing canine bones have been found in Iceland, suggesting that they cared and respected their animals. Even the Gorsedds of ancient Druidism reflect these principles, after all the Celts and Vikings came from the same culture.
We have a similarity in the “Gayanashagowa”: the Great Law of Peace of the Iroquois Confederation which still represents the oldest constitution in the world and is a model for modern democracies. It is a common belief that modern Western democracies derive, more or less directly, from Ancient Greece, in particular the Athens of the Classical Era, and from the Republic of Ancient Rome. However, by modern standards, these societies could in no way be defined as democratic: the majority of the population had no decision-making power, and many were not even considered citizens, which was tantamount to having no rights. Women were little more than the property of their husbands, children were property, and slavery was the order of the day. However the Gayanashagowa had a great influence on the Western Constitutions. In 1988, the United States Congress passed Resolution 331, which "Recognizes the contribution made by the Iroquois Confederacy and other Indian nations in the formation and development of the United States." Benjamin Franklin, in particular, had a proven relationship with representatives of the Confederation. Gayanashagowa has its origins in myth. The legend tells of an ancient time - we would even speak of thousands of years ago - in which the Iroquois nations were at war. A man called the Peacemaker wanted to spread peace and unity and on his journey he met a Mohican leader and the two left together, to spread their message of peace and unity from village to village. Thus it was that the Iroquois Nations buried their weapons under the Tree of Peace, a symbol of the Great Law of Peace. The Gayanashagowa is a supranational constitution: it brings together in a federation different nations which, although belonging to the same people, have significant differences (including language). For the Iroquois, the Great Law of Peace represents much more than a simple code of laws: it is the fulcrum of their cultural life, the basis of the social and personal identity of the people and a compendium of both moral and spiritual principles. There is no difference between law, language, culture, spirituality and sociality: it is all part of the same identity. Gayanashagowa's mission is to make a contribution to a better world based on peace, freedom and knowledge.
It is the concept of Ecospirituality, that is a philosophy of life based on the awareness that man is not the center of the universe, he cannot dispose of the planet and all living beings as if he were the absolute ruler. What binds these nations, and also binds them to all other native nations, is the reference to Mother Earth, seen as the only true mother, from whom to learn and grow. Mother Earth is not only seen as our planet we owe respect to, but also as the custodian of a great mystical secret. Just as all his children must be respected, whatever species they belong to. These principles are also found in “Rasna”, the Constitution of ancient Druidic shamanism: elections and decisions take place in the form of direct democracy between all members of the community, in which all participate without difference of gender or social class. Unfortunately, these highly evolved societies were erased from history with colonization. It all began with a papal bull of 1452, the Discovery Doctrine. An official act issued by Pope Nicholas V which allowed Portugal to colonize lands in Africa. Later, in 1493, Pope Alexander VI extended this official act of conquest also to Spain, after the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the new world, in order that he could colonize the lands across the Atlantic without problems. The principle established by the "Discovery Doctrine" also known as “Doctrine of Discovery”, decreed the formalization of any possible oppression on the lands that the European conquerors seized on every continent of the planet, in which they came to kill, plunder and enslave defenseless populations. By divine right, in fact, it was lawful for them to take possession of the uncovered lands with all that was on them, including the inhabitants, to do whatever they wanted with them. Of course, as was the case in Europe, there were populations who, in the secret of their more traditional institutions, resisted the devastating fury of the invaders.
These ancient traditions were preserved by the shamans and still today they are alive and vital and progressing. According to the cliché, it is thought that Europeans were responsible for the colonization. In reality, the dress rehearsals were done in Europe in the year 1200 with the extermination of the Cathars and subsequently of the Templars. This is where the action of the Holy Inquisition started with all the massacres it involved. The indigenous peoples are very clear about this fact, so much so that in 2012 at the United Nations in New York a forum was held on this topic in which it was emphasized that the Discovery Doctrine is the "shameful root of humiliation and marginalization that the natives still suffer today.” And it has also been pointed out that the Church has never disowned this Bull. Just as the Inquisition has never been officially abolished. "We are still here, despite 500 years of trying to make us disappear," said a speaker from the Seneca Nation. This has created two contrasting realities: the majority society and the society of natural peoples. The majority society, designed by the great historical religions, is based on anthropocentrism: the dominating man with the right to use all creation as he pleases. This exploitation of resources and animals is causing the sixth mass extinction that has as its cause only one species (never happened in the history of humanity): man. Intensive farming are among the major causes of pollution, deforestation, climate change. We are facing a catastrophe. For their part, there are the societies of natural Peoples, those peoples who have not been assimilated by the great historical religions and who live in contact with Nature intended as their life reference. We must dispel the cliché according to which it is thought that they live like primitives. They are perfectly integrated in the societies in which they live but they keep their rituals, their traditions and their tribal societies. They are social systems based on ecospirituality, therefore on contact with Mother Earth and respect for everything around us, including the plant kingdom and animals. These peoples are present at the United Nations with their clan leaders and their spiritual leaders. Some of the largest UN assemblies are made up of indigenous peoples. However, they have no part in the history of mankind because their reality is too far from that of the majority society.
Natural Peoples (they are defined in this way because of their link with Nature) are present in all continents and have very strong bonds in common. A type of spirituality that arises from intangible and mystical values. It was at the United Nations that we got to know them and the bond that unites these peoples is evident, albeit with different customs and languages. Today this message is carried forward by the Ecospirituality Foundation, an NGO in consultative status with the United Nations, founded by Giancarlo Barbadoro (who passed away in 2019) expressly to spread the ecospiritual philosophy of which he had sensed the strength. Precisely to give an example of a society based on moral values that speak of contact with Nature, the Ecospirituality Foundation has promoted a series of initiatives including the World Ecospirituality Day, a project that wants to establish an annual event on ecospirituality. It has been talked about at the UN and the Italian Parliament and now the petition is proceeding. Ecospirituality, according to the founders of the Ecospirituality Foundation, can be a medicine to cure the ills of this planet that seems to have gone mad. Ecospirituality, according to the founders of the Ecospirituality Foundation, can be a medicine to cure the ills of this planet that seems to have gone mad. There is a need to rediscover contact with Mother Earth, our only true mother. Just as there is a need to rediscover our true roots and our true history. Perhaps it is precisely in the historical pockets of natural peoples, those peoples who are forgotten by the majority society, that we can find the answer to the initial question: Whose World Order?
Rosalba Nattero, president of the Ecospirituality Foundation, presented this Statement at the World Intellectual Forum in which Nattero participates as representative for Italy.
Bibliography:
https://www.un.org/press/en/2012/hr5089.doc.htm https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna53363656 The Poetic Edda Natural Peoples and Ecospirituality https://www.un.org/press/en/2012/hr5089.doc.htm https://percevalasnotizie.wordpress.com/2016/05/10/thing/ https://percevalasnotizie.wordpress.com/2017/06/16/scoperta-tombe-vichinghe-islanda/ |
