All Deepak is Saying is Give Peace (and Business) a Chance.

All Deepak is Saying is Give Peace (and Business) a Chance. by Natalie Pace



Photo: Deepak Chopra, author of The Third Jesus: The Christ We Cannot Ignore

On March 11th, 525 peacemakers flocked to the capital city of San Jose, Costa Rica to hobnob with spiritual leaders, attend Presidential ceremonies and brainstorm strategies for promoting, in the words of Deepak Chopra, "a new world where hope, social justice, peace and a sense of the sacredness of life prevail." For the next three days, Americans, Mexicans, Europeans, Asians, Australians, Africans and even a few Texans spent time in small groups envisioning what the world needs now, what actions need to be taken to bring about the new vision and how they could network to support one another in an Alliance for a New Humanity. Spiritual gurus like Deepak Chopra (the president of the Alliance), the eloquent Marianne Williamson (bestselling author and Chair of The Peace Alliance), President Oscar Arias Sanchez (the 1987 Nobel Peace Prize winning President of Costa Rica), Baltazar Garzon (the Spanish judge who was responsible for nailing Pinochet) and other respected academics, authors, policymakers and even business leaders lead provocative debates by day, and celebrated the lush Costa Rican heritage by night.

In fact, Costa Rica was the perfect place for such a global conference, as well the leaders of the Alliance knew. Costa Rica is a groundbreaker in many regards. The country has no military, having disarmed its army in 1949. The former military headquarters is now a Museum of Peace. Money that would have been diverted to defense is poured into education. As a result, Costa Ricans are very well educated and about one out of ten people speak English almost as well as Spanish. (Learning English is compulsory, as is education, in Costa Rica.) Electric service abounds – reaching 97% of the territory! And recently, Costa Rica became the first Central American country to establish diplomatic relations with China. On October 24, 2007, President Arias of Costa Rica and President Hu Jintao of China agreed to cooperate on technologies, investment, culture, public health and agriculture.

Costa Rica is known for protecting their rainforests, for electing a Nobel Peace Prize winning President, for their educated citizens, for their spectacular beaches and for pura vida – enjoying a grand life. The cultural mix of African, Spanish and Indian makes for some of the most beautiful people in God’s creation. (I overheard a woman comment that she’s surprised that everyone isn’t half-Costa Rican -- the men and women are so beautiful.) So does peace work flawlessly when given a chance?

Peace appears to work amazingly well, especially when you consider how literate the people of Costa Rica are – in the fine arts, in addition to basic math and language skills -- compared to their neighbors. However, there are some unique factors that play into Costa Rican peace, which are not the case in war-torn countries. Costa Rica doesn’t have any rare, expensive natural resources – like diamonds, oil or gold – and the citizens feel that the United States has their back if they were to be invaded. It’s much easier to walk the back alleys of the world in daylight without anything of value glistening on your neck, and a big security guard a few paces behind you.

Marianne Williamson suggests that countries like the U.S. don’t need to disband their armies (yet) to start actively promoting peace now. As the Chair of the Peace Alliance, an organization with the goal of putting a Department of Peace in the United States government, Marianne is not proposing either or. According to Williamson, the United States needs both -- a department of peace and a department of defense.

"What a Department of Peace will do is give a more sophisticated analysis of what constitutes peace, of what it would take to wage peace in as meaningful and sophisticated a way as we now know how to wage war," Marianne proclaimed to a crowd of peacemakers last February, who seconded her thoughts with a standing ovation. "We must do more than fight our enemies. We must create more friends," she said.


Deepak Chopra speaking at the National Peace Museum in San Jose.

Peace starts with personal interaction -- even at a peace rally. It wasn’t all good times and Hallelujah in the group dialogs at the Human Forum in Costa Rica. Two brothers complained that there was too much politicizing and flagrant promotion of Costa Rica real estate for sale. "I thought that this was going to be more spiritual," they said. One panelist, Sam Keen, called for an end to all business now, saying, "The best thing the business community can do is commit suicide." In a discussion on how to influence the "influencers," an American man called business leaders "monsters," who were in the business of "profiteering for greed."

Since half of the audience was made up of business leaders (who understand the responsibilities of running a business), there were more than a few uncomfortable moments before the presupposed myths of business and money as "bad," which were held by a very vocal minority, began to be deflated. One person received a standing ovation when she called for a capital markets solution to the inhumane conditions of raising cattle, which might be contributing to the greenhouse gas effect. "If you want to stop ranchers from raising cattle, simply stop eating meat!" she said. In solidarity, the conference leaders asked for vegetarian meals to be served the following day.

Those calling for an end to all business were probably not aware that I was sent to the conference to represent business by an enlightened investment banker, a senior executive at his company, who believes that capital solutions have been responsible for many of the social innovations that we most love. He believes something even more radical -- that creative banking, for example, Mike Milken’s high yield bonds, can contribute to the "democratization of capital." This particular executive protects the people he employs, feels personally responsible for their livelihoods, promotes the interests of his customers and works to ensure that the corporation is sound so that shareholders – regular folks, like you and I, with a pension plan -- continue to benefit from their investments.

Speaking under anonymity, the investment banker wrote to me by email:

Money and business are not evil. Enlightened spiritual architects must be cautioned to not blame commerce for the structure of society. Money is a storage of potential energy. It is a transactional "battery". We don't blame batteries for the poor direction of flashlights; we shouldn't blame money for the poor direction of people.



Deepak Chopra with Costa Rican President Oscar Arias Sanchez and Culture Minister María Elena Carballo.
Photo Credit: Erika Rand

When influencing the business leaders and policymakers, another attendee counseled that, "They are parents. They are people who care." She recommended that promoters of peace and sustainable living sit down and meet with business and governmental leaders as fellow souls, and that individuals should be quick to thank fast food companies that switch to paper packaging over Styrofoam. Deepak Chopra would agree. In an interview with me, the bestselling author said, "You start by giving recognition to organizations and communities that are nurturing the environment that are using wisdom-based economies for their affluence."

And thus, having 525 tourists infuse capital into Costa Rica, supporting a state of peace by spending their money on food, hotels and by shopping in the malls, is in perfect alliance with the mission of the Human Forum. Whether the attendees understood it or not, the money brought into Costa Rica from their conference plays a role in ensuring that a country dedicated at its core to natural existence, preservation of rain forests and promoting peace among its neighbors continues to flourish. As Deepak Chopra said, "Costa Rica could serve as a model, as a microcosm for what could happen in the rest of the world."

By the end of the three days, it felt as though business leaders had infused greater tolerance into the peacemakers and the peacemakers were learning to employ best business practices to achieve their ends. All in all – it was just another day at the office, full of give and take, push and pull, frustration and insight, and, ultimately, celebration and a spark of new ideas. They came thinking that peace began with an end to business as usual, and left singing, "All we are saying is give peace and good business practices a chance."






Deepak Chopra is the President of The Alliance for a New Humanity, the founder of the Chopra Wellness Center and the author of more than 40 books. You can access more information on Deepak Chopra, on The Third Jesus, on the Chopra Center and on the Alliance for a New Humanity, at Deepak Chopra’s website, DeepakChopra.com.

For more information on Marianne Williamson and Marianne’s new book, The Age of Miracles, go to Marianne.com. For more information on the Peace Alliance and the Department of Peace bill that is currently before the House of Representatives, go to ThePeaceAlliance.org.

To find out more about vacationing in beautiful Costa Rica, with their white-sand beaches and rain forests, go to VisitCostaRica.com.



Other articles of interest in our ongoing Peace = Prosperity series:
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor on Peace and Fairness in Iraq. Exclusive Interview with Natalie Pace. Vol. 4, issue 9.

Peace = Prosperity. Q&A with Dr. Gary Becker, esteemed University of Chicago economist and Nobel Laureate, on how freedom, democracy, war, terrorism, riots and gangs affect a nation's prosperity. By Natalie Pace. Vol. 4, issue 6.

The Economics of Disaster Management. By Dr. Gary S. Becker. Vol. 4, issue 6.

Stars Shine on Marianne Williamson’s Peace Plan. by Natalie Pace. NataliePace.com archived ezine, vol. 4, issue 3.
Steven Tyler, Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Smart, Deepak Chopra, Reverend Michael Bernard Beck, Frances Fisher, Denise Brown and Marianne Williamson entertain, inspire and educate Marianne’s Peace Alliance conference attendees to become citizen lobbyists on behalf of House Bill number 808, calling for a U.S. Department of Peace!

Spiritual Gurus Weigh in on The Department of Peace Bill. By Natalie Pace. NataliePace.com archived ezine, vol. 4, issue 3.

China's Evolution Toward Freedom. A candid interview with one of the most respected CEOs in mainland China, Dr. Charles Zhang, Chairman and CEO, Sohu.com. By Natalie Pace. NataliePace.com archived ezine, Vol. 4, issue 1.

Gap's Inc(RED)ible Campaign to Empower Africa. By Natalie Pace. Featuring (PRODUCT) RED. Vol. 3, issue 12.