16/04/2014 Dimensions of Truth:

Finding common sources of personal, interpersonal and world conflicts

Abstract This article focuses on deep underlying mechanisms of the human mind which causes conflicts. Beginning with a postulation of how the dynamics of thinking and time is perceived, the concept of time has two different meaning. ne is the physical time and the other the illusionary time of past, present and future. !uman perception of certainty and achieving goals in the future plays key roles in starting conflicts and results in uncertainty, insecurity and fear. "onflicts are results of individual#s manipulation of past memory to achieve ideas of future goals, power, peace of mind and satisfaction. $ome historic and current world events are analy%ed based on this theory. Truth is illusive due to the intertwining of the dimensions of time perceived in human mind. By understanding these basic intricacies all sorts of conflicts can be solved.

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&ntroduction
Basically, to account for origins of all levels of conflicts perceptions of time, past, now and future and its link with how individual minds operate must be understood. Starting with theoretical observations of thinking and memory by introspective method I examine the rise of illusions in mind. The complexities in decision making are present in all levels of human relationships and conflicts. The fundamental link between illusion of achieving certainty and peace in the future and fear is highlighted. One can with self awareness at a young age be educated about the contradiction in perception, emotion and action on one hand and truths on the other. The pursuit of power and pride is a state of mind and is therefore contradictory to the state of the peace of mind. The idea of world free of ma or conflicts is attainable only through the understanding of how the personal mind works. In final analysis I discuss the long running conflicts in !sia and offering the possibility for long lasting peace. !ny theory that predicts global peace must predict an outcome and solution for any conflict in the world or at any level.

Dynamics of thinking and time

Thinking can mean choosing the right words to say, worrying about the security, forming ideas, planning, dreaming, imagining someone, remembering a past incident, pondering about the future, doing a math etc. These are all forms of abstract concepts, symbols, signs and pictures" patterns of information which is in the memory be it in linguistic, visual, auditory or emotional forms. #hen we think, recall, retrieve, remember and replay the information in our memory we also con ure emotional content of the original incident or the subse$uent modification of that original memory. !ll memory therefore seems to have time related dimension, namely the past. I believe there are % sorts of time. The first is the physical time. In the real world time has dimensions of space and energy. It moves forward continuously like a river or orbit of the earth round the sun. The source of all physical movement of matter, energy and time is &built in' in the form of spinning, vibration and orbiting of the subatomic particles that make up the atom and matter. This physical time is a mathematical and abstract concept of human perception of the movement of matter and energy. The second concept of time is the perception of past, present and future, which I call illusionary time. The two concepts of time are naturally intertwined in understanding of our own memory. The present or 'now( as perceived by humans is only awareness of a moment in physical time when we become aware, awake and turn our attention to an event in our own mind or in our space. The past is set of 'now( that had happened in the physical time and is only present in our memory. )nowledge in written and recorded form is also information that had happened in the past. (nowledge can also be either facts or interpretations of the past sets of &now'. #hen we are thinking we dwell into the past images via our memory. The future is a set of 'now( or past images of memory being pro ected, anticipated or perceived in the mind. #hen we are thinking we ponder the future by analy)ing these past images from our memory. *uture is also the physical time which is continuous in a chain of &now+s' going to occur in the physical movement of time. The next day is certain to happen because earth rotates on its axis and orbits round the sun. The

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concept of physical time and illusionary time are therefore intertwined and entangled. The mind manipulates or modifies memories with conscious awareness or unconsciously in the background of one+s consciousness. ,emories are perceived images or bits of information of millisecond, minute or sometime ago from a set of physical time of &now'. #hen we remember we dwell into our memory by recalling, retrieving and replaying this information from the past in the present &now', and online. It can also be pro ected into the illusionary time of future in the mind. This manipulation of the memory is always intended for the purpose of achieving one+s goal, intent, emotion, state of awareness and control at any moment of physical time.

*ntangling the &llusion

The perception of the images being replayed and anticipated in the mind is illusionary because the second concept of future-time is illusionary. Fear is the emotional state resulting from imagining and anticipating chain of unpleasant images via our memory. #hile the emotional state of fear can result in stress, the reality content of these images in the mind is illusionary. .ifferent emotions cause different response of the body and mind. /motionally unpleasant memory are perhaps linked to emotions such as fear, hatred, anxiety, anger, grief, lust, desire, security, comfort, nostalgia and longing. It is possible that all emotions are triggered by memory, though other types of memory like experience and knowledge do not triggers emotions. /motions can also be triggered by situations happening in the present when one simultaneously analy)es, compares or reasons, past related images0voices in the mind. !n instant introspective inspection and logical reasoning shows that thinking, memory, perception and emotion are interconnected and interrelated in network, circuit or web like manners. It can more accurately be described as se$uence of images or chain of images0voices causing uncertainty. This is fear or anxiety. The mind seeks certainty in the first place by dwelling in to the past seeking out assuring or known images0voices. The mind analy)es with full conscious awareness or turns on an automatically established pattern of circuit of images in the background. To put it simple in an instant now the mind dwells into the past and ponders the future. There are probably many networks, webs and circuit of images0voices that gives rise to complex issues such as trauma, phobia, violence, conflicts, addiction, habits and criminality. These conditions show excessive lack of understanding of oneself which leads to extreme, cyclical and prolonged behavior caused by the chain of images in memory. The problem of the mind is not restricted to any individual groups or cultures and is a universal human phenomenon. The phenomenon of abusive language usage, racism, drug and alcohol addiction, and aggressive behaviors are all triggered by the inner voice and image of the memory analy)ing the past events and pro ecting them to future to get security. 1abits are logically linked to memory and thinking. The pro ection of a recent bad memory can con ure emotion which then triggers aggressive responses or verbal utterances or facial expressions. If one+s perception of a race, ethnicity or religion of another individual or society is unpleasant the thoughts will be colored with the remembered past. It is probably useful to analy)e a recent event rather than complex behavioral disorders for the purpose of self analysis or diagnosis. 2omplex disorders are difficult to untangle because they had happened over long periods of time. These images0voices might now have established a more permanent circuit or network. The first step to be taken if one undertakes self analysis is to understand the way mind works in relation to fear, uncertainty

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and insecurity. This can be done by being aware of the chain of events such as time and situation one is in at any moment and the relationship between the images in the mind, to get a coherent pattern of information. There is a fundamental difference between physically being present and aware of the moment in the present in one hand and thinking about the next moment or tomorrow on the other. The image or voice is the thought that exists in the mind and is not a reality. The faster way is perhaps to be aware immediately of the moment when the mind is thinking consciously or in the background then stop or turn 3off3 that circuit of thinking briefly to make decisions. This constant vigilance, alert awareness or conscious awareness is difficult to learn. I believe with practice this ability to gain self awareness is doable. !nother problem is one can choose to have self awareness or ignore it. The sooner or the fre$uenter one becomes aware of the workings of the mind and its illusion the more one can gain control of its consciousness and act decisively.

+ature of ,eace and "ertainty

!cts to create peace by being aggressive are caused by the need in the mind to create certainty and security in an instant &now' or immediately, when one perceives uncertainty 4in the future5. *ighting or war is a way of achieving certainty by using power or the most lethal weapon possible to achieve victory. Ideas of winning and victory are se$uences of images and abstract concepts but it gives an emotional feeling of satisfaction, comfort and security. The mind becomes willingly or unwillingly entangled in this cycle of seeking security and ends up in state of insecurity. There is no permanent state of certainty because it is related to the state of mind seeking certainty. 6eace whether external peace 4world peace5 or personal peace 4peace of mind0inner peace5 is rather the state of absence of the network or web of seeking security" when it is not thinking about the future. This idea of future and achieving certainty is illusionary. #hat one remembers are sets of past now or the modification of that past. #hen one imagines or pro ects them in the mind we continuously access, evaluate a current situation or predict outcome in the future. This is done to achieve assurance, security or certainty. If our facts are precise we can make accurate predictions, for example the speed of earth+s rotation, the sum of 7%x7%, etc. #e can create complex calculations and products out simple information. One needs to plan in $uite detail the resources, time and money re$uired to achieve goals and ambitions. This is real because it involves physical time, work, money, and energy. In order to build a nice home you need work and earn enough money. It+s not enough to have a dream only. The goal of the person is to have beautiful house and one looks forward to future to owning one. That gives a satisfaction and a feeling of pleasure in the present &now'. #hen the house has been built the mind will focus again to another plan in the future, to have the feeling of pleasure or security. The feeling of satisfaction either stemming from imagined situations or from having inner peace is state of peace linked to one being satisfied with the present 3now3 or when one is not thinking of seeking certainty. 6eace is a temporary state of mind. /ssentially one will feel the same peace even if is felt 787 years or 7887 years from &now'. This state of the mind will not change over time because one is not going to feel the emotions differently. 6eace can also be actively incorporated or practiced daily. /veryone is familiar with the state of giving full attention when being with a loved one, en oying one+s favorites music or film or meal, observing beautiful scenery, playing a sport, doing an experiment, painting9 The acts

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to relax and be creative show the mind being &tuned' in to one+s own senses. It involves skills such as listening, observing, doing, and feeling, tasting and touching. These states of being sensitive to one+s inner and outer environment are temporary feeling of giving full attention. It results in the mind feeling peaceful and relaxed. If the mind is in a state of fear it can be aware of it and change the state to peace by actively engaging to do relaxing activities or switch it &off' by not thinking of the images or actively seek to rid of the fear 4is it illusionary or real5. *or example if you are scared of drowning in water the best way to rid of the fear is to go and learn swimming. The states of love, compassion and care are the same state as peace of mind because it involves giving full attention in the present physical time to another person, ob ect, tasks or ideas. In short if the future 4illusionary5 is uncertain the present is uncertain and vice versa. One seeks certainty because one needs comfort, security and pleasure. !t the same time when the mind is not giving attention to something boredom sets in. Therefore either to distract the boredom one consciously or in the &inner background' unconsciously thinks or ponders about the past and future. To have certainty one needs to have an insight of intricacies of the mind, by learning how the mind works or by changing the state of the mind by doing something entertaining, amusing, productive or creative or constructive.

"ontradictory $tate of -ind

2onflicts between % brothers or between % nuclear states are essentially the same. If child ! owns the toy and child B claims the toy is his0hers, and if the % children fight for the same toy, the toy becomes the ob ect of dispute. The only person who can ob ectively solve the dispute is the parent of the children who should tell the children calm down and stop fighting first, then point out who owns the toy. ,ost of time the parent will hear that child ! has given the toy to child B as a trade off for another toy or child B will say that the toy was won by him0her in a bet in a game with child !. In this case the ownership evidence is not straight forward. The parent will have to ask either of the children if one could forgo the ownership for an ice cream as compensation. 2ould any parent stand the noise and the fight between % loved ones living under the same roof: !s a parent caring and acting in the best interest of both the children you encourage them to stop fighting immediately and reconcile. 2hildren react aggressively to assert control of their territory or possession because the threat of uncertainty. This threat of uncertainty is caused by their imagination of the future 4of being without their precious possession5. !ny good parent knows, conflicts do flare up again and are unpredictable. 2hildren can be taught to understand the pattern of behavior that leads to conflicts. !ggression, fights, manipulation and lying comes when one first act to protect the physical body, or second when one acts to restore peace of mind or pleasure and diminish the feeling fear 4uncertainty5. 2hildren can be taught the benefit of being sensitive, understanding and cooperative. Bad behavior leads to a cycle or chain of events resulting in conflicts and adding to unpleasant memories. 2hildren can also be taught to focus on learning and by doing creative activities. 6erhaps nations should focus on their strengths, developing the individual members of society to be creative and productive. 1ow many sibling rivalries have gone on to become vicious and non-resolved conflicts lasting decades: !n individual mind operates in contradictory states of wanting peace and prosperity" while at the same time operating in violent or selfish way. Individual decision making process in an organi)ational level cannot escape the contradictory states of wanting certainty in the future and will identify with the past 4with known information, ideas, ob ects, environment, culture, weapons5 to gain the illusion of security. ;overnments, organi)ations and systems are

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comprised of individuals and therefore all operate in the contradictory state of mind.

&ndecision and .aiting for $ettlement

Ironically, the tsunami tragedy of %<th .ecember %88= in !sia brought home in an instant these states of temporary and short lived moments of peace, compassion and solidarity to conflicts areas such as Sri >anka and !ceh1. Thanks to television networks the suffering was also felt around the world. 6eople did give attention in varying degrees to the tragedy and there was an immediate response. The attention was turned to the tragedy instead of the usual daily differences causing immediate decision making. Sadly the ending of violence will not happen if parties involved in the conflict don+t reali)e or understand how the fundamental relationship between security and peace happen in the mind. In order to start a peace process one should completely abandon analy)ing the past. !ll the structural, political or territorial disputes should be looked at realistically and factually. The main obstacle of peace is the lack of awareness of the complexity of the dynamics of thinking on hand one and the scope and complexity of issues outside on the other which influence each other. /very point in decision making process has a certainty-uncertainty element. Immediate decisions take awareness of the cycle of the illusionary past and disentangling fear from the facts, and by constructive, creative or productive actions. The longer the conflicts lasts the complex the issues and demands become, adding to the accumulated memory. #orld conflicts are no different than personal or interpersonal conflicts. The fastest approach to peace and progress is to reali)e each others suffering and start reconciling by forgiving each other+s mistakes, start dialogue and find practical solutions. The current Israeli-6alestinian ceasefire is the best example of how nearly <8 years of conflict the parties finally reali)e that the lasting solution will eventually come from negotiation and not militarily2. It is probably enough for one side to reali)e this potential to achieve settlement. 2onflicts and wars are moments of confusion and errors. 1umans cause wars not nature. The illusion of achieving peace by war in many countries is real. .elays in decision making process shows that the person or parties involved wanting to wait for the right time or moment when there+s clear or favorable change of situation on the ground. .ifferent conflicts in the world may have different external sources of disputes but all parties want to win or end conflicts as soon as possible by using the most powerful weapon or best tactics. The past 788 years or the past %888 years of history on the other hand is the ultimate fact. It shows that conflicts and wars whether based on religious, imperialistic, ideological, and territorial or ethnic reasons takes years and thousand of lives. 1useynov 4%88?5 writes about the conflict between !)erbai an and !rmenia over the ,ountainous (arabakh region where there is a neither war nor peace3 situation. Other conflicts in !sia such as 2hina-Taiwan, India-6akistan have been going for decades pointing to the confusion of decision making with clarity by all sides. 6rolonging a conflict causes spending of resources and energy. @ncertainty increases with time and creates an even more complex history. It is in the best interest of all sides to recogni)e that delay in decision making is not due to complexity of the issues or history of the conflicts but because of the uncertainty of the individual+s mind in predicting outcome. @ncertainty is a state of the mind.

,ower and ,ride

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International conflicts between countries either historically or at present times have often been preceded by suspicion of each other+s motives and balance of power. One neighboring country goes to war with the other to occupy the other and to become dominant over the other. These types of conflicts are essentially about power. 1istory is full of wars and bitter rivalries that color the international relationships today. 6olitical, technological, scientific, economic or militaristic powers are real tangible forces that bring about change for the good or destruction. Individual humans operate and control all these powers. 6ower gives feeling of security, certainty and comfort. Individuals identify and comfort oneself with power and prestige which gives a feeling of pride. The feeling of pride is a temporary state of the mind which can be turned into political policies, ideologies or actions. #hen individuals want to have power their motivation to gain power comes from imagination of having certainty, comfort, pride and prestige in the future. !t the same time it could be that the present &now' is lacking comfort or certainty. The formulation of the Aa)i ideology and the rise to power by 1itler shows his obsession for gaining power. On a personal level Saddam 1ussein invaded (uwait to show that his power was still intact after the Iran-Ira$ war ended. 1e was obsessed with pride and prestige and wanted to be comforted of having the security in his mind of absolute power. !t the same time these leaders cause destruction and deaths. The need for certainty and wanting to have a peace of mind contradicts the action of these individuals. These shows even after thousands of years of civili)ation the contradictory state of mind and the concept of certainty are not well understood Borders disputes between neighboring countries sometimes turn into wars and skirmishes. ,ost of the disputes linger in limbo for decades without any settlement because individual leaders in those countries wait for the right time in future to have advantage of the other. In the first place the solution to any boundary problem can be negotiated or settled in courts without armed conflicts. The second is expectation and waiting for future to bring solutions to current problems. 6roblems can be practically and immediately solved if individuals can see that the future-time imagination is illusion. 1as all the wars in the past brought lasting world peace and prosperity at any moment in time: !nd would the future bring any improvement knowing the fact the physical future of time will not bring change to the state of mind.

/ong 0unning "onflicts

!ccording to 2risis#atch4 there are roughly at any time in the previous 7B months more than <8 ongoing conflicts and crisis. 2onflicts happen all over the world internally within borders of one country or between different states. There are many different causes of conflicts ranging from real disagreements over sovereignty, border, territory, ethnicity, religion, intolerance, ideology, system of governments, power interest, authoritarianism, poverty, corruption etc. These are real and factual disagreements going back in time to the past. If one takes &now' as the ultimate truth and the fact that future will be the same as the present or past, one can ignore the past cycle of images. 6hilosophy, politics, science and religion seem to converge all over the world about peace, progress, prosperity and integrity. But there is either a lack of self knowledge or deep unwillingness to act coherently to solve conflicts. One can choose to incorporate differences and work toward peace and prosperity or choose to remain in the dark and lack the insight to understand how the mind works. >eaders in armed groups are individuals wanting to establish power therefore come under the rule of the dynamic of thinking and time. !t a younger age leaders tend to be idealist in wanting to establish goals in independence, ustice, freedom, religion and ideology. #hile

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struggling to establish this ambition of future idealism, certainty, security, satisfaction and harmony, they tend to fight at the same time. This results of the ambition lasts decades and results in deaths and hardships among ordinary people. The cycle of aggression and ceasefire are repeated during the course of time in the conflicts in !ceh, Sri >anka, (ashmir, Aepal5, Southern 6hilippines6 and Southern Thailand7.

"hanging -indsets
.ialogue, mediations and negotiations are tools to solve conflicts. These are important when parties involved in the conflicts reali)e that war leads to a cycle of violence and counter violence prolonged in the physical time. Immediate decisions involve awareness of the cycle of the illusionary past and disentangling fear from the facts, and by constructive, creative or productive actions. The truth is around the corner but in a different dimension. One has to cut straight to the fact, find the truth and gain insight into a problem, conflict, phenomenon, relationship9 by untangling the perceptions of future-uncertainty. ;aining insight gives a short cut, tells you how to find the right answer, and lets you understand the pattern of information of any given problem, conflict, phenomenon9 instead of depending on time to solve problems. Societies are comprised of layers and groups of individuals. #hen leaders go to war it is because there is power in the form of organi)ational backing of government and military. Ao leader would go to battlefield alone. #ars are organi)ed lack of self knowledge. !ny country should be able to defend itself ust like any individual would defend himself0herself when physically under threat. ,aybe there is a universal way of seeking truth, how to find fact, how a step by step pattern of in$uiry can be achieved or can lead to finding answers for a given problem, but there is perhaps no universal answer for a given problem. Only genuine in$uiry, search and awareness of the truth can change mindset at any time and place.

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Internet resources

1CrisisWatch No 18, 1 February 2005 http:// !crisis"roup!or"/ho#e/i$%e&!c'#(i%)3242*+)1 2,ise$"a"e#e$t a$% -'ter: Where Ne&t 'or .haro$ a$% the /i0u%(, 1i%%+e 2ast 3eport No!36, 1 1arch 2005, retrie4e% 11 -pri+ 2005 http:// !crisis"roup!or"/ho#e/i$%e&!c'#(i%)3298*+)1 3 5usey$o4, 6abib, 1ou$tai$ous 7araba0h: Co$'+ict 3eso+utio$ throu"h 8o er .hari$" a$% 3e"io$a+ 9$te"ratio$! 3etrie4e% 11 -pri+ 2005, http:// !peacestu%ies:our$a+!or"!u0/%ocs/1ou$tai$ous;207araba0h20;'i$a+;204ersio$;20e%ite%;203!p%' 4 CrisisWatch $o 1 to 19 e%itio$s <'ro# .epte#ber 2003 to 1arch 2005= retrie4e% 30 1arch 2005, http:// !crisis"roup!or"/ho#e/i$%e&!c'#(i%)1200*+)1 5,ip+o#acy .ti#u+atio$ 2&ercises, retrie4e% 11 -pri+ 2005 http:// !pub+ici$ter$atio$a++a !or"/pro"ra#s/so4erei"$ty/%ip+o#acy/ 66he 1i$%a$ao 8eace 6a+0s: -$other >pportu$ity to 3eso+4e the 1oro Co$'+ict i$ the 8hi+ippi$es! .pecia+ 3eport 131, retrie4e% 11 -pri+ 2005 http:// !usip!or"/pubs/specia+reports/sr131!ht#+ 7 6hai+a$% ?io+e$ce, retrie4e% 12 -pri+ 2005 http:// !a+ert$et!or"/the$e s/e#er"e$cy/65@?9>!ht#