We’re tired of arguing, fighting, killing, marching, rallies, anger, riots, and fear. We just want to live in peace. What would it take to make that happen?

It’s easier than you think.

The perpetual condition of crime, violence and poverty in our neighborhoods makes me think of the story about a man walking down a rode, approaching an old house in the distance. He dimly heard a dog howling. As he got closer to the house, he could see an old man sitting in a chair on the porch and a dog sitting on the porch next to the old man, howling up a storm.

The closer the man got to the house, the louder the howls became. He finally reached the house and stood in front of the porch. The old man sitting in the chair on the porch seemed calm and unbothered by the howling dog. Curiously he asked the old man, “Why is the dog howling like that?” and the old man answered, “Cause he’s sitting on a nail.” The man watched curiously as the dog continued to howl pitifully. “So why doesn’t he get up off the nail?” he asked. And the old man answered, “I guess it’s not hurting him bad enough.”

We are like the howling dog. We choose to suffer, rather than simply get up off of a painful situation. Just like the dog, nothing is stopping us, but ourselves. When will we decide we’re hurting bad enough to get up?

The system we’re living under is all wrong. Period. We can’t prop it up, rearrange it, call it something else, put different people in charge – none of that will work. You can’t have a peaceful society when everything is based on depriving some people of their basic needs so that other people can pretend to be superior to them.

So let’s get up off the nail, and start all over, with a basic, Universal Code of Ethics that defines right and wrong behavior. If anything doesn’t fit into this code of ethics, we need to abolish it, and replace it with the right behavior. So, can we agree:

Every human being is of equal importance. It does’t matter what you look like, where you live, what language you speak, how old you are, what religion you practice, what sex you are, or how many years of school you have attended. Every life matters and everybody has a right to a good, healthy life. The Earth doesn’t belong to anybody. We are all temporary inhabitants, here to share with everyone who lives here. Nobody has a right to hoard more than their share of land, food, water, or anything else that comes from the Earth. There is enough for everybody. There is no shortage of food or land if everybody uses only what they need and doesn’t try to take more than their share. Food and water should be freely shared. Nobody has a right to make anybody pay for anything, but we can agree to trade our skills and abilities for what we need from each other, in a way that is fair and equitable and does not deprive anyone of the necessities of life. The air, water, and land must be kept clean at all times. No one must commit any action that dirties the air, water or land. To poison your neighbors’ air, water or land is to poison your own, because as the earth rotates, so does everything else circulate; the wind carries air, water and soil from everywhere in the world to everywhere else in the world. Everyone is responsible for their own actions. No one should intentionally commit any act that causes physical harm to anyone. If anyone accidentally harms someone, he or she should apologize and never commit the act again. If someone damages or breaks something, that person is responsible for repairing the damage they caused or replacing what was broken in the best manner that they can. Everyone should speak in a courteous, polite, respectful tone of voice when addressing another and should listen courteously, politely and respectfully when another is speaking. No one should take anything from someone else without first seeking permission, and nothing should be taken unless permission has been granted. Everyone who is here on Earth is here to help everyone else who is here on Earth. If someone needs help, those who are able should offer and provide help. No one should be deprived of what they need to live a healthy life. Everyone is here to learn and create. Creativity is to be developed and used for the good of oneself and others, to make life better. Knowledge should be freely shared because the more we all know the better we can create a life on Earth that is enjoyable for us all.

Now, if we agree on this Universal Code of Ethics, then that pretty much abolishes the monetary system, the banking system, and the whole system of commerce that allows some people to control the Earth’s resources and hoard enough to keep them wealthy, while others live in miserable poverty. When the impoverished people get angry and decided to violently take what they need, we have crime, violence, and war. So, why don’t the poor work for what they need, you say? Well, did it ever occur to you to ask, “Who has the audacity to claim ownership of the Earth so that everybody else has to ‘work’ for food, clothing and shelter?”

Our children are in a state of rebellion because they already know, instinctively, that this entire system is wrong. It is inherently abusive and unfair, because it is based on selfishness rather than sharing. No one owns the Earth or anything on it. We are all just temporary beings here. We have perhaps 80, 90, or at best 100 years in these physical bodies, then we leave. So, for those infants who just arrived, and perhaps those soon to be born, let’s agree to teach them this Universal Code of Ethics. It will enable them to create a higher evolved way of life that will bring peace on Earth.

As soon as we figure out that this oppressive system is an illusion created by those who are falsely claiming ownership of the Earth and its resources, we will agree to just stop it. We’ll decide to simply share what has been given to us all, for free, by our Creator. Yes, that is possible.

But for those who say it’ll never happen…well, just keep sitting on that nail. And keep howling.