Justice – Health – Power are further essential principles! Here by Bob and Lee Mitsch (Seneca tradition)
Justice
As long as individuals, ethnic groups, families or even entire nations and states feel treated unfairly, peace is not possible. Therefore it is necessary to negotiate and find solutions until everyone agrees and UNITY is reached.
Health
Peace can only take place when the basic needs of everyone are taken care of. When somebody is wet, cold and hungry, he doesn`t really care about peace. First he wants to meet these needs „at any cost“ if necessary. So, everyone has to take good care of himself, and society has to make sure that the essential needs – warmth, water, food and health – are always satisfied. Then, from this base, we can nurture and maintain peace.
Power
Community needs leadership and organization – and in this respect also someone who cares, who receives power from the people and exercises it responsibly. Since this is obviously a critical point (see today`s disquieting structures of power in the world), the Mohawk had installed various security loops and there was generally a high level of awareness among the people about responsible use of power. One instrument was e.g. that the women elders had the right and duty to observe chiefs and leaders and their decisions. If leaders acted questionably regarding the responsible use of power, there were various tools to cange it.
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