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Last time we talked about the various costs of violence. We focused on the fact that the costs of violence if they were gathered together amount to one of the largest economies in the world, a full 10.5% of global GDP. That covers all the costs from wars, gangs, domestic abuse and all the rest of it.\xa0

What if we could somehow reclaim all those trillions of dollars dealing with the material and mental costs of violence? If we weren\u2019t having to build tanks or pay for psychologists to deal with the long term effects of PTSD? Well, the over $14 trillion dollars annually that would be reclaimed could greatly improve the lives of everyone. More money for research, for education, for treating people with other mental health issues, as well as redoing and improving national infrastructures.\xa0

Naturally, all of that money isn\u2019t going to go into one giant pot we could draw from to accomplish all of these lofty goals. Reality is a bit more piecemeal than that. The way it would actually work would be the government that isn\u2019t learning how to build a bigger nuke is taking all that research to finally get fusion reactors off the ground and finally replace fossil fuels with a clean and stable alternative. It would be the family that no longer has to pay all the costs associated with the mental and physical problems that come with having the mother or father having been injured in a mass shooting. That person would be able to do more productive work, earning more for the family. In addition to not having to spend thousands on medical bills, there would be more money to pay for the kids\u2019 education. That\u2019s more how things would be likely to play out.\xa0

Still, how do we get from here to there? The Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) \u2013 the organization that put out the statistics we\u2019ve been talking about \u2013 has also put out Eight Pillars of Global Peace to function as a rough outline. Let\u2019s get into it.\xa0

The first pillar is the need for a well-functioning government. That is defined as a government that provides high quality services and engenders trust in its citizens. Okay, that\u2019s a bit of a high bar, yet the idea of a government that puts people above itself is definitely something we can get behind.\xa0

Pillar two is all about a sound business environment. This is interesting because it\u2019s very free market friendly and these kinds of lists often aren\u2019t the most interested in private enterprise. Yet, competitiveness and prosperity are typically associated with lower levels of violence. Basically, if you have more stuff and you live in a more stable environment there is less reason for violence in general.

Number three advocates respecting everyone\u2019s rights. This is harkening to the promise of multiculturalism, the idea that it is possible to live side by side with those who might disagree with you. This has turned out to be difficult in practice but is still a lofty goal.\xa0

Pillar three is a great lead in to pillar four, peaceful relations with others. On a personal level, that means getting along with your neighbors and on a national scale that means getting along with nearby nations, or anyone you might be engaging with. Basically, don\u2019t go making enemies.\xa0

The fifth pillar, the free flow of information will be familiar to you if you\u2019ve been with us for more than a couple of minutes. As you know, we are big fans of the idea that freely sharing data is fundamental to building a better world. It\u2019s nice to see that the IEP agrees.\xa0

Once again, pillar five takes you directly to number six which is an educated and skilled people. This is made significantly easier when you have a free flow of information.

Pillar seven \u2013 low corruption \u2013 is pretty obvious as well. When corruption is widespread, no one trusts the system and no one really participates in it. That leads to whatever is left of the system breaking down pretty quickly.\xa0\xa0

Finally, pillar eight is an equitable access to resources. This doesn\u2019t mean that people should all be paid the same, but everyone should have the opportunity to pursue the life they want. That\u2019s a concept that is pretty familiar if you think of it, the pursuit of happiness is right in the preamble to the Declaration of Independence.\xa0

This makes a pretty good outline largely because it is adaptable on the individual and global scale. And naturally, TARTLE is working to enable all of its scales by promoting that free flow of information that can make the rest possible.\xa0

What\u2019s your data worth? www.tartle.co