Realizing lasting peace and collective planetary well-being via Occupational Security measures

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Dr. Farrukh A. Chishtie

As humanity and all life on Earth face unprecedented threats, we must recognize that peace and security are not merely human concerns. From the smallest insects pollinating our crops to the great whales maintaining ocean ecosystems, the activities of all living beings are deeply interconnected with our own survival and well-being. Yet our current global crises threaten this delicate web of life and the very possibility of peace.

The world stands at a dangerous crossroads. The Russia-Ukraine war continues unabated while the Middle East conflict threatens to engulf the entire globe, raising the specter of nuclear confrontation. With global expenditure of resources increasing in these conflicts, we risk escalating harm that not only threatens human well-being but also undermines the stability of entire ecosystems. Each destructive action damages habitats, each disruptive event interferes with migration patterns, and the landscapes touched by violence can become barren for countless species.

Climate change impacts accelerate with frightening speed, disrupting both human societies and natural systems. The past year's record-breaking heat waves, floods, and wildfires haven't just displaced human communities – they've decimated wildlife populations and destroyed ancient forest systems that took centuries to evolve. In Pakistan, recent floods swept away not only human settlements but also critically endangered species and their habitats, demonstrating how our fates are inextricably linked.

The COVID-19 pandemic, though less prominent in headlines, continues to demonstrate the perilous consequences of disrupting natural systems. Its emergence and spread highlight how human encroachment on wildlife habitats and our exploitation of other species create conditions for disease transmission. While infection numbers have decreased, new variants emerge as we continue to ignore the fundamental interconnections between human and animal health.

In response to these interconnected challenges, along with co-authors, I have recently introduced the concept of "occupational security" in a peer-reviewed paper published in the Journal of Occupational Science (May 2024). You can access the publication for free here:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14427591.2024.2346177

This framework recognizes that true security and peace can only be achieved by protecting the right of all beings – human and non-human – to perform their essential life activities safely and sustainably.

Beyond Human Security - A Unifying Framework for Universal Peace

The concept of occupational security emerged from a profound recognition: that peace cannot be achieved while we continue to view security through an exclusively human lens. This idea is based out of the field of occupational science which informs the rich practices of occupational therapy, a core rehabilitation science discipline. Occupations are meant as daily human activities. While traditional occupational science and security frameworks focus on protecting humans and their interests- often at the expense of other life forms - occupational security recognizes that true peace requires protecting the activities and well-being of all living beings. 

Consider how bees maintain intricate social structures and perform vital pollination activities that sustain entire ecosystems, or how wolves help maintain the ecological balance of forests through their hunting patterns. These non-human occupations are not secondary to human security – they are fundamental to it. When war, climate change, or human development disrupt these activities, the consequences ripple throughout the entire web of life, ultimately threatening human security as well.

At its core, occupational security is defined as the interrelated, sustainable, just, and compassionate protection of humans' and non-humans' right to a safe, peaceful, and dignified life. This definition, introduced in my recent Journal of Occupational Science paper, challenges the dominant neoliberal ideology that has treated nature as a resource to be exploited rather than a partner in planetary well-being.

The framework draws from both Indigenous wisdom and contemporary scientific understanding. Traditional knowledge systems, long marginalized by colonial and industrial approaches, have always recognized the profound interconnections between all forms of life. The Indigenous peoples of the Americas, for instance, understand that the activities of salmon in rivers are as crucial to ecosystem health as human activities on land. Similarly, many Pakistani traditional communities have maintained sophisticated understanding of how the activities of various species contribute to ecological balance. Inherent in these traditional systems is spirituality and deep reverence for all life forms, which advises us to recognize the beauty and interconnectedness of life.

This perspective is increasingly validated by modern science through fields like ecology and systems biology. Research reveals how the daily activities of countless species - from soil microorganisms to large predators - create the conditions that make Earth habitable for all life. Actor-Network Theory in sociology further supports this view by recognizing non-humans as active participants in shaping our world, not passive objects of human action.

Spiritual Foundation as a Path to Universal Respect and Care

Unlike existing frameworks that often respond reactively to crises, occupational security draws its transformative power from a deeper spiritual recognition: the inherent sanctity and interconnectedness of all life. This spiritual foundation, shared across Indigenous traditions and faith-based wisdom including Islam, provides a proactive and holistic approach to addressing systemic challenges like poverty, racism, colonialism, and environmental degradation.

Islamic teachings emphasize humanity's role as stewards of Earth, entrusted with protecting rather than exploiting creation. The Quran explicitly states that all creatures are communities like ourselves, and that nature performs its own form of worship. This spiritual understanding aligns perfectly with occupational security's recognition of non-human activities as sacred and essential. The Islamic principle of "tauhid" (unity) further reinforces the framework's emphasis on interconnectedness, recognizing that harm to any part of creation ultimately affects the whole.

Indigenous spiritual traditions worldwide similarly recognize the sacred nature of all life's activities. For Native American peoples, the concept of "All My Relations" acknowledges kinship with all beings, while Australian Aboriginal spirituality sees all activities of nature as part of the eternal Dreamtime. These spiritual frameworks don't treat human rights, animal rights, or environmental protection as separate domains to be addressed in isolation - they understand them as inseparable aspects of a sacred whole.

This spiritually-grounded approach stands in stark contrast to Western materialistic ideologies that have historically addressed injustice through fragmented, reactive measures. Civil rights, women's rights, environmental protections - each was granted only after crisis and struggle, creating artificial divisions between interconnected issues. Such fragmentation continues today, with climate change often treated as separate from social justice, despite their obvious links.

Occupational security, by starting from the sanctity of all life, naturally addresses these challenges holistically. When we recognize the sacred nature of each being's activities, we cannot justify systems that create poverty by denying people access to resources, or racism that deems some lives less valuable than others. We cannot separate environmental protection from social justice when we understand that the activities of all beings - human and non-human - are part of a sacred web.

This spiritual foundation provides practical guidance for addressing contemporary challenges. Instead of waiting for crises to force change, it calls us to proactively reshape systems to respect all life. Instead of treating poverty as an economic issue separate from ecological health, it reveals how restoring natural systems can provide sustainable livelihoods. Rather than addressing racism through legal reforms alone, it challenges the underlying spiritual disconnect that allows us to see any being as separate or inferior.

Values for Universal Peace in Occupational Security

The occupational security framework, with spirituality as its bedrock, is built upon five fundamental values that recognize the interdependence of all life forms. These values challenge the current profit-driven, exploitative systems that have brought us to the brink of multiple catastrophes.

Sustainability stands as our first crucial value. When we observe nature's own systems, we see how species have evolved to maintain balanced relationships over millions of years. A forest ecosystem, for instance, operates through complex exchanges between plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms, each performing their essential activities without depleting the resources needed by others. Yet human activities, driven by short-term profit motives, have disrupted these ancient sustainable patterns. Occupational security demands we learn from and protect these natural systems of balance.

Justice emerges as our second pillar, extending beyond human societies to encompass all life forms. Current systems have created profound inequities not only among human communities but also between humans and other species. When we destroy habitats for mining operations or clear ancient forests for commercial agriculture, we deny countless species their right to exist and perform their essential life activities. True justice requires recognizing and protecting the rights of all beings to maintain their ways of life.

Peace – our third value – takes on a new meaning when viewed through an occupational security lens. While human conflicts devastate communities, they also destroy the delicate peace of entire ecosystems. Every war zone becomes a dead zone for countless species. War and conflict disrupt migration patterns, destroy habitats, and poison environments for generations. Peace must be understood as a state of harmony between all life forms, not merely the absence of human conflict.

Compassion, the fourth value, calls us to extend our circle of concern beyond human interests. The current climate and biodiversity crises stem partly from our failure to empathize with other forms of life. When we recognize that other species experience fear, pain, and the desire to maintain their way of life, we begin to understand why their security must be part of our security.

Finally, authenticity and accuracy require us to honestly confront the impacts of human activities on all life forms. This means moving beyond greenwashing and false solutions to implement genuine measures that protect both human and non-human security.

Applying Occupational Security to Our Greatest Challenges

The intersection of today's major crises – the threat of nuclear war, climate change, and global pandemics – demonstrates why we must adopt an occupational security approach. Each of these challenges reveals the inseparable connection between human and non-human security.

Take the current risk of nuclear conflict stemming from ongoing wars. Beyond the immediate human catastrophe, nuclear warfare would devastate Earth's ecosystems for generations. In the aftermath of the Hiroshima nuclear strikes and studies of Chernobyl's Exclusion Zone show how radiation disrupts everything from soil microorganisms to plant genetics to animal reproduction. While some species have adapted to survive in these conditions, their fundamental patterns of life – their occupations – have been permanently altered. This understanding adds a crucial dimension to nuclear deterrence: we're gambling not just with human lives but with the basic functioning of Earth's living systems.

Climate change similarly demonstrates the framework's relevance. Rising temperatures do not just threaten human settlements; they disrupt the ancient rhythms of life across the planet. Migratory birds arrive at breeding grounds to find their food sources have already peaked. Polar bears can no longer hunt effectively as sea ice diminishes. Coral reefs, hosts to countless marine species, bleach and die as oceans warm. These disruptions to non-human occupations ultimately threaten human security as well, as we depend on the services these species provide – from pollination to pest control to maintaining ocean chemistry. 

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to teach us about the interplay between human and non-human security. The virus's emergence and spread reflect our disruption of natural habitats and exploitation of wildlife. As we push into previously undisturbed ecosystems and treat animals as mere commodities, we create conditions for disease transmission between species. An occupational security approach would require us to respect the boundaries and activities of other species, recognizing that their health and ours are inextricably linked.

Traditional ecological knowledge, including spirituality offered by Islam offers vital insights for implementing these solutions. Indigenous communities worldwide have long understood how to maintain human activities while respecting the occupations of other species. Their practices demonstrate that human security need not come at the expense of other life forms.

Implementing Occupational Security - From Local Actions to Global Transformation

Moving from theory to practice, occupational security offers concrete pathways for transformation at every level of society. The key lies in recognizing that each action we take ripples through the web of life, affecting both human and non-human activities.

At the community level, we are already seeing promising examples. In Pakistan's northern regions, traditional farming communities are reviving ancient practices that protect both human livelihoods and wildlife corridors. By maintaining buffer zones between human settlements and wildlife habitats, these communities ensure predators like snow leopards can continue their hunting activities while protecting livestock through non-lethal methods. Similar approaches in other regions show how human security can be enhanced by protecting, rather than disrupting, the activities of other species. 

Cities worldwide are discovering that urban security improves when we make space for other forms of life. Singapore's remarkable transformation into a "city in nature" demonstrates how urban planning can protect non-human occupations while benefiting human residents. Green corridors allow animals to move safely through urban areas, while carefully designed parks support diverse species from insects to birds. These spaces not only improve human well-being but maintain crucial ecological services like pollination and natural pest control. 

The global coronavirus pandemic has sparked innovative approaches to health security that consider both human and animal welfare. Occupational security is aligned with initiatives such as One Heath in recognizing that preventing future pandemics requires protecting wildlife habitats and monitoring the interfaces where human and animal activities intersect. This approach acknowledges that human health security depends on maintaining healthy ecosystems where all species can perform their natural activities without dangerous disruptions. 

Climate adaptation strategies are being reimagined through an occupational security lens. Rather than building ever-higher sea walls that destroy coastal habitats, some communities are restoring mangrove forests that protect both human settlements and marine life. These nature-based solutions recognize that working with, rather than against, natural systems provide better security for all.

Scaling Up Success - Overcoming Barriers to Universal Security

The path to implementing occupational security globally faces significant challenges, yet the stakes are too high to maintain our current course. The transformation requires fundamental changes in how we think about security, development, and our relationship with other forms of life.

One primary challenge lies in overcoming deeply entrenched economic systems that prioritize short-term profits over long-term security. The global arms trade, fossil fuel industries, and industrial agriculture all profit from activities that devastate both human and non-human security. Yet change is possible. The rapid growth of renewable energy shows how economic systems can be redirected toward solutions that benefit all life forms. When we invest in solar and wind power, we protect both human communities and the habitats of countless species.

International cooperation presents another crucial challenge. Current global institutions remain locked in outdated, human-centric security paradigms. The United Nations Security Council, for instance, focuses primarily on preventing human conflict while paying little attention to the security of other species whose activities maintain Earth's life-support systems. We need new international mechanisms that recognize ecological security as inseparable from human security.

Education and awareness represent both a challenge and an opportunity. Many people, particularly in urban environments, have become disconnected from the natural world and may not understand how their security depends on protecting other species. Yet programs that reconnect people with nature – from school gardens to citizen science projects – show how this understanding can be rebuilt. When people directly experience how their well-being connects to the activities of other species, they become natural advocates for occupational security.

The good news is that we already have the knowledge and technology needed to implement occupational security globally. Indigenous communities maintain sophisticated understanding of how to live in harmony with other species. Scientific research continues to reveal the intricate connections between human and non-human activities. What we need now is the collective will to put this knowledge into practice.

A Call to Action - Securing Our Shared Future

As humanity confronts the possibility of nuclear war, accelerating climate change, and future pandemics, the implementation of occupational security becomes not just desirable but essential for survival. The framework I have presented offers a practical path forward, but its success depends on immediate and coordinated action at all levels of society.

First, we must transform our international institutions to recognize and protect the security of all life forms. This means revising international law to acknowledge the rights of other species to perform their essential activities, creating new mechanisms to protect critical habitats and migration routes, and redirecting global resources from spending on weapons of war to ecological preservation. The UN Security Council must expand its mandate to include ecological security as a cornerstone of peace.

Within our national contexts, including Pakistan, we must integrate occupational security principles into all policy decisions. This means evaluating every development project, security measure, and economic initiative based on its impacts on both human and non-human activities. Our national security strategies must expand beyond defense of humans to include protecting the ecological systems that sustain all life.

The scientific community has a crucial role to play. We need accelerated research into the complex interactions between human and non-human activities, improved monitoring of ecosystem health, and innovative solutions that enhance security for all species. This research must be conducted in partnership with Indigenous and local communities, combining traditional ecological knowledge with modern scientific methods.

Most importantly, each of us must recognize our own role in either supporting or undermining universal security through our daily choices and actions. Whether through our consumption patterns, political engagement, or community involvement, we all influence the security of countless other beings.

The choice before us is clear: continue with systems that promote conflict and ecological destruction or embrace an approach that secures peace and well-being for all life on Earth. As we stand at this crucial juncture in human and planetary history, occupational security offers a practical framework for choosing the path of life, harmony, and sustainable peace.

The time for transformation is now. Our shared future depends on our willingness to recognize that true security can only be achieved by protecting the right of all beings to live and thrive on planet Earth, our common home.

Feature: Peaceful Society Science and Innovation Foundation: Pioneering Holistic Security through Innovation and Ethics

Founded in May 2021 in Vancouver, Canada, the Peaceful Society Science and Innovation Foundation (PSSIF) emerged from a recognition that conventional approaches to global challenges were fundamentally inadequate. Under my leadership as Founder and President, PSSIF works at the intersection of science, peace studies, and social innovation to address critical issues including climate change, conflict resolution, and global health security.

Vision and Mission 

The Foundation's core mission is to reform science, technology, and innovation to realize peace and address key global challenges. This includes developing new frameworks like occupational security, which emerged from our work on climate disasters, conflict zones, and pandemic response. PSSIF recognizes that traditional scientific approaches often fragment our understanding of interconnected problems, while profit-driven innovation frequently exacerbates existing inequities.

Innovation in Practice 

PSSIF's approach represents a fundamental departure from traditional organizations. We integrate spiritual wisdom with scientific knowledge, while prioritizing ethical considerations in technological development. Our work focuses on holistic solutions that address root causes rather than symptoms, building crucial bridges between different knowledge systems. Central to our mission is the promotion of open science and equitable access to solutions, ensuring that innovations benefit all communities, not just privileged ones.

Looking Forward 

The Foundation currently focuses on expanding the application of occupational security principles while developing new frameworks for pandemic preparedness. We continue to create innovative approaches to climate adaptation, building global networks for peace-centered scientific collaboration. Through our advocacy for ethical technology development, we demonstrate how science and innovation, guided by ethical values and peace-centered approaches, can contribute to creating a more secure and harmonious world for all life forms. (www.peacefulsocietyscience.org)

 Understanding Neoliberalism

Neoliberalism is an economic and political ideology that emphasizes:

• Limited government intervention

• Deregulation of markets

• Privatization of public services

• Individual responsibility over collective welfare

• Profit-driven decision making

In the context of security, neoliberalism has led to:

• Privatization of security services

• Reduced state responsibility for public welfare

• Prioritization of corporate interests over ecological health

• Treatment of nature as a resource to be exploited. 

The Five Core Values of Occupational Security

Sustainability: Beyond Short-Term Thinking

Ensuring that security measures maintain the long-term viability of all life forms and their activities. This requires moving beyond quick fixes to solutions that can be maintained across generations.

Justice: Fair Protection for all

Extending security measures equitably across all communities and species. This includes addressing systemic inequities and ensuring that security for one group doesn't come at the expense of others.

Peace:  Harmony Across all Life

Creating conditions where all beings can perform their essential activities without conflict or threat. This encompasses both the absence of violence and the presence of cooperative relationships.

Compassion: Care Beyond Human Boundaries

Extending empathy and consideration to all forms of life, recognizing their intrinsic worth and right to exist. This value challenges the purely utilitarian view of nature.

Authenticity & Accuracy: Truth in Security

Ensuring transparency and honesty in security measures, countering misinformation and manipulation that often characterize current security discourse.

Traditional Ecological Knowledge

Indigenous and local communities worldwide have maintained sophisticated understanding of:

• Ecological relationships between species

• Sustainable resource management practices

• Cooperative approaches to security

• Balanced human-nature interactions

These knowledge systems offer vital insights and guidelines for implementing occupational security.