The place of peace studies.

 

Everything that we do involves peace. To study is to seek understanding for a greater knowledge of what is taking place. This knowledge is a step towards peace. Every school and program of study that exists seeks understanding, which is a component of peace. In essence, every school is a study of peace. Which is why most peace programs are interdisciplinary.

The formal labelling of peace and conflict studies is noted to have been started by Johan Galtung. However, it is my view that peace is the foundation of very relationship and the main pursuit of knowledge. With that view, peace and conflict is the sole purpose/goal for any educational institution, society and person.  Also, it is important to understand that each of us are engaged in the task of peace each day. It has been that way from the beginning of time. That is why peace and conflict education has been part of everyday life from the very beginning of life.

To have a program of peace under any other discipline is putting the cart before the horse. Peace is not a component of philosophy or psychology or politics or law.  In fact, all of those are components of peace. Each of those are avenues that we use to obtain peace. Most of the time, all of them are utilized on a daily basis for peace to have even the slimmest of success.

Take economics for example. Peace has been understood as perfect balance, which is zero. To have peace in economics there can be no constant growth because that is out of balance. This does not mean that there is no wealth accumulated. It means that there is equal distribution of input and output. To have more on either side is out of balance. The same scenario plays out with all other components of peace.

This balance is the calm resolve needed to obtain peace. In order to have that balance, each of us must study their own personal balance.

Peace in everyday life

 

Peace in everyday life

Peace is not for the faint of heart. To ensure peace, you have to work every second of life, there is no vacation or time out, unless you are sleeping. For most, it is a goal to have your life and/or the world be in a better place at the end of the day than it was when you woke up. How that day goes is unknown. So, each day as you wake up, there is a mystery of what will happen. That mystery can be a good thing, a bad thing or a bland thing. A peaceful person understands that each reality needs to be met with a sense of calm resolve.

For example, the day begins and you spill stuff on yourself. Your clothes are in need of changing and you catch a hang nail that rips a good chunk of skin off. Of course you bleed on the new clothing you just put on. A few mad minutes of rushing to prepare to get out the door and you slip in the puddle of stuff you had spilled earlier on yourself. The day is now a basket case of shite. How do you stop from “losing your mind”? Then there are those that have other people such as family involved while all the above takes place. How do you keep from “losing it” on them as well. You still have to contend with everyone else and the rest of the world. That is the struggle of every second to have peace.

Meditation, yoga and other strategies are popular to help with coping in times of stress. There is no doubt that the mental work to focus in such times is not easy. As the cliché states, life does not get easier, you just get better at managing yourself during such moments. In such situations each person must find what works for them to ensure they act with calm resolve.

Keep in mind that there are no time outs or vacations from peace. Even as you take your yoga sessions or meditations you are working to manage your own peace. Now the tricky part comes when your style of peace is not what is shared by another person standing in front of you. Peace needs to evolve for both. This will ramp up the intensity of work to ensure peace.

As the intensity increases, the need to work towards peace also increases. This is where many see those who advocate for peace as being weak. Such a perception is as far away from the truth as a perception can get. To be peaceful in such situation takes great skill and courage.

There will be perceptions of giving in at times yet the calm resolve will allow you to see the longer play. Of course the reality of insanity needs to be kept in check. For example a person is rushing at you with the intent to destroy you. A completely peaceful person would be able to understand that destruction of self is an absolute anyway so how can both people engage in peace? For most of us, self preservation is paramount and the insane person must “lose” in this circumstance. This reality is what is known as war.

We have not figured out how to live without war yet and we may never figure it out. At this moment in time, the world has slipped in the stuff that was spilled on its clothes earlier as the dog barks, the children cry, the phone is ringing and the bus you take to work just went by. Oh yeah, that hang nail is still aching and bleeding. Have a nice day.

What is Ownership of Peace.

 

What is Ownership of Peace.

 

In this article, the idea of peace ownership will be discussed. For the purpose of this article, ownership are the roles/actions each individual person and/or organization acknowledges and works towards to ensure peace. Ownership is linked with responsibility and are cornerstones of peace. As an example, ownership is illustrated with this phrase by Judi Chamberlin, “Nothing about us, without us”. That simple phrase is seeking ownership and involvement. The simplicity of that quote holds a very complex reality about the efforts of ownership needed for peace.

One complicated area of peace ownership is the reality of a person who has been a child soldier. The life of Dominic Ongwen is one such example. Dominic was forced into the Lords Resistance Army as a child. He lived many years as a member of that group which is known for committing crimes against humanity. He was brought to the International Criminal Court and found guilty of such crimes. His story is well documented as he lived as a victim and a perpetrator. The questions that are debated in the example of Dominic Ongwen reach deep into the complexities of peace. One such question asked by Renée Nicole Souris (2023), concerns the issues of passive victim, political actor and, moral character. Souris states that we need to “construct a new narrative that accounts for the coexistence of agency and vulnerability”, (2023, pg. 696).

 The two words, agency and vulnerability stand out as important markers of peace ownership. As in the quote “nothing about us, without us” there are elements of agency and vulnerability. In the case of child soldiers or youth gang members, they experienced a cycle of vulnerability and agency.

In the case of Ongwen, the reality of forced events and choices made is the area of question where ownership of peace is concerned.  The vulnerability portion is being made to commit crimes or be punished. As the experiences and time in such an organization, a person can become numb to the disintegration of peace. Each of us also have such realities take place, perhaps not to the degree of a child soldier yet realities none the less. As we comprehend the disintegration of peace, those are the moments of most need to be aware of agency, vulnerability and what ownership of peace will be.

What is provided here is an example of the complexities involved in peace ownership. Questions of personal survival and societal survival are all involved in this example. In another similar example are the youth who endure gang violence in Central American, (Moreno, 2023).

In the article written by Moreno, the question of peace ownership is dealt with through understanding, “how youth morally deliberate about conditions of gang violence shaping their communities”, Moreno, 2023, pg., 1). The reality that youth “deliberate on the shaping of their communities” provides evidence of ownership. Also. The similarities between these youth and Ongwen are relatable. Decisions of survival and moments of forced actions would be present in each situation. As the forced actions reality evolves, at some point the argument will be made that a person was “just following orders”. In such circumstances the consequences of not “following orders” is physical harm and perhaps death.

In the two examples of child soldiers and youth gang members, the individual is met with an organizational force based on violence. This shows the importance of societal/organizational ownership towards peace. These organizations span communities and the world. To have a look at the complexity mix of global peace and community peace scale, ownership rings loud in this quote, “More often than not, stakeholders and official agencies do not give proper attention to community members to become central in the processes of peace”, (Idebe, 2023). The term “proper attention to become central” is echoed in the Judi Chamberlin quote, “Nothing about us, without us”. In those two quotes, the systems that are built to provide peace have become systems that hinder peace. The hinderance of peace is not only criminal organization. There are systemic factors in organizations that are built to protect and maintain peace.

Perhaps the top of the heap of organizational peace is the United Nations Security Council. To that point, The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) sponsored a discussion concerning global perspectives on United Nations Security Council Reform. Now, this has been a topic of great discussion for years. It is noted in the CEIP work that the United Nations General Assembly formed a working group concerning equitable representation in 1992, “More than three decades later, that body continues to meet—with no tangible results”, (Patrick, 2023, pg., 1). Further to that quote are more remarks of peace ownership, “The permanent members have stymied progress. Each of the Permanent 5 (China, France, Russia, United Kingdom and, the Republic of the United States) are determined to maintain its permanent seat and veto - power”, (Patrick, ed, 2023, pg., 4). This reality puts the question of ownership of peace in a global complex cycle. This are more sparks of debate when we equate the individual person as though that individual were a member state of the United Nations.

To live in peace and to build peace so we share ownership is what we strive to accomplish. There exist are responsibility of actions and, those actions either builds or destroys peace. For example, going back to the gangs “gang membership seldom provides the supportive, family type advantages that entice youth into belonging”, (Beare and Hogg, 2013, pg.,421). In this quote the “family advantages” speaks to the peace that a youth is seeking. The organizational composition of the gang sells that family yet, “are characterized more by tension, violence, and betrayal, both from rival gangs and from fellow gang members”, (Beare and Hogg, 2013, pg.,421).

These elements of selling family and delivering much less is a path of many. Such paths are destructive yet those who sell it prosper from the destruction, and thus a cycle of violence begins. To stop such cycles, those who take great ownership of peace battle against the cycle. That battle is a direct reality for the quote, “nothing about us, without us”. The battles of racism, hatred, injustice, inequality, etc… rage on as we seek the answers to questions such as, what is ownership of peace.

 

 

Bibliography

Beare, Margaret E., and Chris Hogg. "Listening in to Gang Culture." Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice, vol. 55, no. 3, July 2013, pp. 421-452.

Moreno, Franklin. “Moral reasoning about gang violence in context: A comparative study with children and adolescents exposed to maras in Honduras and not exposed in Nicaragua.” Child Development, Wiley. 2023.

Souris, Renee Nicole. “Child Soldiers, Agency, and Aristotelian Virtue Ethics”. The International Journal of Children’s Rights. Brill, 31(2023), pages 698 – 728.

Patrick, Stewart. Editor. UN Security Council Reform: What the World Thinks. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 2023.

The speed of peace - Who controls you?

 

This may seem like an easy question to answer. However, we often take actions that are counter-productive to living in peace. For example, we know that mass/public transit is a better method than everyone owning a car. Yet the perception of public/mass transit carries a degree of shame.

Each of us wants to protect ourselves from harm yet we are willing to give information freely for the sake of convenience as we stay connected to the internet. We are spending more money on security because of the want of convenience as this want destroys peace. The programs of social media platforms have been designed to encourage content. That content is filled with hateful rants and shallow lifestyle advertising. We know this and yet as a society we are not willing to curtail ourselves away from what we know is destroying us because to an individual there is no way anyone is going to tell me what to do.

There are great arguments about what the “government” is doing to our lives, yet a democracy is rooted in the people being informed, being engaged, being respectful and being willing to work at finding solutions together. Often, we get people who only vote and think that is enough. Again, it is not convenient for us to be that involved because there are shows on streaming services to watch, sports, vacations, jobs, families, healthcare, and community partnership volunteering. Because of all the pressures people feel, the decision process that is crucial to a democracy is left to erode. The speed of peace relies on each of us to take greater responsibility to be correctly informed. Peace relies upon each of us to engage in public dialogue with respect as changes are made to improve society. This is the situation we are in and if society decays, the tasks of peace become greater.

As people begin to feel constrained for whatever reason they will need to vent. How that is done is an important component of peace. What is funny is that it is rare for a persons to say they suck at communication. Often people say they are good at it. If that were true we would not be in the mess we are. What this indicates is that we are lying to ourselves every day and that is very harmful to peace. How can we say we are in control of ourselves when we can not even speak truth to our own selves. We built a society that wants cheap products, quick service, and no one responsible for our collective actions. That is a recipe for disaster.

It has taken thousands of years to get where we are today. It will take a few more years to improve peace. But it will hinge on each of us to be responsible, respectful, patient, caring and willing to work harder at peace. At your speed, the world will have peace.

The Speed of Peace

 

Without a doubt, we are living in interesting times in 2022. In my view, the largest shift has been the increase of distrust in the world. In particular the question of trust in authority to a multi-pronged monster including who are the trusted authorities?

A number of years ago there were the protests of the Multi-lateral Agreement on Investment. The protests around the world for peace as the Occupy Movement, We Are the 99%, Jasmine Revolution, Arab Spring, and others. Each of these protests have asked questions of trust in authority. Of course, there is the reality of war on a global scale being discussed and in every war, trust is a casualty each second. Now those are some of the ideology questions towards mistrust. The physical impact of trust is also being tested.

Physically, we are being shown that this planet is alive on its own. We are witnessing unprecedented weather and geological events across the globe. It was not too long ago the  Indian Ocean had an earthquake that sparked a tsunami during 2004. Japan, 2011 had a similar experience. Hurricanes, heat, floods, fires have all set records for intensity of force.

Those two areas of mistrust are the mind and body, now we have the spiritual impacts. What is peace telling me about the impacts on the spirit. First, peace tells me that this is the utmost of importance. Trust needs a leap of faith sometimes and now is such a time. Sadly, the population of the world has been going through some shite and people need to vent. How are we do deal with that “venting”. For proper ventilation, we need to understand the speed of peace. This is what my spirit is asking me, what is the speed of peace?

That question leaves me with this – strengthen your patience, you are going to need a shit ton of it.

Corruption Management

 

There is a significant dispute as to what are facts. The debate is of such force that I am sure this time frame of the last 20 years will be of historic interest. At some point, the monster that has been released upon the world of late will be tamed.

Taking a step into a mindset of insanity, I rant:

We have the rise and impacts of the internet. The entire world is open to everyone who can get to a computer. The impact is just beginning, which is connected with the depths of electronic technology integrated into each person life. Households and the content of those homes are now connected to the internet, automobiles are connected to the internet and drive themselves, most people carry a mobile device/phone, billboards are now television screens, the average television size has expanded beyond necessary. A wristwatch is now command central where you can start your car, lock your doors and windows, tell you to buy toilet paper and probably give you wipe techniques for a better clean. OOOOOHHH, What can be done?

All this connectivity is stressing people out. As the cliché tells us, too much of anything is a bad thing. I hope we have a long way to go before we reach the tipping point, but I must fear that it is too close. What can be done?

The amount of garbage that takes place daily bothers me. To be as simplistic as possible, the garbage is corruption. This ranges from the person who wipes snot on a bathroom wall to those who say they are good drivers yet could not follow another car properly because they have to go faster than the speed limit. Also, there is the person who steals cars, those who are involved in human trafficking, and let us not forget about the corporate corruption, and state corruption. For years, these people have caused a constant gnawing of disgust. OOOOOHHHHH, What can be done?

Insanity rant over.

Sense of Peace and Purpose

What is the goal of humanity? Ponder that question for a moment. When you feel you have a good grasp of a simple answer, put yourself at the centre of that responsibility to achieve that goal.

What characteristics will be different from your present person? If you say nothing, you are not being honest with yourself. If there was nothing to change, the world would be at total peace. Each of us is a reflection of the world. Right now the world has some massive challenges taking place. In turn, each of us must also carry a certain amount of responsibility to overcome these challenges.

Most of us can not handle the pressure of the entire world on their shoulders. Thankfully we do not have to, if each of us do our part. It must be a reality that many of us are not doing their part. Due to the fact that the world is not experiencing a great time of peace, there has to be many people that are not doing their part. The complexity comes form those who say they are acting in the best interests of others when in fact the opposite is true.

When the reality of intentions, actions, and impact result in breakdowns of peace, those involved in specific acts may be caught up in the chaos. For those people, they may not even understand they are acting in harmful ways. With that, we need to find away through all the hate that is being spread around the world. More specifically, we need to find away through all the hate in our own mind and then outwards from own lives.

From the work we do to find peace within our own minds, the focus needs to be extended into a purpose of peace outwardly. Seeking calm and patience while we work together for peace is a goal. This is most needed when the frustrations of life cloud the mind. Peace in purpose while we have purpose in peace. As we build a sense of peace, that work and purpose will become the pathway to a greater peace than we currently have.