Enjoy This Weeks Post:
“The choice is not between violence and nonviolence but between nonviolence and nonexistence.”
-Martin Luther King Jr.
What is Peace? The misperceptions continue as do the stereotypes. In their book: “An Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies” David Barash and Charles Weber explain the concept. The most common definition is called negative peace. This is defined as an absence of war. The second, positive peace, is defined as “a social condition in which exploitation is minimized or eliminated and in which there is neither overt violence nor the more subtle phenomenon of underlying structural violence. It includes an equitable and just social order, as well as ecological harmony. Structural violence is built into our social, cultural and economic institutions. It usually has the effect of denying people important rights such as economic well-being: social, political, and sexual equality; a sense of personal fulfillment and self-worth; food, clean water, and medical. Positive Peace is where we are directing our energies.
Here are three groups composed of veterans who have had the courage to speak out against the use of violence dedicating their energies to building a culture of peace through nonviolent means:
Veterans for Peace : https://www.veteransforpeace.org/
Combatants for Peace: http://cfpeace.org/
The Zaltho Foundation: https://www.zaltho.org/