It was 2005 when I turned my attention to the discipline and practice of Peace and Conflict Studies. It has been a difficult path. It began with raising awareness about what peace is. David Barash and Charles Weber provide an excellent definition delineating two perspectives. The first is the most common definition 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 care; environmental rights.” This focus on human rights is an important shift as it is provides us with specific components of peace.
Next comes raising awareness about the benefits of peace and understanding that peace, as defined above, is not only possible but necessary for our survival. It can no longer be just a philosophical discussion or an unattainable abstract concept.
Finally, we must act now. We are at a turning point in human history. Environmental degradation is rapidly changing living conditions for people around the globe and that includes the US. If we have not yet grasped the concept of interdependence COVID 19 has unequivocally made the connection for us. All of us have been affected by it. Human Rights movements are occurring around the world despite the usual forms of resistance to them. We have an opportunity to transcend the many problems, much of them ideological, that have led us to this point. The path we are on is simply not sustainable. There is a great deal more I could say but I’ll keep it concise and leave you with two perspectives:
“We can either learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools”
-Martin Luther King Jr.
Nonviolence is not inaction. It is not discussion. It is not for the timid or weak…Nonviolence is hard work. It is the willingness to sacrifice. It is the patience to win.
-Cesar Chavez