The Peace Project
Welcome to The Peace Project.
We are students at Georgetown University Law Center, devoted to the irresistible and difficult notion that peace is possible. Some may think us naive; some may disagree with our premise. But we hope others out there will see what we have come to accept – that war is not inevitable, that talking about peace is not embarrassing, that our world could be a vastly different place if we opened our eyes to the possibility of peace.
Our goals for this blog are threefold. First, we hope to bring to light the struggles of individuals and groups who are dedicated to peace – those who protest, those who speak out, those who ask questions and receive no answers. Bringing together news of these groups will help anyone who asks for peace to remember they are not toiling in obscurity.
Second, we want to serve as a connection portal for individuals all over the world who feel like they are the only ones fighting for peace. Linking groups and individuals together – some grassroots peace organizing – can only make our movement stronger.
Third, we want to use our experiences as students in Georgetown’s Peacemaking class to stimulate discussions about these topics. Based on our readings and our class discussions, we hope to place world issues within the context of peace.
This is our small mark on the world, our shout into the void of futility. Thank you for reading.
posted by Sammy @ 5:56 PM
5 Comments:
What is your definition of peace? What are the supposed benefits of peace?
Dear Peace Project bloggers: This is the first time I have ever responded to a blog, and you have moved me to do this because of your ACT of speaking for peace. Indeed, we who want to wake up every morning in a world at peace are not alone. We are the majority on this planet. Everyone who has ever loved knows the feeling of wanting a safe and joyful world for their beloved. I know your parents wanted this for you on the day you were born. And look at you now, using your voices to make it possible. THANK YOU, Professor Matsuda
The easy answer to the question of "What is peace?" is the absence of war. But this answer encompasses both too much and too little. We are not extremist pacifists, and we recognize that conflict, particularly within the context of humanitarian disasters, is sometimes necessary.
There is also a positive aspect to peace, one that recognizes a need to promote alternative resolutions to conflicts. Pushing for an alternative worldview that promotes discussion instead of an immediate call to arms is one notion of positive peace. Others include the recognition of the importance of education in defusing conflicts or the need for a more equal distribution of resources.
We embrace all these ideas as part of the goal of peace -- a vision of a world that is safer than the one we live in now. As for the benefits of peace, Prof. Matsuda put it beautifully above -- knowing that your husband or son or cousin will not be sent to war, knowing that your city will not be consumed by a nuclear warhead, knowing that the ones you love will be spared the searing pain of losing someone they love to violent conflict.
Other reasons -- financial, utopian, utilitarian -- exist for wanting peace. The one I've embraced is surely selfish, but it resonates most clearly for me.
I'd be interested to know what other people think about this question. What is peace, and why do so many people continue to believe it is a benefit?
Peace, to me, has many facets. I agree with Sue that it should include a safer world and alternative resolutions to conflicts. Peace should incorporate helping others(always) not hurting or taking advantage of others. I also firmly believe that peace is comprised of truth. I would love to have peace of mind and be able to believe every single one of my fellow humans. Truth is the doorway to peace for me. Beyond that door are the halls of understanding. Peace through understanding includes knowing why and how things operate the way they do. Once there is understanding, there can be peace between not only people, but between people and their surroundings. For me, peace ultimately encompases a direct connection between people and the processes of the land. Peace is living within the ebbs and flows of nature, not denying them and pushing it all to the side to make way for a selfish civilization. My notion of peace is when truth trumps deceit and when we can live with and in harmony with this oblong sphere we call home.
There are different definitions of Peace.I struggled as a people's rights activist since my school time. My humble learning regarding Peace is it is a utopia without a real Justice.
Farrukh Sohail Goindi from Pakistan
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