essay on love and peace

Essay on Peace

500 words essay peace.

Peace is the path we take for bringing growth and prosperity to society. If we do not have peace and harmony, achieving political strength, economic stability and cultural growth will be impossible. Moreover, before we transmit the notion of peace to others, it is vital for us to possess peace within. It is not a certain individual’s responsibility to maintain peace but everyone’s duty. Thus, an essay on peace will throw some light on the same topic.

Importance of Peace

History has been proof of the thousands of war which have taken place in all periods at different levels between nations. Thus, we learned that peace played an important role in ending these wars or even preventing some of them.

In fact, if you take a look at all religious scriptures and ceremonies, you will realize that all of them teach peace. They mostly advocate eliminating war and maintaining harmony. In other words, all of them hold out a sacred commitment to peace.

It is after the thousands of destructive wars that humans realized the importance of peace. Earth needs peace in order to survive. This applies to every angle including wars, pollution , natural disasters and more.

When peace and harmony are maintained, things will continue to run smoothly without any delay. Moreover, it can be a saviour for many who do not wish to engage in any disrupting activities or more.

In other words, while war destroys and disrupts, peace builds and strengthens as well as restores. Moreover, peace is personal which helps us achieve security and tranquillity and avoid anxiety and chaos to make our lives better.

How to Maintain Peace

There are many ways in which we can maintain peace at different levels. To begin with humankind, it is essential to maintain equality, security and justice to maintain the political order of any nation.

Further, we must promote the advancement of technology and science which will ultimately benefit all of humankind and maintain the welfare of people. In addition, introducing a global economic system will help eliminate divergence, mistrust and regional imbalance.

It is also essential to encourage ethics that promote ecological prosperity and incorporate solutions to resolve the environmental crisis. This will in turn share success and fulfil the responsibility of individuals to end historical prejudices.

Similarly, we must also adopt a mental and spiritual ideology that embodies a helpful attitude to spread harmony. We must also recognize diversity and integration for expressing emotion to enhance our friendship with everyone from different cultures.

Finally, it must be everyone’s noble mission to promote peace by expressing its contribution to the long-lasting well-being factor of everyone’s lives. Thus, we must all try our level best to maintain peace and harmony.

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Conclusion of the Essay on Peace

To sum it up, peace is essential to control the evils which damage our society. It is obvious that we will keep facing crises on many levels but we can manage them better with the help of peace. Moreover, peace is vital for humankind to survive and strive for a better future.

FAQ of Essay on Peace

Question 1: What is the importance of peace?

Answer 1: Peace is the way that helps us prevent inequity and violence. It is no less than a golden ticket to enter a new and bright future for mankind. Moreover, everyone plays an essential role in this so that everybody can get a more equal and peaceful world.

Question 2: What exactly is peace?

Answer 2: Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in which there is no hostility and violence. In social terms, we use it commonly to refer to a lack of conflict, such as war. Thus, it is freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups.

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100, 150, 200, 250, & 300 Word Paragraph & Essay About Peace

Table of Contents

A Paragraph about Peace in 100 Word

Peace is a beautiful state of calm and harmony in the world. It is when there is no fighting, no arguments, and no wars. In a peaceful world, people treat each other with kindness and respect. There are no bullies, and everyone is safe and free to be themselves. In a peaceful world, animals roam freely, without fear of being hunted or harmed. Nature flourishes, with clear blue skies and clean rivers. When there is peace, children can play and go to school without worrying about violence. People work together to solve problems and make the world a better place. Peace is a precious treasure that we should all strive for.

A Paragraph about Peace in 150 Word

Peace is a beautiful thing that brings happiness and harmony to our lives. It is like a calm river flowing peacefully, where there is no hate or violence. Imagine a world where people respect and accept one another, a world where conflicts are resolved peacefully. This is the world we all crave. Peace can be found in small acts of kindness, like sharing a smile or helping someone in need. It can also be achieved through understanding and forgiveness. When we learn to listen to others without judgment, we promote peace. Peace can be found in nature too, where birds chirp, rivers gurgle, and flowers bloom without any disputes. We can find peace within ourselves by practicing mindfulness, being grateful, and letting go of anger and resentment. By promoting peace in our own lives and communities, we contribute to a more peaceful world. Let us all strive to make peace our constant companion and spread its joy to everyone we meet.

A Paragraph about Peace in 200 Word

Peace is a wonderful feeling that everyone wishes for. It is when there is no fighting or violence, only happiness and calmness. In a peaceful world, people are kind to each other and help one another. They solve their problems by talking and listening, without hurting others. Peace allows us to live in harmony with everyone, no matter where they are from or what they believe in.

When we have peace, we can play and learn without fear. We can walk outside with a smile on our faces, knowing that we are safe. Peace helps us to focus on important things like education and friendships. We can express ourselves through art, music, and sports without any worries.

Peace also brings together people from different cultures and backgrounds. It helps us to appreciate our differences and learn from each other. In a peaceful world, we can celebrate our traditions and share our stories without judgment.

In conclusion, peace is a beautiful thing that we should always strive for. It makes our lives better and the world a happier place. Let’s work together to create peace and spread love and understanding everywhere we go.

A Paragraph about Peace in 250 Word

Peace is a beautiful and serene feeling that brings harmony and happiness to our lives. It is like a gentle breeze flowing through the air, calming our souls and filling our environment with tranquility. When there is peace, people work together, respecting and understanding one another. There are no conflicts, fights, or wars. Instead, there is cooperation, empathy, and love.

In a world filled with peace, children can play freely in the parks, laughing and sharing their joys without fear. They can grow and learn in safe and nurturing environments, surrounded by the support of their families and communities. Adults can pursue their dreams and ambitions, knowing that they are free to express themselves without facing discrimination or violence.

Peace is not just the absence of war, but also the presence of justice and equality. It means that everyone, regardless of their race, religion, or gender, has the same opportunities and rights. People are treated with fairness and kindness, knowing that their opinions and beliefs are respected.

In conclusion, peace is a state of harmony and calmness that brings people together and creates a better world for everyone. It is a precious gift that we must strive to achieve and preserve. Let us all work towards building a world where peace reigns and where every person can live their lives to the fullest, free from fear and hatred. Let us work for a future in which war and conflict are a thing of the past. Together, we can create a world of love and understanding. Let us strive for a world in which everyone is treated with respect and dignity.

A Paragraph about Peace in 300 Word

Peace is a beautiful word that brings warmth and happiness to our hearts. It is a feeling of calm and serenity that fills the air. In a world that can sometimes be chaotic, peace is like a little oasis where everything is harmonious. Imagine a world without wars, without arguments, without conflicts. That is what peace brings to our lives.

Peace means living in harmony with others and treating one another with love and respect. It means finding solutions to problems through peaceful and non-violent means. In a peaceful world, people can communicate and understand each other without resorting to violence. It is about listening to each other’s opinions and finding common ground.

In a peaceful world, we can go to sleep at night knowing that we are safe and secure. We don’t have to worry about our homes being destroyed or our loved ones getting hurt. Everyone can enjoy their basic rights and live without fear.

Peace is not just about the absence of war, it is also about inner peace. When we have inner peace, we feel calm and content within ourselves. We are able to manage our emotions and handle conflicts in a peaceful manner. Inner peace helps us live a happier and more fulfilling life.

As a 4th grader, it is important to understand the value of peace and how we can contribute to creating a peaceful world. We can be kind to others, help those in need, and resolve conflicts peacefully. We can spread love and positivity wherever we go.

In conclusion, peace is a wonderful thing that we should all strive for. It brings happiness, safety, and harmony to our lives. Let’s work together to create a peaceful world where everyone can live in unity and prosperity.

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Essay on Peace and Harmony | Peace and Harmony Essay for Students and Children in English

February 14, 2024 by Prasanna

Essay on Peace and Harmony: To bring growth and prosperity in a society, the path that wiser people take is of peace and harmony. Without peace and harmony in a nation, it is impossible to achieve political strength, economic stability, or cultural growth. Before transmitting the notion of peace and harmony, among others, an individual needs to possess peace within them while their body and mind should be in balance. Even one person can transmit the notion of peace and harmony, among others, and it is everyone individual’s responsibility to maintain that peace and harmony in society. However, peace and harmony in society are disrupted with the increase in violence and chaos.

You can read more  Essay Writing  about articles, events, people, sports, technology many more.

Long and Short Essay on Peace and Harmony for Students and Kids in English

Below mentioned are Long and Short Essays on Peace and Harmony of 500-600 words and 200-300 words, respectively. The students can refer to these speeches when required and grace the occasion by their words. Read on to find more about Peace and Harmony Essay.

Long Essay on Peace and Harmony 500 Words in English

Peace and Harmony Essay is usually given to classes 7, 8, 9, and 10.

Science and technology were supposed to make our life comfortable. In contrast, people find alternative ways to use good inventions for an immoral purpose and eventually harm the ways of other’s living with peace and harmony. As the saying goes that with immense power so comes the tremendous responsibility is not at all a lie, for the government of each nation should invest on education, healthcare, and productive means to resolve economic issues rather than initiating war or destructiveness. If destructive ways among nation are promoted, then peach and harmony will not exist, and poverty will remain to be an everlasting problem.

The root to most of our troubles is the disruption of peace and harmony between one aspect of our life to another. Earlier people knew how to live in peace and harmony with nature and other animals, but with the realization of power and greed, it was us who harmed their harmonized relation with the environment. This change in the way of living is not at all desirable because the effects of ruining the harmony and peace in the ecosystem will have to be faced by us. Hence, people must always realize that a little kindness, compassion and self-perseverance can restore the sense of humanity in one and resolve all issues regarding peace and harmony in our life.

What is ‘peace and harmony’?

Peace and harmony is the fundamental prerequisite of our life and an ideal path to follow. Many ideas contribute to the logic of peace and harmony such as dealing with disputes, staying calm and focused, resolving conflicts, adjusting, adapting, neutralization, following the ‘middle way’ principle, etc. With globalization we are not anymore divided into our concentrated area of state or nation; instead, the world has united with the unprecedented extent of bond regardless of borders and resulting into the formation of a great and happy global community. And to maintain the well being of every individual of this global community, ultimately everyone has to implement the means of peace and harmony into the way of our living.

Ideas to maintain peace and harmony

• The integral and compressive part of humankind should be peace and harmony. And to maintain peace and harmony, the following six ideas should be adapted:
• To maintain equality, security, justice, and mutual trust, a word-wide political order must be introduced that embodies all of these.
• To promote the advancement of technology and science aspects that will provide benefit to humankind by maintaining everyone’s welfare.
• A global economic system should be introduced that embodies elimination of divergence, mutual benefit, removal of regional imbalance.
• Ethics that promote ecological prosperity and incorporates solutions for resolving the environmental crisis, acts toward shared success, actively fulfils individual responsibility, and ways to end historical prejudices.
• A mental state and spiritual ideology that embodies helpful attitude, physical and mental ease, and spreading of happiness and harmony through traditional wisdom.
• The code of conduct by recognizing diversity and integration along with conduction of dialogues to express emotion and enhance friendship and brotherhood must be achieved by developing a global cultural atmosphere.
• And it is a noble mission to promote peace and harmony by expressing how it will contribute to the long-lasting wellbeing factor of our lives.

Short Essay on Peace and Harmony 200 Words in English

Peace and Harmony Essay is usually given to classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Factors affecting peace and harmony: Many powerful and influential people understood the importance of peace and harmony. As the famous saying of Lao Tzu’s goes like – “If you want to establish peace in the world, there also must be peace among and in the nations. If one wants there to be peace in the nations, then there should be peace in the regions of the nation. If one wishes for peace in the cities, then there also must exist peace between neighbors. And all this begins with the peace of mind” Particular aspects disrupt peace and harmony of a system, and people must be aware of the reasons as to why one should avoid those factors. A list of some of those disruptions is:

• Gender discrimination and oppression
• Religion and caste discrimination
• Poverty and unemployment
• Toxic traits like jealousy, greed, lies and hatred
• Exploitation of resources

10 Lines on Peace and Harmony Essay in English

• Peaceful dialogues are comparatively more helpful during dispute resolving and negotiations.
• The word peace is derived from the Anglo-French term ‘pes’ which means agreement, peace, silence or reconciliation.
• Harmony is a term that is derived from an old Greek word ‘Harmonia’ meaning the joint agreement or concord.
• The US Anti-Vietnam War movement was also called the peace movement that lasted from 1964 to 1973.
• Secularism is a concept for treating all religions equally, and this practice promotes peace and harmony among us.
• Peace and harmony are hampered when people fight in the name of faith which eventually results in the spread of communalism,
• The rise in the prices of necessary commodities is called inflation, and it is one of the significant disruption causing factor in the concept of peace and harmony.
• Peace and harmony improve aspects of business and economy which also ultimately results in the elimination of unemployment.
• A peace activist in a person who chooses non-violent methods to end affairs like violent conflicts or non-democratic rule.
• Gerald Holtom is the person behind the design of the modern peace symbol.

FAQ’s on Peace and Harmony Essay

Question 1. Explain with an example, the benefit of living with peace and harmony?

Answer: An excellent example of how peace and harmony are beneficial is the existence of the ‘Harmony Culture’ which is a Chinese tradition that has lasted for over thousand years now and has also made a massive contribution in the matter of coexistence of various ethnic groups that too with peace and harmony. Eventually, from those original ethnic groups, some fusion religions and groups also came into existence.

Question 2. How can we describe the concept of ‘peace and harmony’ very concisely?

Answer: The concept of living with peace and harmony can be described very concisely as the calm and happy state of life without disturbances like conflicts and revolts.

Question 3. Who guards peace and harmony in a country?

Answer: Anyone can contribute to maintaining the peace and harmony of a system, but there are also people who are given the task by the nations’ jurisdiction to look over law and order. Those particular jobs are called civil services for the work solely focuses on maintaining peace and harmony in the society by acting against any disobedience that disrupts the proper state of life.

Question 4. Are there different types of peace?

Answer: Peace can be classified into internal or inner peace and external peace. The inner peace is the calm, sane, tranquil, and undisturbed state of our mind. And the outer peace is interrelated to inner peace because unless there is peace in the mind one cannot perform peaceful actions.

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War & Peace

Peace, love, & happiness, andrew fiala asks if it’s possible to have all three at once..

You’ve seen T-shirts, posters, and even band-aids emblazoned with peace signs, hearts, and smiley faces. Bumper-sticker wisdom, building upon the idealism of the 1960s, affirms what we might call ‘the hippy trinity’: peace, love, and happiness. We suspect that if we were more peaceful and loving, we would be happier. And if we were happy, it would be easier to love others and live in peace with them. One source for this idea may be the Apostle Paul, who said in his New Testament letter to the Galatians that the fruits of the Spirit include love, joy, and peace. A more contemporary source is the blues and hip-hop artist G. Love. One lyric from his song ‘Peace, Love, and Happiness’ is:

“I got no time to worry About troubles or misgivings You got to let it flow, let yourself go ‘Cause if you’re hating, then you sure ain’t living Give me some Peace, Love, and Happiness”

The Beatles made it simpler, asserting that “love is all you need.” John Lennon asked that we “give peace a chance.” Pharell Williams more recently sang that “happiness is the truth.”

Unfortunately, pop poetry can only take us so far. The optimism of San Francisco’s Summer of Love runs aground on the wisdom of Athens, Jerusalem, and Bodh Gaya (where the Buddha is said to have obtained Enlightenment). The world’s major philosophical and religious traditions tell us that life remains tragic and difficult, and that peace, love, and happiness are never easily found. Peace, love, and happiness are also in conflict with other values, such as self-sufficiency, liberty, and justice. Smiles and hugs cannot end war, eliminate religious and ethnic conflict, nor cure psychopathology. Most of the world’s traditions therefore admit that the goal of uniting peace, love, and happiness creates a difficult and chronic, even eternal, project.

One difficulty, perhaps impossible to surmount, is the fact that the conjunction of peace, love, and happiness contains internal contradictions. Consider the fact that love may require violence: love may oblige me to fight to defend my loved ones. Indeed, love of country or of God may inspire war. Love may also lead to unhappiness: for instance, the lover suffers when the beloved dies. To love is to open oneself to grief and loss. And love easily becomes jealous and vengeful. It is no wonder that the Stoics advised equanimity and emotional self-control rather than passionate love. Tranquility is not easily cultivated when love inflames the heart.

Peace may also result in unhappiness. Those who are defeated by cruel oppressors may lay down their arms. But forced submission creates an unhappy peace that conflicts with the value of liberty. Even apart from the ‘peace’ of the pacified slave, there is no denying that peace is often achieved by sacrificing other important values. We may choose to give up on legitimate claims for justice, reparation, or respect in the name of peace. Moreover, Nietzsche argued that peace was merely the pallid dream of the mediocre, while powerful men were inspired by danger, adventure, and war.

Happiness is also complicated. A certain sort of happiness develops from the single-minded pursuit of one’s aims. The creative joy of the artist, inventor, or genius often comes at the expense of those she loves. Although Aristotle thought that happiness included social virtues, he also believed that self-reliant contemplation was the highest form of happiness. The self-reliant individual finds happiness alone: he loves the truth, but does not necessarily love other human beings. And for some people, happiness is linked to competition, victory, and domination. We know for example that victory and domination give men a satisfying boost of testosterone. One source of war, conflict, murder, and misery, is the ugly fact that violence makes some people happy.

Acknowledging Suffering

To resolve these difficulties we need to think deeply and clearly about the meaning of peace, love, and happiness. It may seem mean-spirited to spoil the buzz of the blissfully smiling hippy dreamer whistling Bobby McFerrin’s ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy’. Life is hard, and if people find peace, love, and happiness in a song or a slogan, we ought not begrudge them their slice of heaven. But the demands of ethics should make it difficult to smile in a world of pain and injustice. Common sense reminds us that blissful moments do not last long, and a bit of reflection reminds us that our happiness to an extent rests upon the backs of those who slave in fields and sweatshops. Is anyone entitled to peace, love, and happiness in a world in which children are raped, where slavery continues, and where species go extinct at the hands of humanity?

The problem of the suffering of others is a central concern for both theists and Buddhists. Leszek Kolakowski once asked in an essay, ‘Is God Happy?’ He pointed out that a just and loving God must be incredibly sad to see the suffering of humanity. Kolakowski also argues that the Buddha would be deeply unhappy to know that most of the world remains bound to the wheel of suffering. However, contemporary Western images of Buddhism often portray it as providing a personal path to peace, love, and happiness. For example, Mathieu Ricard, a Buddhist monk of French origin, is touted as the world’s happiest man, and his books are marketed in such a way that they appear to provide a recipe for personal happiness and peace. Ricard himself, however, makes it clear that the key to happiness is practice, discipline, and compassionate concern for the suffering of others. We shouldn’t forget that Buddhism begins with the assumption that life is suffering! Or consider another popular Buddhist author, Thich Nhat Hanh. As Hanh explains, “the mind of love brings peace, joy, and happiness to ourselves and others” ( Wisdom from Peace Is Every Step , 2005). This sounds simple, but it takes years of training to develop a mind of love, inner peace, and joyful compassion. Buddhist practice is not merely selfish navel-gazing. Indeed, it can lead to anguished engagement with an oppressive and violent world – as witnessed by the monks who immolate themselves in protest against repressive regimes in Tibet and elsewhere. The fact that a religion of peace, love, and happiness leads to suicidal protest in the face of oppression gives much food for thought.

Christianity provides a similar source of contemplation. The turmoil, sadness, suffering and cruelty of the cross are an essential part of the Christian story. We noted already that Paul imagined the unity of peace, love, and happiness in the life of the Spirit; but like Jesus himself, Paul was arrested and executed.

For Christians, peace, love, and happiness are ultimately found far beyond the tumult of earthly life, death, and politics. Saint Augustine argued in his book The City of God (426) that happiness and peace cannot be found in this life. He contrasts Christian wisdom with that of the earlier Greek philosophers, the Epicureans, Stoics, and Cynics, who maintained that happiness could be produced in this life by philosophical reflection. Augustine claimed that worldly happiness was insufficient, and that eternal happiness, lasting peace, and true love were only possible in union with God, only fully achievable in the afterlife. For Christians, the path to peace, love, and happiness passes through and beyond this world of wickedness, sin, and suffering.

Is A World Of Peace, Love & Happiness Possible?

The Greeks criticized by Augustine thought otherwise. Epicurus (341-270 BC), for example, taught that a simple life, withdrawn from the tumult of politics, and spent in the company of loving friends, could be peaceful and happy. Epicurus also maintained that to enjoy peace and happiness you must cultivate justice, since injustice produces social conflict. But, Epicurus added, if you want to be happy and find peace, you should avoid political life and its stressful and dangerous entanglements.

There are clear Epicurean elements in the hippy dream – especially in the idea that simple living apart from the mainstream is the key to peace, love, and happiness. The problem, however, is that Epicureans can be accused of free-riding. Is it right to retreat to your garden while the outside world is plagued by war, hate, and sorrow?

In response to this problem, the Stoics maintained that we have a duty to serve society. So Stoics sacrifice their own peace, love, and happiness for the good of the many. For instance, the Stoic Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from 161-180 AD, would have preferred to stay home with his loved ones and develop himself as a philosopher, but his political obligations led him to sacrifice his health and tranquility for the good of Rome.

Building upon the political perspective, we might note – as Steven Pinker has argued recently in his book, The Better Angels of our Nature (2011) – that peace, love, and happiness are the result of civilizing processes, including military and police power. In other words, Westerners can enjoy peace, love, and happiness because our borders are secure, our homes are comfortable, our economies run smoothly, and our institutions are stable. Sadly, the same cannot be said for many others across the globe.

The peace, love, and happiness celebrated in counter-cultural songs and bumper-stickers may rest upon European and American military, economic, and social power. Nonetheless, many advocates of the peace-love-happiness trinity are critical of police power, military force, and obedience and conformity. Some argue that the structures of imperialistic and militaristic civilization are internally contradictory – that they create the very ills they claim to solve. So peace is undermined by preparation for war. Love is destroyed by oppressive hierarchies. Happiness is subverted by the demands of work, conformity, and bureaucracy. But it may be that military power, obedience, hierarchy, and conformity are essential for peace, love, and happiness. It may be that best place to find peace, love, and happiness is in Epicurean gardens nestled safely in the heartland of an empire.

These and other disquieting thoughts arise when we begin thinking about peace, love, and happiness. While a simplistic faith or naïve fantasy can satisfy some, the moment you begin thinking, you wonder whether the beautiful dream of peace, love, and happiness is ever a real possibility for fragile, mortal, thinking beings who live in a cruel and tragic world. It might therefore be that those who philosophize recognize that peace, love, and happiness are nearly impossible to achieve. And yet one can’t help but imagine that John Lennon was on to something when he sang of his dream of “living life in peace”:

“You may say I’m a dreamer But I’m not the only one I hope someday you’ll join us And the world will be as one.”

© Dr Andrew Fiala 2014

Andrew Fiala is a Professor of Philosophy, Chair of the Philosophy Department, and Director of the Ethics Center at California State University, Fresno. He has published a number of books on ethics and political philosophy, and is co-author with Barbara MacKinnon of the 8th edition of Ethics: Theory and Contemporary Issues (Cengage Publishing). He also writes a regular column for the Fresno Bee .

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“The Most Important Way to Love and Peace Is Justice”: A Conversation with Samar Yazbek

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I n March 2011, after peaceful protests began to emerge across Syria, pushing for government reform, Samar Yazbek witnessed what was a passive, civil uprising become an unthinkable war. Fearing for her safety as a journalist, Yazbek fled to Paris, where she’s lived in exile ever since. She made the perilous crossing into Syria from the Turkish border three times, until 2013, which marked the last time she saw her country. Interviewing the locals in the heart of the most ravaged areas of Syria, Yazbek was compelled to gather the people’s stories, from mothers of martyrs to secular fighters. The voices of these men and women, who are fighting for their freedom and lives every day under the attacks from the regime and radical occupation, would not have been heard without Yazbek’s efforts to collect them. It wasn’t until 2014, after struggling to process the brutality she’d witnessed, that she was able to put it to paper. The result is The Crossing: My Journey to the Shattered Heart of Syria , which has been called one of the first political classics of the twenty-first century. 

This interview took place in May 2016 in a café in Paris. I spotted Yazbek, who was waiting outside with a cigarette, under a floppy black hat. After our interview, she asked in Arabic to hear the story of our interpreter, who, like Yazbek, has witnessed the Syrian conflict with her own eyes. Although Yazbek is cautious about spilling too much personal information, in many ways she reflected the women in her book: humble, clear, and open.   

Stephanie Papa: Could you tell us what your life was like in Syria, before the revolution broke out?

Samar Yazbek: Before the uprising began, I was a writer and journalist. I wrote scripts for TV and cinema; I worked for local magazines. I was a women’s rights activist, and still am.

Stephan Papa: Your book, The Crossing , is an account of the harrowing experiences you witnessed after three crossings over the border of Turkey into war-torn Syria. Instead of writing a novel upon your return, you felt compelled to recount the true stories you heard. Many of the people you met begged you to recount their suffering and perseverance. One woman asked you, “Do you promise to write down everything I told you?” Are you writing for these people who entrusted you with their stories?

Samar Yazbek: The Crossing is a documentation of what people were going through every day, true events that I wrote in the style of a story, not as a journalist. I didn’t write it for the people who told me their stories, because most of them are dead. The people who are still alive can barely afford to eat, so the book is not for them. I’m writing for the whole world to see what the people of Syria experience on a daily basis. I wanted to convey the voices of these victims to the world. It’s the role of the educated Syrian elite—writers, artists—to engage in this situation, to take part in social justice.  

Stephanie Papa: Your account of the events in Syria shows a side of the conflict that many are widely unaware of. Since March 2011, Assad’s regime has attacked and murdered Syria’s own people. The sky never ceases to shake with bombs. You even interviewed an emir of a jihadist group, who like many other fighters you encountered wanted to kill all Alawites, your family’s sect. Now in 2016, the war rages on, the regime hasn’t relented, and conflict continues between sects and radicals. Syria has endured this brutal state of emergency for five years. What has changed for you since your last crossing?

Samar Yazbek: First, I lost faith in the international community. Each country prioritizes its own interest and completely ignores the massive extermination of the Syrian people. They forget humanitarian values and preserve their own interests over the suffering Syrians. What has also changed is that the Syria we used to know doesn’t exist today. It’s no longer even a failed state. It’s much more than that: it’s a destroyed nation. Since the radicals arrived, the national uprising has almost died out, and it has become a war. Yet some people of the civil revolution are still fighting what they had started, persevering for our dreams, democracy, and unity. When the uprising began, everyone wanted unity, yet the media and international community ignored this call for democracy. The Muslim people were standing up against extremism and the regime since the beginning; it started as a peaceful demonstration. Even today, despite all these changes, I still work on the same civil principles I started with.   

The Syria we used to know doesn’t exist today. It’s no longer even a failed state. It’s much more than that: it’s a destroyed nation. Since the radicals arrived, the national uprising has almost died out, and it has become a war.

Stephanie Papa: Is the Western media responsible for focusing on ISIS as the most violent offenders, when Assad’s regime has killed scores of people daily, leaving the country in a state of grave emergency? 

Samar Yazbek: Yes, the international media has a large role in orienting public opinion, presenting the conflict as one between ISIS and the regime, and totally forgetting the people who are against both. These people are the real victims today, and they started the uprising in the first place. The media is doing so for its own benefit, or to satisfy their governments’ political interests. I used to write for a prestigious newspaper in 2012, and in 2013, when I started explaining what was happening, the violence of the regime, it stopped publishing me. It created a new monster: ISIS.  

Stephanie Papa: I am particularly fascinated by the women in your accounts of Syria. They are generous and brave, with wisdom in their eyes. What have you learned from these women? Why were the women and children of Syria so important to you?

Samar Yazbek: First of all, the places I visited were all high-conflict zones, where the regime was bombarding from one end and the jihadists occupying from the other. So while men were fighting in these areas, the women were making lives. I often focused on them, because they were the ones making life continue everywhere. It’s important to highlight that earlier on in the uprising, women had a very important role in the revolution. Before the militarization, women were in the streets, and they were a vital part of the civil movement. Afterward, ISIS and other jihadists radicalized the uprising and took over most of the revolution, making women’s roles marginal. Their role in the movement disappeared, which is why I wanted to focus on them. 

The more violence there is, the stronger the need you have to live. People know they could die any minute, so they are fully aware of life in every moment.

Stephanie Papa: How do you explain the stark juxtaposition in Syria between laughter and violence, the continuity of rituals and generosity, under a barrel-bombed sky?  

Samar Yazbek: The more violence there is, the stronger the need you have to live. People know they could die any minute, so they are fully aware of life in every moment. The moments become more powerful, more precious. When you witness death every day, you start appreciating things in a deeper way; you start seeing life differently, details you would never notice otherwise. Survival becomes a lifestyle; you have to make a joke of death to get through it, almost like a game. You’re simply trying to survive with everyone else, and trying to help them. You only truly start suffering when you leave, and then you feel guilty because you survived.  

Stephanie Papa: Is that why you mention in your epilogue that it took months to start writing about your experience?

Samar Yazbek: Yes. The book was five hundred pages. There were so many interviews to rewrite, so much material that I had to summarize many of the experiences. Going through them was one of the most difficult parts. People believe that writing about suffering and pain will liberate you, but actually it makes the suffering ingrained deeper within you, instead of setting you free. You don’t want to live with it anymore. 

Stephanie Papa: So is writing about the affirmation of life instead of suffering a way to overcome this?

Samar Yazbek: That’s a part of it, yes.  

Stephanie Papa: With the money from the Harold Pinter Prize, you set up some centers for women in Syria, which became Women Now for Development. There are thousands of women who benefit from these centers, despite being bombed multiple times by the regime. What is the current status of your association?   

Samar Yazbek: I founded Women Now for Development in Paris when I was still going back and forth to Syria, until the end of 2013. It is a method to fight violence by establishing development centers in the conflict areas and to transform the violence into citizenship. Each center has a department to help women establish small businesses to sustain a living and develop such skills as teaching, technology, language, and writing. In these villages, the well-educated people have already left during the uprising, so the only ones left are poor and need access to education. These women are the most in need. Also, we’re encouraging women and children on all levels: empowerment, education, and therapeutic support. It started on a grassroots level; we didn’t have any funding from any government, and we relied on our own resources. Today, we’ve grown; we’re helping 7,000 women in refugee camps in Syria and Lebanon, and we have 167 employees. Now we’re supported by international NGOs who also focus on these issues. I work for the association as a volunteer.

Stephanie Papa: Is it important that these women have other women, especially writers or activists like you, as role models? For a woman in this context, is it important for them to see a hopeful future is possible? 

Samar Yazbek: Well, men can help as well, of course! And there are so many other women like me in Syria. Just because I was a well-known writer before, the media may see me as an angle. The West always wants to make a hero of someone. But I’m not interested in PR; I don’t want that. I’m glad I escaped Syria, but there are so many women who are much greater than me. The least I can do is try to be a voice, but I’m against making heroes. That is a selfish act.

Stephanie Papa: You were often the only woman traveling with groups of men, who were hesitant that women be involved in a political discussion. Many wouldn’t even look you in the eye. In one incident, an ISIS fighter from abroad told you that the war was no place for a woman. What was your reaction to men who made you feel unwanted? 

Samar Yazbek: Well yes, they tried to kick me out many times, but I wouldn’t listen.

Stephanie Papa: What is the Syrian writers’ community like now? Is the younger generation inspired to use writing or other artistic mediums in a time of war?

Samar Yazbek: There is a new generation of writers who were inspired by the revolution, who became activists and write for the media and other projects. There are also writers who never wanted to leave Syria and chose to stay despite the conflict. It’s too risky for them to write against the regime. 

Stephanie Papa: You describe witnessing the kidnapping of journalist Martin Soder in a newsroom in Idlib. Then, on December 9, 2013, armed groups from the Islamist Front abducted four prominent Syrian human rights defenders, Razan Zaitouneh, Samira al-Khalil, Wael Hamada, and Nazem Hammadi. Did you have a relationship with these activists?  

Samar Yazbek: I was there when Daesh came and took Martin. I know other friends who were kidnapped, and humane oppositionists who were kidnapped by radicals in Damascas, like Razan Zaitouneh. Razan is one of the leaders in the civil uprising, and she deserves to get recognition for this. She is one of the leading human rights activists who documented rights violations by the regime and radicals, which is why she was kidnapped. She was my partner in many civil rights projects. The second is Samira al-Khalil, who was also kidnapped by radicals. She is a prominent opponent of Assad and was jailed in the 1980s. We still don’t know anything about their whereabouts today.

Stephanie Papa: Do you yourself feel at risk now, even in exile? 

Samar Yazbek: No. Whatever happens, happens. It’s important to note that acts against free speech started with the regime ruining the reputations of writers and activists. This was followed by Islamic radicals who echoed the same method and starting kidnapping. I want to point out a difference here between Muslim and Islamist . Islamism is not a form of the Muslim faith. Muslims can promote secular political and social values; anyone could be Muslim. But Islamists who came later are the radicals. Here, we’re talking about Islamic radicals.  

Stephanie Papa: This is often misrepresented in Western media.

Samar Yazbek: Yes, it is. Violence creates violence. There was so much violence committed by the regime that it forced normally moderate people to join the radical groups, because they were the only ones there for them. When you’re sinking, you look for anyone who can hold your hand. This is how people have joined Nusra Front, ISIS, and other radicals, and how society in turn is radicalized. Yet one of the things that demonstrates how this radicalization in Syria is temporary is that earlier this year in February, when the cease-fire occurred, a few days later the citizens took to the streets again, ignited by the same spark as in 2011. Demonstrations were held, they took down the radicals’ flag, and they put up the Syrian revolution flag in favor of the civil revolution. This means that whatever you do, after all this destruction for five years, when the people are liberated, they will take to the streets again. That’s the beauty of it, and it doesn’t get any attention; it’s what the international media ignores. They talked about the cease-fire, but they didn’t say that as soon it began, people went back to the streets. They are so determined; they will not stop. They will never agree to accept Assad no matter what happens; look at what he’s done to them in the past five years, and they’re still fighting.  

Stephanie Papa: The Crossing is filled with beautifully poetic images, despite the violence. Do you write poetry? 

Samar Yazbek: Yes, but it’s very personal for me. I’ve never published anything. Maybe one day I will, maybe not. 

So writing may be a way, but for these people, the most important way to love and peace is justice, to put those who committed war crimes behind bars. 

Stephanie Papa: You quote a woman who stood with you in the graveyard of the martyrs of Saraqeb, saying, “All this death . . . it brings with it so much love.” What are your thoughts on this comment, the idea that hope can emerge from even the most inconceivable suffering? Can writing play a role in this?

Samar Yazbek: That’s part of it, yes. When you break down the evil and write about what happened, it might create love. Yet we are in a civil war, and unless there’s justice, this war will continue for years. So writing may be a way, but for these people, the most important way to love and peace is justice, to put those who committed war crimes behind bars.  

Stephanie Papa: You seem to remain very hopeful in seeing the Syrians’ determination and fight for their freedom. Is that the hopeful way forward for Syria?

Samar Yazbek: We’re not in charge of our destiny. We aren’t the ones who decide to stop the war. It’s in the hands of those who are fighting. This is a proxy war between the regional and international powers. As soon as they decide to stop the bloodshed, we’re all willing to go back and rebuild the country. It’s not a war that we have a say in anymore. It’s controlled by the sponsors of the war, and the people’s opinion is ignored. The Assad regime was used as a tool to destroy the nation, yet that doesn’t mean he’s not a war criminal. 

Stephanie Papa: The Aleppo Project based in Budapest, Hungary, is bringing researchers together to try to rebuild Aleppo, with the help of Aleppo locals, expatriates, and refugees. According to their studies, 72 percent of the refugees would return to Syria, under certain preconditions (Assad regime collapse, ISIS destroyed, security, food, jobs). Are you involved in these projects?

Samar Yazbek: No, not currently. There are many projects like this, but first and most importantly, the war needs to end. 

Stephanie Papa: What have you been writing recently? What is your current project? 

Samar Yazbek: I’ve been writing articles and busy with fieldwork, but now I’m doing the final touches on a novel, which is set to be released early next year.  

Stephanie Papa: How can we help your association, Women Now for Development? 

Samar Yazbek: You can donate online, or volunteer on-site if you have anything to offer to these women. You can also manage a project even if you are not ready to travel to the sites in person.

May 2016 Translation from the Arabic By Emma Suleiman

Stephanie Papa is a poet and translator living in Paris, France. She is the poetry co-editor of Paris Lit Up literary magazine and holds an MFA in poetry from the Pan-European program. Her work has been published in World Literature Today , Niche, NOON, great weather for media, Four Chambers Press, and more.

Emma Suleiman is an international communications consultant with twelve years’ experience managing global communication strategies. She advises newly established nonprofits to support the creation and implementation of their communications strategies to local communities and to an international audience.

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20 Good Ideas for Your Essay about Love and Peace

Since the early times of the human civilization, we experienced and survived countless wars. Hopefully, people are trying to achieve peace all over the world so that nobody has to suffer in the future. If you’re asked to write an essay about love and peace and you cannot define the exact direction for your paper, you may use one of the ideas below.

Ideas to Choose from for Writing Your Paper

• The meaning of peace.
• The ways to promote love and peace in the world.
• The difficulties of achieving the world peace.
• A war cannot be a solution to any problem.
• People are naturally peaceful: yes or no?
• A story about a peaceful world.
• The difference between feeling and being peaceful.
• A famous peace advocate whom you admire.
• The best method to encourage love and peace.
• The importance of peace all over the world.
• The event that can trigger the world peace.
• The importance of teaching kids to be peaceful.
• Measures you can take to become more peaceful.
• Things that make you feel peaceful.
• Factors that don’t allow many people to be peaceful.
• The world peace: is it the bright future that will never come?
• Peace and religion.
• The difference between peace and non-violence.
• The most peaceful person on the planet.
• Fighting for peace: isn’t it controversial?

How to Structure and Write Your Paper

To make your essay readable and interesting, you should come up with your arguments or points and plan what your text will look like before you start writing. You may even read some books or articles to learn more about the topic of peace. Divide your paper into three parts. These are the introduction, body, and conclusion. You should outline each part so that you exactly know what you’ll include in them when you’ll begin writing.

Your audience will mostly consist of your classmates, so use a simple language that won’t distract the reader from the contents of your paper. You should also start all paragraphs with clear topic sentences to make the reader immediately understand what to expect from them. At the end of a paragraph, place a logical transition to the following paragraph to make your text flow smoothly.

Don’t forget to revise your paper after writing. You’ll be surprised to see how many little mistakes you’ve made. To play it safe, proofread your text several times before you submit it.

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Is World Peace Possible?

Peace may be closer than we think..

Posted December 24, 2020 | Reviewed by Gary Drevitch

Peace is a timeless and universal vision belonging to all, and it has forever been a multidisciplinary interest. The great ideals and perennial values of the world’s religions serve not only as beacons to better times, when all will live together in harmony and good will, but they are also designed, when put into practice and lived by, to represent a promise of what humanity is capable of, maybe even created for.

The Golden Rule can be seen as a foundation for a principle of justice that, when extended from the individual to the global level, becomes the basis for the fulfillment of the promise of peace on earth.

At the end of the 18th century, philosopher Immanuel Kant proposed in his essay Perpetual Peace a program to be implemented by governments that would abolish standing armies, eliminate interference of one state with another, and prevent national funds from being used to create friction with other nations. These steps and more, including the rights of all people, as citizens of the world, to experience universal hospitality, would be the foundation on which to build a lasting peace. This essay influenced not only European thought and political practice but was also well represented in the formation of the United Nations.

The founder of experimental psychology, Wilhelm Wundt, who also founded folk psychology— what became cultural psychology—wrote in 1912 of how the psychological and cultural development of humanity has evolved through stages toward a consciousness of “mankind as a unity,” when national affiliations give way to world-wide humanistic concerns. This evolutionary stage can now be seen as where we are headed, and as a prerequisite to world peace.

World unity seems to be where the evolutionary flow is heading, favoring cooperation over competition . But is world peace a promise to be fulfilled, or one that will never be kept? Is it possible that world peace is an inevitable outcome of our collective evolution?

As Rev. Michael Bernard Beckwith makes clear in his chapter “Is World Peace Possible?” in Our Moment of Choice: Evolutionary Visions and Hope for the Future , “peace isn’t something that only a group of world leaders will achieve, no matter how good their intentions. When peace erupts on Earth, it will come from individuals everywhere who have entered a new state of consciousness.”

He believes peace is inherent in our species, that it is now exerting itself on an increasingly global scale, and that it is the people who know they are facing a daunting task and work at it anyway who are making a significant difference. This is the way it has always been. When faced with a problem that seems intractable, people find a way around it instead of resigning themselves to it. People have always brought about change in this way, whether it was fighting the challenges of seemingly incurable diseases or achieving civil rights. Those who have won against great odds have pioneered paradigm shifts. This is what makes global peace possible.

It helps a great deal to know what peace really means. It’s not just an absence of conflict. Beckwith says, “peace is the dynamic of harmonizing good. It is a quality within us.” This understanding opens up so many options, not only to be a peace-builder, but also to live peace from within in everything one does in life. As an inner quality, peace becomes something others can pick up on, notice on an energy level, and emulate in their own actions. This way, peace becomes contagious.

As Beckwith puts it, being able to really see “something from another’s point of view leads to the birth of compassion. With compassion, there is understanding; from understanding comes dialogue. When dialogue emerges, then a way out of no way emerges. With empathy, compassion, understanding, and dialogue, people can see a solution that wasn’t there before; a shift in consciousness happens to enable a new insight.”

War is part of our dysfunction; it’s not a reflection of who we are in our highest form. There are many encouraging signs of a new paradigm emerging, of green markets, solar markets, holistic medicine markets, and more, leading a transformation toward a peaceful world.

As Beckwith reminds us, “peace is in the journey, with every step we take. We carry it with us, and its impact is felt on a much wider scale. We all have to find our own neighborhood, in our own community, where we’re willing to share our gift. Many people don’t realize that small groups of people around the world doing things with compassion have an impact on the mental and emotional atmosphere of the entire world. By having peace within, we build peace all around us.”

The promise of world peace has been there for millennia; it is up to us—now—to bring it into reality.

Rev. Michael Bernard Beckwith, "Is World Peace Possible?" in Atkinson, R., Johnson, K., and Moldow, D. (eds.) (2020). Our Moment of Choice: Evolutionary Visions and Hope for the Future. New York: Atria Books. 33-38.

Robert Atkinson, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus at the University of Southern Maine and Nautilus Book Award-winning author of The Story of Our Time: From Duality to Interconnectedness to Oneness.

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The Power of Love: Love in Peace and Conflict Studies

• First Online: 03 May 2023

Cite this chapter

• Janine Joyce 4  

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Fully engaging with the power of love and the transformative paradigm expands our understanding of peace and conflict studies. In this chapter, “The Power of Love: Love in Peace and Conflict Studies,” Joyce extends traditional definitions concerned with efforts to end war, structural violence, and establishing strong values within civil society structures towards including the importance of the individual and their inner transformation. The micro and the macro are woven together and interconnected. The cultivation of a consciousness of love potentially entrains a society to value character, values, and behavioural changes which contribute to building cultures of peace. This chapter explores the role of peace education practices, including Yogic Peace Education and its intrinsic links to love studies. It considers the bridge towards love studies within conflict.

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Joyce, J. (2023). The Power of Love: Love in Peace and Conflict Studies. In: Grobbelaar, M., Reid Boyd, E., Dudek, D. (eds) Contemporary Love Studies in the Arts and Humanities. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-26055-1_2

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Essay on Peace And Harmony

Students are often asked to write an essay on Peace And Harmony in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

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100 Words Essay on Peace And Harmony

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Peace and harmony mean when people live without fighting, and everything is calm. Imagine a quiet lake or a group of friends sharing toys. It’s like that, but for everyone in the world.

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Living in peace makes us happy. When we get along with others, we feel good, and our heart is light. Harmony brings people together, making our world a better place.

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To make peace, we must be kind and listen to others. We should not shout or be mean. Sharing, helping, and understanding each other are the keys to a peaceful life.

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Peace starts with us. At home, we can be nice to our family. At school, we can be friends with everyone. No bullying, no teasing, just smiles and teamwork.

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When we work together, we can solve big problems. By talking and not fighting, we can fix things that are wrong and make sure everyone is happy and safe.

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250 Words Essay on Peace And Harmony

Peace and harmony mean living without fighting, anger, or fear. Imagine a world where everyone gets along, like friends in a playground. Peace is when people are calm and happy inside, and harmony is when they share that happiness with others.

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Peace and harmony are important because they make life better for everyone. Think of your home. When everyone is kind and understands each other, it feels safe and warm. That’s what peace and harmony do; they create a place where we all feel good.

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To build peace, we must learn to be patient and not get angry quickly. We should listen to others and try to understand how they feel. Harmony comes when we help each other and work as a team. It’s like playing a sport where everyone passes the ball and cheers for one another.

Peace and Harmony in the World

In the big world, peace and harmony mean countries and people not fighting. Leaders and citizens must talk and solve problems without using force. This way, we can all live safely and enjoy life.

Everyone’s Role

500 words essay on peace and harmony.

Peace and harmony are like two best friends who always go together. Imagine a world where everyone is kind to each other, where no one fights, and where all people, animals, and nature live happily. That world is full of peace and harmony.

Peace means no war, no fighting, and no being mean. It’s like a quiet, calm day with no storms. Harmony is when everyone gets along well, like different notes in a song that sound beautiful together.

Why Peace and Harmony are Important

Think about a time when you played with your friends without any arguments. It felt good, right? That’s because when we live in peace and get along, we feel safe and happy. We do better in school, have fun with our friends, and our families are happier too.

Without peace, we would always be scared and worried. And without harmony, we would always be alone because we wouldn’t have friends. That’s why having both peace and harmony is very important for all of us.

Peace and Harmony at Home

Our homes are the first places where we learn about peace and harmony. When family members love and care for each other, and when there are no shouts or fights, that’s peace. And when everyone in the family listens and respects each other’s ideas, that’s harmony.

Peace and Harmony in School

School is another place where we can see peace and harmony. When students are friendly and teachers are kind, the school feels like a happy place. No bullying and no cheating on tests are signs of peace. When students from different places and backgrounds become friends and learn together, that’s harmony.

In a peaceful and harmonious school, everyone feels like they belong and can do their best.

The whole world needs peace and harmony too. Countries should not fight with each other. Instead, they should talk and solve problems without hurting anyone. When countries work together, share things, and help each other, our world becomes a better place.

Just like in a family or school, when the world has peace and harmony, there is less sadness and more joy.

How We Can Help

Even as students, we can do a lot to make peace and harmony around us. We can be kind to others, not fight, and help those who need it. We can also learn about other people and respect them, even if they are different from us.

By doing small things every day, like saying “thank you” and “sorry,” we build peace and harmony. And when we grow up, we can keep doing these things to make a bigger difference in the world.

In conclusion, peace and harmony are very precious. They make our lives happy, our homes loving, and our world beautiful. We all should work to keep peace and harmony everywhere, starting with ourselves. Remember, a peaceful and harmonious world begins with you and me.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

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December 2, 2021

Peace Is More Than War’s Absence, and New Research Explains How to Build It

A new project measures ways to promote positive social relations among groups

By Peter T. Coleman , Allegra Chen-Carrel & Vincent Hans Michael Stueber

PeopleImages/Getty Images

Today, the misery of war is all too striking in places such as Syria, Yemen, Tigray, Myanmar and Ukraine. It can come as a surprise to learn that there are scores of sustainably peaceful societies around the world, ranging from indigenous people in the Xingu River Basin in Brazil to countries in the European Union. Learning from these societies, and identifying key drivers of harmony, is a vital process that can help promote world peace.

Unfortunately, our current ability to find these peaceful mechanisms is woefully inadequate. The Global Peace Index (GPI) and its complement the Positive Peace Index (PPI) rank 163 nations annually and are currently the leading measures of peacefulness. The GPI, launched in 2007 by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), was designed to measure negative peace , or the absence of violence, destructive conflict, and war. But peace is more than not fighting. The PPI, launched in 2009, was supposed to recognize this and track positive peace , or the promotion of peacefulness through positive interactions like civility, cooperation and care.

Yet the PPI still has many serious drawbacks. To begin with, it continues to emphasize negative peace, despite its name. The components of the PPI were selected and are weighted based on existing national indicators that showed the “strongest correlation with the GPI,” suggesting they are in effect mostly an extension of the GPI. For example, the PPI currently includes measures of factors such as group grievances, dissemination of false information, hostility to foreigners, and bribes.

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The index also lacks an empirical understanding of positive peace. The PPI report claims that it focuses on “positive aspects that create the conditions for a society to flourish.” However, there is little indication of how these aspects were derived (other than their relationships with the GPI). For example, access to the internet is currently a heavily weighted indicator in the PPI. But peace existed long before the internet, so is the number of people who can go online really a valid measure of harmony?

The PPI has a strong probusiness bias, too. Its 2021 report posits that positive peace “is a cross-cutting facilitator of progress, making it easier for businesses to sell.” A prior analysis of the PPI found that almost half the indicators were directly related to the idea of a “Peace Industry,” with less of a focus on factors found to be central to positive peace such as gender inclusiveness, equity and harmony between identity groups.

A big problem is that the index is limited to a top-down, national-level approach. The PPI’s reliance on national-level metrics masks critical differences in community-level peacefulness within nations, and these provide a much more nuanced picture of societal peace . Aggregating peace data at the national level, such as focusing on overall levels of inequality rather than on disparities along specific group divides, can hide negative repercussions of the status quo for minority communities.

To fix these deficiencies, we and our colleagues have been developing an alternative approach under the umbrella of the Sustaining Peace Project . Our effort has various components , and these can provide a way to solve the problems in the current indices. Here are some of the elements:

Evidence-based factors that measure positive and negative peace. The peace project began with a comprehensive review of the empirical studies on peaceful societies, which resulted in identifying 72 variables associated with sustaining peace. Next, we conducted an analysis of ethnographic and case study data comparing “peace systems,” or clusters of societies that maintain peace with one another, with nonpeace systems. This allowed us to identify and measure a set of eight core drivers of peace. These include the prevalence of an overarching social identity among neighboring groups and societies; their interconnections such as through trade or intermarriage; the degree to which they are interdependent upon one another in terms of ecological, economic or security concerns; the extent to which their norms and core values support peace or war; the role that rituals, symbols and ceremonies play in either uniting or dividing societies; the degree to which superordinate institutions exist that span neighboring communities; whether intergroup mechanisms for conflict management and resolution exist; and the presence of political leadership for peace versus war.

A core theory of sustaining peace . We have also worked with a broad group of peace, conflict and sustainability scholars to conceptualize how these many variables operate as a complex system by mapping their relationships in a causal loop diagram and then mathematically modeling their core dynamics This has allowed us to gain a comprehensive understanding of how different constellations of factors can combine to affect the probabilities of sustaining peace.

Bottom-up and top-down assessments . Currently, the Sustaining Peace Project is applying techniques such as natural language processing and machine learning to study markers of peace and conflict speech in the news media. Our preliminary research suggests that linguistic features may be able to distinguish between more and less peaceful societies. These methods offer the potential for new metrics that can be used for more granular analyses than national surveys.

We have also been working with local researchers from peaceful societies to conduct interviews and focus groups to better understand the in situ dynamics they believe contribute to sustaining peace in their communities. For example in Mauritius , a highly multiethnic society that is today one of the most peaceful nations in Africa, we learned of the particular importance of factors like formally addressing legacies of slavery and indentured servitude, taboos against proselytizing outsiders about one’s religion, and conscious efforts by journalists to avoid divisive and inflammatory language in their reporting.

Today, global indices drive funding and program decisions that impact countless lives, making it critical to accurately measure what contributes to socially just, safe and thriving societies. These indices are widely reported in news outlets around the globe, and heads of state often reference them for their own purposes. For example, in 2017 , Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, though he and his country were mired in corruption allegations, referenced his country’s positive increase on the GPI by stating, “Receiving such high praise from an institute that once named this country the most violent in the world is extremely significant.” Although a 2019 report on funding for peace-related projects shows an encouraging shift towards supporting positive peace and building resilient societies, many of these projects are really more about preventing harm, such as grants for bolstering national security and enhancing the rule of law.

The Sustaining Peace Project, in contrast, includes metrics for both positive and negative peace, is enhanced by local community expertise, and is conceptually coherent and based on empirical findings. It encourages policy makers and researchers to refocus attention and resources on initiatives that actually promote harmony, social health and positive reciprocity between groups. It moves away from indices that rank entire countries and instead focuses on identifying factors that, through their interaction, bolster or reduce the likelihood of sustaining peace. It is a holistic perspective.  

Tracking peacefulness across the globe is a highly challenging endeavor. But there is great potential in cooperation between peaceful communities, researchers and policy makers to produce better methods and metrics. Measuring peace is simply too important to get only half-right. 

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Essay on peace: need and importance of peace.

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Essay on Peace: Need and Importance of Peace!

The issue of war and peace has always been a focal issue in all periods of history and at all levels relations among nations. The concern of the humankind for peace can be assessed by taking into account the fact that all religions, all religious scriptures and several religious ceremonies are committed to the cause of peace and all these advocate an elimination of war. The Shanti Path recited by the Hindus, the sermons of Pope and the commands of all the holy scriptures of the Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and all other communities hold out a sacred commitment to peace.

Yet the international community fully realized the supreme importance of the virtue of peace against the evil of war only after having suffered the most unfortunate and highly destructive two World Wars in the first half of the 20th century. The blood soaked shreds of humanity that lay scattered in several hundred battle grounds, particularly on the soils of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, cried for peace, peace and peace on the earth.

The UN Charter and International Peace and Security:

The human consciousness then rallied in the Charter of the United Nations to affirm. “We the people of the United Nations determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our life time has brought untold sorrow to humankind…. and to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security….. have resolved to combine our efforts to accomplish these aims.”

Since 1945, the United Nations and its specialized agencies, several international associations and institutions, international peace movements, global and national level human rights movements and in fact all members of the international community have been consistently and strongly advocating the need for the preservation and promotion of peace against war.

In contemporary times, the most urgent and important international objective has been to preserve protect and defend peace against terrorism and terrorist organizations like A1 Qacda, Talibans, and other enemies of peace.

How International Community has been trying to secure peace:

Through international peace keeping under the aegis of the United Nations through the development and use of international law; creation of more international and regional institutions committed to promote peace, promotion of friendly cooperation for development among the member countries; popularization of peaceful means of conflict-resolution, institutionalization of relations among nations; integration of international community through strengthening of human consciousness in favour of peace against war; and by enhancing the ability for crisis-management, the humankind has been trying to secure peace against war.

Currently, through:

(i) Globalization i.e. by encouraging the free flow of people goods, information services and knowledge;

(ii) Establishment of non-official people to people socio-economic-cultural relations;

(iii) Organisation of international peace movements against nuclear weapons, armament race, militarisation, and environmental pollution;

(iv) Launching of special drives for elimination of such evils as apartheid, poverty, illiteracy; ill-health, hunger, disease, inequalities, tyranny and terrorism; and

(v) organised attempts at environment protection and protection of Human Rights of all, the international community has been making meaningful attempts to limit the chances of war.

What is Peace?

One elementary way of defining peace has been to say that peace is absence of war. This is, however, a very narrow view of peace. No doubt absence of war is the first condition of peace, yet peace is not merely an absence of war. It is in reality a condition characterised by peaceful, cooperative and harmonious conduct of international relations with a view to secure all-round sustainable development of the people of the world.

Nevertheless, since absence of war is the first condition of peace, one of the major concerns of all scholars and statesmen has been to formulate and follow the principles and devices needed for securing this primary objective. The cold war that kept the world preoccupied during 1945-90, indirectly secured this objective in a negative way by developing a balance of terror in international relations.

While it was successful in preventing a global war, it failed to prevent local wars and in fact gave rise to several tensions, stresses, strains and crises in international relations. The international community had to work very hard for keeping the conflicts and wars limited. It, however, successfully exhibited a welcome and positive ability in the sphere of crisis-management.

In fact, till today there have been present several hindrances in way of securing a stable, healthy and enduring peace. Fortunately, the final end of cold war came in the last decade of the 20th century and the world found herself living is an environment characterised by a new faith and commitment to peace, peaceful co-existence, peaceful conflict-resolution, liberalisation, cooperation for development and attempts at sustainable development.

The people began focusing their attention on the need for the protection of human rights of all, protection of environment and securing of a real and meaningful international integration. However several negative factors, ethnic conflict, ethnic violence, ethnic wars, terrorism in its several dimensions, neo-colonialism, hegemony n-hegemony and the like kept on acting as big hindrances.

The need to secure peace by controlling these evils continues to be a primary aim of international community. Crises have been repeatedly coming and these are bound to keep coming. This makes it very urgent for the humankind to prepare and act for managing crises through collective efforts and by the use of several devices.

Related Articles:

• Does Peace Require Non-Violence?
• 8 Devices used for the Preservation of Peace

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Peace, Love, & Liberty

By Tom G. Palmer

Executive Vice President for International Programs

A provocative book of essays edited by Dr. Tom G. Palmer on the topics of peace and war.

War is not inevitable. But peace cannot be achieved by wishful thinking alone.

This book presents the evidence regarding what fosters peace, and what disturbs it with conflict. The data demonstrate that the world can continue to grow more peaceful if we limit government and foster open trade, the rule of law, and equal rights. It takes an unflinching look at the ideologies of conflict on the hard Left and hard Right — and presents an alternative that can be the basis of a new, smart, evidence-based Peace Movement.

There is no such thing as being 'undecided' about war. It is a binary choice. If you're not for it, you have to be against it.

The essays in this book offer evidence and arguments for peace. The writers advance peace not merely as a moral ideal or even a desirable goal, but as an eminently practical objective. Too often peace activists have thought it sufficient merely to call for peace and to denounce war, without investigating the economic, social, political, and psychological conditions of peace. They may oppose this or that war, without considering what causes wars — for example, fallacies about clashes of civilizations, economic conflict, protectionism, and the zero-sum worldview — and then addressing those causes.

Peace is not an impractical fantasy, nor is it something for which one must sacrifice prosperity or progress or freedom. In fact, peace, freedom, prosperity, and progress go hand-in-hand.

What fosters peace? The evidence is in: liberty. What undermines liberty? The evidence for that is in, too: war.

Order Your Physical Copy of Peace, Love & Liberty

In many languages.