In 2001 by the United Nation’s General Assembly, part of the UN declaration states that this day shall be…
“a day of global ceasefire and nonviolence devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples… the observance and celebration of which alleviates tensions and causes of conflict…an invitation to all nations and people to honor a cessation of hostilities for the duration of the Day…and an invitation to all Member States, organizations, and individuals to commemorate in an appropriate manner this International Day of Peace.”
I wonder how many in the world really take this day seriously? All you need to do is to monitor today’s news and see how much violence still occur everywhere in the world. Chances are this day will not differ from any other day we have witnessed. We still have a long way to go as far as world peace is concerned.
But on an individual basis, you can do something to promote world peace. Since the world is the sum total of individuals composing the world’s population, it is really at the individual level that world peace can sprout, grow and flourish. We cannot have a peaceful world with non-peaceful inhabitants. So before you worry in dismay about what’s happening hundreds of kilometers from you, look at how you yourself can contribute to world peace. Here are some suggestions on what you can do:
1. Contemplate any disagreement you have with people around you. They could be relatives, friends, or coworkers. Are there any areas of compromise you can hammer out with them? Peaceful coexistence start with compromises. Everyone needs to give in order to take.
2. Are there people you don’t like, even strangers at that? Do some mental exercise imagining if there is anything you can start liking about them and dwell on that even for today only. You could be planting the seed for a future peaceful coexistence with these people.
3. If you are a member of any religious organization that encourages giving a peace greeting (“peace be with you”, “peace be unto you”, shalom, etc.), take that greeting seriously for once and do not give your greeting like an automaton. Our religions have not been lacking in structures to promote peace; it’s just that very few of their members take those structures seriously.
4. Finally, do some introspection and consider if you yourself is at peace with yourself. You are not in a position to promote peace if you cannot even do that with yourself. If you are not at peace with yourself then ask yourself why? Your inner struggle with yourself contains the potentialities of all the conflicts you will be having with the world and everything in it. Becoming aware of your own internal strife is your first step towards finding a solution.
Promoting world peace is not only a collective effort but an individual effort as well. If you are an advocate for world peace, then start with yourself. It is a form of duplicity to complain how others are actualizing your advocacy when at your own level, you’re far from actualizing it. Start from yourself and from thereon, radiate it outward. As individuals like you multiply, we can hope of reaching the critical mass needed to make peace the dominant culture in this planet.
Written by pagman13