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Peace

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Conflict and Peace

   A peace dove, widely known as a symbol for peace, featuring an olive
   branch in the dove's beak.
   A peace dove, widely known as a symbol for peace, featuring an olive
   branch in the dove's beak.
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   Peace is a state of harmony, the absence of hostility. This term is
   applied to describe a cessation of or lapse in violent international
   conflict; in this international context, peace is the opposite of war.
   Peace can also describe a relationship between any parties
   characterized by respect, justice, and goodwill.

   More generally, peace can pertain to an individual relative to her or
   his environment, as peaceful can describe calm, serenity, and silence.
   This latter understanding of peace can also pertain to an individual's
   sense of himself or herself, as to be "at peace" with one's self would
   indicate the same serenity, calm, and equilibrium within oneself.

Understandings of Peace

Peace as the absence of violence

   The symbol of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, which has become a
   widely recognized peace symbol.
   The symbol of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, which has become a
   widely recognized peace symbol.

   The traditional political definition of peace and the very word itself
   originated among the ancient Romans who defined peace, pax, as absentia
   belli, the absence of war.

   Today, peace is often understood as the absence of war between two or
   more state-organized armies. Nonetheless, the concept of peace also
   applies to the state of people within their respective geopolitical
   entities, as civil war, state-sponsored genocide, terrorism, and other
   violence are all threats to peace on an intranational level. Since
   World War II, wars among states have become less common, while violent
   internal conflicts have become a more central concern. Present day
   Sudan, for example, is the site of widespread suffering and violence,
   despite its not being engaged in war with another sovereign state.
   Peace, in this context, is understood as the absence of violence among
   groups, whether part of a state apparatus or not.

   This conception of peace as a mere absence of overt violence, however,
   is still challenged by some as incomplete. Influential peace researcher
   Johan Galtung has described this former conception of peace as
   "negative peace", suggesting that underlying points of conflict must
   themselves be resolved in order for true peace to exist.

Peace as the presence of justice

   "Justice and Peace shall kiss" depicts a biblical scene, referencing
   King James, Psalms#Psalm 85 Psalms 85.
   "Justice and Peace shall kiss" depicts a biblical scene, referencing
   King James, Psalms#Psalm 85 Psalms 85.

   Mahatma Gandhi suggested that if an oppressive society lacks violence,
   the society is nonetheless not peaceful, because of the injustice of
   the oppression. Gandhi articulated a vision of peace in which justice
   is an inherent and necessary aspect; that peace requires not only the
   absence of violence but also the presence of justice. Galtung described
   this peace, peace with justice, as "positive peace," because hostility
   and further violence could no longer flourish in this environment.

   During the 1950s and 60s, when Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil
   rights movement carried out various non-violent activities aimed at
   ending segregation and racial persecution in America, they understood
   peace as more than just the absence of violence. They observed that
   while there was not open combat between blacks and whites, there was an
   unjust system in place in which the government deprived African
   Americans of equal rights. While some opponents criticized the
   activists for "disturbing the peace", Martin Luther King observed that
   "True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of
   justice."

   Galtung coined the term structural violence to refer to such
   situations, which although not violent on the surface, harbour
   systematic oppression and injustice.

Peace and development

   One concept that often complements peace studies is development. In
   much development discourse, it is assumed that economic, cultural, and
   political development will take "underdeveloped" nations and peoples
   out of poverty, thus helping bring about a more peaceful world. As
   such, many international development agencies carry out projects funded
   by the governments of industrialized countries such as the United
   States, Japan, and Norway, designed to "modernize" poor countries.

Environmental peace

   Many environmentalists believe that protecting the environment is a
   form of peacemaking. This perspective posits that to destroy natural
   habitats, or to disturb long-standing equilibrium among any and all
   living things, may be perceived as a form of violence. This perception
   centers its conception of peace on the natural world; this view may
   regard peace as relative to the world or relative to all living
   creatures, rather than relative to humanity exclusively.

Plural peaces

   Following Wolfgang Dietrich, Wolfgang Sützl, and the Innsbruck School
   of Peace Studies, some "peace thinkers" have abandoned any single and
   all-encompassing definition of peace. Rather, they promote the idea of
   many peaces. They argue that since no singular, correct definition of
   peace can exist, peace should be perceived as a plurality.

   For example, in the Great Lakes region of Africa, the word for peace is
   kindoki, which refers to a harmonious balance between human beings, the
   rest of the natural world, and the cosmos. This vision is a much
   broader view of peace than a mere "absence of war" or even a "presence
   of justice" standard.

   These thinkers also critique the idea of peace as a hopeful or eventual
   end. They recognize that peace does not necessarily have to be
   something humans might achieve "some day." They contend that peace
   exists in the present, we can create and expand it in small ways in our
   everyday lives, and peace changes constantly. This view makes peace
   permeable and imperfect rather than static and utopian.

   Such a view is influenced by postmodernism.

Apocalyptic vision of world peace

   Peace on earth
   Peace on earth

   In its most apocalyptic sense, peace denotes a state of complete and
   final harmony, an end to conflict not only within the human race but
   between humanity and the natural world.

   This vision anticipates peace in the future, during one's lifetime or
   in an afterlife, often as initiated by God or some higher power, or
   even as achievable by human effort exclusively. Common to these
   conceptions of peace is that peace is an end, a goal that, once
   realized, will be universally comprehended and exalted.

Inner peace

   One meaning of peace refers to inner peace: a state of mind, body and
   perhaps soul, a peace within ourselves. People that experience inner
   peace say that the feeling is not dependent on time, people, place, or
   any external object or situation, asserting that an individual may
   experience inner peace even in the midst of war.

   Some people believe peace can help them avoid self-consciousness, such
   as hippies of the 1960s. An affirmative definition for the concept of
   peace is, as worded by Sevi Regis: "the state or condition of
   restfulness, harmony, balance, equilibrium, longevity, justice,
   resolution, timelessness, contentment, freedom, and fulfillment, either
   individually or simultaneously present, in such a way that it
   overcomes, demolishes, banishes, and/or replaces everything that
   opposes it."

Peace and quiet

   Peace and tranquility - Lake Mapourika, New Zealand.
   Peace and tranquility - Lake Mapourika, New Zealand.

   Peace can also mean a state of quiet or tranquility — an absence of
   disturbance or agitation. Many people find the natural world to be
   peaceful in this way.

Nonviolence and pacifism

   There is a wide spectrum of views about whether, or when, violence and
   war are necessary or justifiable. Mahatma Gandhi's conception of peace
   was not as an end, but as a means: "There is no way to peace; peace is
   the way." By envisioning peace as a process, and as self-fulfilling,
   Gandhi's moral philosophy circumvents some of the traditional
   hypocracies of historical nonviolent moral doctrine. Judeo-Christian
   tradition, for instance, which bluntly declares " Thou shalt not kill",
   has nonetheless found itself amenable to compromise over the centuries.

   An extreme form of nonviolence is that of Jainism, which goes to great
   lengths to avoid harming any living creatures, including insects.
   Pacifists, such as Christian anarchists, perceive any incarnation of
   violence as self-perpetuating. Other groups take a wide variety of
   stances, many maintaining a Just War theory.

Historical examples and counter examples

   Allied propaganda billed the Great War in Europe as the "war to end all
   wars." Although the Allies won the war, the resulting "peace" Treaty of
   Versailles only set the stage for the even bloodier World War II.
   Before the Allied victory, the Bolsheviks promised the Russian people
   "peace, land, and bread." Although Vladimir Lenin ended the disastrous
   war against the Central Powers, the ensuing civil war resulted in a
   loss of over a million people. These failures illustrate the problems
   of using war in an effort to attain peace.

   Proponents of the democratic peace theory argue that strong empirical
   evidence exists that democracies never or rarely make war against each
   other. An increasing number of nations have become democratic since the
   industrial revolution, and thus, they claim world peace may become
   possible if this trend continues. However, critics have disputed this,
   for example arguing that this could be explained by a number of other
   factors related to the wealth, power, and stability of nations that
   tend to become democracies, ranging from increased reliance on global
   trade to Mutually Assured Destruction.

   Since 1945 the world has only seen 26 days without war.

   Although history is rife with conflict, some peoples, regions and
   nations have enjoyed periods of peace that have lasted generations. The
   following are some examples:
     * Sweden (1814–present). Sweden is the present-day nation state with
       the longest history of continuous peace. Since its 1814 invasion of
       Norway, the Swedish kingdom has not engaged in war.
     * Switzerland (1848–present). A hard stance on neutrality has given
       Switzerland fame as a country for its long-lasting peace.
     * Costa Rica (1949–present). Following a 44-day civil war in 1944, in
       1949, Costa Rica abolished its army. Since then, its history has
       been peaceful, especially relative to those of neighboring Central
       American states. This has earned the country the nickname,
       "Switzerland of the Americas."
     * Pennsylvania (1682–1754). The colony of Pennsylvania enjoyed 72
       years of peace, maintaining no army or militia and fighting no
       wars. Under the proprietorship of William Penn (1644–1718), a
       member of the Religious Society of Friends, the colony earned a
       reputation for religious and personal freedom, as well as for
       respectful dealings with Native Americans. Although somewhat a
       utopian experiment, the colony was not a utopia, marred with
       slavery, indentureship and class conflict. In addition, William
       Penn's heirs dealt less fairly with the Native Americans,
       especially in the Walking Purchase of 1737. Nevertheless, the
       colonial experience of Pennsylvania bears study as an example of a
       peaceful society.
     * Amish (1693–present). A sect of Anabaptists or Mennonites of
       predominantly Swiss/German descent, the Amish practice a peaceful
       lifestyle that includes religious devotion, resistance to
       technological advancement, and nonresistance. They rarely defend
       themselves physically or even in court; in war time, they take
       conscientious objector status. Today over 150,000 Amish live in
       close-knit communities in 47 states in the United States, as well
       as Canada and Belize.

Challenges to peace

   Since the earliest recorded history, there has been war. War can be
   seen as a natural progression from inherent human aggressiveness. Wars,
   riots and revolutions are perpetuated through the divisive Politics and
   Propaganda of Fear. However it is also true that human beings also
   exhibit generosity and altruism. So peace can also be seen as an
   extension of human behaviour based on evolution of human knowledge,
   wisdom, compassion and Insight. The basic unasked question in any human
   culture or civilization is who or what should hold the power or
   authority to make choices in terms of individual or group behavior.
   Collective human behaviour can be guided or manipulated by lower
   instincts based on fear of physical survival, jealousy, greed for
   power, hatred and such or higher instincts like love, gratitude,
   nspiration, appreciation and altruism. Ultimately the war and violence
   outside is a reflection of unresolved inner conflicts within the
   individual and collective human heart, psyche and mind.

   Sometimes peace and justice may be viewed as contradictions in
   practical terms. If one believes that the only way to prevent injustice
   and create justice is by force, then one believes that justice requires
   hostilities, which precludes peace. Similarly, the clash of political
   interests has often been identified as a justification of war. The
   desire for power and advantage puts groups in opposition. This
   opposition naturally escalates as one side, and then the other, tries
   to gain advantages, sometimes culminating in violence and war. This
   effect is also seen in religious and ethnic groups. These groups see
   themselves as being oppressed and violence and war have often been
   rationalized as justified in defense of a culture or religion.

International Creed for Peace

   The International Creed for Peace, created by Chika Sylva-Olejeme and
   the International Peace Institute, sets forth an agenda and moral code
   for the advancement of peace for all humans and nations. The creed
   suggests that based on realisation that independence, freedom and
   justice is inherent to all, peace is achieved when people fulfill their
   duty to choose, live and respect others.

Nobel Peace Prize

   The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded annually to notable peacemakers and
   visionaries who have overcome violence, conflict or oppression through
   their moral leadership, those who have "done the most or the best work
   for fraternity between the nations". The prize has often met with
   controversy, as it is occasionally awarded to people who have formerly
   sponsored war and violence but who have, through exceptional
   concessions, helped achieve peace.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace"
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