peace on earth essay

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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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. 

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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• World Peace

A Human Approach to World Peace

When we rise in the morning and listen to the radio or read the newspaper, we are confronted with the same sad news: violence, crime, wars, and disasters. I cannot recall a single day without a report of something terrible happening somewhere. Even in these modern times it is clear that one's precious life is not safe. No former generation has had to experience so much bad news as we face today; this constant awareness of fear and tension should make any sensitive and compassionate person question seriously the progress of our modern world.   It is ironic that the more serious problems emanate from the more industrially advanced societies. Science and technology have worked wonders in many fields, but the basic human problems remain. There is unprecedented literacy, yet this universal education does not seem to have fostered goodness, but only mental restlessness and discontent instead. There is no doubt about the increase in our material progress and technology, but somehow this is not sufficient as we have not yet succeeded in bringing about peace and happiness or in overcoming suffering.   We can only conclude that there must be something seriously wrong with our progress and development, and if we do not check it in time there could be disastrous consequences for the future of humanity. I am not at all against science and technology - they have contributed immensely to the overall experience of humankind; to our material comfort and well-being and to our greater understanding of the world we live in. But if we give too much emphasis to science and technology we are in danger of losing touch with those aspects of human knowledge and understanding that aspire towards honesty and altruism.   Science and technology, though capable of creating immeasurable material comfort, cannot replace the age-old spiritual and humanitarian values that have largely shaped world civilization, in all its national forms, as we know it today. No one can deny the unprecedented material benefit of science and technology, but our basic human problems remain; we are still faced with the same, if not more, suffering, fear, and tension. Thus it is only logical to try to strike a balance between material developments on the one hand and the development of spiritual, human values on the other. In order to bring about this great adjustment, we need to revive our humanitarian values.   I am sure that many people share my concern about the present worldwide moral crisis and will join in my appeal to all humanitarians and religious practitioners who also share this concern to help make our societies more compassionate, just, and equitable. I do not speak as a Buddhist or even as a Tibetan. Nor do I speak as an expert on international politics (though I unavoidably comment on these matters). Rather, I speak simply as a human being, as an upholder of the humanitarian values that are the bedrock not only of Mahayana Buddhism but of all the great world religions. From this perspective I share with you my personal outlook - that:

1. Universal humanitarianism is essential to solve global problems; 2. Compassion is the pillar of world peace; 3. All world religions are already for world peace in this way, as are all humanitarians of whatever ideology; 4. Each individual has a universal responsibility to shape institutions to serve human needs.

Solving Human Problems through Transforming Human Attitudes

Of the many problems we face today, some are natural calamities and must be accepted and faced with equanimity. Others, however, are of our own making, created by misunderstanding, and can be corrected. One such type arises from the conflict of ideologies, political or religious, when people fight each other for petty ends, losing sight of the basic humanity that binds us all together as a single human family. We must remember that the different religions, ideologies, and political systems of the world are meant for human beings to achieve happiness. We must not lose sight of this fundamental goal and at no time should we place means above ends; the supremacy of humanity over matter and ideology must always be maintained.   By far the greatest single danger facing humankind - in fact, all living beings on our planet - is the threat of nuclear destruction. I need not elaborate on this danger, but I would like to appeal to all the leaders of the nuclear powers who literally hold the future of the world in their hands, to the scientists and technicians who continue to create these awesome weapons of destruction, and to all the people at large who are in a position to influence their leaders: I appeal to them to exercise their sanity and begin to work at dismantling and destroying all nuclear weapons. We know that in the event of a nuclear war there will be no victors because there will be no survivors! Is it not frightening just to contemplate such inhuman and heartless destruction? And, is it not logical that we should remove the cause for our own destruction when we know the cause and have both the time and the means to do so? Often we cannot overcome our problems because we either do not know the cause or, if we understand it, do not have the means to remove it. This is not the case with the nuclear threat.   Whether they belong to more evolved species like humans or to simpler ones such as animals, all beings primarily seek peace, comfort, and security. Life is as dear to the mute animal as it is to any human being; even the simplest insect strives for protection from dangers that threaten its life. Just as each one of us wants to live and does not wish to die, so it is with all other creatures in the universe, though their power to effect this is a different matter.   Broadly speaking there are two types of happiness and suffering, mental and physical, and of the two, I believe that mental suffering and happiness are the more acute. Hence, I stress the training of the mind to endure suffering and attain a more lasting state of happiness. However, I also have a more general and concrete idea of happiness: a combination of inner peace, economic development, and, above all, world peace. To achieve such goals I feel it is necessary to develop a sense of universal responsibility, a deep concern for all irrespective of creed, colour, sex, or nationality.   The premise behind this idea of universal responsibility is the simple fact that, in general terms, all others' desires are the same as mine. Every being wants happiness and does not want suffering. If we, as intelligent human beings, do not accept this fact, there will be more and more suffering on this planet. If we adopt a self-centred approach to life and constantly try to use others for our own self-interest, we may gain temporary benefits, but in the long run we will not succeed in achieving even personal happiness, and world peace will be completely out of the question.   In their quest for happiness, humans have used different methods, which all too often have been cruel and repellent. Behaving in ways utterly unbecoming to their status as humans, they inflict suffering upon fellow humans and other living beings for their own selfish gains. In the end, such shortsighted actions bring suffering to oneself as well as to others. To be born a human being is a rare event in itself, and it is wise to use this opportunity as effectively and skillfully as possible. We must have the proper perspective that of the universal life process, so that the happiness or glory of one person or group is not sought at the expense of others.   All this calls for a new approach to global problems. The world is becoming smaller and smaller - and more and more interdependent - as a result of rapid technological advances and international trade as well as increasing trans-national relations. We now depend very much on each other. In ancient times problems were mostly family-size, and they were naturally tackled at the family level, but the situation has changed. Today we are so interdependent, so closely interconnected with each other, that without a sense of universal responsibility, a feeling of universal brotherhood and sisterhood, and an understanding and belief that we really are part of one big human family, we cannot hope to overcome the dangers to our very existence - let alone bring about peace and happiness.   One nation's problems can no longer be satisfactorily solved by itself alone; too much depends on the interest, attitude, and cooperation of other nations. A universal humanitarian approach to world problems seems the only sound basis for world peace. What does this mean? We begin from the recognition mentioned previously that all beings cherish happiness and do not want suffering. It then becomes both morally wrong and pragmatically unwise to pursue only one's own happiness oblivious to the feelings and aspirations of all others who surround us as members of the same human family. The wiser course is to think of others also when pursuing our own happiness. This will lead to what I call 'wise self-interest', which hopefully will transform itself into 'compromised self-interest', or better still, 'mutual interest'.   Although the increasing interdependence among nations might be expected to generate more sympathetic cooperation, it is difficult to achieve a spirit of genuine cooperation as long as people remain indifferent to the feelings and happiness of others. When people are motivated mostly by greed and jealousy, it is not possible for them to live in harmony. A spiritual approach may not solve all the political problems that have been caused by the existing self-centered approach, but in the long run it will overcome the very basis of the problems that we face today.   On the other hand, if humankind continues to approach its problems considering only temporary expediency, future generations will have to face tremendous difficulties. The global population is increasing, and our resources are being rapidly depleted. Look at the trees, for example. No one knows exactly what adverse effects massive deforestation will have on the climate, the soil, and global ecology as a whole. We are facing problems because people are concentrating only on their short-term, selfish interests, not thinking of the entire human family. They are not thinking of the earth and the long-term effects on universal life as a whole. If we of the present generation do not think about these now, future generations may not be able to cope with them.

Compassion as the Pillar of World Peace

According to Buddhist psychology, most of our troubles are due to our passionate desire for and attachment to things that we misapprehend as enduring entities. The pursuit of the objects of our desire and attachment involves the use of aggression and competitiveness as supposedly efficacious instruments. These mental processes easily translate into actions, breeding belligerence as an obvious effect. Such processes have been going on in the human mind since time immemorial, but their execution has become more effective under modern conditions. What can we do to control and regulate these 'poisons' - delusion, greed, and aggression? For it is these poisons that are behind almost every trouble in the world.   As one brought up in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, I feel that love and compassion are the moral fabric of world peace. Let me first define what I mean by compassion. When you have pity or compassion for a very poor person, you are showing sympathy because he or she is poor; your compassion is based on altruistic considerations. On the other hand, love towards your wife, your husband, your children, or a close friend is usually based on attachment. When your attachment changes, your kindness also changes; it may disappear. This is not true love. Real love is not based on attachment, but on altruism. In this case your compassion will remain as a humane response to suffering as long as beings continue to suffer.   This type of compassion is what we must strive to cultivate in ourselves, and we must develop it from a limited amount to the limitless. Undiscriminating, spontaneous, and unlimited compassion for all sentient beings is obviously not the usual love that one has for friends or family, which is alloyed with ignorance, desire, and attachment. The kind of love we should advocate is this wider love that you can have even for someone who has done harm to you: your enemy.   The rationale for compassion is that every one of us wants to avoid suffering and gain happiness. This, in turn, is based on the valid feeling of '1', which determines the universal desire for happiness. Indeed, all beings are born with similar desires and should have an equal right to fulfill them. If I compare myself with others, who are countless, I feel that others are more important because I am just one person whereas others are many. Further, the Tibetan Buddhist tradition teaches us to view all sentient beings as our dear mothers and to show our gratitude by loving them all. For, according to Buddhist theory, we are born and reborn countless numbers of times, and it is conceivable that each being has been our parent at one time or another. In this way all beings in the universe share a family relationship.   Whether one believes in religion or not, there is no one who does not appreciate love and compassion. Right from the moment of our birth, we are under the care and kindness of our parents; later in life, when facing the sufferings of disease and old age, we are again dependent on the kindness of others. If at the beginning and end of our lives we depend upon others' kindness, why then in the middle should we not act kindly towards others? The development of a kind heart (a feeling of closeness for all human beings) does not involve the religiosity we normally associate with conventional religious practice. It is not only for people who believe in religion, but is for everyone regardless of race, religion, or political affiliation. It is for anyone who considers himself or herself, above all, a member of the human family and who sees things from this larger and longer perspective. This is a powerful feeling that we should develop and apply; instead, we often neglect it, particularly in our prime years when we experience a false sense of security.   When we take into account a longer perspective, the fact that all wish to gain happiness and avoid suffering, and keep in mind our relative unimportance in relation to countless others, we can conclude that it is worthwhile to share our possessions with others. When you train in this sort of outlook, a true sense of compassion - a true sense of love and respect for others - becomes possible. Individual happiness ceases to be a conscious self-seeking effort; it becomes an automatic and far superior by-product of the whole process of loving and serving others.   Another result of spiritual development, most useful in day-to-day life, is that it gives a calmness and presence of mind. Our lives are in constant flux, bringing many difficulties. When faced with a calm and clear mind, problems can be successfully resolved. When, instead, we lose control over our minds through hatred, selfishness, jealousy, and anger, we lose our sense of judgement. Our minds are blinded and at those wild moments anything can happen, including war. Thus, the practice of compassion and wisdom is useful to all, especially to those responsible for running national affairs, in whose hands lie the power and opportunity to create the structure of world peace.

World Religions for World Peace

The principles discussed so far are in accordance with the ethical teachings of all world religions. I maintain that every major religion of the world - Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Sikhism, Taoism, Zoroastrianism - has similar ideals of love, the same goal of benefiting humanity through spiritual practice, and the same effect of making their followers into better human beings. All religions teach moral precepts for perfecting the functions of mind, body, and speech. All teach us not to lie or steal or take others' lives, and so on. The common goal of all moral precepts laid down by the great teachers of humanity is unselfishness. The great teachers wanted to lead their followers away from the paths of negative deeds caused by ignorance and to introduce them to paths of goodness.   All religions agree upon the necessity to control the undisciplined mind that harbours selfishness and other roots of trouble, and each teaches a path leading to a spiritual state that is peaceful, disciplined, ethical, and wise. It is in this sense that I believe all religions have essentially the same message. Differences of dogma may be ascribed to differences of time and circumstance as well as cultural influences; indeed, there is no end to scholastic argument when we consider the purely metaphysical side of religion. However, it is much more beneficial to try to implement in daily life the shared precepts for goodness taught by all religions rather than to argue about minor differences in approach.   There are many different religions to bring comfort and happiness to humanity in much the same way as there are particular treatments for different diseases. For, all religions endeavour in their own way to help living beings avoid misery and gain happiness. And, although we can find causes for preferring certain interpretations of religious truths, there is much greater cause for unity, stemming from the human heart. Each religion works in its own way to lessen human suffering and contribute to world civilization. Conversion is not the point. For instance, I do not think of converting others to Buddhism or merely furthering the Buddhist cause. Rather, I try to think of how I as a Buddhist humanitarian can contribute to human happiness.   While pointing out the fundamental similarities between world religions, I do not advocate one particular religion at the expense of all others, nor do I seek a new 'world religion'. All the different religions of the world are needed to enrich human experience and world civilization. Our human minds, being of different calibre and disposition, need different approaches to peace and happiness. It is just like food. Certain people find Christianity more appealing, others prefer Buddhism because there is no creator in it and everything depends upon your own actions. We can make similar arguments for other religions as well. Thus, the point is clear: humanity needs all the world's religions to suit the ways of life, diverse spiritual needs, and inherited national traditions of individual human beings.   It is from this perspective that I welcome efforts being made in various parts of the world for better understanding among religions. The need for this is particularly urgent now. If all religions make the betterment of humanity their main concern, then they can easily work together in harmony for world peace. Interfaith understanding will bring about the unity necessary for all religions to work together. However, although this is indeed an important step, we must remember that there are no quick or easy solutions. We cannot hide the doctrinal differences that exist among various faiths, nor can we hope to replace the existing religions by a new universal belief. Each religion has its own distinctive contributions to make, and each in its own way is suitable to a particular group of people as they understand life. The world needs them all.   There are two primary tasks facing religious practitioners who are concerned with world peace. First, we must promote better interfaith understanding so as to create a workable degree of unity among all religions. This may be achieved in part by respecting each other's beliefs and by emphasizing our common concern for human well-being. Second, we must bring about a viable consensus on basic spiritual values that touch every human heart and enhance general human happiness. This means we must emphasize the common denominator of all world religions - humanitarian ideals. These two steps will enable us to act both individually and together to create the necessary spiritual conditions for world peace.   We practitioners of different faiths can work together for world peace when we view different religions as essentially instruments to develop a good heart - love and respect for others, a true sense of community. The most important thing is to look at the purpose of religion and not at the details of theology or metaphysics, which can lead to mere intellectualism. I believe that all the major religions of the world can contribute to world peace and work together for the benefit of humanity if we put aside subtle metaphysical differences, which are really the internal business of each religion.   Despite the progressive secularization brought about by worldwide modernization and despite systematic attempts in some parts of the world to destroy spiritual values, the vast majority of humanity continues to believe in one religion or another. The undying faith in religion, evident even under irreligious political systems, clearly demonstrates the potency of religion as such. This spiritual energy and power can be purposefully used to bring about the spiritual conditions necessary for world peace. Religious leaders and humanitarians all over the world have a special role to play in this respect.   Whether we will be able to achieve world peace or not, we have no choice but to work towards that goal. If our minds are dominated by anger, we will lose the best part of human intelligence - wisdom, the ability to decide between right and wrong. Anger is one of the most serious problems facing the world today.

Individual Power to Shape Institutions

Anger plays no small role in current conflicts such as those in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, the North-South problem, and so forth. These conflicts arise from a failure to understand one another's humanness. The answer is not the development and use of greater military force, nor an arms race. Nor is it purely political or purely technological. Basically it is spiritual, in the sense that what is required is a sensitive understanding of our common human situation. Hatred and fighting cannot bring happiness to anyone, even to the winners of battles. Violence always produces misery and thus is essentially counter-productive. It is, therefore, time for world leaders to learn to transcend the differences of race, culture, and ideology and to regard one another through eyes that see the common human situation. To do so would benefit individuals, communities, nations, and the world at large.   The greater part of present world tension seems to stem from the 'Eastern bloc' versus 'Western bloc' conflict that has been going on since World War II. These two blocs tend to describe and view each other in a totally unfavourable light. This continuing, unreasonable struggle is due to a lack of mutual affection and respect for each other as fellow human beings. Those of the Eastern bloc should reduce their hatred towards the Western bloc because the Western bloc is also made up of human beings - men, women, and children. Similarly those of the Western bloc should reduce their hatred towards the Eastern bloc because the Eastern bloc is also human beings. In such a reduction of mutual hatred, the leaders of both blocs have a powerful role to play. But first and foremost, leaders must realize their own and others' humanness. Without this basic realization, very little effective reduction of organized hatred can be achieved.   If, for example, the leader of the United States of America and the leader of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics suddenly met each other in the middle of a desolate island, I am sure they would respond to each other spontaneously as fellow human beings. But a wall of mutual suspicion and misunderstanding separates them the moment they are identified as the 'President of the USA' and the 'Secretary-General of the USSR'). More human contact in the form of informal extended meetings, without any agenda, would improve their mutual understanding; they would learn to relate to each other as human beings and could then try to tackle international problems based on this understanding. No two parties, especially those with a history of antagonism, can negotiate fruitfully in an atmosphere of mutual suspicion and hatred.   I suggest that world leaders meet about once a year in a beautiful place without any business, just to get to know each other as human beings. Then, later, they could meet to discuss mutual and global problems. I am sure many others share my wish that world leaders meet at the conference table in such an atmosphere of mutual respect and understanding of each other's humanness.   To improve person-to-person contact in the world at large, I would like to see greater encouragement of international tourism. Also, mass media, particularly in democratic societies, can make a considerable contribution to world peace by giving greater coverage to human interest items that reflect the ultimate oneness of humanity. With the rise of a few big powers in the international arena, the humanitarian role of international organizations is being bypassed and neglected. I hope that this will be corrected and that all international organizations, especially the United Nations, will be more active and effective in ensuring maximum benefit to humanity and promoting international understanding. It will indeed be tragic if the few powerful members continue to misuse world bodies like the UN for their one-sided interests. The UN must become the instrument of world peace. This world body must be respected by all, for the UN is the only source of hope for small oppressed nations and hence for the planet as a whole.   As all nations are economically dependent upon one another more than ever before, human understanding must go beyond national boundaries and embrace the international community at large. Indeed, unless we can create an atmosphere of genuine cooperation, gained not by threatened or actual use of force but by heartfelt understanding, world problems will only increase. If people in poorer countries are denied the happiness they desire and deserve, they will naturally be dissatisfied and pose problems for the rich. If unwanted social, political, and cultural forms continue to be imposed upon unwilling people, the attainment of world peace is doubtful. However, if we satisfy people at a heart-to-heart level, peace will surely come.   Within each nation, the individual ought to be given the right to happiness, and among nations, there must be equal concern for the welfare of even the smallest nations. I am not suggesting that one system is better than another and all should adopt it. On the contrary, a variety of political systems and ideologies is desirable and accords with the variety of dispositions within the human community. This variety enhances the ceaseless human quest for happiness. Thus each community should be free to evolve its own political and socio-economic system, based on the principle of self-determination.   The achievement of justice, harmony, and peace depends on many factors. We should think about them in terms of human benefit in the long run rather than the short term. I realize the enormity of the task before us, but I see no other alternative than the one I am proposing - which is based on our common humanity. Nations have no choice but to be concerned about the welfare of others, not so much because of their belief in humanity, but because it is in the mutual and long-term interest of all concerned. An appreciation of this new reality is indicated by the emergence of regional or continental economic organizations such as the European Economic Community, the Association of South East Asian Nations, and so forth. I hope more such trans-national organizations will be formed, particularly in regions where economic development and regional stability seem in short supply.   Under present conditions, there is definitely a growing need for human understanding and a sense of universal responsibility. In order to achieve such ideas, we must generate a good and kind heart, for without this, we can achieve neither universal happiness nor lasting world peace. We cannot create peace on paper. While advocating universal responsibility and universal brotherhood and sisterhood, the facts are that humanity is organized in separate entities in the form of national societies. Thus, in a realistic sense, I feel it is these societies that must act as the building-blocks for world peace. Attempts have been made in the past to create societies more just and equal. Institutions have been established with noble charters to combat anti-social forces. Unfortunately, such ideas have been cheated by selfishness. More than ever before, we witness today how ethics and noble principles are obscured by the shadow of self-interest, particularly in the political sphere. There is a school of thought that warns us to refrain from politics altogether, as politics has become synonymous with amorality. Politics devoid of ethics does not further human welfare, and life without morality reduces humans to the level of beasts. However, politics is not axiomatically 'dirty'. Rather, the instruments of our political culture have distorted the high ideals and noble concepts meant to further human welfare. Naturally, spiritual people express their concern about religious leaders 'messing' with politics, since they fear the contamination of religion by dirty politics.   I question the popular assumption that religion and ethics have no place in politics and that religious persons should seclude themselves as hermits. Such a view of religion is too one-sided; it lacks a proper perspective on the individual's relation to society and the role of religion in our lives. Ethics is as crucial to a politician as it is to a religious practitioner. Dangerous consequences will follow when politicians and rulers forget moral principles. Whether we believe in God or karma, ethics is the foundation of every religion.   Such human qualities as morality, compassion, decency, wisdom, and so forth have been the foundations of all civilizations. These qualities must be cultivated and sustained through systematic moral education in a conducive social environment so that a more humane world may emerge. The qualities required to create such a world must be inculcated right from the beginning, from childhood. We cannot wait for the next generation to make this change; the present generation must attempt a renewal of basic human values. If there is any hope, it is in the future generations, but not unless we institute major change on a worldwide scale in our present educational system. We need a revolution in our commitment to and practice of universal humanitarian values.   It is not enough to make noisy calls to halt moral degeneration; we must do something about it. Since present-day governments do not shoulder such 'religious' responsibilities, humanitarian and religious leaders must strengthen the existing civic, social, cultural, educational, and religious organizations to revive human and spiritual values. Where necessary, we must create new organizations to achieve these goals. Only in so doing can we hope to create a more stable basis for world peace.   Living in society, we should share the sufferings of our fellow citizens and practise compassion and tolerance not only towards our loved ones but also towards our enemies. This is the test of our moral strength. We must set an example by our own practice, for we cannot hope to convince others of the value of religion by mere words. We must live up to the same high standards of integrity and sacrifice that we ask of others. The ultimate purpose of all religions is to serve and benefit humanity. This is why it is so important that religion always be used to effect the happiness and peace of all beings and not merely to convert others.   Still, in religion there are no national boundaries. A religion can and should be used by any people or person who finds it beneficial. What is important for each seeker is to choose a religion that is most suitable to himself or herself. But, the embracing of a particular religion does not mean the rejection of another religion or one's own community. In fact, it is important that those who embrace a religion should not cut themselves off from their own society; they should continue to live within their own community and in harmony with its members. By escaping from your own community, you cannot benefit others, whereas benefiting others is actually the basic aim of religion.   In this regard there are two things important to keep in mind: self-examination and self-correction. We should constantly check our attitude toward others, examining ourselves carefully, and we should correct ourselves immediately when we find we are in the wrong.   Finally, a few words about material progress. I have heard a great deal of complaint against material progress from Westerners, and yet, paradoxically, it has been the very pride of the Western world. I see nothing wrong with material progress per se, provided people are always given precedence. It is my firm belief that in order to solve human problems in all their dimensions, we must combine and harmonize economic development with spiritual growth.   However, we must know its limitations. Although materialistic knowledge in the form of science and technology has contributed enormously to human welfare, it is not capable of creating lasting happiness. In America, for example, where technological development is perhaps more advanced than in any other country, there is still a great deal of mental suffering. This is because materialistic knowledge can only provide a type of happiness that is dependent upon physical conditions. It cannot provide happiness that springs from inner development independent of external factors.   For renewal of human values and attainment of lasting happiness, we need to look to the common humanitarian heritage of all nations the world over. May this essay serve as an urgent reminder lest we forget the human values that unite us all as a single family on this planet.   I have written the above lines To tell my constant feeling. Whenever I meet even a 'foreigner', I have always the same feeling: 'I am meeting another member of the human family., This attitude has deepened My affection and respect for all beings. May this natural wish be My small contribution to world peace. I pray for a more friendly, More caring, and more understanding Human family on this planet. To all who dislike suffering, Who cherish lasting happiness - This is my heartfelt appeal.

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World Peace Essay: Prompts, How-to Guide, & 200+ Topics

Throughout history, people have dreamed of a world without violence, where harmony and justice reign. This dream of world peace has inspired poets, philosophers, and politicians for centuries. But is it possible to achieve peace globally? Writing a world peace essay will help you find the answer to this question and learn more about the topic.

In this article, our custom writing team will discuss how to write an essay on world peace quickly and effectively. To inspire you even more, we have prepared writing prompts and topics that can come in handy.

• ✍️ Writing Guide
• 🦄 Essay Prompts
• ✔️ World Peace Topics
• 🌎 Pacifism Topics
• ✌️ Catchy Essay Titles
• 🕊️ Research Topics on Peace
• 💡 War and Peace Topics
• ☮️ Peace Title Ideas
• 🌐 Peace Language Topics

🔗 References

✍️ how to achieve world peace essay writing guide.

Stuck with your essay about peace? Here is a step-by-step writing guide with many valuable tips to make your paper well-structured and compelling.

1. Research the Topic

The first step in writing your essay on peace is conducting research. You can look for relevant sources in your university library, encyclopedias, dictionaries, book catalogs, periodical databases, and Internet search engines. Besides, you can use your lecture notes and textbooks for additional information.

Among the variety of sources that could be helpful for a world peace essay, we would especially recommend checking the Global Peace Index report . It presents the most comprehensive data-driven analysis of current trends in world peace. It’s a credible report by the Institute for Economics and Peace, so you can cite it as a source in your aper.

Here are some other helpful resources where you can find information for your world peace essay:

• United Nations Peacekeeping
• International Peace Institute
• United States Institute of Peace
• European Union Institute for Security Studies
• Stockholm International Peace Research Institute

2. Create an Outline

Outlining is an essential aspect of the essay writing process. It helps you plan how you will connect all the facts to support your thesis statement.

To write an outline for your essay about peace, follow these steps:

• Determine your topic and develop a thesis statement .
• Choose the main points that will support your thesis and will be covered in your paper.
• Organize your ideas in a logical order.
• Think about transitions between paragraphs.

Here is an outline example for a “How to Achieve World Peace” essay. Check it out to get a better idea of how to structure your paper.

• Definition of world peace.
• The importance of global peace.
• Thesis statement: World peace is attainable through combined efforts on individual, societal, and global levels.
• Practive of non-violent communication.
• Development of healthy relationships.
• Promotion of conflict resolution skills.
• Promotion of democracy and human rights.
• Support of peacebuilding initiatives.
• Protection of cultural diversity.
• Encouragement of arms control and non-proliferation.
• Promotion of international law and treaties.
• Support of intercultural dialogue and understanding.
• Restated thesis.
• Call to action.

You can also use our free essay outline generator to structure your world peace essay.

3. Write Your World Peace Essay

Now, it’s time to use your outline to write an A+ paper. Here’s how to do it:

• Start with the introductory paragraph , which states the topic, presents a thesis, and provides a roadmap for your essay. If you need some assistance with this part, try our free introduction generator .
• Your essay’s main body should contain at least 3 paragraphs. Each of them should provide explanations and evidence to develop your argument.
• Finally, in your conclusion , you need to restate your thesis and summarize the points you’ve covered in the paper. It’s also a good idea to add a closing sentence reflecting on your topic’s significance or encouraging your audience to take action. Feel free to use our essay conclusion generator to develop a strong ending for your paper.

4. Revise and Proofread

Proofreading is a way to ensure your essay has no typos and grammar mistakes. Here are practical tips for revising your work:

• Take some time. Leaving your essay for a day or two before revision will give you a chance to look at it from another angle.
• Read out loud. To catch run-on sentences or unclear ideas in your writing, read it slowly and out loud. You can also use our Read My Essay to Me tool.
• Make a checklist . Create a list for proofreading to ensure you do not miss any important details, including structure, punctuation, capitalization, and formatting.
• Ask someone for feedback. It is always a good idea to ask your professor, classmate, or friend to read your essay and give you constructive criticism on the work.
• Note down the mistakes you usually make. By identifying your weaknesses, you can work on them to become a more confident writer.

🦄 World Peace Essay Writing Prompts

Looking for an interesting idea for your world peace essay? Look no further! Use our writing prompts to get a dose of inspiration.

How to Promote Peace in the Community Essay Prompt

Promoting peace in the world always starts in small communities. If people fight toxic narratives, negative stereotypes, and hate crimes, they will build a strong and united community and set a positive example for others.

In your essay on how to promote peace in the community, you can dwell on the following ideas:

• Explain the importance of accepting different opinions in establishing peace in your area.
• Analyze how fighting extremism in all its forms can unite the community and create a peaceful environment.
• Clarify what peace means in the context of your community and what factors contribute to or hinder it.
• Investigate the role of dialogue in resolving conflicts and building mutual understanding in the community.

How to Promote Peace as a Student Essay Prompt

Students, as an active part of society, can play a crucial role in promoting peace at various levels. From educational entities to worldwide conferences, they have an opportunity to introduce the idea of peace for different groups of people.

Check out the following fresh ideas for your essay on how to promote peace as a student:

• Analyze how information campaigns organized by students can raise awareness of peace-related issues.
• Discuss the impact of education in fostering a culture of peace.
• Explore how students can use social media to advocate for a peaceful world.
• Describe your own experience of taking part in peace-promoting campaigns or programs.

How Can We Maintain Peace in Our Society Essay Prompt

Maintaining peace in society is a difficult but achievable task that requires constant attention and effort from all members of society.

We have prepared ideas that can come in handy when writing an essay about how we can maintain peace in our society:

• Investigate the role of tolerance, understanding of different cultures, and respect for religions in promoting peace in society.
• Analyze the importance of peacekeeping organizations.
• Provide real-life examples of how people promote peace.
• Offer practical suggestions for how individuals and communities can work together to maintain peace.

Youth Creating a Peaceful Future Essay Prompt

Young people are the future of any country, as well as the driving force to create a more peaceful world. Their energy and motivation can aid in finding new methods of coping with global hate and violence.

In your essay, you can use the following ideas to show the role of youth in creating a peaceful world:

• Analyze the key benefits of youth involvement in peacekeeping.
• Explain why young people are leading tomorrow’s change today.
• Identify the main ingredients for building a peaceful generation with the help of young people’s initiatives.
• Investigate how adolescent girls can be significant agents of positive change in their communities.

Is World Peace Possible Essay Prompt

Whether or not the world can be a peaceful place is one of the most controversial topics. While most people who hear the question “Is a world without war possible?” will probably answer “no,” others still believe in the goodness of humanity.

To discuss in your essay if world peace is possible, use the following ideas:

• Explain how trade, communication, and technology can promote cooperation and the peaceful resolution of conflicts.
• Analyze the role of international organizations like the United Nations and the European Union in maintaining peace in the world.
• Investigate how economic inequality poses a severe threat to peace and safety.
• Dwell on the key individual and national interests that can lead to conflict and competition between countries.

✔️ World Peace Topics for Essays

To help get you started with writing, here’s a list of 200 topics you can use for your future essTo help get you started with writing a world peace essay, we’ve prepared a list of topics you can use:

• Defining peace
• Why peace is better: benefits of living in harmony
• Is world peace attainable? Theory and historical examples
• Sustainable peace: is peace an intermission of war?
• Peaceful coexistence: how a society can do without wars
• Peaceful harmony or war of all against all: what came first?
• The relationship between economic development and peace
• Peace and Human Nature: Can Humans Live without Conflicts?
• Prerequisites for peace: what nations need to refrain from war?
• Peace as an unnatural phenomenon: why people tend to start a war?
• Peace as a natural phenomenon: why people avoid starting a war?
• Is peace the end of the war or its beginning?
• Hybrid war and hybrid peace
• What constitutes peace in the modern world
• Does two countries’ not attacking each other constitute peace?
• “Cold peace” in the international relations today
• What world religions say about world peace
• Defining peacemaking
• Internationally recognized symbols of peace
• World peace: a dream or a goal?

🌎 Peace Essay Topics on Pacifism

• History of pacifism: how the movement started and developed
• Role of the pacifist movement in the twentieth-century history
• Basic philosophical principles of pacifism
• Pacifism as philosophy and as a movement
• The peace sign: what it means
• How the pacifist movement began: actual causes
• The anti-war movements: what did the activists want?
• The relationship between pacifism and the sexual revolution
• Early pacifism: examples from ancient times
• Is pacifism a religion?
• Should pacifists refrain from any kinds of violence?
• Is the pacifist movement a threat to the national security?
• Can a pacifist work in law enforcement authorities?
• Pacifism and non-violence: comparing and contrasting
• The pacifist perspective on the concept of self-defense
• Pacifism in art: examples of pacifistic works of art
• Should everyone be a pacifist?
• Pacifism and diet: should every pacifist be a vegetarian?
• How pacifists respond to oppression
• The benefits of an active pacifist movement for a country

✌️ Interesting Essay Titles about Peace

• Can the country that won a war occupy the one that lost?
• The essential peace treaties in history
• Should a country that lost a war pay reparations?
• Peace treaties that caused new, more violent wars
• Can an aggressor country be deprived of the right to have an army after losing a war?
• Non-aggression pacts do not prevent wars
• All the countries should sign non-aggression pacts with one another
• Peace and truces: differences and similarities
• Do countries pursue world peace when signing peace treaties?
• The treaty of Versailles: positive and negative outcomes
• Ceasefires and surrenders: the world peace perspective
• When can a country break a peace treaty?
• Dealing with refugees and prisoners of war under peace treaties
• Who should resolve international conflicts?
• The role of the United Nations in enforcing peace treaties
• Truce envoys’ immunities
• What does a country do after surrendering unconditionally?
• A separate peace: the ethical perspective
• Can a peace treaty be signed in modern-day hybrid wars?
• Conditions that are unacceptable in a peace treaty

🕊️ Research Topics on Peace and Conflict Resolution

• Can people be forced to stop fighting?
• Successful examples of peace restoration through the use of force
• Failed attempts to restore peace with legitimate violence
• Conflict resolution vs conflict transformation
• What powers peacemakers should not have
• Preemptive peacemaking: can violence be used to prevent more abuse?
• The status of peacemakers in the international law
• Peacemaking techniques: Gandhi’s strategies
• How third parties can reconcile belligerents
• The role of the pacifist movement in peacemaking
• The war on wars: appropriate and inappropriate approaches to peacemaking
• Mistakes that peacemakers often stumble upon
• The extent of peacemaking : when the peacemakers’ job is done
• Making peace and sustaining it: how peacemakers prevent future conflicts
• The origins of peacemaking
• What to do if peacemaking does not work
• Staying out: can peacemaking make things worse?
• A personal reflection on the effectiveness of peacemaking
• Prospects of peacemaking
• Personal experience of peacemaking

💡 War and Peace Essay Topics

• Counties should stop producing new types of firearms
• Countries should not stop producing new types of weapons
• Mutual assured destruction as a means of sustaining peace
• The role of nuclear disarmament in world peace
• The nuclear war scenario: what will happen to the world?
• Does military intelligence contribute to sustaining peace?
• Collateral damage: analyzing the term
• Can the defenders of peace take up arms?
• For an armed person, is killing another armed person radically different from killing an unarmed one? Ethical and legal perspectives
• Should a healthy country have a strong army?
• Firearms should be banned
• Every citizen has the right to carry firearms
• The correlation between gun control and violence rates
• The second amendment: modern analysis
• Guns do not kill: people do
• What weapons a civilian should never be able to buy
• Biological and chemical weapons
• Words as a weapon: rhetoric wars
• Can a pacifist ever use a weapon?
• Can dropping weapons stop the war?

☮️ Peace Title Ideas for Essays

• How the nuclear disarmament emblem became the peace sign
• The symbolism of a dove with an olive branch
• Native Americans’ traditions of peace declaration
• The mushroom cloud as a cultural symbol
• What the world peace awareness ribbon should look like
• What I would like to be the international peace sign
• The history of the International Day of Peace
• The peace sign as an accessory
• The most famous peace demonstrations
• Hippies’ contributions to the peace symbolism
• Anti-war and anti-military symbols
• How to express pacifism as a political position
• The rainbow as a symbol of peace
• Can a white flag be considered a symbol of peace?
• Examples of the inappropriate use of the peace sign
• The historical connection between the peace sign and the cannabis leaf sign
• Peace symbols in different cultures
• Gods of war and gods of peace: examples from the ancient mythology
• Peace sign tattoo: pros and cons
• Should the peace sign be placed on a national flag?

🌐 Essay Topics about Peace Language

• The origin and historical context of the word “peace”
• What words foreign languages use to denote “peace”
• What words, if any, should a pacifist avoid?
• The pacifist discourse: key themes
• Disintegration language: “us” vs “them”
• How to combat war propaganda
• Does political correctness promote world peace?
• Can an advocate of peace be harsh in his or her speeches?
• Effective persuasive techniques in peace communications and negotiations
• Analyzing the term “world peace”
• If the word “war” is forbidden, will wars stop?
• Is “peacemaking” a right term?
• Talk to the hand: effective and ineffective interpersonal communication techniques that prevent conflicts
• The many meanings of the word “peace”
• The pacifists’ language: when pacifists swear, yell, or insult
• Stressing similarities instead of differences as a tool of peace language
• The portrayal of pacifists in movies
• The portrayals of pacifists in fiction
• Pacifist lyrics: examples from the s’ music
• Poems that supported peace The power of the written word
• Peaceful coexistence: theory and practice
• Under what conditions can humans coexist peacefully?
• “A man is a wolf to another man”: the modern perspective
• What factors prevent people from committing a crime?
• Right for peace vs need for peace
• Does the toughening of punishment reduce crime?
• The Stanford prison experiment: implications
• Is killing natural?
• The possibility of universal love: does disliking always lead to conflicts?
• Basic income and the dynamics of thefts
• Hobbesian Leviathan as the guarantee of peace
• Is state-concentrated legitimate violence an instrument for reducing violence overall?
• Factors that undermine peaceful coexistence
• Living in peace vs living for peace
• The relationship between otherness and peacefulness
• World peace and human nature: the issue of attainability
• The most successful examples of peaceful coexistence
• Lack of peace as lack of communication
• Point made: counterculture and pacifism
• What Woodstock proved to world peace nonbelievers and opponents?
• Woodstock and peaceful coexistence: challenges and successes
• Peace, economics, and quality of life
• Are counties living in peace wealthier? Statistics and reasons
• Profits of peace and profits of war: comparison of benefits and losses
• Can a war improve the economy? Discussing examples
• What is more important for people: having appropriate living conditions or winning a war?
• How wars can improve national economies: the perspective of aggressors and defenders
• Peace obstructers: examples of interest groups that sustained wars and prevented peace
• Can democracies be at war with one another?
• Does the democratic rule in a country provide it with an advantage at war?
• Why wars destroy economies: examples, discussion, and counterarguments
• How world peace would improve everyone’s quality of life
• Peace and war today
• Are we getting closer to world peace? Violence rates, values change, and historical comparison
• The peaceful tomorrow: how conflicts will be resolved in the future if there are no wars
• Redefining war: what specific characteristics today’s wars have that make them different from previous centuries’ wars
• Why wars start today: comparing and contrasting the reasons for wars in the modern world to historical examples
• Subtle wars: how two countries can be at war with each other without having their armies collide in the battlefield
• Cyber peace: how cyberwars can be stopped
• Information as a weapon: how information today lands harder blows than bombs and missiles
• Information wars: how the abundance of information and public access to it have not, nonetheless, eliminated propaganda
• Peace through defeating: how ISIS is different from other states, and how can its violence be stopped
• Is world peace a popular idea? Do modern people mostly want peace or mainly wish to fight against other people and win?
• Personal contributions to world peace
• What can I do for attaining world peace? Personal reflection
• Respect as a means of attaining peace: why respecting people is essential not only on the level of interpersonal communications but also on the level of social good
• Peacefulness as an attitude: how one’s worldview can prevent conflicts
• Why a person engages in insulting and offending: analysis of psychological causes and a personal perspective
• A smile as an agent of peace: how simple smiling to people around you contributes to peacefulness
• Appreciating otherness: how one can learn to value diversity and avoid xenophobia
• Peace and love: how the two are inherently interconnected in everyone’s life
• A micro-level peacemaker: my experiences of resolving conflicts and bringing peace
• Forgiveness for the sake of peace: does forgiving other people contribute to peaceful coexistence or promote further conflicts?
• Noble lies: is it acceptable for a person to lie to avoid conflicts and preserve peace?
• What should a victim do? Violent and non-violent responses to violence
• Standing up for the weak : is it always right to take the side of the weakest?
• Self-defense, overwhelming emotions, and witnessing horrible violence: could I ever shoot another person?
• Are there “fair” wars, and should every war be opposed?
• Protecting peace: could I take up arms to prevent a devastating war?
• Reporting violence: would I participate in sending a criminal to prison?
• The acceptability of violence against perpetrators: personal opinion
• Nonviolent individual resistance to injustice
• Peace is worth it: why I think wars are never justified
• How I sustain peace in my everyday life

Learn more on this topic:

• If I Could Change the World Essay: Examples and Writing Guide
• Ending the Essay: Conclusions
• Choosing and Narrowing a Topic to Write About
• Introduction to Research
• How the U.S. Can Help Humanity Achieve World Peace
• Ten Steps to World Peace
• How World Peace is Possible
• World Peace Books and Articles
• World Peace and Nonviolence
• The Leader of World Peace Essay
• UNO and World Peace Essay
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• Share to LinkedIn
• Share to email

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A very, very good paragraph. thanks

Peace and conflict studies actually is good field because is dealing on how to manage the conflict among the two state or country.

Keep it up. Our world earnestly needs peace

A very, very good paragraph.

• Get involved

World peace is not only possible but inevitable

September 20, 2020.

Nika Saeedi

Team Leader, Prevention of Violent Extremism, UNDP's Global Focal Point on MHPSS; Religion; and Hate Speech

COVID-19 has shifted our world. Over the last six months, no matter where we live, our lives, assumptions, and relationships have changed. Now, more than ever, we have witnessed people from all backgrounds and all ages rise to assist each other

While communities have formed networks of mutual support, many of the institutions mandated to support them have failed to fully harness and amplify the wealth of capacities and support structures that already exist. In international development in particular, a key blind spot that limits the effectiveness of our work exists in the rhetoric we use to understand the communities we work with.

UNDP, along with many other partners, continues to advance new approaches to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, but our continued use of terminology that fails to fully embrace the power of people impedes the transformative potential of our work. This can also lead to inadequate policy and programming, or to insufficient – or inappropriate – action. One of the most prominent examples of this is our tendency to target support to individuals and communities facing poverty, conflict, or other sources of instability by identifying them as ‘vulnerable’ people.

For example, the problem with categorizing  women as vulnerable group project women’s passivity and helplessness, denying them agency and power in the processes of change. A radical reaction to portraying women as vulnerable in recent years has been an over glorification of women’s role as fighters in support of violent extremist groups, hindering their capacity and role as peacebuilders.

Words matter. They shape mindsets, and mindsets shapes approaches and outcomes. There is an important distinction between a vulnerable person and a person living in a vulnerable circumstance. When we define people by their circumstances, we fail to engage with them as multidimensional beings. It’s time for UNDP to move from using ‘vulnerability’ as a means of defining the people it supports, to considering all people as protagonists for change.

This might allow us  to meet people’s aspirations  and assist us in assessment and conceptualization of where inequality stems from and who has a role in combating it. By moving away from a deprivation perspective, which leads to divisive mentalities about the capacity of particular groups of people, we are better positioned to recognize the reality of humanity’s common journey in building a peaceful world, and the role of each individual as a protagonist in it. We can start this journey by changing the words we use and therefore the whole narrative from vulnerability to empowerment and constructive resilience.

Whether this reconceptualization of what unites us to be reached only after a global crisis such as this pandemic has revealed the cost of humanity’s stubborn clinging to old patterns of behaviour, or is to be reached through consultation and dialogue, is the choice before all.

We can choose to graduate from the idea of labeling women, youth, racial, religious and ethnic minorities as ‘vulnerable groups in the discussions that guide our decision-making. We can embark on a journey with greater clarity of vision and determination to question and reflect on how our policy and programming promote the nobility of them and draw on their experience.

To accept that the individual, the community, and the institutions of society are the protagonists of civilization building, and to act accordingly, opens up great possibilities for human happiness and allows for the creation of environments in which the true powers of the human spirit can be released.

Several opportunities to enhance our work with peacebuilders, activists, and other populations in bringing about sustainable change and to ensure we recognize and articulate with greater clarity their latent capacity may include the following:

• To  stand with women peacebuilders to ensure they are recognized for their work and courage, have full inclusion and representation in local and global peace and recovery processes and are protected against threats and are receiving the resources  to carry out their work. This year will mark the 20th anniversary of WPS, and UNDP is proud to join the International Civil Society Action Network(ICAN) and the Women’s Alliance for Security Leadership (WASL) as they launch the global #shebuildspeace call to action and campaign building on our partnership on Invisible Women .  
• To recognize the powers endowed in people of faith, especially women of faith, at all levels. Women of faith are actively engaging in the local peace process and they are advocating against hate speech, initiatives addressing issues connected to the environment, like climate. UNDP and UN Women report on Conflicting Identities: The Nexus between Masculinities, Femininities and Violent Extremism in Asia recommend Programming take a whole-of-family and hole-of-community approach when designing interventions. 
• To recognize the essentiality of community-based peacebuilding as parallel or pre-requisite to high-level negotiations. The effects of COVID-19 proved that local trust, access and resilience is essential part of social cohesion .  
• To include and appreciate young climate change advocates , environmental defenders and environmental journalists who have recognized that creation is an organic whole and they are promoting systems required to respect the earth and to organize and fully utilize its raw materials. Their inclusion in essential in programs that promote just, peaceful and inclusive societies. 
• To acknowledge the role of storytellers who provoke conversations, initiate reflections and ; and work of volunteer online defenders  and work of volunteer online defenders from across the globe combating trolls who spread hate speech.
• To show gratitude to the unique contribution of Indigenous peoples to our planet and our common future. 
• To recognize persons with disabilities as having significant experience and innovative approaches to navigating barriers in their daily lives.
• To learn how people make decisions and act on them, how they think about, influence, and relate to one another, and how they develop beliefs and attitudes. We are working with young people to apply behavioral insights to address violent extremism in countries such as Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

The innovation and resilience shown by communities amidst the pandemic have underscored the need for more expansive understandings of human relationships, and to place more emphasis on identifying the latent capacities and desires of those we hope to serve. This means believing in people and their desires to be sources of peace and justice. This means opening our eyes to the extent of people’s capacity so that we can see more peacebuilders and changemakers in more places. This means embracing the oneness of humankind and human nobility as a foundation for how we develop our policies and programmes.

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Question of the Month

How can we achieve world peace, each answer below receives a book. apologies to the entrants not included..

To know how to achieve world peace, we first have to define it. When we talk about peace, we’re envisioning more than just the absence of conflict. It’s about creating an environment where harmony reigns, where needs are met, and suffering is minimized. So world considers the interactions not only among people, but also between humanity and nature; while peace , in this context, entails establishing a situation where resources are fairly distributed among all living beings without harming the environment. As such, world peace is about ensuring that everyone has access to the essentials for a decent quality of life while minimizing suffering and negative environmental impacts.

Is such a state achievable? Can we sustainably feed the world’s population without destructively depleting our natural resources? Should we consider measures like limiting population growth or resource consumption? Moreover, we must grapple with the complexities of human diversity. Does peace look the same for everyone, or are there individual or cultural variations? And do all humans truly desire peace, or do some prefer a system that allows individuals to accumulate more resources than others, leading to conflict?

To address these questions and work towards global harmony, we need a multi-faceted approach that considers politics, education and society. Policies that prioritize environmental conservation, equitable resource distribution, and social justice, can pave the way for a peaceful world. By promoting understanding of environmental sustainability, empathy, and conflict resolution through education, we can cultivate a culture of peace from a young age. Finally, by fostering dialogue, collaboration, and mutual respect among diverse groups we can bridge divides and build solidarity within and between societies. Ultimately, achieving world peace requires a collective effort. It demands a global commitment to values of compassion, justice, and sustainability.

Karin Schann, Madrid

It is tempting to omit the ‘How’, and answer the remaining question: ‘Can we achieve world peace?’ – in which case the answer is: sadly, probably not, at least in the foreseeable future. However, it is a most desirable goal. And let the goal be framed in the broadest meaning of ‘Peace’ – namely that ‘the lion shall lie down with the lamb, and justice shall prevail throughout the world’.

Since the earliest hominids left the trees, there has been chimpanzee-style conflict between groups, over territory, food, sex. That probably motivated our spread out of Africa and eventually throughout the world. Throughout history there have continued to be conflicts over land, resources, religion, ideas. For some three centuries now the driver of human development has been capitalism, and the world has seen great, but very unequal, progress. But capitalism fosters competition, greed, exploitation, injustice – and hence more conflict. With a world population now over eight billion and the limited resources of one small planet, mankind must find ways to live in harmony, with justice for all. It may take an existential threat, like global warning, or another pandemic, or an impending asteroid strike, to galvanise all nations into positive, cooperative action. Response to climate change is the immediate imperative, and must be addressed through fairer sharing of the world’s resources and technological knowledge, and greater justice for all nations. Boosting the authority and financing of the United Nations is a first step, together with strenuous efforts to improve health and education worldwide, and the relieving or even elimination of poverty and food shortages. As John F. Kennedy so presciently said in his inaugural address: “This will not be finished in the first 100 days, or even in the first 1000 days, nor in the life of this administration… But let us begin!” The future of humanity demands that we wake up to our collective failings, and take concerted and continuous action to eliminate them.

David J. Morris, Oxford

It often seems that the history of humanity is one of war and conflict: that it is human nature to war against each other, and so war is unavoidable, and peace impossible. The ancient Chinese philosopher/military theorist Sun Tzu wrote that diplomacy must be favoured over war, but acknowledged that sometimes wars must be fought. Even saints such as Thomas Aquinas have written about when war is justified rather than simply condoning pacificism. Therefore, it might be good look at the reasons for warfare, and asking whether these could, to any degree, be remedied, creating an at least partial world peace.

The greatest causes of warfare are arguably, extreme nationalistic sentiments, causing parties to stake a claim to a specific region over which they desire greater sovereignty or social-political rights. This is the case even when these claims are expressed in other terms (‘a jihad’, or a ‘crusade’, against ‘unbelievers’, or ‘terrorists’, etc). So if we could assuage extreme nationalist sentiments, we may go a long way towards securing world peace.

To achieve this, we might be well-advised to create a greater culture of diplomacy between nations: seeing war as a symptom of failure, and something relied on only as a last resort (if our own nation is invaded or attacked). Even if this is difficult, costly and time-consuming, it must be preferred over war. We may also encourage greater respect for other nations and cultures, by supporting international treaties and legislation defending their rights; and create greater social, political and economic cooperation between nation-states. All this may prevent the growth of animosity between nations. Arguably, the existence of the European Union has averted the European-led warfare that marred the last century, bringing lasting peace to its previously antagonistic member-states. We may even appeal to our common humanity above all cultural and nationalistic concerns: after all, every human alive has a common ancestor, perhaps as little as eighty thousand years ago. Therefore, if we are both more considerate of other peoples’ rights to self-determination, whilst being simultaneously more aware of our common humanity, we should be going in the right direction towards – and, perhaps, eventually achieving – world peace.

Jonathan Tipton, Penwortham, Lancashire

When the UN Charter was adopted in June 1945, following two catastrophic world wars, it set as one of its objectives to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. Since then, the United Nations, the world’s foremost institution of global governance, has dedicated billions of dollars towards peacekeeping and peacemaking initiatives. Yet although these interventions have had some positive outcomes, they have fallen short of delivering global peace. Even now the world is experiencing several active wars, in regions such as Ukraine, Sudan, Gaza, and so on.

The 193 UN Member States are currently engaged in intensive intergovernmental negotiations on the Pact For The Future. One of the key Chapters of these discussions is on The New Agenda for Peace. One of the major stumbling blocks that will inhibit general consensus, will be the narrow national interests of Member States, and geopolitical rivalries amongst the big powers, particularly the five Permanent Members of the UN Security Council. The foremost dilemma confronting a global order of the sort envisaged in the founding provisions of the UN Charter has been how to balance the interests of nation-states as nation-states against those of nation-states as members of the ‘international community’. And to truly do justice to the notion of international community, member states need to achieve harmony with each other. For that to happen, member states need to exercise solidarity with each other, rather than being driven by realpolitik of the sort championed by the likes of Henry Kissinger.

Karl Marx made the bold claim that “the philosophers have hitherto only interpreted the world in various ways. The point, however, is to change it.” Philosophy has an important role to play in the pursuit of global peace, as the world needs re-interpretation. The global peace architecture such as the Security Council still resembles the post World War II order, close to eight decades after the formation of the United Nations.

Masotsha Mnguni, New York

If peace means not only the absence of war, but also harmonious social conditions, the means to achieve and maintain it will be as dynamic as the world’s diverse political, social, and cultural ecologies. Top-down abstract approaches to peace – like those envisioned optimistically in Dante’s On World Government or pessimistically in the fictional totalitarian states of Huxley’s Brave New World or Zamyatin’s We – are not about people. They are about ideas of people. It is not surprising that these abstract theories do not account for the variance of human experience. In treating people as an undifferentiated mass, universal theories of peace fail to recognize humans as individuals, and not just political creatures. Perhaps that is why, against the powerful urges at the transnational level to nullify, or at least ‘bracket’ (to borrow a phrase from Carl Schmitt’s Nomos of the Earth ) conflict, top-down approaches to peace have lacked the widespread success once anticipated.

Real peace, not abstract notions of peace, occurs bottom-up. It appears not as a legal duty but as a societal norm. Peace is not legislated; it is constructed. Universal peaceful traits, such as humility, restraint, and forgiveness, become meaningful only when understood in terms of individual lives. So to effect change, peaceful values must be advocated for within a particular context, and account for the sentiments, passions, and experience of individuals.

How best to promote peaceful values, then? Perhaps the best place to begin is through education. As Hannah Arendt said in The Crisis in Education (1958): “Education is the point at which we decide whether we love the world enough to assume responsibility for it”, and how we prepare our children “for the task of renewing a common world.” It seems that if ‘we’ are seeking a common world where we can live harmoniously with each other, the first step is teaching that peace is a virtue that’s honored by our society, and infused in our cultural understandings of what it means to be ‘us’.

Chris Swartz, North Potomac, Maryland

There are many aspects to this question, not least according to whether one is an optimist or a pessimist. It’s well known that people underestimate the duration and cost of a project even when it’s their profession, because people are generally optimists by default. Only pessimists are realistic. I’m in the latter category.

There are a number of factors that mitigate against world peace – the primary one being that humans are inherently tribal and quick to form ingroup-outgroup partitions, as exemplified by politics the world over. In this situation, rational thought and reasoned argument take a back seat to confirmation bias and emotive rhetoric. Add to this dynamic the oft-repeated phenomena that we follow charismatic, cult-propagating leaders, and you have a recipe for destruction on a national scale. This is the biggest obstacle to world peace. These leaders thrive on and cultivate division with a demonisation of the ‘other’. The focus for all of society’s ills becomes an outgroup identified by nationality, race, skin-colour, culture or religion, etc.

Wealth, or the lack of it, is a factor too. Inequality provides a motive and a rationale for conflict. It often goes hand-in-hand with oppression, but even when it doesn’t, the anger and resentment can be politicised by populist leaders whose agenda is more focused on their own sense of deluded historical significance than actually helping the people they supposedly serve. As you have leaders who refuse to compromise, you’ll never find peace. Only moderates on both sides can broker peace.

So, while I’m a pessimist (or realist), I do see a ‘how’. If we only elect leaders who seek and find consensus, and remove leaders who sow division, there is a chance. The best leaders are the ones who bring out the best in others and are not just feeding their own egos. But this is easier said than done, as we are witnessing right now. For as long as we elect leaders who are narcissistic and cultish, we will continue to sow the seeds of destruction.

Paul P. Mealing, Melbourne

World peace could be considered at the global, country or individual level.

Addressing the global level first, countries are often incapable of acting in a responsible global-centric away if left to their own devices. But the United Nations currently has the same degree of utility as a chocolate teapot. Key changes would be to remove powers of veto, enable it to make proper enforceable decisions, and give it the wherewithal to actually enforce those decisions. This requires giving the UN a standing army and the powers to force countries into mediation. There would also need to be some beefing up of the powers of the International Criminal Court which UN members should not be allowed to resign from. Finally, there would need to be proper agreement on things which are not currently ‘owned’, such as the oceans, the Arctic/Antarctic, air space and other planets.

At a national level, much harm has resulted from the election of narcissistic sociopathic megalomaniacs intent only on consolidating their positions. Elections are often a sham. It should be possible to draft robust constitutional guidelines enforceable by the UN which countries would need to adhere to. Also, the effect of religion on the quality of countries’ governance and legislation is highly debateable, and it is likely to be beneficial for religious principles to be made subservient to the laws of the country. Borders create a natural tension with other countries. In the long term it would be beneficial if countries were more of an administrative unit than a fortress. But this would require major policies of wealth and resource redistribution in order to avoid mass immigration from developing countries.

At the individual level, the human race has become the predominant life form because of our capacity for learning, planning, and developing. Unfortunately, with this has come acquisitiveness and competition. It seems likely that with the greater influence of technology there will need to be some alterations in the concepts of work, progress, and wealth acquisition. If individuals can focus more on cooperation, personal development and contentment, this is likely to feed into their nation’s foreign policy. Education and encouragement of social-responsibility will also have a part to play.

Julian Stafford, Cambridge

But can we? After WWI, and to a lesser extent WWII, there was the cry of ‘never again’ – but we did it again. Our species carried on doing what it has done since history was recorded, and has continued to find reasons to destroy and to kill.

However, there has been a change. Since the first atomic bombs in the 1940s there has been continuous research and development by very clever people in nuclear weaponry and other weapon systems. We know this not mainly from seeing the results, but by being aware of the expertise, secrecy and funding put into them under the heading of ‘defence’. Our principal defence against using these modern weapons has been our belief that by using them our species would risk extinction. We have proxy wars instead, restricted to old-fashioned ‘conventional’ weapons so the casualties are regarded as acceptable, provided escalation to nuclear weapons is avoided by the sponsoring powers. We hope this will last; that there will be no nuclear exchange and so no extinction. But we are human beings, and given our motivations why would we expect this to continue? There does appear to be an instinct within our species to fight, and it appears to be sufficiently strong under the ‘right’ circumstances to outweigh all other considerations. Our time may be relatively short.

There are alternatives. These would need humanity to reject fighting and change in ways not experienced before. Amongst other things there would need to be changes in people’s attitudes to national leaders, to each other, wherever they live on our planet, and to our own individual sense of worth and worthiness.

It’s difficult to be optimistic.

Steve Hubbard, Beccles, Suffolk

From peace platitudes to the most powerful anti-war advisories and caveats, to the utmost in heart-rending songs, through the TED talks, to the centuries of sermons, poetry and music, to the lengthy and profound peace advocacy in books such as The Iliad and War and Peace to Fromkin’s A Peace To End All Peace , to UN publications warning about the catastrophe of nuclear weapons… None of these philosophical commentaries, songs, poems, histories, or political science investigations have, for the last five thousand years or so, brought us a general and lasting peace. And we are now, incredibly, possibly at the start of another world war.

It’s not that these great and wise counsels aren’t insightful and valid; it is that they’re all preaching a sermon to a species wired to be essentially aggressive and avaricious. It is true that humans can behave in a prosocial (peaceful) manner. But when our frequent violent and gluttonous behaviors emerge, worldwide disasters such as war and greedy exploitation endlessly result.

So, what can save us from our profoundly stupid and socially immature actions? Physical Control of the Mind: Toward a Psychocivilized Society (1969) is a brilliant neuroscience study and program by Jose M.R. Delgado and his Yale colleagues that advocates for, and demonstrates, the use of Deep Brain Stimulation (brain manipulation) for human prosocial (peaceful) behavior.

“Frankenstein!” you say. Yet brain interventions are currently effectively being used therapeutically in brain and mind disorders from epilepsy to Parkinson’s to depression. But what’s this got to do with our general ‘healthy’ human behavior?

Effective prosocial scientific correction may be still some years away. But a prosocial, psychocivilized, society is a realistic hope! The most urgent scientific challenge is understanding human behavior. End the futile preaching. Support a true cure – a scientific correction for our heretofore terrible human nature.

Tom Baranski, Somerset, New Jersey

In early Greek thought, peace, a state of affairs caused by what Martha Nussbaum calls ‘fostering natural and social circumstances’, was considered a prerequisite for a flourishing life.To truly live well required favourable circumstances such as prosperity and good fortune, as well as a prevailing peace that ensured safe sanctuary and fertile ground for the provision of our needs.

What then is ‘peace’? A helpful starting point might be with the Norwegian sociologist Johan Galtung, who argued that peace is a set of social arrangements where violence is absent. In his essay Violence, Peace and Peace Research (1969), Galtung further argues that peace is not simply the absence of overt physical aggression but also requires the removal of deeper structural violence that pervades institutions and wider society. This broader definition of peace sees peace-building as the creation of institutions and structures that sustain peaceful societies.

The pursuit of any utopia or positive goal-oriented endeavour, however, always runs the risk of perpetuating the very violence it purports to reject, since such projects contain assumptions which have the potential to generate forms of oppression. In Beyond Peace Education: Toward Co-Poiesis and Enduring Improvisation (2010), Ilan Gur-Ze’ev argues that “‘peace’ in a less than perfect world is a terrible condition” and that there may be circumstances under which it may justly be challenged or even violently resisted. Such views are also echoed by the likes of Herbert Marcuse in One-Dimensional Man (1964), his critique of the neo-capitalist order, with its “comfortable, smooth, reasonable, democratic unfreedom.”

So despite its rhetorical appeal, world peace in a less than perfect world is neither attainable nor, arguably, desirable. All utopias are, in essence, manifestations of power where individuals vie for hegemony so as to impose their particular vision of the good. The flourishing life, therefore, is not to be found in any universal ideal, but instead, in what Gur-Ze’ev labels a ‘negative utopia’: a society characterised by a rejection of ultimate ideals, ideologies, and dogma, in favour of a state of ‘eternal diaspora’ and a ‘homelessness’ that rejects an actual ‘promised land’.

Daniel Janke, Bristol

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The next question is: Which Philosophy Book Should Be Required Reading?

Please give and justify your answer in less than 400 words. The prize is a semi-random book from our book mountain. Email the Editor. Subject lines should be marked ‘Question of the Month’, and must be received by 17 June 2024. If you want a chance of getting a book, please include your physical address.

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Peace On Earth (Essay Sample) 2023

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Peace On Earth

How Can I Get Essay For Free and Is it realistic to expect a low-cost, High-Quality Essay from a Cheap Paper Writing Service ?

Peace on earth

Peace is the absence of war and other hostilities. Peace is hard to attain but almost impossible to live without. Since the era of documented history, there has been endless human conflicts that have led to loss of millions of lives. Even today, in the 21st century, there are still belligerent nations around the world engaging in war which affects their people. Additionally, there are civil wars and rebellions that have contributed significantly to absence of peace in these regions. Peace has been an elusive phenomenon sought by almost all humans. In the last century alone, one of its landmark and indelible occurrences were the first and second world wars that left more hundred million casualties and unimaginable human crisis. If the world would have noted from the effects of these two wars, the world would be a safer place.

Human conflict seems to be ingrained in our primal instincts. The evolution of man seems to have been hinged in wit and violence for survival. Over the years through evolution, survival tactics often started violence that became inculcated in their genes. Other creates in the animal kingdom seem to have similar instincts that spark violence and unrest among themselves. Therefore, it is likely that humans would still engage in wars and be hostile to each other even with enough resources for their survival.

The key drivers of war around the world is politics and religion. Ironically, all major religions in the world advocate for peace and preach it everywhere yet they are still engaged in wars purporting to be protecting their faith. Many human conflicts that have fueled wars have their root in religion and it continues to fuel more wars. Religion can be the answer to world peace and stability but as at now, there is no hope in sight and in the foreseeable future. Politicians also start wars for their own benefit and use the wars to enrich themselves through illegal trade and selling of armory and ammunition. Politics have ignited wars that have continually cost lives and destruction of property even in the 21st century. If these two factors are properly addressed, then the world stands a chance of witnessing peace. If these two issues are not addressed and collectively deliberated to arrive at amicable solutions that are not suppressing either parties, there could be a significant possibility for making history and living in a peaceful world in all corners of the planet.

Material needs also seem to play an important role in causing unrest and wars around the world. People keep on fighting for resources around the world. Countries and nations have gone to war over meagre resources as they seek to control over them. Equitable distribution of resources seems elusive with capitalism since many people feel used and exploited for the benefit of few. The discontentment stemming from unfair distribution of resources has led to deep-rooted hatred that has often been expressed through violence. Ironically, the fight for resources leads to more destruction of resources.

Concisely, the roadmap to peace seems to be hindered by religious blindness and polarized political landscape. This is however utopian thinking judging from current religious activities and political climate. Lack of peace has paradoxically led to various benefits to humans. Important discoveries such as Internet and cutting-edge technology for competitive edge in wars have found their way to our lives and revolutionized how we live and socialize. Lack of peace and wars thereof has led to important discoveries that have improved the living standards of many people. Therefore, lack of peace has awakened our creative selves and led to important discoveries that have impacted human lives positively.

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Alice Walker Tells Us How We Can Have Peace on Earth

Read an essay from Alice Walker’s book, Living by the Word .

Originally published in 1988, Living by the Word is a collection of Alice Walker’s writings between 1973 and 1987. Described as “passionate, political, personal and poetic” by Los Angeles Times , the essays cover everything from Alice’s experience with filming The Color Purple to her thoughts on pollution and nuclear war.

Below is her essay “The Universe Responds: Or, How I Learned We Can Have Peace on Earth.” Keep reading to discover Alice’s thoughts on how humans interact with animals, plants, and the universe.

To some people who read the following there will seem to be something special or perhaps strange about me. I have sometimes felt this way myself. To others, however, what I am about to write will appear obvious. I think our response to “strangeness” or “specialness” depends on where we are born, where we are raised, how much idle time we have had to watch trees (long enough at least to notice there is not an ugly one among them) swaying in the wind. Or to watch rivers, rainstorms, or the sea.

A few years ago, I wrote an essay called “Everything Is a Human Being,” which explores to some extent the Native American view that all of creation is of one substance and therefore deserving of the same respect. I described the death of a snake that I caused and wrote of my remorse. I wrote the piece to celebrate the birth of Martin Luther King, Jr., and I read it first to a large group of college students in California. I also read it other places, so that by summer (I had written it in winter) it had been read three or four times, and because I cannot bear to repeat myself very much, I put it away.

Related: Beyond The Color Purple : 9 Must-Read Alice Walker Books  

That summer “my” land in the country crawled with snakes. There was always the large resident snake, whom my mother named “Susie,” crawling about in the area that marks the entrance to my studio. But there were also lots of others wherever we looked. A black-and-white king snake appeared underneath the shower stall in the garden. A striped red-and-black one, very pretty, appeared near the pond. It now revealed the little hole in the ground in which it lived by lying half in and half out of it as it basked in the sun. Garden snakes crawled up and down the roads and paths. One day, leaving my house with a box of books in his arms, my companion literally tripped over one of these.

We spoke to all these snakes in friendly voices. They went their way. We went ours. After about a two-week bloom of snakes, we seemed to have our usual number: just Susie and a couple of her children.

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A few years later, I wrote an essay about a horse called Blue. It was about how humans treat horses and other animals; how hard it is for us to see them as the suffering, fully conscious, enslaved beings they are. It also marked the beginning of my effort to become non-meat-eating (fairly successful). After reading this essay in public only once, this is what happened. A white horse came and settled herself on the land. (Her owner, a neighbor, soon came to move her.) The two horses on the ranch across the road began to run up to their fence whenever I passed, leaning over it and making what sounded to my ears like joyful noises. They had never done this before (I checked with the human beings I lived with to be sure of this), and after a few more times of greeting me as if I’d done something especially nice for them, they stopped. Now when I pass they look at me with the same reserve they did before. But there is still a spark of recognition.

What to make of this?

What I have noticed in my small world is that if I praise the wild flowers growing on the hill in front of my house, the following year they double in profusion and brilliance. If I admire the squirrel that swings from branch to branch outside my window, pretty soon I have three or four squirrels to admire. If I look into the eyes of a raccoon that has awakened me by noisily rummaging through the garbage at night, and acknowledge that it looks maddeningly like a mischievous person—paws on hips, masked eyes, a certain impudent stance, as it looks back at me—I soon have a family of raccoons living in a tree a few yards off my deck. (From this tree they easily forage in the orchard at night and eat, or at least take bites out of, all the apples. Which is not fun. But that is another story.)

And then, too, there are the deer, who know they need never, ever fear me.

Related: 10 Alice Walker Quotes That Amaze and Inspire  

What I have noticed in my small world is that if I praise the wild flowers growing on the hill in front of my house, the following year they double in profusion and brilliance.

In white-directed movies about the Indians of the Old West, you sometimes see the “Indians” doing a rain dance, a means of praying for rain. The message delivered by the moviemaker is that such dancing and praying is ridiculous, that either it will rain or it will not. All white men know this. The Indians are backward and stupid and wasting their time. But there is also that last page or so in the story of Black Elk, in which his anthropologist/friend John Neihardt goes with him on a last visit to the Badlands to pray atop Harney Peak, a place sacred to the Sioux in the Black Hills. It is a cloudless day, but the ancient Black Elk hopes that the Great Spirit, as in the real “old” days, will acknowledge his prayer for the good of his people by sending at least a few drops of rain. As he prays, in his old, tired voice, mostly of his love of the Universe and his failure to be perfect, a small cloud indeed forms. It rains, just enough to say “Yes.” Then the sky clears. Even today there is the belief among many indigenous holy people that when a person of goodness dies, the Universe acknowledges the spirit’s departure by sending storms and rain.

Related: 10 Impactful Books By Diverse Voices  

The truth is, in the country, where I live much of the time, I am virtually overrun by birds and animals—raccoons, snakes, deer, horses (occasionally). During a recent court trial at which a neighbor and I both happened to find ourselves, her opening words of greeting included the information that two wild pigs she’d somehow captured had broken out and were, she feared, holed up somewhere on my land.

But at least, I thought, my house in the city is safe.

One night after dinner, as some friends were leaving my house, I opened my front door, only to have a large black dog walk gratefully inside. It had obviously been waiting quietly on the stoop. It came into the hallway, sniffed my hands, and prepared to make itself at home, exactly as if it had lived in my house all its life. There was no nervousness whatsoever about being an intruder. No, no, I said, out you go! It did not want to go, but my friends and I persuaded it. It settled itself at the door and there it stayed, barking reproachfully until I went to bed. Very late that night I heard its owners calling it. George! they called. George! Here, George! They were cursing and laughing. Drunk. George made no response.

I suddenly realized that George was not lost. He had run away. He had run away from these cursing, laughing drunks who were now trying to find him. This realization meant the end of sleep for me that night as I lay awake considering my responsibility to George. (I felt none toward his owners.) For George obviously “knew” which house was at least to be a stop on the underground railroad, and had come to it; but I, in my city house, had refused to acknowledge my house as such. If I let it in, where would I put it? Then, too, I’m not particularly fond of the restlessness of dogs. The way they groan and fart in their sleep, chase rabbits in their dreams, and flop themselves over, rattling their chains (i.e., collars and dog tags). George had run away from these drunks who “owned” him, people no doubt unfit to own anything at all that breathed. Did they beat him? Did they tie him to trees and lampposts outside pubs (as I’ve so often seen done) while they went inside and had drink after drink? Were all the “lost” dogs one heard about really runaways? It hit me with great force that a dog I had once had, Myshkin, had undoubtedly run away from the small enclosed backyard in which he had been kept and in which he was probably going mad, whereas I had for years indulged in the fantasy that he’d been stolen! No dog in his right mind would voluntarily leave a cushy prison run by loving humans, right?

Or suppose George was a woman, beaten or psychologically abused by her spouse. What then? Would I let her in? I would, wouldn’t I? But where to put George, anyway? If I put him in the cellar, he might bark. I hate the sound of barking. If I put him in the parlor, he might spread fleas. Who was this dog, anyway?

George stayed at my door the whole night. In the morning I heard him bark, but by the time I was up, he was gone.

Related: 13 Books About Dogs That Will Warm Your Heart  

I think I am telling you that the animals of the planet are in desperate peril, and that they are fully aware of this. No less than human beings are doing in all parts of the world, they are seeking sanctuary. But I am also telling you that we are connected to them at least as intimately as we are connected to trees. Without plant life human beings could not breathe. Plants produce oxygen. Without free animal life I believe we will lose the spiritual equivalent of oxygen. “Magic,” intuition, sheer astonishment at the forms the Universe devises in which to express life—itself—will no longer be able to breathe in us. One day it occurred to me that if all the birds died, as they might well do, eventually, from the poisoning of their air, water, and food, it would be next to impossible to describe to our children the wonder of their flight. To most children, I think, the flight of a bird—if they’d never seen one fly—would be imagined as stiff and unplayful, like the flight of an airplane.

But what I’m also sharing with you is this thought: The Universe responds. What you ask of it, it gives. The military-industrial complex and its leaders and scientists have shown more faith in this reality than have those of us who do not believe in war and who want peace. They have asked the Earth for all its deadlier substances. They have been confident in their faith in hatred and war. The Universe, ever responsive, the Earth, ever giving, has opened itself fully to their desires. Ironically, Black Elk and nuclear scientists can be viewed in much the same way: as men who prayed to the Universe for what they believed they needed and who received from it a sign reflective of their own hearts.

I remember when I used to dismiss the bumper sticker “Pray for Peace.” I realize now that I did not understand it, since I also did not understand prayer; which I know now to be the active affirmation in the physical world of our inseparableness from the divine; and everything, especially the physical world, is divine. War will stop when we no longer praise it, or give it any attention at all. Peace will come wherever it is sincerely invited. Love will overflow every sanctuary given it. Truth will grow where the fertilizer that nourishes it is also truth. Faith will be its own reward.

Believing this, which I learned from my experience with the animals and the wild flowers, I have found that my fear of nuclear destruction has been to a degree lessened. I know perfectly well that we may all die, and relatively soon, in a global holocaust, which was first imprinted, probably against their wishes, on the hearts of the scientist fathers of the atomic bomb, no doubt deeply wounded and frightened human beings; but I also know we have the power, as all the Earth’s people, to conjure up the healing rain imprinted on Black Elk’s heart. Our death is in our hands.

Knock and the door shall be opened. Ask and you shall receive.

Whatsoever you do the least of these, you do also unto me—and to yourself. For we are one.

“God” answers prayers. Which is another way of saying, “the Universe responds.”

We are indeed the world. Only if we have reason to fear what is in our own hearts need we fear for the planet. Teach yourself peace.

Pass it on.

Originally published as “The Universe Responds: Or, How I Learned We Can Have Peace on Earth,” in Living by the Word. To read more, download Living by the Word on Amazon , Barnes & Noble , iTunes , and Open Road Media .

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World Peace in One Hour

About the author.

Nenad Bach   is a musician, composer and peace activist.

18 September 2020 Y ou 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                       - John Lennon

Is this just a song or wishful thinking? Are these just words or is it prophecy? Is humanity capable of achieving sustainable, everlasting peace?

I say YES, and the time is NOW.

You can't say that there has been a lack of declarations and resolutions on peace: 1948:  Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1978:  Declaration on the Preparation of Societies for Life in Peace 1984:  Declaration on the Right of Peoples to Peace 1999:  Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace 2011:  The Bruxelles Declaration, “Pledge to Peace” 2016:  Annex to Declaration on the Right to Peace 2018:  The Global Resolution for the Establishment of Infrastructures to Support the Culture of Peace  (not a United Nations resolution)

In 1984, the year I arrived in New York, the United Nations General Assembly, by resolution 39/11, adopted the Declaration of the Right of Peoples to Peace, in which United Nations Member States solemnly proclaimed that the peoples of our planet had a sacred right to peace. Let me repeat this: We all have a sacred right to Peace

Too many leaders, no one to follow Too many clouds, not enough rain Too many words and promises, too hard to swallow Too many innocents died in vain                                 -  “I Will Follow You”  by Nenad Bach

Previous efforts to achieve global peace have all been full of good intentions, but they resulted in too many declarations and not enough action. This is a historic moment, and if we do not seize it, maybe we do not deserve to survive. As is the case when launching a rocket to meet the International Space Station in orbit, there is a very small window of opportunity to make world peace happen. Protecting the existence of all species, sustaining life on Earth, exploring outer space, tackling disease and mortality, solving the pollution problem, coexisting with the environment, electing more women to leadership positions and creating real freedom that includes true private property: world peace is a prerequisite for all of these objectives.  This pandemic should open our eyes to the fact that the First World War ended with the Spanish flu pandemic. So why not use the same modality to end all current wars—now. For this project, I do not rely exclusively on intellectuals or artists or politicians or peace activists. We are all in it—from truck drivers to nurses, from presidents of companies to presidents of countries. Whoever understands the plan and the steps needed to be taken is welcome. I just want to communicate the idea to whomever this resonates with, whether that be the Pope, Paul McCartney, Bono, a hot dog vendor on the corner of First Ave. and Houston St., the Nobel Institute, or any essential worker during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are all in it. Easier said than done? Hear me out. In order to achieve global economic stability and sustainable growth, we should take the following steps and anticipate positive outcomes: 1. Military budgets should stay as they are, amounting to  around $2 trillion  globally, or maybe even increase, but... 2. Fifty per cent of new arms production should be rewired/transformed to build infrastructure and support research and development. 3. If the G20 countries do that, the current global power structure and balance will remain the same, because those countries represent  two thirds of the world’s population and 80 per cent of world-wide gross domestic product . 4. Balance equals peace. 5. Mother Earth will get real infrastructure: tunnels between continents, etc. 6. Viruses will be controlled or even better, they will be used as a vehicle for something good. Imagine a virus that spreads knowledge, immunity, long life.  7. We as a species will be able to unlock our true human potential, respecting all living creatures.

Facts: 1. Twitter goes around the world in a second. The number of smartphones and digital cameras in the world now number about 4 billion . Violence can no longer be easily hidden. Technology is on our side. 2. During the twentieth century, it has been estimated that up to  200 million people were killed by war, oppression and other atrocities . There have been just over  1 million deaths due to conflict in the first 20 years of this century . If this trend were to continue over the next 80 years, it would result in an approximately 40-fold decrease in such deaths. 3. The Western Hemisphere has been a war-free zone since the end of the internal conflict in Colombia in 2016. 4.  There are an estimated 110 million active landmines and an equal amount in stockpile .  5. According to the  Stockholm International Peace Research Institute , the estimated nuclear warhead count for the top five countries with the most nuclear weapons in 2020, based on available information, is as follows: Russia, 6,375 United States, 5,800 China, 320  France, 290 United Kingdom, 215

Rough estimates of the cost of building and maintaining these terrible weapons are in the trillions of dollars . Cutting these costs in half would defuse a lot of anxiety and free up cash. And again, the power structure and balance would remain the same.

6. The Abraham Accords between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, signed on 15 September 2020, bring us one step closer to world peace in 2021. These are not just words anymore, and the planet is more than ready!

I am actually very impressed by humanity; world leaders paused everyday life on Earth in an effort to save our brothers and sisters from COVID-19. You may be cynical, but almost no one could have predicted this outcome, which proves that the past doesn't equal the future. One day, all the wars will stop permanently. Knowing this, we should capitalize emotionally and unleash unlimited human creativity. A few days ago, I found companies that already exist for mining asteroids. If that is happening now, imagine what a free flow of creativity could produce in the near future.

Pandemics have happened before, but never were we as connected as we are today. Good, bad, but not indifferent, our social media structure should be used not just for sharing what you ate for breakfast this morning, but as a potent vehicle to drive world peace. Yes, it could happen in one hour; if we put the leaders of the G20 countries in one room or on Zoom, and don't give them cookies, it may take only 45 minutes. And yes, I am trying to be funny, but in reality, with the proper preparation, I believe it will happen fairly quickly. In the present state of war, we could dabble in attempts to solve the mysteries of life for the next thousand years, or we could proclaim peace and move forward on all fronts in the next hundred years. You wonder how? Just ask Elon Musk; he’ll produce the plan in two weeks.

“You may say I'm a dreamer/But I'm not the only one/I hope someday...” actually, let that day be 21 September 2021, at United Nations Headquarters in New York: the signing of a world peace declaration. And if you would allow me to dream just a minute longer, two days before, a ping pong tournament could be held in New York between all the presidents, prime ministers and other world leaders at the Javits Convention Center in Manhattan. Ping pong has long been seen as a proven method of diplomacy. And after the signing ceremony, the World Peace in One Hour Orchestra, with all the instruments of the world, will perform “ Everything Is Forever ” and “Stand by Me”, and close with John Lennon’s “ Imagine ”. With our present life span, we cannot travel beyond our solar system, never mind explore the Milky Way. So giddy-up, humanity—there is plenty to be accomplished by the creative class. First stop: the moon; next: Mars; and then the stars, to discover what we are all about and when, how and why it all began. There is no time to waste, and yet, “Time Is All We Have” and “love is all we need”. 

For more information on World Peace in One Hour, visit  https://worldpeaceinonehour.com/history .

Click here for a full audio recording of this article.

The UN Chronicle  is not an official record. It is privileged to host senior United Nations officials as well as distinguished contributors from outside the United Nations system whose views are not necessarily those of the United Nations. Similarly, the boundaries and names shown, and the designations used, in maps or articles do not necessarily imply endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.

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States are increasingly recognizing the importance of ensuring access to safe diagnostic tools and services, towards avoiding preventable harm and achieving positive patient outcomes.

How International Cooperation in Policing Promotes Peace and Security

The role of international policing is closely aligned with the principles of justice, peace, democracy and human rights, and is integral to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Voices for Peace: The Crucial Role of Victims of Terrorism as Peace Advocates and Educators

In the face of unimaginable pain and trauma, victims and survivors of terrorism emerge as strong advocates for community resilience, solidarity and peaceful coexistence.

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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 on Earth: Thoughts from the Past

December 28, 2023

Posted by: Malea Walker

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During this time of year there are often hopes and wishes for “peace on earth.” However, aside from the sentiment on a holiday card, what does that mean? At a recent holiday service, I was reminded of a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.: “True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice” ( Stride Toward Freedom , 1958).

As many of us hope for peace in our world, let’s take a look at how people of the past have considered peace and how to find it.

Presidential Peace

In almost every era, Presidents of the United States have had to address conflict, and therefore they often address peace. On Jan. 22, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson addressed the U.S. Senate , urging the U.S. to join in a “World League to Enforce Peace” in the hopes of brokering a peace in what was then the “European war”:

“Only a peace between equals can last; only a peace the very principle of which is equality and a common participation in a common benefit. The right state of mind, the right feeling between nations, is as necessary for a lasting peace as is the just settlement of questions of territory or of racial and national allegiance.”

After the U.S. entered World War I, President Wilson would continue to push the U.S. to join with other nations for peace. He would even go on to win the Nobel Peace Prize for his role as founder of the League of Nations . Despite the President’s involvement in its creation, however, the U.S. never joined the League.

The U.S. did go on to join the United Nations, but even with international cooperation the recovery from World War II was a long and grueling process. Both President Harry Truman and President Dwight Eisenhower would face the lasting effects as they negotiated for peace throughout Europe and Asia. On Sept. 5, 1951, President Truman gave the opening address at the Japanese Peace Treaty Conference:

“There is no other way to bring lasting peace than this slow and patient progress, step by step, of mending and strengthening the cables of communication, of understanding between nations.”

President Eisenhower faced a world in an arms race. In his speech on April 16, 1953 to the Society of Newspaper Editors, he called out the new Soviet government for trying to gain power through amassing weapons and called for actions toward disarmament rather than words. “We welcome every honest act of peace. We care nothing for mere rhetoric.” He went on to describe what peace should be:

“The peace we seek, founded upon decent trust and co-operative efforts among nations, can be fortified—not by weapons of war—but by wheat and by cotton; by milk and by wool; by meat and by timber and by rice. These are words that translate into every language on earth. These are needs that challenge this world in arms.”

Four former U.S. Presidents have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize: Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter, and Barack Obama.

Leaders of Peace

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke often about peace in the context of non-violent protest. Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi , who was inspired by Henry David Thoreau , King and other leaders of “civil disobedience” and nonviolent protest did not speak about a restful peace but peace with purpose. In his speech accepting the Nobel Peace Prize, published in full in the New York Times December 19, 1964, King described a “peace offensive” in which peace is an active movement:

“ We will not build a peaceful world by following a negative path. It is not enough to say “We must not wage war.” It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it. We must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war, but the positive affirmation of peace. ”

I will leave you with the words of another Nobel Peace Prize winner, Nelson Mandela, whose fight for equality and peace in South Africa defined his life. Mandela was arrested in August 1962 and sentenced to life in prison for his actions fighting against apartheid. After being released in 1990, he went on to become South Africa’s first democratically elected president in 1994. In his inaugural address, published in full by the New York Times on May 11, 1994, he expressed his hopes for the future of his country:

“ Let there be justice for all. Let there be peace for all. Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all. Let each know that for each the body, the mind and the soul have been freed to fulfill themselves .”

Additional Reading

“ A Letter from Birmingham City Jail: King’s Explanation of Non-Violent Approach ,” Evening Star (Washington, DC), June 16, 1963.

The Nobel Prize: All Nobel Peace Prizes

Remarks on Accepting the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo , Barack Obama.

“ Resistance to Civil Government ,” Henry David Thoreau. Aesthetic Papers, 1849.

If you are able to visit the Library, the Newspaper & Current Periodical Reading Room currently has an exhibit on the Christmas Truce that took place in WWI. Come by to take a look! You can also read more about the Christmas Truce in our previous blog post about it.

Be sure to search for additional articles on the figures mentioned here in our Chronicling America * historic newspapers collection!

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Such a thought-provoking read by Malea Walker! The exploration of peace through the lens of historical figures like Presidents Wilson, Truman, and Eisenhower adds a rich layer to the concept of ‘peace on earth.’ The idea that ‘True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice’ resonates deeply, especially in today’s world. The historical context provided, from Woodrow Wilson’s call for a ‘World League to Enforce Peace’ to the complexities faced by Truman and Eisenhower post-World War II, highlights the ongoing pursuit of lasting peace. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s perspective on peace as an active movement and Nelson Mandela’s vision for justice, peace, work, and basic needs for all further amplify the article’s message. It’s a reminder that peace is not passive; it requires positive action and a commitment to justice. Truly insightful and timely reflections for the season and beyond! 🕊️🌍

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The new book "Peace with Nature: 50 Inspiring Essays on Nature and the Environment" was launched in Singapore

The book is published this month by World Scientific Press. It was edited by Professor Tommy Koh, Professor Lin Heng Lye and Shawn Lum.

The launch of  Peace with Nature: 50 Inspiring Essays on Nature and the Environment, took place on 4 September 2023 at the POD, National Library in Singapore. The event counted with the presence of the editors (Professor Tommy Koh, Professor Lin Heng Lye and Shawn Lum), as well as Desmond Lee (Singapore's Minister for National Development).

This book is a must-read for all who love nature and the environment. It contains 50 inspiring essays written by Singaporeans and friends who share their perspectives, expertise and experience –as scientists, lawyers, economists, engineers, bankers, government officers, and civil society– all linked by a love for nature, for the environment, and for Singapore. The essays focus on the protection and preservation of Singapore's rich biodiversity (primates, colugos, otters, butterflies, dragonflies, stick-insects, birds, coral reefs, mangroves and sea grasses); efforts to save special areas (the Lower Peirce Reservoir, Chek Jawa, Sungei Buloh, the Rail Corridor and the first marine nature reserve); the contributions of NGOs (Nature Society, Herpetological Society, Waterways Watch Society); and the efforts of scholars, the government and the private sector to ensure a clean and green City in Nature, amidst the challenges of limited space and climate change.

All royalties from the purchase of the book will be donated to the Nature Society. More details about the book can be found here: https://www.worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/13561#t=aboutBook  

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Striving for Peace: Is It Possible to Achieve on Earth?

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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.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Peace And Harmony

Understanding peace and harmony.

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.

Why They Matter

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.

Creating Peace

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.

Peace at Home and School

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.

Working Together

Also check:

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.

Why Peace and Harmony Matter

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.

Building Peace and Harmony

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

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.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

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