Peace - Do you think we can achieve a peaceful world without harming each other, or is that just a utopia? What would we need to do as a society to achieve peace? What systems and laws would we need to create to achieve this? What should we teach people to achieve this?
Peace is golden. It is a choice, not just a utopia. We can achieve a peaceful world without harming each other when we learn how to say no to wrong. When we learn how to practice what we preach. When we learn how to show empathy, live an honest and practical communal life that is free from divide and rule.
First, we cannot give what we don’t have. Therefore, to achieve peace in the world, it must start from us; we must be honest people, practice self-control, and empathise with others. This is because violent people tend to carry their bad character from their individual homes to society. There, they will influence others with their negative vibes, and it keeps going. Eventually, if they get into positions of authority in any social space, they continue with their violent lifestyle. With that, they influence, infect, and corrupt the system with their vices.
Again, when people are sidelined, treated unfairly, manipulated, and intimidated, they tend to revolt. Worst still, when the voice of a few tends to silence the voice of the majority, especially where these majorities matter in society or organisations, there’s a tendency towards chaos.
To achieve peace, we should start practicing respect for each other's opinions and give a fair hearing while settling matters in our different families. Individuals should learn to accommodate others' differences. Society is the product of the family. At the society level, people’s voices should be heard. The leaders should not be manipulative but open to dialogue and justice.
At organisations, there should be diversity, equity, and inclusion. People should be allowed to express themselves without intimidation. Policies that encourage empathy and peaceful resolution of conflicts should be practiced. Employee engagement sessions should be used to advocate for peace and rancor-free co-existence among employees.
At the society level, schools should teach good courses that instill diversity and peaceful coexistence amongst individuals. Courses like emotional intelligence and customer-centric approach in business should be taught to individuals to improve empathy. Leaders in churches should spread the need for forgiveness over revenge and hatred, and not use religion to divide citizens.
Miha Rekar
At the government level, laws that improve unity and peace amongst citizens should be promoted. Laws that allow for the peaceful resolution of disputes instead of capital punishment should be practiced. Union and town hall meetings should be used as mediums to promote peace amongst the different cadres of government.
The government should empower the citizens with basic life amenities like shelter, food, and education. The government should avoid the divide-and-rule game and provide leadership that is free from inequality, injustice, and intimidation. People tend to revolt against such vices.
Finally, social media should be used as a medium to promote peace. I used the principle of DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) and fair hearing to restore peace in my firm. An anonymous email link where people can speak up against hate, racism, and segregation was also created to curtail intimidation amongst employees. This repositioned our firm and gave us the needed peace.
Alex Shuper
In conclusion, Peace is a consistent and intentional daily effort. It requires all hands to be on deck. Collective efforts from you and me can only make peace a reality instead of a utopia.
Thank you for reading.
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