While surfing the blogs, I came across this entry and found myself intrigued. While the topic was that of the new supreme court justice, somehow the court's participation in the Bush coronation contributed to the lack of peace many feel. Perhaps the writer of the entry has a good point.
ahistoricality: We need new Democrats
Increasingly the need for peace grows greater. In this blog, I hope to cull readings and activities which may lead to peace. First and foremost, knowing and understanding people from different backgrounds, in my opinion, will lead us to a willingness to avoid war and work for peace in this world.
Monday, January 30, 2006
Sunday, January 29, 2006
Peace
I am a writing instructor and generally I ask students to think critically and analyze what they write. But I need a space where I can focus on peace. Peace, sorely needed during any era, but more particularly now, may need defining. I've gut definitions as: no noise, sea sounds, gulls calling, sea breezes. That'd be my ideal. However, I no longer live by the shores of the Pacific so I must find a new way to find peace.
I suppose most of us have a need for quiet but sometimes even the most ardent recluse can no longer be at peace in total silence.
Another gut definition would be no war. I'm like the idealistic person in Lennon's song "Give Peace a Chance" or "Imagine." While many of my friends are active at marches and but to today's youth these activities seem to be not worth the effort or not their "thing." I suppose the generation gap may also contribute to the differences in the way many young people and many older people view the world. So peace may not be the final goal for people at either end of the generation gap because each group has its agenda.
Many formerly active in the 60's have lost their ideals now that they are members of the "establishment" they fought against. And many of today's youth are raised to be unconcerned about things not part of their immediate environs.
I find that there are many good young people who are busy just trying to figure out what to do with their lives. However, when made aware of issues they'll have to confront eventually they do make tenative efforts to figure out what they could do about those issues.
Of course, many live with violence and do not know about "peace" in their lives so how can we expect them to want peace for all people. Besides our society's economy is based on a very self-gratification system to consume, even those things we do not need. Instead of spending money on smaller school campuses, we spend money on war. Foolishly we call the war department the defense department and we have created the very military-industrial complex that President Eisenhower warned the country about in his 1960 farewell address.
So the ongoing definition of peace covers many areas--the spiritual renewal we need, the lack of war that may lead us to spend money and resources on positive things, the ability to decrease violence in our society's families, and the growth of a social consciousness to help those who ask for our help.
More ruminations on peace in later posts.
I suppose most of us have a need for quiet but sometimes even the most ardent recluse can no longer be at peace in total silence.
Another gut definition would be no war. I'm like the idealistic person in Lennon's song "Give Peace a Chance" or "Imagine." While many of my friends are active at marches and but to today's youth these activities seem to be not worth the effort or not their "thing." I suppose the generation gap may also contribute to the differences in the way many young people and many older people view the world. So peace may not be the final goal for people at either end of the generation gap because each group has its agenda.
Many formerly active in the 60's have lost their ideals now that they are members of the "establishment" they fought against. And many of today's youth are raised to be unconcerned about things not part of their immediate environs.
I find that there are many good young people who are busy just trying to figure out what to do with their lives. However, when made aware of issues they'll have to confront eventually they do make tenative efforts to figure out what they could do about those issues.
Of course, many live with violence and do not know about "peace" in their lives so how can we expect them to want peace for all people. Besides our society's economy is based on a very self-gratification system to consume, even those things we do not need. Instead of spending money on smaller school campuses, we spend money on war. Foolishly we call the war department the defense department and we have created the very military-industrial complex that President Eisenhower warned the country about in his 1960 farewell address.
So the ongoing definition of peace covers many areas--the spiritual renewal we need, the lack of war that may lead us to spend money and resources on positive things, the ability to decrease violence in our society's families, and the growth of a social consciousness to help those who ask for our help.
More ruminations on peace in later posts.
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