ROGEC Essay eBook by ROGEC

Collection of Essays

WORLD UNDERSTANDING & PEACE

ROTARY CLUB OF PUNE KATRAJ (RID 3131)

Published by :

Rotary Club of Pune Katraj 44,Vidya Nagari, Muktangan English Medium Campus, Pune - 411009. www.rogec.org

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PRINT MASTER 185, Shaniwar Peth, Pune - 411 030. Date of Publication : 12th April, 2014

Price : Rs. 125/Copyright © 2014 by Rotary Club of Pune Katraj All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,”

Disclaimer : This book is a collection of essays that are received through the Rotary Global Essay Competition that was conducted by Rotary Club of Pune Katraj during the year 2013-14. All the views and opinions in this book are those made by the author of the essay. The publisher is providing this book and its contents on an “as is” basis and make no representations or warranties of any kind with respect to this book or its contents. The publisher disclaim all such representations and warranties. The essays express the views of the authors and those are not endorsed by the publisher. In addition, the author and publisher do not represent or warrant that the information accessible via this book is accurate, complete or current. Neither the author or publisher, nor any authors, contributors, or other representatives will be liable for damages arising out of or in connection with the use of this book. This is a comprehensive limitation of liability that applies to all damages of any kind, including (without limitation) compensatory; direct, indirect or consequential damages; loss of data, income or prot; loss of or damage to property and claims of third parties. This book provides content related to social, political, economic and community topics. As such, use of this book implies your acceptance of this disclaimer.

This book is dedicated to everyone who has made sacriď&#x20AC; ces in the quest for peace and to those who continue to foster the dream of living in a peaceful world.

Only when every individual has been empowered to lead a fulfilled life with dignity, will there be national peace and prosperity. Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam

FOREWORD

Rotarians world over, are synthesis of intellectuals who come together to offer their expertise and resources for doing good in the World with a motto of "Service Above Self". Rotarians come from diverse cultures, unite for common goals through service projects, follow high ethical standards in their profession and use Rotary as a platform for advancement of international understanding, goodwill and peace. I firmly believe that Rotary inspires group of professionals to take up projects of colossal scale which they would never imagine to execute individually. And what if they express themselves collectively? The very idea of conducting a Global Essay Competition fascinated me when it was announced during the installation of President of RC Pune Katraj. I had loads of questions as the club was walking on an unexplored path. But I decided to back this innovative project and played my role in promoting ROGEC sending more than 27,000 e-mails to my fellow District Governors and their Presidents all over the world. It is indeed heartwarming to know that ROGEC has generated so much excitement in its first year. Rotarians from across the continents have participated in big numbers And it is a wonderful idea to publish a book of selected essays which exhibits the collective

wisdom, values and beliefs of Rotarians. I wish ROGEC and RC Pune Katraj all the very best in their endeavor and encourage them to continue to grow this project BIGGER, BETTER, BOLDER in years to come.

Rtn. Dr. Deepak Shikarpur District Governor, 2013-14 RI District 3131

PREFACE

Rotary Global Essay Competition (ROGEC) is a thought process which ignites minds, poses questions, seeks answers and gives all of us a ray of hope. Rotarians world over have strived to contribute back to the society through various initiatives and projects. Over the years, I have had the pleasure of listening to passionate Rotarians about their ideas, project, and experiences about the difference that Rotary has made to the lives of many. This year, through the inspiration from our past president Rtn. Ram Kutwal, we embarked upon the quest to provide the Rotary fraternity a canvas to express their thoughts on fulfilling Rotary's objective of making this world a better place to live. ROGEC was setup as a competition, but essentially it was intended as a podium for every individual in the Rotary fraternity to convey stories about the issues, discuss the reasons and strategies for resolutions. A first of its kind International Essay Competition, ROGEC invited views and analysis from diverse and distinct cultures. Issues like hunger, diseases, inequality, illiteracy, conflicts, etc. are common concerns across regions countries. We believe that these reasons contribute to most of unrest around the world. We chose â&#x20AC;&#x153;World Peace and Understandingâ&#x20AC;? as a theme that would provoke thoughts, experiences and inspire everybody to participate.

We are overwhelmed by the rousing response and heartfelt appreciations that we have received from thousands of Rotarians who participated in the competition, appreciated our initiative on social media, sent us compliments and promoted the event. The thoughts in the essays inspired us to publish this book so as to spread their message to the wider audience and also inspire others to contribute their thoughts for the next year. We have made an attempt to select some of the essays that have come in from varied regions, cultures and address various issues thereby fusing the thoughts together in a neatly woven carpet. I would specially like to thank all my club members and put on record special efforts of DG Rtn. Dr. Deepak Shikarpur, PDG Rtn. Subhash Saraf and PDG Rtn. Dr. Deepak Purohit for their unequivocal support and encouragement. This book is dedicated to all our beloved fellow Rotarians who tirelessly work to restore Peace in the society.

Rtn. Anant Ghalsasi President, 2013-14 Rotary Club of Pune Katraj, RID 3131

WINNERS OF ROTARY GLOBAL ESSAY COMPETITION

GROUP - I (below 18 years) Winner

Evan Twarog Rotary Club of Keene, RI District 7870, United States

Runners up

Precious George Rotary Club of Enugu, RI District 9140, Nigeria

2nd Runners up Poorwa Hirve Rotary Club of Pune Sarasbaug, RI District 3131, India

GROUP - II (18 - 30 years) Winner

Rednaxela Calderon Rotary Club of Intramuros, RI District 3810, Philippines

Runners up

Chima Phinihas Rotary Club of Enugu, RI District 9140, Nigeria

2nd Runners up Mikhail Grebenshchikov Rotary Club of Ekaterinburg, RI District 2220, Russian Federation

GROUP - III (30 years & above) Winner

Laurens Zwaan Rotary Club of Leerdam, RI District 1610, Netherlands

Runners up

John Brodey Valley of the Moon Rotary, RI District 5130, United States

2nd Runners up Alison Sutherland Rotary Club of Cardiff Bay, RI District 1150, United Kingdom

INDEX

Group I

Evan Twarog

Topic : Looking into the eyes of peace Rotary Club of Keene, RI District 7870, United States

Precious George

Topic : Education as panacea to global peace and harmony Rotary Club of Enugu, RI District 9140, Nigeria

Poorwa Hirve

Topic : Be the change you want to see in the world Rotary Club of Pune Sarasbaug, RI District 3131, India

Ananya Ganesh

Topic : Influence of education on peace Rotary Club of Madras, RI District 3230, India

Josh Wood Topic : Peaceful innovation Idaho Falls Rotary Club, RI District 5400, United States

INDEX

Phoebe Danielle Pangilinan

Topic : Youth - Unwavering advocates of peace Rotary Club of Santa Rosa Centro, RI District 3820, Philippines

Reini Azriel Evangelista

Topic : Through a single click Rotary Club of Paranaque Metro South, RI District 3830, Philippines

Group II

Rednaxela Calderon

Topic : Peace must be felt, not just being said Rotary Club of Intramuros, RI District 3810, Philippines

Chima Phinihas

Topic : The role of arts and culture in creating a global diplomacy Rotary Club of Enugu, RI District 9140, Nigeria

Mikhail Grebenshchikov

Topic : Fighting against prejudice, valuing diversity Rotary Club of Ekaterinburg, RI District 2220, Russian Federation

INDEX

Elohor Abhulimen

Topic : Diversity strengthens peace or creates conflict Rotary Club of Surulere South, RI District 9110, Nigeria

Kwesi Elliot

Topic : Impact of atomic power on peace Rotary Club of Georgetown, RI District 7030, Guyana

Miguel Rozo

Topic : Peace : An achievable goal Rotary Club of Vancouver, RI District 5040, Canada

Priya Gunendra

Topic : The garden of paradise Rotary Club of Crawley, RI District 9450, Australia

Rona Mann Topic : It begins with me Rotary Club of North Kingstown, RI District 7950, United States

INDEX

Sharona Pickering

Topic : Diversity â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Strengthens peace or creates conflicts Rotaract Club of Tortola, RI District 7020, Virgin Islands, U.S.

Shristi Suman Sinha

Topic : Violence free society, can It be achieved ? Rotaract Club of Karim City College, RI District 3250, India

Thaha Adamjee

Topic : Violence free society can it be achieved Rotary Club of Colombo Fort, RI District 3220, Sri Lanka

Group III

Laurens Zwaan

Topic : Diversity strengthens real peace only through understanding Rotary Club of Leerdam, RI District 1610, Netherlands

John Brodey Topic : Peace by piece Valley of the Moon Rotary, RI District 5130, United States

INDEX

Alison Sutherland

102

Topic : Towards peace through spirituality Rotary Club of Cardiff Bay, RI District 1150, United Kingdom

Anna Liza Gaspar

109

Topic : To end all wars forever Rotary Club of Makati McKinley, RI District 3830, Philippines

Connie Boyer

114

Topic : Unity and diversity together Rotary Club of Fairfield, RI District 6000, United States

Dennis Wong

118

Topic : Peace through diversity Westport Sunrise Rotary, RI District 7980, United States

Digambar Kulkarni Topic : Light at the end of a tunnel Rotary Club of Pune Katraj, RI District 3131, India

123

INDEX

K.M.K. MURTHY

130

Topic : Towards peace through spirituality Rotary Club of Secunderabad, RI District 3150, India

Olubayo Windapo

138

Topic : World understanding and peace Rotary Club of Gbagada, RI District 9110, Nigeria

Rajesh Kumar Modi

145

Topic : Peace through service Rotary Club of Mumbai Borivali East, RI District 3140, India

Tarakorn Kamolprempiyakul

151

Topic : Three centimeters - the last distance towards peace to mankind Rotary Club of Pranakorn, RI District 3350, Thailand

Wendy Lickacz

154

Topic : Peace through service Rotary Club of Edmonton, RI District 5370, Canada

Group I

There is no way to peace. Peace is the way. Mahatma Gandhi

Evan Twarog Rotary Club of Keene, RI District 7870, United States

LOOKING INTO THE EYES OF PEACE As I gazed out the window of the dilapidated bus over the town of Talnique, El Salvador, a parade of towns people began to follow our convoy as we departed from the village for the final time after a week of constructing homes. Surrounding the parade of smiling onlookers were the brick and sheet-metal shacks that they called home, and behind those, under the rich Central-American sun, were the Sierra Madre mountains. Situated from the top of one of these mountains, the views from Talnique were breath-taking. It seemed as if you could see from one side of the world to the other. With each house painted a different neon color, the town was filled with a perpetual vigor that made it seem as if this is the epitome of Eden. The smiles on every face in sight only confirmed the idea that it was paradise itself. The pasty dust that was kicked up by even the lightest footstep stained anything it contacted, but amazingly never seemed to spoil the men's perfectly white shirts. The experiences of the past week, as we'd sweat, and toiled, and cried, and bled made an enormous impact on everyone who had the opportunity to venture from snow-covered Keene, NH to this sunny village in rural Latin-America. 4

As part of an ongoing project, the Keene High School Rotary Interact Club travels to El Salvador annually to build homes, provide clothing, and supply medical equipment to those in need. Throughout the year, the club raises over $65,000 that goes towards not only the El Salvador project, but also towards reaching out to disabled students within the school, providing assistance to seniors in need (but too proud to ask for help), and aiding in natural disaster relief. The ninety member organization is ranked among the top ten in the nation for the work it has done, but because so much of the work the organization conducts is anonymous, many never get to see the real impact Interact has. This is why the El Salvador project is so iconic; it is our most visible work. Everyone, including myself, who has traveled on the trip knows what it really stands for; the spread of peace. From seeing the faces of impoverished children light up upon finding out they have a new home, to spending an evening with a group of disabled orphans, there are no experiences that are without impact. While the impacts on the people of Talnique and the people of El Salvador are immense, perhaps even greater are those on the Rotarians. Getting to experience the lives of those in a nation so different from those in the United States puts life and its meaning into perspective. These experiences are brought back to the States where they continue to have a lasting impact on the world. 5

With the world becoming increasingly complicated, it is easy to lose sight of why we are fighting to make the world a better place. A humanitarian crisis in Syria, debt-ceiling debates in Washington DC, piracy off the coast of Nigeria, and drug wars in Mexico make it seem as if the world is a corrupt, savage place at times. What is important to realize, though, is that we all play a role in this world. Our actions really do have an impact on the lives of those around us. The El Salvador Project teaches messages about peace that are valuable beyond belief. To the leaders across the globe, these lessons would make an immense impact on our world if they lived by them. Early into the trip, I began to work alongside a young boy named Diego. The house we were building was going to be his. He and his five brothers (who previously lived in a one room house with his parents and grandparents) were the first to pick up the shovels in the morning and the last to set down the trowels in the evening. Over the next ten days, as we threw mortar at each other and chased one another across the worksite, we became brothers. Nothing is more powerful than working together for a common purpose. To Diego, the cement building represented more than just a new home, it represented a new era, not only for his family, but also for his community. It meant that he wouldn't have to worry about having his home swept down the side of the mountain during the rainy season. It meant that he had a cool home to sleeping during in the dry season. It 6

meant that for the rest of his life, he would have a home to go to. Now his family could build a new beginning. When we got back from the trip and had time to process everything that we experienced over the past week, we came to understand what peace is. Peace is empowering. Nothing rivals the feeling you experience knowing that you've changed someone's life forever. Working side by side with 8-year-old Diego as we constructed his home, to see his face light up every time a new brick was set in place, or another layer of mortar added was truly inspiring. If every leader knew the feeling of having changed someone's life for the better, they would realize the importance of their work. Peace is founded in doing. It will never happen unless we work together to see that tomorrow is brighter than today. For Diego and his family, the homes signified a better tomorrow. To us, it signified an equally life-changing event because we had the honor of seeing for ourselves what "service above self" really means. From all of these experiences, we realized that peace cannot be found at a "Global Peace Convention", as much as one can wish it. Peace is found looking straight into the eyes of your brothers, your sisters, your mothers and fathers, and realizing that if we work together for a brighter tomorrow, the world will be that much better today. As I looked at Diego for the final time, I saw at that moment what peace is. Peace is without borders. It is without limits. The only 7

thing holding back world peace is our inability to look into the eyes of our neighbors. Some of us don't have eyes. Some of us are blind. Some of us simply don't want to look into the eyes of our neighbors because we don't have the courage to see a pair of eyes looking back at us. So to anyone who is reading this, I challenge you to find the inner strength to look into the eyes of your neighbors, and see what peace is, because when you do, you will find that anything is possible.

If you want peace, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies. Desmond Tutu

Precious George Rotary Club of Enugu, RI District 9140, Nigeria

EDUCATION AS PANACEA TO GLOBAL PEACE AND HARMONY The word peace is not new to people anymore. Every country no matter how big or small calls for peace and understanding. They encourage peace as the only means to unite the world. I love peace too. Peace is a sign of harmony, characterized by the lack of violence, conflict behaviors, racism, and the freedom from fear of violence. Peace is commonly understood as the absence of war, argument and violence but of tranquility. With outbreak of war and violence worldwide, one is left with the doubt as to whether peace would be achieved within a targeted timeframe. In Northern Nigeria for example, an Islamic sect commonly known as Boko Haram have caused many damages to untold millions of Nigerians. Media make meal out of many types of wreckage they have caused and lives and property they have destroyed, leaving the streets littered with burned-out cars, winding through terrains. This has continued to wind down every effort by the government to provide access basic needs of the common man. Time will fail us if we continue to recount the many looses we have had to 9

put up with over the years. Now is no time to shift blames or to complain or to write stories for our children to read. After all, painful histories of the past have not changed anything. I seek to inform that be it ever bad, there will always be a solution to our problems. We don't need everything, but real and practical solutions to this chronic problem. This essay therefore provides education as the only means to bring peace closer to people. Education is a key tool in combating poverty, in promoting peace, social justice, human rights, democracy, cultural diversity, and environmental awareness. Influence of peace on education implies an active concept of peace through values, life skills, and knowledge in a spirit of equality, respect, empathy, understanding, and mutual appreciation amongst individual, groups and nations as of whole. This peace we strive to get can start with us being the change we want to see in our world. We become ambassadors, we become agents and mouthpiece. The idea behind all this is that education plays a major role for world peace. In countries like Iraq, where education is on the receiving side or not valued, it is often seen that peace is always the problem. An epitome of this, is how the Taliban gunmen, in Iraq, shot a girl, known as Malala in her head and her neck, and which left her on a critical situation but was later taken to England for medical trip. This was because of her zeal to go to school and without minding the 10

Taliban gunmen. Lack of exposure to learning has really affected them for bad. While it is not responsible to be critical about others and what negative things they have done to keep the future in check, it should be reasonably accepted that we need just education to fight for the one and unity of our today's world. As a matter of fact, there have been lot and lots of peace talk in the G20 summit, peace articles, and peace activist and this inimical cankerworm, called war and violence in our society, has reduced but we still need more solutions. To me, I believe that through the creation of socio-economic divisions, horizontal equalities between ethnic and religious groups, through processes on political inclusion and exclusion, and through accommodation of cultural diversity, peace would reign superabundantly. 1. CREATION OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC DIVISIONS. We have three categories of socio-economic status, SES. Namely, the high SES, middle SES, and low SES. When placing a family into one of these categories, any or all of the three variables; income, education and occupation can be assessed. Peace can reign through the creation of socio-economic divisions. Additionally, the educational action for promoting peace concerns the content of education and training. In some countries, low income earners would like their children to go to college but when the tuition fees are high; this could discourage them from taking their child to college because 11

they don't have enough to pay for their child's fees. So they are left with no other choice but to leave the child at home or they send the child out to the streets to work. This is vey risky, because these children are vulnerable to indulge in any unlawful act due to their bad upbringing. 2. HORIZONTAL EQUALITY BETWEEN ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS GROUPS This content of peace on equality, concerns the content of educational resources and materials, school and university life, initial and ongoing training for teachers, research and ongoing training for young people and adults. In some countries, and my country, Nigeria to be precise, has little or no equality between ethnic and religious groups in many schools. They make feel like some schools are mainly for Christians and others for Muslims likewise in the aspect of ethnicity and this has made the horizontal line linking different ethnic groups to be far from each other. This is one of the main reasons that made the Islamic group, known as Boko Haram to continue to wreck and bombard lives and property in the country; trying to prove why their religion should be respected. This couldn't have happened if only a culture of peace, one love took root in class rooms to begin with. From the foregoing, we have seen that education is a participatory and interactive process of instruction and learning, and 12

the curriculum and pedagogy should give prominence to understand the wealth of distinctive and linguistic characteristics, in response to globalization. A culture of peace should take root in classrooms from an early age. It must continue to reflect in the curricula at secondary and tertiary level. However, the skill for peace and non-violence can only be perfected through practices like: active listening, dialogue, meditations, co-operative learning, and creation of socio-economic divisions. This is education in the wisest sense. It is a dynamic lifetime experience.

One cannot reflect in streaming water. Only those who know internal peace can give it to others. Lao Tzu

Poorwa Hirve Rotary Club of Pune Sarasbaug, RI District 3131, India

BE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD Mahatma Gandhi was a famous leader who led India to her freedom from the clutches of tphe British, and also fought against racial discrimination in South Africa. His main principle was nonviolence, and he achieved all his goals through preaching and practising non-violence and Ahimsa. "Be the change you want to see in the world," is one of the five teachings of Gandhi in order to achieve world peace. Dr. Martin Luther King once said, "If humanity is to progress, Gandhi is inescapable. He lived, thought, acted and inspired by the vision of humanity evolving toward a world of peace and harmony." I believe that to give rest to the conflicts that disturb the peace in the world, it is duty of citizens as well as the current leaders to work hand in hand and settle such issues. Recently, the world is in a state of unrest. Conflict in political views can cause disorder in a nation's harmony. For example, the Syrian civil war, which started in March 2011, is still going on and has been destroying the peace among the Syrians, because of the difference in the political groups: the ones who support and are loyal to the Syrian Ba'ath Party government and those against it, who call themselves the Free Syrian Army. This armed conflict had attempted 14

at a ceasefire from April-May 2012, but was unsuccessful when both sides violated the agreement. Religion is also a major cause for ruining serenity in the world. The Israeli-Palestine conflict is the most predominant example. This struggle has been going on since the mid twentieth century. Although they have been undergoing the long peace process, the Israelis and the Palestinians have failed to reach a final agreement. The current issues of dispute are many, out of which, the border of Jerusalem and water resources are a few. This conflict has led to many violent attacks from both sides, and also includes Palestinian violence against Palestinians who opposed them. However, after a five-year stalemate, Israeli-Palestinian negotiations for peace have resumed. There have also been conflicts between nations due to the geographical locations of certain places. The Indo-Pak Kashmir conflict has been going on for 65 years, and there have even been involvements of terrorist groups. The Sino-Indian border dispute has also been ongoing. In 2006, the Chinese ambassador claimed that all of Arunachal Pradesh was Chinese territory. And most recently, in April 2013, India has claimed that nineteen kilometres beyond the Line of Actual Control as perceived by them has been crossed by the Chinese and they have set camp in Indian territory; these trespassing claims have been denied by the Chinese. Even the annexation of Sikkim by India in 1975 was denied by the Chinese, and the Sikkim-China border, also called as 'The Finger,' continues to 15

be a matter of dispute and military activity is observed. Terrorism is an unending threat hanging over people all over the world. The September 11, 2001 aircraft hijacking attacks in New York City and Washington D.C., USA, had led to over 3000 deaths and about 6000 injuries. This was organised by the terrorist group AlQaeda. In India, on November 26, 2008, Mumbai was attacked by twelve coordinated shooting and bombing attacks, by Lashkar-eTaiba. At least 308 people were wounded, and 166 people were killed. In Sri Lanka, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or the LTTE, was a separatist militant organisation that started a violent campaign to create a separate state for Tamils in North and East Sri Lanka. LTTE was responsible for assassinating two world leaders: Sri Lankan President Ranasinghe Premdasa in 1993 and former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. It was defeated by the Sri Lankan Military in 2009. The United Nations is an organisation that is completely devoted to maintaining world peace. It consists of leaders and diplomats from all over the world. Whenever there is friction among nations that threatens world peace, the UN interferes and does its best to settle the disputes. The UN Peacekeepers monitor and observe peace processes in post-conflict areas and assist excombatants in implementing the peace agreements they may have signed. The International Court of Justice takes on cases of war crime, illegal state interference, ethnic cleaning, etc. Thus the UN is 16

an example of the actions our leaders are trying to take to keep calm in the world. World leaders must come together and find a way to clean the world from all war and terror in a non-violent fashion. Mahatma Gandhi as taught us that by becoming masters of compassion and peace through non-violence, we can bring harmony and peace to the whole world. Our leaders must convince the disputers that violence is not the solution. Gandhi's teachings and beliefs must be widespread throughout the world. Leaders must take actions to eradicate all chaos and pandemonium by learning what the core reason for the upheaval, and taking actions accordingly such as to satisfy all sides. Ahimsa, as Gandhi said, is not just non-violence. It is basically love and charity for all mankind. It also means using kind words and having positive thoughts about all by cleaning yourself from all negative emotions. Nations would observe their own privacy and leave other nations alone. Within a country, the government and the people need to have a symbiotic relationship and prosper by mutual dependence. Corrupt officials must be removed and be replaced with the moral ones. Leaders must help to inculcate and instil the importance of non-violence and peace among the people of their countries. Then only can world peace be achieved. This task is a tremendous responsibility, and can only become successful with the full acceptance and participation of the world leaders, the ruling governments around the world, and the citizens of the world. 17

As citizens of the world, we need to accept this responsibility and contribute whatever we can to maintain tranquility in it. There should be diversity of cultures introduced to us when we are at our most influential age. The positive aspects of all religions must be viewed practically and should be applicable in our present day-to-day lives. It should be a person's individual choice on what religion to follow, what political group to choose. The extent of belief should never cross over the line to becoming fanatic and insane. Even in our daily lives, it would help to respect and be kind to each other. Achieving what is rightfully yours through non-violence is more ethical than harming others through violence in order to do the same. As a society, we must comply with our government and only oppose when we are sure that the resulting repercussions will ultimately harm many persons and disrupt peace. And even as we oppose, we must be sure to be completely non-violent. Non-violence and love for all beings is the solution to obtain world serenity. When we are born, we love everyone. It is while we grow older that we learn to dislike. If one meek and fragile man can achieve feats on a huge scale with a staunch belief to practice peace through non-violence and Ahimsa, why can't the whole world do the same?

Ananya Ganesh Rotary Club of Madras, RI District 3230, India

INFLUENCE OF EDUCATION ON PEACE We live in a modern era as global citizens, spending every breathing moment lying awake in fear of a catastrophe. Maybe today will be the day a ship off the coast of Madagascar blows up, or maybe the sky really will fall down, we think to selves our. While the latter is a bit ridiculous, we can't be blamed for thinking in such ways because atom bombs are dropping at such rates we could probably measure them soon in millimeters with a rain gauge. This Blue Planet is a sphere of bio-chemical weapons and armed revolutions and gender inequality and environmental pollution and racial discrimination. Every latitude is laden with an unpredictable danger and in a world of such conflict, the most sought after five lettered word (no not Lindt) is peace. It is what we want, and what we need. So what is a world without peace like? To get a picture, literally, a good idea would be to start by turning on the news. Why is peace so impossible to find? It is simply because conflicts are rampant. I am not proposing that we sit back and do nothing about conflicts because they will continue to arise. But the problem lies in the way in which we choose to react to the several problems around us. We need to find 19

alternative ways to respond to crises and threats. Every situation has a solution that involves negotiation and peace. The only way we are going to be able to diffuse the issues that this planet is plagued with is by instilling values of peace and negotiation right from the grassroots. It starts with educating the youngest citizen, teaching them beyond the ABCs. Granted, the fusion of hydrogen molecules and such is definitely essential but they also need to be taught how to react non-violently, and to keep a situation under control. They must learn the basic social values. They must inculcate basic courtesy. In a conflict affected situation, there are recurring priorities like political stabilization and maintaining security. These priorities should also include the basics such as health and sanitation, water facilities and primary education. In severely affected areas, education is most definitely not to be ignored! But it should not be limited to merely handing over material. Academics should be combined with values of peace, tolerance and honesty. Diversity must be accepted and embraced. A child gets only one chance to education and however dire the situation, it shouldn't be forgotten that education is a fundamental right that every citizen is entitled to. It is a very important tool in wiping out poverty and enhancing development. The biggest link between education and crisis management is stopping a society from 20

relapsing into conflict. It isn't enough if we establish peace; it must be sustainably maintained. Another way to influence education's impact on peace, is to train teachers to inculcate such values in students. Education systems are never perfect but there's always scope for improvement. Institutions should encourage activities stimulating peace and celebrate the globally significant days as declared by the United Nations. Going beyond theoretical absorption is vital because 99% of the problem is lack of knowledge on how to react and apply. An astoundingly beautiful initiative taken by private fund raisers was the Seeds of Peace Camp in Otisfield, Maine. Every year, it attracts several children from myriad extremes of the world. Children, during their stay, interact with each other and children who belong to conflicting homelands bunk together. At this level, it is instilled in them that children of their nation's conflicting homelands are equally gentle and friendly. Since adults are more or less fixed in their mindset, it was decided that education in conflict solving from the smallest level would make an impression and consequently aid in building stronger generations to come. Peace building and true international peace requires massive contributions on part of the people as well as governments in solving conflicts as well as maintaining the established peace. Passing laws and signing treaties alone is not enough. Without the cooperation of 21

the people, proper educational systems (not only academically but also peace education) must be integrated in to all societies. We must learn to resolve issues in the appropriate manner and pass on the apt modus operandi through the generations. The fate of this conflict ridden world rests solely in the hands of the impressionable young. Let's put down our weapons and pull out the white flags. Let's not stop with ABCs and Pythagoras. Let us shape the still clay-like children into future leaders who, because of education, will lead their nations into the global peace community, joining hands with allies as well as enemies. Only then will societies and nations together finally realize the meaning of peace.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Peace is a never ending process... It cannot ignore our differences... It requires us to work and live togetherâ&#x20AC;? - Oscar Ariaz Sanchez

Josh Wood Idaho Falls Rotary Club, RI District 5400, United States

PEACEFUL INNOVATION “Don't let behavior of others destroy your inner peace,” said Dalai Lama. Like every human ideal, peace only exists when the people propagating it let it take precedence in every aspect of their lives. Violent means do not justify a peaceful world. Essentially, if we as a people do not have the proper ideology of agreeableness guiding us, then we will never achieve a society that is peaceful. If we compromise our beliefs, conforming to aggressive outcomes, we can never reach a content state. My mom has always told me since I was young, “love the life you live, and live the life you love.” Peace is derived from this simple principle. As a young person, I strive to be involved with activities that isolate this claim as their underlying theme. The more my life benefits others, the more I am pleased with my outcome. Going into any activity, if my mindset is not one of tolerance and openmindedness then what is the point of me acting in that event? I help no one if I first have not realized why I am actually helping them. Love and peace coincide with one another. One cannot have one and not the other, for these reasons in my own life I wish to always persist 23

upon positivity. Rotary International has a truly guiding motto for us: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Service about Self.â&#x20AC;? A life lived for self is a life that has not lived. Self-interest keeps humanity from reaching its farthest potential. Our lives need to be dedicated to the liberation of others. Focusing on this is what brings us to self-actualization. When we understand ourselves it enables us to teach this value to other cultures and societies, spreading peace across the world. A servant's heart and mentality creates a leader that is unshakable. Corruption and discrimination are products of entitled individuals that believe they are above humanity in some degree. Separating our youth from this mentality will help form a more positive and understanding future for all of us. The world is a vast and nearly immeasurable place. Countries that respect all human life are the ones that pioneer human progression. However, their governments consist of people just like the rest of us. If those individuals have a genuine desire to stop tragic violations of nature rights then our world can reach a stable state. No longer can innocent people feel oppressed from freedoms that should come from the sheer fact that they are human beings. Life is beautiful; it is corruption and greed that keep us from reaching a position of tranquility. Enlightenment from oppression comes from a complete understanding of the cultures, societies, and traditions of the many peoples spanning across the world have. We are the soft 24

lights to our own uplifting destinies if we all work together for and with one another. A world crippled with hate is a world that rejects itself. How can we proceed in a positive manner if we cannot see past our own differences? The first step to this is to expand our own knowledge of each other, to agree to disagree, and to push forward, because it is the only option in which everyone reaches a peaceful compromise. Companionship and diplomacy go hand in hand, acting as spokesmen for each other, proposing answers to conflicting nations. We are only one people, so why do place labels on ourselves, as if being a part of a particular sect of life mattered? One person, alone, stands an outcast, but many people together for one purpose are powerful. As a new generation we need to rise to the challenge of our past, and inspire peace. If we act collectively, our passion for progress will be unbreakable. Growing from our belief in the possibility to make our world a better place, we will stand strong. Understanding and peace must prevail in us for ultimate freedom.

Phoebe Danielle Pangilinan Rotary Club of Santa Rosa Centro, RI District 3820, Philippines

YOUTH: UNWAVERING ADVOCATES OF PEACE At such a young age, today's youth has been gravely exposed to the global issues regarding world peace. Hostilities here and there; human aggression; and immense political issues in almost every continent. What lingers in my mind is that, what is the impact of these on the young, fragile minds of those who are in their supposedly formative years? Do they influence how these young people live their lives? With prevalent dilemma regarding peace between numerous countries, it would be questionable if no single youth will be involved. Whether we like it or not, the youth will be affected in such a way that their thinking about the world's behavior will change. They would think that the world is just as wicked as any criminal lurking in the society. They would choose to think that every person is an enemy, an adversary. Instilling fear in their minds is inevitable. Why? How can we evade these cruel thoughts on the minds of the young when the adults, who are wise enough to judge right from wrong, themselves cannot avert their misconducts? Speaking as a young student, an Interactor as well, I think it is 26

about time to let the world focus on strengthening the youth's understanding on global issues against hostility. Let us know what is what because we will never understand if no one makes us understand. Let us know our role in upholding world peace. Let the youth help in continuing to battle the strifes the world we know of today suffers from. I claim this personally. Rotary International has been a very good model in promoting world peace and understanding. Three years ago, I decided to join Interact. All I know about it is that its mother club is Rotary from which my parents' friends are active members. From then on, I learned that Rotary is more than just a club conducting fellowships and charity. It is a club that hones the mindset of the youth. I learned to become more observant of the current repute of not only my city, but my country as well. Since then, I tend to be more aware of the people surrounding me. I study what they do and how they do it â&#x20AC;&#x201C; even just as simple as knotting a rope. These little things help me a lot whenever I encounter prominent issues from the news. It reminds me to always think rationally, to always think of the words I speak before I comment. After all, words have that great effect on humanity â&#x20AC;&#x201C; such great power. These should never be underestimated nor overlooked. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, youth is defined as the time when a young person has not yet become an adult; the 27

time when something is new and not yet established. Slicing up the defiinition, youth does not necessarily pertain to a group of young people. It could be defined as something new, something fresh. Therefore, I can address the youth as people with fresh minds; people with young but indisputable thinking. These are the people one should never belittle. You never know what we can think of and what we can do. So, YOUTH? Where do we stand now? Answering my question, I believe we stand in the brink of what I term as youth intervention. At this moment, a large number of youth are beginning to interfere with the society's business. I consider this a huge leap for youthkind. Since forever, the youth has been addressed as weaklings; as young, useless children. But now, we have evolved into something bold but not wild. We have finally seen a purpose. And this purpose is to be involved. We finally yearn for knowledge on current issues and desire let ourselves be heard. Here, in the Philippines, what I call youth intervention is very evident. With many learners from various universities and colleges, I think these students are already clever enough to shout out their stand. From years of studying, they have equipped with so much selfesteem that they no longer fear to speak their hearts out. They learned to establish their own organizations; designate a purpose; and tell everyone what they feel, and what they think should be done. 28

They are not alone. They are supported by their parents, professors and mentors. This is how we are. And this is what I want to see in the world. I want to see adults helping and guiding the youth in the things that we want to understand, or at least think we understand. I want the adults to let us feel that we are welcome, that we have our own roles in the society. I want to see adults opening doors of opportunity for the youth to be engaged in public development and world peace sustenance. This is what I saw in Rotary three years ago. They do not, and I think will never, fail to notice the potential of today's youth â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that we are valuable in promoting the advocacies they have laid out, which include upraising world peace. The youth is never just an extra in the world's movie scene. We are someone. We are vital in keeping the essence of humanity and peace alive at the moment. With all the crises our world faces, we should gather all the associates we could possibly have, equip them with knowledge, enhance their skills â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that populace includes the youth. I assure every one of you that acknowledging the youth will never ever be a mistake because we, no matter how small you see us, can always make a difference.

Reini Azriel Evangelista Rotary Club of Paranaque Metro South, RI District 3830, Philippines

THROUGH A SINGLE CLICK Look around you. You may see that almost everyone---young or old---has their own gadget at hand. It cannot be denied that technology is very much visible in our lives today. And one type of technology which is widely used nowadays is social media. Now, the questions come. Can social media contribute to social change? Can it possibly be an instrument of peace and social media? Well, the answer is yes. Social media actually can play an important role in peace-building and social change. Let me state some examples and scenarios wherein social media played an important role in the Philippines. Last August, the Million People March happened in Rizal Park in Manila City. It was a massive protest---the biggest one, actually--since President Benigno Aquino III took office. It was a protest wherein people, especially Filipino taxpayers, showed their desire of abolishing the Priority Development Assistance Fund or PDAF, which is given to members of the congress, since they think that this somehow promotes corruption in the government. Even though only between 80,000 to 100,000 people gathered in Rizal Park, the whole event was actually impressive since the whole idea of having a 30

protest started in a social networking site: Facebook. It was through a Facebook post by Ito Rapadas that the idea of having the Million People March started. The post was shared by various netizens and his friend, Peachy Breta単a, suggested that the event be done on August 26, the National Heroes' Day in the Philippines. And, true enough, it happened. It was made possible. Who would've thought that that single post would actually encourage people to hold such protest? Who would've thought that Filipinos from different parts of the country would gather just to show that they have the voice and they can express their opinions and views regarding the national issue? Filipinos are known for the peaceful EDSA Revolution which happened in 1986, which showed that people can hold a revolution peacefully. Meanwhile, this Million People March showed that through social networking sites, which obviously showed how greatly social media affects Filipinos from all over the country, can unite towards one goal and do it in a peaceful way. Another example wherein social media was an instrument of peace and social change was when it was used to help victims of calamities in the Philippines. Just last week, Typhoon Yolanda, with the international name Haiyan, devastated the central part of the Philippines. And just a few weeks earlier, a 7.2 quake struck the same area of the country. Citizens living in those affected areas lacked and are lacking the 31

basic necessities they need in order to live in evacuation sites. Yes, the government sent relief good to the affected areas but of course, other Filipinos would like to help out and again, through social media, it was and it is made possible. Tweets in the social networking site Twitter can be seen with the hashtags #RescuePH and #ReliefPH. The tweets have links attached to them with information regarding on how they can send in donations for the affected Filipinos. Some tweets mention areas wherein help is badly needed. Celebrities, organizations, and institutions even used their accounts to spread information and details in hopes that their followers would see the tweets and help out. Fortunately, people respond to these tweets and do their best to help out. Relief goods reach the affected people and areas and are distributed. Unity and peace, again, was seen and made visible through social media. It is during these times that the resilience of the Filipinos can be seen. It is in these times that people can see that Filipinos would do everything in order to help out the other Filipinos needing help. It is the time wherein people use social media in order to help out and bring peace and change the society positively. If you've read this far, it only means that you want to know how social media can promote peace and social change. As much as stating ideal examples would be good, I've thought that you or those who 32

would read this essay may understand how greatly social media affects people by laying down concrete examples. As we all know, “Great things start from small beginnings.” We, as internet users and as people with accounts in the different social networking sites, must be responsible users in order to promote peace. To spread peace to humanity, we must start within ourselves. Once we've establish that peace within us, we then start thinking of ways on how we can spread and promote peace globally. And in our fast-paced world today, it is through social media that it can be made possible. It is in social media wherein anyone is free to express his or her thoughts on an issue or topic, provided that he or she must be responsible for what he or she says or does. Though we have the freedom to express ourselves, we must show that we are responsible enough. I believe that to be an instrument of peace and social change is a privilege. Social media can be used in a lot of ways and it would be better if we use it to help others and spread peace. With that, everyone all over the world with the same beliefs can unite towards the same goal. We can all believe that through a single click of the “Share” button in Facebook or a click on the “Tweet” button on Twitter can make world peace attainable and possible.

Group II

â&#x20AC;&#x153;If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.â&#x20AC;? - Nelson Mandela

Rednaxela Calderon Rotary Club of Intramuros, RI District 3810, Philippines

PEACE MUST BE FELT, NOT JUST BEING SAID The world today is in a great fear and hatred. People are suffering from a lot of problems, conflicts and cruelties. These circumstances occurred for centuries and yet, there are no changes. We don't have any clue when it's all going to end. But, why are we trapped in this situation? How can we able to escape? Why do such things happening to us? Perhaps, the answers can be found within our self. We are living in this world where we became so selfish. We always compete with no good purpose but to get the power and superiority. We tend to discriminate without any basis and concern, to revenge because of anger, and to slaughter with no mercy. Genocides, terrorisms, wars are all act of violence resulting from misunderstanding, due to diversities, scarce resources and other matters; which we thought could settle conflicts and establish peace. But, these bring out more problems such as poverty and lack of order which causes more difficulties in our society. The world is so confusing, isn't it? But the point is, we are now in a violent world and we must make a way to fix everything and make it right for our better 36

future. Almost all of us are longing for solutions. We are in thirst for peace. And yet, we must know that we are the resources, the ones who must fill each other's cup. It is definitely hard to know if we could achieve peace, but then, if we direct our minds saying “No, it's impossible to achieve”, it's like we have accepted that we cannot live in this world without trouble and pain. And there is no hope at all. As Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “It isn't enough to talk about peace, one must believe in it. It isn't enough to believe in it, one must work at it.” So let us not underestimate the power of believing, and let's make an action to achieve it. Basically, we must understand what peace really is. “Peace does not mean just putting an end to violence or war, but to all other factors that threaten peace, such as discrimination, such as inequality, poverty.” as explained by Aung San Suu Kyi. Peace is not just the absence of killings but also the freedom of people to live in an approachable society wherein acceptance is indispensable and people are having harmonious relationships. Once we know what peace is, we will surely want it, and once we want it, we will make a way to have it. It is true that you cannot change the world alone, but you can start this change within yourself and influence others to do the same. We can create a world with no fear if we are willing to participate in 37

this goal of peace that we desire to obtain. Lots of organizations and movements has existed with the same purpose, to promote peace and order, to build a good relationship among people all over the world, and to eliminate poverty, but there is no palpable results yet. United Nations Organization has made all nations to participate in the Summit Declaration of Millennium Development Goal, but do you think this would be useful if only those in the position would exert an effort? We must put in our mind that attaining peace needs everybody's effort. As long as everybody works for it, then maybe we can somehow see the beginning of peace. But how can we be united and work together if we don't have peace in mind? In fact, we must first learn how to be contented, kind hearted and open-minded. You will notice that all the problems usually occur because of insecurities, rivalry of possession, social stratification, lack of discipline and wisdom, and care for other people. Insecurities lead to discrimination in terms of race by physical identity or religion. We must learn to be satisfied of what we have, accept diversities and learn to understand different people's perspective internationally. Let us free our mind from prejudices and give worth and dignity to every human being. For individual, especially for the youth, we can join lots of international conferences and programmes for us to learn and to widen our knowledge about 38

different cultures and beliefs for us to avoid discrimination. Insecurities also lead us to do bad things in our neighbours. Because of social stratification, the concept of rich and poor, social status and position, has affected our way of living since the beginning. People became so aggressive that already creates conflicts and violence. It is not bad to aspire a better living, but be conscious of your actions especially if it hurts and affects other people around you. Let us not create allegations that will dishonour our neighbours. Give respect to everyone, treat other people justly and fairly and let us live as brothers and sisters. Rivalry of possession is an act of selfishness causing wrong distribution of resources and inequality. This is one of the reasons why poverty is getting worse. Many people are uneducated without insight of right and wrong. World hunger becomes severe and children are great victims of it. That's why, sometimes in life, people take stand against peace because of complicated situation due to poverty. Criminals such as thief do deviant behaviours because they were trapped by the situation made by all of us. So let us learn to give and share what we have to the less fortunate. If we have something to give, let's not hesitate to help. Organizations and the government execute a lot of programs and services to alleviate poverty. In order for us to participate in these activities, we can volunteer and be a part of organizing community services. We may not have material resources; 39

at least we have the willingness to give our efforts for peace and unity. Social inclusion should also be expressed so that social justice will overtake in our society, wherein people will feel valued and our needs will be met. Equality will shine and differences will be respected. Since the government has a big responsibility of promoting peace, leaders of every nation must be honest, fair and accountable in their jurisdiction. And, we, as a citizen, must know how to choose wisely of who will govern us. Let us build relationship and develop good leadership. Let us also follow the laws and norms of our society. Observe discipline within ourselves. We have to be an agent of change, know our limitations and our purpose of living. Let us live for each other, because you cannot live only for yourself. God gave us our lives to care enough for the living. Since then, a lot of leaders such as Mahatma Ghandi and Nelson Mandela gave us an inspiration to live in peace. They sacrificed and cared for us. Now that we are in the position, we must realize that peace and ideas must not only be said but must be felt inside and out. Let's pray to God and start doing good deeds to others, and surely, a violence free society can be achieved.

Chima Phinihas Rotary Club of Enugu, RI District 9140, Nigeria

THE ROLE OF ARTS AND CULTURE IN CREATING A GLOBAL DIPLOMACY The world today is full of problems. Wars and threats of terrorism, increased border security, political tensions, and high profile of religious prejudice, racism, corruption, heightened mistrust, conflicts, hunger and anxiety about the future are all threatening our peace, the world peace. Some religions and minor races still face systematic discrimination and stigmatizations. Ideally, religion should have been a force that binds us together as global family. Cultures of all should have been designed, as a tool to transmit the message of oneness and unity, but opposite is the case. Now we are tired of the culture wars all over the globe. Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s major religions are not at peace; Christians trying to Christianize the world and Islam trying to Islamise; then other religion should go. They are not rooted well to survive. Today, many ongoing internal struggles of race, religion and politics seem to put a frightening look to the hearts of both the young and old. Many sectarian groups and culture groups have emerged in recent years to put to a stop the western culture and hacked many 41

innocent souls down to death in the name of religion. These are the offshoots of those who absurdly pursue the insane agenda of separatism and violence in their recourse! September 11, 2001 was a day of horror, a day of anguish, and a day of storm for the world, when some religious nuts attacked the United States and killed thousands of innocent Americans and alien residents. This was vile act of raw hatred, unjustifiable by any rational thought, but perpetuated anyway in the name of God. God had become a weapon of mass destruction used by ignoramuses around the globe. They freely use God in funding their campaign bigotry, racial prejudice and genocide. We have seen it also here in Nigeria- Jos ,Kano, Bauchi, Kaduna etc, where innocent citizens mainly women and children were massburied amidst tears and pain. So, bigotry has become a cancer to our world. It uses God, it uses religion, it uses culture, it uses education and it possesses politics and politicians. We pay a terrible prize for this as it breeds increased lack of knowledge of others and their ways of life. As a result we suffer cultural stigma; we hide our real identity, we struggle to sell our right because we want to be accepted not for who we are but what we are. This is a culture price and if this anomaly it creates continues, the whole idea behind the global goal will hardly be achieved. That is to say that humanity is not going to find a way to survive if we do not find a way to live together. Of course, what we are as individuals does not depend on just 42

our cultural background. Within every culture there are variations among people. Who we are is also determined by genetics, our experiences in life, and a host of other factors. Nevertheless, culture is a lens through which we see the world. As we come to know people of other cultures, not only do we improve our understanding of others but we also understand ourselves better. Cultures are more than language, dress and food customs. Cultural groups may share race, ethnicity or nationality, but they also arise from cleavages of generation, socio-economic class, sexual orientation, ability and disability, political and religious affiliations, language, gender â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to name only a few. Cultures are embedded in every conflict because conflicts arise in human relationships. Cultures affect the way we name, frame, blame and attempt to tame conflicts. Culture is always a factor in conflict, whether it plays a central role or influences it subtly and gently. For any conflict that touches us where it matters, where we make meaning and hold our identities, there is always a cultural component. For example, in our time culture is receiving finally due recognition as a key factor in the evolution and resolution of conflicts. Our familiarity with these different starting points' increases, we are cultivating cultural fluency â&#x20AC;&#x201C; awareness of the ways cultures operate in communication and conflict, and the ability to respond effectively to these differences. It is also true that cultural approaches to time or 43

communications are not always applied in good faith, but may serve as a variety of motives. Asserting power, superiority, advantage or control over the course of negotiations may be a motive wrapped up in certain cultural behaviors. There is no one size fits all approach to solving the huge problem in the world today, since culture is always a factor. Cultural fluency is therefore a core competency for those who intervene in conflict or simply want to function more effectively in their own lives and situations. In the light of these, I make these recommendations; -

Affirmation of the authentic cultural values and cultural

heritage, -

Building up of a global cultural identity and apparel

affirmation of cultural identifies of different ethnic groups, considering that we live in a homogenous society and share our boundary with people who do not speak our language or practice the same system of worship. -

Development of cultural infrastructure and introduction of

new technologies in cultural activities, -

Establishment of links between culture and education, as well

as between education and different cultural industries, particularly mass media, -

Ask close-ended questions which often eliminate confusion on

a particular aspect of culture, 44

It is given that cultural differences must be understood and

respected to achieve effective communication. Those differences concerns basic values and beliefs that shape worldviews and guides choices for action in all walks of life. When values at this level differ in fundamental ways, misunderstanding of motives and interest is common, and clashes between groups becomes more likely and resolution more difficult, -

Finally, with the above, culture are lens through which we see

the world; a time tested solution to many problems of our time. It is a tool for resolving some sophisticated pressures of a turbulent society, improve relations between people, and help them find hidden creativity while encouraging collective action against adverse challenges threatening our lives and barriers separating us. In as much as we can, we work to transform the life of every individual that walks through our doors, leaving a lasting impression in their memories forever. By showing love and reciprocity, understanding and solidarity, we join hands in support of one another. And once we are through, we encourage recipients of our selfless spirit and collective action to show similar concern. There is hope.

Mikhail Grebenshchikov Rotary Club of Ekaterinburg, RI District 2220, Russian Federation

FIGHTING AGAINST PREJUDICE VALUING DIVERSITY Every nation has its own traditions and customs. This diversity makes our planet more beautiful, our experience richer, our live more fascinating and the world interesting place to explore. It gives us endless possibility to find something new at every single corner every single day. How boring and plain our live would be without all those things! No man can say he would enjoy such live. However, sometimes different nations seem to hate each other without any sensible reason. How come we love one nation and its culture and dislike or even hate the other? Many people believe that different nations have their specific national features and those features are permanent and rarely do we question our beliefs, especially negative ones. But what if they actually don't have any of those features we impute to them? What is the nature of our views and beliefs? The world is full of regularities. We may observe them every single day. We see results of our actions and then act expecting a specific outcome. It is so natural for us that we rarely question if the 46

correlations we observe really exist or it's just our brain that has established the link. Many philosophers think that it's just the brain that tends to make connections between sometimes unrelated things and events. So we quite often see wrong links. We consider two or three facts and make a conclusion but what is it worth? This is the way myths appear. I'm not talking about our ancient heritage I'm talking about prejudices and primitive views. According to Lev Gumilev, a famous Russian historian who devoted himself to studies of nomadic people, influence of such myths was enormous in the past: people would start a war against their 'enemies' or even exterminate them. And he claimed that it is an aim of the science of history to expose and eliminate such destructive concepts. One can also change one's view on other people by acquainting oneself with their cultures. Thinking about peace and conflicts I always remember a story told by Nils Christie, it's a very good illustration of how people led by destructive ideas changed their attitude. One Yugoslav prisoner claimed that he managed to survive in a concentration camp in Norway because he had learnt some Norwegian being there. â&#x20AC;&#x153;How did it help?â&#x20AC;? you might ask. Well, once a camp guard asked another one for some matches but the later didn't have any as well, so the prisoner being able to speak Norwegian said that he had some. This only phrase rescued him because the guards had seen that he was the same human being like them. Before that 47

episode they just â&#x20AC;&#x153;saw the otherâ&#x20AC;? in him. What does this story illustrate? Does it say that we are bound to treat people of other cultures as aliens or even enemies? I can assert that this is partly true. We do see the difference between us and others whether it's language, culture or appearance. When migrants come to our country and refuse to integrate into the society we see them as aliens. And if such a person happened to commit a crime we would consider the whole community as potential criminals. So, it makes us relate cultural contrasts with difference in mind and behavior and usually the others are worse from our perspective. It seems that diversities lead us to conflict, doesn't it? However, the story also shows there is a way out. When people find at least one feature in common they start feeling compassion and sympathy. So we must look for similarities rather than differences and we'll be surprised how many we can find. Also we must change our attitude to difference itself. We shouldn't think that 'different' means whether 'better' or 'worse', it's just 'not the same', there's no place for estimation. Moreover, my personal experience says that knowledge of other cultures helps re-evaluate yours and usually you start to value it more than ever before. This is a very interesting phenomenon as it shows how diversity can teach you to see richness and beauty of the cultural heritage and traditions of your nation. 48

My conclusion is that it's not diversities that lead us to conflict. It's our primitive views and prejudices against some nationalities since they make us look down on others and lead to antipathy. Simple human compassion and ability to think critically and fairly teach us to live in peace and harmony. We need to work on these, and if we do we can benefit a lot from our diversity. So to decrease conflicts based on intolerance and increase fruitful incorporation we must promote education and cultural exchanges. The more we know about other cultures the more we appreciate them. The more we think critically the less false beliefs we have. Diversity is the greatest gift we must learn to value.

Establishing lasting peace is the work of education; all politics can do is keep us out of war. Maria Montessori

Elohor Abhulimen Rotary Club of Surulere South, RI District 9110, Nigeria

DIVERSITY STRENGTHENS PEACE OR CREATES CONFLICTS In January 2012 a United States Senator Rick Santorum was severely criticized for saying, “Diversity creates conflict. We can't celebrate diversity, because it creates conflict.” There was a huge public outcry following his remark, because it was so out of place. A classical example of diversity is a football match, we are all on a team some are players- defenders, attackers on the right and left wings, a goalkeeper, and the coach. Every team member’s is to win the match- everyone performs diverse functions but they are headed for the same goal. We cannot have every member of a team performing similar functions- same as we humans we cannot all be the same. In diversity we are all headed for point A but there are different routes that can take us to point A, if route X is too crowded or is moving too slowly we can take route Y, the point is no matter what route we take any we arrive there at the end. Fruitful dialogue requires diversity, in some instances 50

everyone cannot propose the same point â&#x20AC;&#x201C; we have to disagree to agree. Simply put when people are diverse it unites them as each person is allowed to pursue their own views and goals which strengthens peace. Uniformity on the other hand is the cause of most conflictstake Nigeria for example, where Boko Haram is pursuing the agenda of no to westernization. In their bid to make Nigeria a uniform state where there is no western education, there have been series of killings and destruction. Generally uniformity breeds more conflict than diversity. Apart from race, language, religion, culture- there are other areas of diversity for instance our birth months are diverse- but we will relegate that to perceived diversity not actual diversity like languages. Imagine if everyone born in January were to form a group and alienate those born in February because they were born in a different month- instead of celebrating them for their distinctness- this is what happens when people of a certain race, tribe or language have bias against others. When the issues that emanate from our being grouped differently are not handled properly, they lead to conflict. In the UK the public transportation is well planned that even 51

the Prime Minister takes the train, many Nigerians that live in the UK claim they like the same transportation for all, because everyone seems to be equally treated. They appreciate their diversities but even more so appreciate the fact that they are treated equally. The poverty gap in developing nations should be taken care of so there is no obvious disparity between the citizens of any countrythese are the issues that breed conflict. When a group of people feel marginalized or cheated, then the diversities become glaring and it springs to the fore. Ethnic wars like that of the Tutsi's and Hutu's try to negate the fact that diversity strengthens peace, but the fact that this groups had stayed together for many years without fighting should be borne in mind, it was until the Hutu's expressed their fear of marginalization by Tutsi's that it led to war. There was a goal the Hutu's wanted political and economic power, this further leads credence to the fact that diversity does not create conflict rather the quest for selfish agendas lead to conflict. Legislative basis may often be necessary for achieving greater equality, although there are certain arguments that say the law is not durable enough for durable social change. Nevertheless Government can play a key role in addressing societal inequalities where diversities are seen as been a negative thing. 52

Diversity brings with it lots of experiences and perspectives from which new ideas and approaches can emerge but only in an environment where they are welcomed, encouraged and valued. According to George .H. Mead- “Society is Unity in diversity”, For instance Nigeria has about 250 ethnic groups which have over 500 languages with different cultures and traditions but all of them are united against Boko Haram, all of them want quality education for their children except a tiny fraction of the populace who have said no to western education. I believe that diversity teaches us to leave in peace; it strengthens a society because the influence from different cultures with their various beliefs and ideas will make a society open-minded and dynamic. Offering a Muslim pork meat that has been cooked in soup to disguise its taste, amounts to looking for trouble because you know he forbids it, same as if you shake an Iranian with your left hand- they detest that. Diversity helps us live with different people by respecting their values and traditions. Diversity enables us to live with a broadened mind and world view and this fosters peace. Diversities do not lead to conflicts except there are issues of disagreement which according to Hilary Clinton “we have to debate without fracturing our communities”. Knowing that education, food for all, clean water, maternal 53

health, economic development is a common goal the willingness to strive and reach that goal is important, no matter our ethnicities, tribe, race and religion. When we are debating issues, we should endeavour to work for common goals rather than selfish goals which would certainly lead to discord and conflicts. We have to consider the fundamental principles of humanity by highlighting what binds cultures and societies to each other. Since what unites us is deeper than what separates us, we have to learn to celebrate our diversities and debate our differences without resorting to conflict. Anthropologist Margaret Mead based her views on observations of both American and Pacific island societies this way: â&#x20AC;&#x153;If we are to achieve a richer culture, rich in contrasting values, we must recognize the whole gamut of human potentialities, and so weave a less arbitrary social fabric, one in which each diverse human gift will find a fitting place.â&#x20AC;? We cannot run from the fact that there is something that binds us together, something deep that cannot be glossed over- we are all humans and were created in diverse race and forms for a purpose. Everyone is unique and everyone has potentials. Political scientist Robert Putnam of Bowling Alone Fame has most notably stated out his position: that cultural diversity makes 54

people keep to themselves. Putnam maintains increased cultural diversity makes people hunker down and isolate themselves, in general this is called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Turtlingâ&#x20AC;?. No theory about diversity undermining trust hence peaceful coexistence has been tested or proven. Psychological scientist Kathrina Schmid of the University Of Oxford UK decided to put these different theories to test. The scientist conducted a large scale national survey in England, which like the U.S struggles with issues of immigration, diversity and ethnic tension. They surveyed more than 1700 adults from 224 neighbourhoods which varied widely. Overall they found that diversity did lead to more trust, just indirectly. They disproved Putnam's theory. Actual day to day personal contact boosted feelings of trust. In practical human life and from the study carried out by Kathrina Schmid we discover that inadvertently our diversities foster and strengthen peace.

Kwesi Elliot Rotary Club of Georgetown, RI District 7030, Guyana

IMPACT OF ATOMIC POWER ON PEACE Atomic power has been one of the more controversial issues rolling over from the 20th century into the 21st century. Opponents of Atomic power have cited its devastating effects during World War II and also nuclear accidents at power plants such as the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, Ukraine (formerly Ukrainian SSR) and more recently Fukushima, Japan in 2011. On the other hand proponents have cited its use as an alternative source of energy, as well as a deterrent to “World War III”. What is however undeniable, is that atomic power has played a major role in maintaining world peace, and will continue to do so well into the future. According to American English Dictionary,Nuclear or Atomic Energy can be defined as “the energy released from an atom in nuclear reactions or by radioactive decay: esp. the energy released in nuclear fission or nuclear fusion”. Energy derived from the nucleus is based on Einstein's famous mass-energy equation E=mc2. Where E represents the energy released or absorbed, m represents the mass converted, while c is taken to be the speed of light. This equation demonstrates that very 56

little mass can be converted into relatively huge amounts of energy. Nuclear energy has its origins in the early 20th century when scientists realized that radioactive elements such as Radium released huge amounts of energy when they decay. However, there was great difficulty in harnessing that energy. 1942 proved to be a defining year for the development of nuclear energy; Project Manhattan was officially launched by the US government. Project Manhattan was the codename used by the US Government to refer to all work surrounding nuclear research. It eventually led to the development of the first Atomic Bomb, which was tested at 5:30 am on July 16, 1945. To date, America has been the only country to use the atomic bomb during war. It was dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. The short and long term effects of these bombs have been devastating. One can argue that due to the devastating effects of these bombs, no country should ever possess such capabilities. However, it was the possession of such capabilities by both the United States of America and then USSR which prevented the “Cold War” from becoming “hot”. Since both countries have possessed such deadly weapons, it meant that both countries were in a position to do considerable damage to the each other. A new term was coined during the “Cold War”, “Mutual Assured Destruction” or “MAD”. What MAD basically meant was that both countries realized that by attacking 57

the other, the other country would be able to respond with a great enough force to destroy the aggressor. According to Henry D. Sokolski, - Executive Director, Nonproliferation Policy Education Center, in a report entitled “GETTING MAD: NUCLEAR MUTUAL ASSURED DESTRUCTION, ITS ORIGINS AND PRACTICE”, he stated “…Soviet leaders would recognize the dangers of invading Europe, perhaps less for concern of a carefully decided American nuclear response than that an unplanned event, perhaps in the fog of war, could somehow lead to nuclear weapons being launched…”. The fear of an American response capable of destroying most if not the entire country certainly caused the Soviets to think twice before attacking countries in Europe. For MAD to be successfully used as a deterrent of war, both parties must have the capability of retaliating after being attacked. That is, a single attack must never be able to wipe out their response capabilities. This was achieved when both the US and USSR developed submarines capable of launching ballistic missiles with a nuclear war-head. Both countries were now in a position of guaranteeing a second strike capable of destroying the aggressive country and leaving it in ruins. In such a scenario, there would have been no victors, just two countries which totally destroyed each other, hence the term, “Mutual Assured Destruction”. It is therefore evident that Atomic weapons played a major role 58

in preventing armed conflicts between countries. Persons cannot experience peace if their country is involved in an armed conflict. Atomic power not only contributed to peace by being a deterrent of war, but it also contributed by being a source of energy for electricity generation. According to the World Nuclear Association, Nuclear energy supplies about 13.5% of the world's total electricity demand. Unlike the burning of fossil fuel, nuclear power does not have Carbon Dioxide and other greenhouse gasses. In this regard, nuclear power can be considered to be a clean source of electricity. The burning of fossil fuel has been cited as the major source of greenhouse gasses, leading to climate change. Effects of climate change are clearly visible in today's world. Melting of ice at the poles is causing an increase In the ocean levels; countries are now more prone to flooding. Effects of flooding are: a displaced population, destruction of farmsleading to a shortage of food, an increase in the number of water borne diseases just to name a few. Persons who are in such situations cannot experience peace. The only way to arrest this situation is by reducing the emission of greenhouse gasses. Nuclear power can lead the way in this regard. According to CIA factbox, the total electricity consumed by the world in 2010 stood at 21.33 trillion kWh. In 2005 it stood at 14,280 trillion kWh. According to a study done by Professor HameedNezhad 59

of the Decision Science, Metropolitan State University, the world's electricity demand is expected to be increased by a 179% from 2005 through 2050. This projection places us in a very undesirable position. By increasing the amount of fossil fuel burning, our greenhouse gas emission would increase, therefore climate change would continue at an increased rate. What should be noted however is that fossil fuel is a finite resource. According to the simple economic principle of demand and supply, the price of fossil fuel will inevitably follow an upward trend. This will have a severe impact on the prices of basic goods. This increase will place such goods out of the reach of much of the world's population. With millions of people already living in poverty millions more will gradually be placed into poverty. It has been observed that in poverty stricken areas; crime, illiteracy and disease are generally rampant â&#x20AC;&#x201C; not a peaceful situation at all. Atomic power can therefore be used as an alternative to fossil fuels. Currently, other sources of alternative energy have not been developed sufficiently to have them as a major source of electricity generation. France currently supplies 75% of its electricity by utilizing nuclear power. No other form of alternative energy would have been economically viable to supply such a great degree of its electricity. We can therefore conclude that Atomic Energy has contributed 60

to the peace of millions by acting as a deterrent to war. Also, by being a source of energy, it reduces the cost of electricity generation as well asabating the effects of climate change; henceforth, contributing to world peace.

I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t simply build my hopes on a foundation of confusion, misery and deathâ&#x20AC;Ś I think peace and tranquility will return again. Anne Frank

Miguel Rozo Rotary Club of Vancouver, RI District 5040, Canada

PEACE : AN ACHIEVABLE GOAL The quest for achieving peace has eluded us for quite some time. Throughout history there has been the illusion that peace and stability can be established through war. In the 20th century for instance, wars have been fought and peace has been achieved through regime change a number of times, a prime example is the Second World War. Ending war through the use of violence is however not only ironic, but the price to pay for victory is substantial. The negative externalities of war not only include the physical scars of being in a combat zone, but transcend into the psychological traumas that can lead to multi-generational patterns of mental health issues, affecting the overall healing process for societies. In addition to this, security studies scholarship has demonstrated that wars, in particular intra-state conflicts, have a tendency to relapse due to credibility commitments fears. When the fundamental grievances of the population are not addressed effectively and there is a lack of institutional frameworks in place to ensure reconciliation, equitable access to economic development and the rule of law â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a relapse into violence will become inevitable. 62

World peace will only be achieved once we begin to believe in it. An international set of policy frameworks that take a global approach to solving conflict while taking into account local needs is the kind of policy that will succeed. Such policy and scholarship should also question the moral implications of war itself and take into account the negative repercussions of war in society as a whole â&#x20AC;&#x201C; highlighting human suffering (regardless of actor), impact on the environment and economic development among others. Scholarship should continue to shift from the predominant realist theoretical frameworks which do not question the ethics of war and move on instead to frameworks that make the building of peace a priority without justifying the use of violence. Political rhetoric should also shift from generalization to acknowledging both individual weaknesses and strengths. Achieving peace will be no easy task, but with conviction, a true belief in human ingenuity, and an inclusive approach that involves from peasants to CEOs of Multinational Corporations â&#x20AC;&#x201C; will a conflict-free society be at last achieved. Prior to even considering the idea of achieving peace, one must comprehend the root causes of war. It is true that the reasons for conflict vary upon locational circumstances. However, research demonstrates that the underlying reasons behind interstate and intrastate conflicts include misconceptions, misinterpretations, misunderstandings and generalizations. Let us consider the scenario 63

a soldier would face in a combat zone where he/she is ordered to kill the enemy without remorse. When analyzing such a situation, it is astounding how a human being, with all its so-called deductive reasoning capabilities – will kill another human being without questioning whether the other person has a personal hatred towards him/her. As a matter of fact, human beings do question this. Grossman’s (1996) research shows that during and prior to the Second World War, only 15 to 20 percent of soldiers fired at enemy soldiers when ordered to do so – even if their own lives were at danger. This is quite astonishing and demonstrates that despite the propaganda that sought to instill hatred and distrust of the enemy via generalizations – there was still an overwhelming percent whose love for humanity overpowered the unpleasant reality of war. Grossman’s work is only one of a number of respectable scholarship whose qualitative and quantitative research demonstrates that there is in fact, hope for humanity. It is this type of research that should become the focus of security studies scholarship, which has for the last decades been geared towards realist theoretical ideology. Even theoretical frameworks that hold a greater belief in the use of diplomacy to solve conflict instead of resorting solely to violence has its flaws. Woodrow Wilson’s Liberal idealism believes in the concept of creating an alliance of “peace loving nations” but does not ultimately condemn 64

the use of war â&#x20AC;&#x201C; this ambiguity has led to the creation of collective security alliances which have at times been deployed primarily to defend geopolitical interests instead of focusing their efforts to protect vulnerable populations from war itself. The use of war has effectively been institutionalized and this carries serious ethical implications. Instead of using international organizations (IOs) as hegemonic tools (this applies to both western and non-western governments), IOsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; focus can instead be geared towards the building of institutional frameworks whose policy will rely on evidence-based research that has a well-versed understanding of intrastate and interstate conflict. Such an approach would require collective action from local actors, all levels of nation-state governments, intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) such as the United Nations (UN), and the increasingly influential Multinational Corporations (MNCs). Economic interdependence rises the opportunity cost of war, for international networks of trade have become increasingly intertwined, especially over the last few decades. MNCs in that regard have the potential to shape the face of conflict considerably in the 21st century and beyond since most trade that takes place nowadays is between MNCs and the vast network of affiliates and subsidiaries. Brooks (2005) notes that MNCs are important new actors in international relations and have the potential to create a 65

more peaceful world because of their influence in determining economic development in regions worldwide. Local and foreign NGOs who understand the complexity of particular conflicts worldwide can work in conjunction with IGOs to establish institutional frameworks to ensure the provision of basic necessities such as education, the rule of law and safety nets to ensure that populations worldwide do not fall into destitute poverty. What is needed are institutional frameworks that provide the incentives to ensure that every human being is able to live with dignity and realize his/her potential. Reason instead of ideology should determine policy. The nation-state system is not perfect, but nor is the market. Both are complementary, and both monetary and prudential supervision are necessary if MNCs are to take on a larger role in determining foreign policy. The welfare state is a reality and countries cannot be run solely as enterprises nor can they be run as actors with an endless amount of resources to provide for social programs endlessly without taking into account fiscal responsibility. There is no one-size-fits-all formula. The enforcement of the law is a must, and when every human being is empowered through institutional frameworks to guarantee those basic rights while condemning the use of war as a means to achieve political outcomes â&#x20AC;&#x201C; that is when peace will be achieved.

Priya Gunendra Rotary Club of Crawley, RI District 9450, Australia

THE GARDEN OF PARADISE "We are one. Flowers of one garden. We are one. Leaves of one tree. Let the walls come down, we'll stand here together. We are one. Family." (Seals n.d.) Introduction Set against a backdrop of a race of men distinguished by marvellous scientific and technological advancements, yet drowning in a sea of disillusionment and disunity, we hear verses like the ones above uttered with such yearning in our society. Hasn't the destruction paved by two World Wars, the unspoken of but everpresent see thing mistrust against those that differ from us, the petty bickering and disagreements, proof enough that world peace will forever remain a beautiful, unattainable dream? Despite these fierce antagonisms inflaming races, nationalities, cultures etc (Effendi 1979), amidst the breaking down of society, we all hope for a time of peace: a time when each of us is transformed into active contributors of an 'ever-advancing civilization' (Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah 1990), a time when our diversity becomes the 67

strongest weapon and ultimate cure against these negative social forces. According to Google search, diversity is defined as the state of being diverse. In my opinion, it is not this state of difference that strengthens peace or creates conflict. Rather, it is what we do and the choices we make with this diversity that charts the course of our civilization. This essay suggests that our ignorance regarding diversity breeds prejudices that sow the seeds of conflict; whereas our willingness and continuous efforts to be attracted like moths to a flame, to the beauty of diversity will strengthen peace. Attraction to Beauty "Consider the flowers of a garden, though differing in kind, colour, form and shapeâ&#x20AC;Ś[are] invigorated by the rays of one sun, this diversity increaseth their charm and added to their beauty." (Baha, The World Order of Baha'u'llah 1991) If the human race is a garden, the most beautiful thing about it is itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s diversity. Everyone differs in colour, language, beliefs etc, there are no two people completely alike. When we flaunt what makes us beautiful, and appreciate the beauty of others, then this world becomes a garden of paradise. Perhaps we should consider the scientific evidence; after all, belief without science is mere fantasy. Does science agree that diversity is indeed powerful? There have been recent studies investigating whether racial mixing could lead to a genetic 68

advantage. In the plant and animal kingdoms, those born to genetically dissimilar parents exhibit "hybrid vigour"â&#x20AC;&#x201D;they have enhanced growth rates and increased resistance to disease. Scientist have theorised that if the environmental factors were constant, genetic diversity in the human race would also give rise to a superior race of men. (Channel Four Television Corporation 2009) Additionally, myriad spectrums of society are promoting diversity. In educational institutions, educators believe that providing students a platform to encounter and learn from others with diverse backgrounds, better prepares them for this constantly evolving world stage. (Milem n.d.) In the workforce, diversity is associated with recruiting and retaining the best, regardless of colour, language, nationalities. Diversity in this area has been linked to generating more creative solutions or approaches, it is profitable and marketable. (EqualityMagazines.com 2013) Therefore, not only is diversity beautiful, it is also powerful enough to aid in strengthening peace. Veiled in Darkness Human history is adorned with unnecessary bloodshed, muffled screams of the oppressed and innocent. Its' pages speak of nation turning against nation for a piece of land; one man slave to another because of the colour of his skin; women denied their rightful place, and freedom wrenched away from those deemed inferior due to 69

their difference. In short, it highlights the prejudices within us that give rise to unimaginable conflicts. Prejudice is the adverse opinion or learning formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge. (Merriam Webster 2013) It is born from fear of the unknown or the feeling of discomfort when confronted with people we consider different from us. How often do we hear, or even make statements like: "All white peopleâ&#x20AC;Ś", "Teenagers can beâ&#x20AC;Ś", (The Nemours Foundation/KidsHealth 2013) the list goes on. These negative, stereotypical thinking has sadly become ingrained in our culture. It has been given the free reign to dictate our thinking and actions without us even fully comprehending all the facts. By permitting these diversity-caused conflicts to continue, we make a conscious decision to be inattentionally blind and ignorant. Inattentional blindness is an inability to perceive something that is within one's direct perceptual field because one is attending to something else. (Carroll 2013) I believe that one can be blinded to the uniting powers of diversity because we are busy 'attending to' the differences that separate us. Furthermore our lack of knowledge, education and exposure to these differences also give rise to many conflicts. Creating a New Mind (Price 2012) If diversity is to strengthen peace and not create conflict, then 70

we must change our minds to adapt to this new appreciation. "Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle." (King 2013) Firstly, our vision must be widened, be 'world-embracing' (Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah 1990). In physics it is termed adopting a new "frame of reference", which means adpting a new 'set of ideas, conditions, or assumptions that determine how something will be approached, perceived, or understood' (Merriam Webster 2013). We should let go of mere assumptions or ancient beliefs that our gender, colour or religion, defines everything about us. Instead, we must look at diversity with fresh eyes, and be attracted to its beauty. Furthermore, one of the greatest tools in our arsenal is education. At every level of interaction, we should be encouraged to communicate and engage in respectful discourse with others, especially those who are from diverse backgrounds. Our cultural, national or any diversity should be preserved and celebrated. We must learn to stop seeing 'different' as a competition or threat (Clark 1989). After all, it is in the clashes of differences that sparks of truth appear (Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdul Baha 1982). If we are true seekers of peace, then our diversity must be united to form one universal, true human family. Lastly, many people are content with the idea of mutual respect 71

and tolerance being the pillars of peace. However, I would argue that instead of simply preaching tolerance and respect to diversity, we should further nurture the love of diversity: i. The love to be able to see the similarities despite the differences, to see that we all belong to one human race. ii. The love to appreciate and understand unity in diversity. Conclusion Diversity could be a source of conflict, or the answer to everlasting peace. It has always been in our hands what we decide to do with it. Are we content to remain blinded by our prejudices, or are we able to fall in love with the beauty and power wielded by diversity? "The tabernacle of unity hath been raised, regard ye not one another as strangers. Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch" (Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah 1990). How badly do we want this garden of paradise?

Courage is the price that life extracts for granting peace. Ameila Earhart

Rona Mann Rotary Club of North Kingstown, RI District 7950, United States

IT BEGINS WITH ME I knew it when I was 16 years old, although I did not want to believe it. I was with my peers at a religious conclave; and each night we would gather in front of a roaring campfire, cross one arm over the other, hold hands with the people on either side of us, and sing the words to "Kumbaya." Our adolescent forms would sway backwards and forwards in rhythm to the music being played by Joanie on the guitar. Joanie was another camper with a little bit of talent and a boatload of enthusiasm, and she excelled at "Kumbaya." So each night after dinner and before trudging back to our cabins, we would gather together for "Kumbaya." And as we bonded together in the dark, each of us was assured that our singing, our hand holding, our closeness, and our unity of spirit would all serve to contribute to the goal of world peace. But somehow I knew even at age 16 that wouldn't happen. Our sweaty fingers entwined with pubescent vocalizing was not going to bring world peace. But it made me feel good to do it. It brought about a sense of calm. It centered me. And that, in and of itself, was a kind 73

of peace. Let the calendar pages turn as we fast forward to 1989, the year I joined Rotary...the year they admitted women for the first time. I was bound and determined not to be the first woman in my club because I wasn't trying to prove a point. I didn't demonstrate for women's rights. I never burned my bra. I never was the type to stand up and stand out to make a statement of belief. I just simply believed what I believed and chose to live my life according to those beliefs. So in 1989 I became a member of the Westerly, Rhode Island, USA Rotary Club. I ached to be a Rotarian because I had followed their mission for years; and the thought of living your life according to the principle of service above self, just seemed to click with me. I knew Rotary was heavily involved in international service, youth exchange, and worldwide involvement, but I never thought of it as "bringing about world peace".....and that was okay with me. So now I was a Rotarian. I went to the meetings, I participated in events. I bought raffle tickets, volunteered to work on projects, joined committees. Each December I would stand in the snow and cold with my fellow Rotarians, collecting money to further the work of the Salvation Army. I greeted guests, worked on youth exchange, thereby meeting students from every part of the globe; I raised money, raised spirits, and raised the roof at social events. But I never thought about it from the aspect of "peace." 74

From the time God put Eve on earth to join Adam, and she handed him that ever-lovin' apple, the thought of complete peace went right out the window. I studied wars as a school girl and never understood why 18 year olds were so mad at each other that they should blow each other up. I never understood why people couldn't agree or share geographical boundaries. I never understood why man's inhumanity to man could never be tolerated by any people. But I did understand and believe that world peace was an unreachable, unattainable goal. That not in my lifetime, nor any lifetime that had come before or would come after, would nations beat their plowshares into pruning hooks and there would be war no more. Rotary, however, gives me hope. While I still believe we will never have a lasting peace in the world, Rotary teaches and breeds understanding, and understanding is perhaps the foundation of what peace is all about. Since I have become a Rotarian more than 24 years ago, I have fed the hungry and looked upon the faces of children who were learning to laugh, perhaps for the first time.

I have met and

counseled countless students here on youth exchange from every part of the world...students who arrive terrified, hardly speaking the language, immature, and completely detached. And then have seen them grow into confident and beguiling young men and women, ready to go out into the world and "conquer" it on their level...or one higher. 75

I have traveled many miles, made up at clubs far away where the people who initially looked "strange" to me became instant friends. I have stood before groups of people at local clubs, district events, and outreach programs looking into crowds of individuals who somehow in a very short time, become one. I have sold tickets, prepared food, written programs, organized fundraisers, welcomed new members, attended more meetings than I can count, spearheaded programs, and counted thousands of dollars at the end of events. I have been witness to arguments, awarded trophies, clapped until my hands were raw, brainstormed late into the night when I thought there were no more ideas left in my head, and recruited people I didn't know to do the same. I have been frustrated, elated, saddened, overjoyed, inspired, educated, and moved by nearly every Rotary meeting and every Rotarian I have ever met. And while I can honestly say that I do not believe we will ever achieve world peace, I can also say that Rotary has given me a personal sense of peace and calm I would not have realized anywhere else. Each time I see a photograph of a Rotarian administering the polio serum to a baby, I feel a sense of completeness. Every time I see young people from every part of the globe engaging in an activity together, laughing, talking, and cementing lifelong friendships, I feel 76

satisfaction. And at every meeting when we recite the 4-way test, it makes me pause for a moment, forgetting what else I have to do that day, what problems and challenges face me, and what work still remains undone. And then I am at peace. Peace through Rotary service is not a motto. It is a reality for all who embrace what Rotary is and does. And while I believe there will never be total world peace, I believe scratching the surface starts here. With me. With you.

Non -violence has a self - defence mechanism because it does not believe in the concept of defeat while there is a possibility of defeat in violence. Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan

Sharona Pickering Rotaract Club of Tortola, RI District 7020, Virgin Islands, U.S.

DIVERSITY – STRENGTHENS PEACE OR CREATES CONFLICTS Countries and regions across the world have a lot of diversity in terms of race, language, religions, cultures, etc. There have been multiple examples where diverse countries have come together to unite under a single banner to fight for a cause and there also have been examples of countries that have disintegrated because of divergent views. So, do these diversities teach us to live in peace or lead us to conflict? “An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.” — Martin Luther King, Jr. So what is diversity? Is diversity prevalent in this world today? Are their advantages of diversity? Do diversity leads to conflict or peace? Diversity is an instance of being composed of differing elements or qualities and also the condition of having or being composed of differing elements such as variety especially like the inclusion of different types of people of different races or culture in a group or organization as mentioned in the Webster Online Dictionary. 78

Peace is typically described as not having violence, avoid being in conflict and most importantly not being under constant fear of brutality. However on the other side of the coin, peace is also a way of life, it is about having constructive relationship not only every human being, but environment as whole. The concept of peaceful existence extends right from constraints of an individual's mind to that of a family and from the community that you live in to national and international levels. Some people tend to see violence as the best means to resolve a conflict. Leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and others have set examples of how human rights can be established through non-violent means. These leaders have professed that peaceful behaviours that are kind and considerate to humanity will manifest goodwill as mentioned on the ‘ROGEC’ Website. Many of today’s group and organizations were built on assumptions of uniformity, separation and specialization. People who think alike, act alike and have similar job skills are grouped into a department, such as accounting or manufacturing, separate from other departments. Homogenous groups find it easy to get along, communicate and understand one another. The uniformity thinking is remarkable, however, can be a disaster in a world becoming more multinational and diverse as mentioned in the textbook “The Leadership Experience”. 79

Culture is a broad and comprehensive concept that includes all the ways of being. Culture is learned throughout life as one participates in family and social networks. Cultures have several components, including values and behavioral styles; language and dialects; nonverbal communications; and perspectives, worldviews, and frames of reference. I believe once these components are understood they bring more peace than conflict within diversity. It is important to recognize that cultures are always changing because of diversity; with individuals, groups, and the surrounding environment that are always changing. In every culture, subgroups may form. Often members of the dominant society or subgroup of a culture view their culture as correct and all others as incorrect or even inferior which leads to peace versus conflict according to Kendall Hunt. Race is a term that attempts to categorize human being into distinct groups according to phenotypes or physical traits. Throughout history, race has been used as a social, cultural and biological construct to group people away from diversity. The concept of race has changed over time and continues to be difficult to define because our current knowledge of biological science does not support the idea that there are meaningful biological differences between races according to Kendall Hunt. Language can be defined as a means of communication that 80

shapes cultural and personal identity and socializes one into a cultural group. Language can be nonverbal and verbal. Language also can be oral and written components. It is impossible to separate language and culture. One cannot be defined without the other. In order to participate fully in a culture, one must learn that culture’s language. Conversely, in order to be fluent in a language, one must learn the culture that language represents according to Kendall Hunt. According to the textbook “The Leadership Experience”, diversity is particularly prevalent in this world today as a result of globalization, shifting in geopolitical forces, outsourcing, advancing technology, virtual teams and also e-business. Diversity can teach how to live in peace in this modern world. In this modern world of no stability; diversity is the way as there is constant motion of change and nothing seems certain anymore. Diversity can cause conflict as it regards to destroying a country’s cultural identity, however there are many advantages that outweighs the bad. Advantages of diversity are cultural enrichment, social cohesion, economic benefits, tolerance, education and language. Diversity provides the opportunity to learn, grow, understand new ways of living, and experience life to the fullest. Without diversity, the mind is closed off in its own world which may lead to conflict especially when the mind is unaware of the culture, race, religion, and language. 81

In my opinion I believe diversity is very important in creating and maintaining peace. Sometimes diversity happens and we don’t even recognize it such as “a lot of different flowers make a simply attractive diverse bouquet”. Diversity in society helps us to grow as individuals, groups and organizations and to open our minds to different ways of life. When exposed to diversity it changes the way of live, view on other cultures, more variety of ideas, and the fact that it’s all different in some way that can be meaningful in lives. Diversity promotes tolerance and with tolerance there is less conflict. Diversity can help us accept other race, language, religion and cultures, and even adapt some of their ways into the society in terms of being tolerant. With diversity, it expands the knowledge and there is no longer ignorance (which may result in conflict) and when aware of these differences then embrace them, then you have taken the blind fold off to living differently and you are a better person for it. The key is experience and using what you learned to increase more tolerance and decrease conflicts such as racism.

Shristi Suman Sinha Rotaract Club of Karim City College, RI District 3250, India

VIOLENCE FREE SOCIETY CAN IT BE ACHIEVED The misuse of the word peace in foreign policy has often made it an empty slogan used for political purposes. More than 7000 wars have been fought in the history of the world. People are killed in wars. For centuries, wars have been fought to establish peace and yet peaceful existence has eluded us. The means of living become scarce. The prices of things touch an ever-new high. That is why we are afraid of war and want to abolish it. Yet, wars break out every now and then. Conflicting national interests and ambitions create an atmosphere of war and armies are sent to the battlefront. Society creates a problem and it is society which resolves it.I do not want to say that there is no element of truth in it. What I wish to emphasize is that certain individuals are more responsible for war than society as a whole. If those occupying the seats of power and authority are able to keep their passions under control, a situation of war would never arise. The concept of violence is as old as humanity itself. Whether we like it or not, we hear about it from time to time and we see it in our society in our everyday living. The fact that we have not been affected 83

by or experienced violence does not mean that it does not exist. Violence is an act that is intended to hurt or kill somebody. It could be physical, political, emotional and even spiritual depending on the environment you are and where and when it is happening. But conflict related violence could be traced back to war times and the question is how do we put an end to the continuous existence of violence in our society? Society is ridden by strong racial prejudices communal bigotry is no less strong. Such a state naturally leads to conditions ranging from minor conflicts to fullscale wars. Training in non-violence should be imparted to all men, but particularly to the intelligentsia which provides leadership to society. We do not want to confine training in non-violence to the spheres of social service, cooperation and patriotism. As we see it, the fundamental basis of such training is a change of heart. Without bringing about a change of heart or the transformation of the mind, there can be no progress in non-violence. The very creation of individuals devoted to nonviolence marks the development of non-violence on the social level. For any society to develop, it must be a violence free one. Every now and then, violent crises erupt. So how do we hope to achieve the development that we are seeking for? It is a fact that during any crisis, there is bound to be destruction of lives and properties. It seems to me that we have not paid adequate attention to the training of individuals. We have been more active in the field of social 84

reformation. Individual transformation or social change constitutes a partial approach. However, keeping in view both the individual and society, training in non-violence can become more comprehensive and all inclusive. It is not our intention to neglect training for social reformation. Our objective is the creation of a healthy society through the development of unique individualities. Without training in nonviolence, it does not seem possible to change the social manners and mores. During the past eight decades, many experiments have been made to change the social, economic and political systems. It seems to me, however, that we have quite neglected the aspect of bringing about a change of heart. That is why our experiments, though at first they seemed to be successful, ultimately failed. The cause of this failure seems to be an order devoid of individuality and our indifference towards effecting a psychological transformation. Our effort here, though meagre from a numerical point-of-view, cannot be said to be insignificant, qualitatively. We believe that if we start our work, keeping the change of heart, i.e. the transformation of the mind at the centre, our success is bound to increase progressively. It is comparatively easy to discover at least some characteristics of our society and to realise that the state creates and perpetuates all the social evils including war itself. It is more difficult to discover the nature of the ideal society because such a society can be designed only after we know the true nature of human beings. 85

Perhaps the most serious problems, however, are those concerned with the revolution. We must know how to behave to produce our ideals. The way government wants people to behave is called the law. Obedience to the law is achieved by the combination of the carrot (money other reward) the stick violence of one form or another, and the control of belief. These three elements I call the power machinery, and it is used so that an unjust and pyramidal society is created. Stress is the root cause of all evils! Stress clogs our intellect, creates smoke-screen on our memory and induces disturbed emotions and under these impaired conditions even sane individual with all the formal training in ethics and moral values falter and indulge in violence at mental, verbal or action level which further fuel the stress in individuals as well as societal level.Nevertheless, even with the threat of violence no government could exist without war. Like frightened animals most people believe that they must be prepared to fight. Believing this, they accept that they need a central government to direct and plan their defence against any foreigners who might attack them. For governments, war is the ultimate method of obtaining obedience; no state can exist without war and the threat of it. It can be proved that people are innately good in the sense that it is their nature is to cooperate with and help others rather than be forever at variance with them. When people behave evilly, as they do today, it is because their true nature has been perverted and because 86

they find themselves in a deleterious environment. So the society we want to create will make use of people's need to cooperate. There will be an abundance of wealth because it will be produced by everyone and for everyone, because it will not be produced for profit, and because none will be wasted on governments and their violence. To create our ideal society, we must remember that the end never justifies the means. This is so because the means we use shape the ends we achieve. We cannot travel backwards and arrive at a point up ahead. It follows that we must start now as we intend to go on behave now, as far as possible, as if we were already in our ideal society. As we destroy all the undesirable elements in our present society, we must simultaneously build our new organisations. If a person cannot walk into the middle of the town square and express his or her views without fear of arrest, imprisonment, or physical harm, then that person is living in a fear society, not a free society.

Thaha Adamjee Rotary Club of Colombo Fort, RI District 3220, Sri Lanka

VIOLENCE FREE SOCIETY â&#x20AC;&#x201C; CAN IT BE ACHIEVED? The world we dwell in is one colossal society, a society that has not only embraced peace but also violence in its crudest form. Today, peace has its own definitions in various countries. For some, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the absence of war whereas for others, it is pure water and sanitation and somewhere else, it is health and medication. How can we achieve a violence free society with such gigantic challenges that lie in front of us? The world we live is undoubtedly one big society that has been divided into segments of smaller societies where certain actions are accepted and certain others condemned. It is at this point that the 4 Way Test introduced by Rotary International comes into play. The 4 Way Test asks only four simple questions which are brought to light with respect to whatever one thinks, does or says and those four questions are: 1. Is it the truth? 2. Is it fair to all concerned? 3. Will it build goodwill and better friendships? 4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned? The secret to achieving a violence free society lies above. If only 88

each and every human being knew it, weapons of mass destruction would not be needed; wars that are triggered in cubicles and not on battle fields could be avoided. If only the above formula was known to every single human being, the stench of violence would be nothing but a dream never to come true. If it may be reworded, a violence free society means a peaceful society and it’s every human being’s responsibility to ensure that he/she leads an exemplary life following the above test. Simple as it may sound but it certainly is an enormous challenge. The 4 Way test is by far the simplest and easiest technique in the world but one must not forget the ruthless thinking of man, that dirty minded thinking of generating profits by way of waging wars, the greed for money superseding the dream of eradicating poverty, it is at such instances that mankind takes the wrong turn. Apart from the 4 Way Test introduced by Rotary International, it must be brought to light that the motto of Rotary is a motto that should be embedded in every human being’s mind which ‘Service above Self ’. When man thinks of serving above self, the first thing he overcomes is the desire of greed and selfishness. Today, violence is not just violence that takes place automatically, some violent incidents are planned whilst some are politically driven and others through spontaneous anger and revenge. Of course revenge is pleasure and gratitude is burden 89

according to the book ’48 Laws to Power’ but yet the knowledge and awareness of one’s doings hold a very significant place in the importance of experiencing a violence free society. The question of whether it could be achieved is not a question at all, it has to be achieved, it must be achieved and it will be achieved. If it’s not achieved, we will have to shamelessly ask ourselves, ‘Is this what we have left for the next generations to follow?’ and quite naturally the answer would be a big ‘NO’. With all of the above in mind, there is one more aspect to this and that is celebrating diversity on planet earth, appreciating the values, ethics, traditions and cultures of various groups of people inhabiting the world. The communities and societies need to consider themselves as a part of this global society and work towards reconciliation and building peace. It is believed that darkness cannot drive darkness out, light has to drive darkness out, hatred cannot be driven out by hatred, love has to drive hatred and in the same way violence cannot be driven out by violence but peace, hence man must act accordingly in ensuring that the world is a peaceful place for all the creatures. Therefore, it is of paramount importance that people unite as one and continue to live together whilst celebrating diversity. In conclusion, with utmost conviction and confidence, I strongly believe that a violence free society could be achieved and the very starting point of it is at home. It is at home that the sapling of 90

peace is looked after. Home is where charity begins. Home is the first school of any individual and it’s at home within the family which is considered as the small unit of society that we as human beings can endure to pursue a violence free society. It is clearly and purely in the thinking of man whether we can achieve it or not as Henry Ford had once said, ‘Think you can; think you can’t, either way; you are right’, in the same way, it is by thinking that we can will we actually be able to witness and experience a violence free society even if all odds are against us.

''Our peace shall stand as firm as rocky mountains''. William Shakespeare

Group III

Peace begins with a smile . Mother Teresa

Laurens Zwaan Rotary Club of Leerdam, RI District 1610, Netherlands

DIVERSITY STRENGTHENS REAL PEACE ONLY THROUGH UNDERSTANDING In the American movie “Miss congeniality” the actress Sandra Bullock is a police officer that has to go under cover in a beauty pageant. Om stage all contestants have to answer the question: “what is the most important thing our society needs?” Each and every one answers resolutely “world peace”, followed by applause from the audience and the judges. Then Sandra Bullock enters the stage. She obviously regards the contestants as empty headed and superficial girls who answer, without any real understanding of the complexity of their seemingly noble wish. She starts addressing the judges with a social problem which she perceives from her perspective as a police officer. The audience stares at her in bewilderment and stays mute. So she ends off her statement with the addendum; “and world peace”. The moment of tension is broken and the audience breaks out in exuberant applause. Who can be against world peace? So easy to wish for, yet so difficult to attain. Thus it easily remains a hollow fraise. Do we really know what we mean by world peace? In classical Roman times world 94

peace was equivalent to 'PaxRomana' (Peace under Rome.) This was peace imposed by the Roman legions. If you conformed to Roman rule and law you would have peace. And those who did not want to conform were played out against each other. Diversity was used to create strife. Divide and rule was the Roman motto. For centuries this brought stability and prosperity to a large extent of Europe, Northern Africa and the Middle East. But also it meant conformity. From the twentieth century the term Pax Americana is sometimes used for the influence the United States of America had and have on matters of world order and peace. The Roman legions have been replaced by aircraft carriers, cruise missiles and drones. Admittedly, many countries have profited from the America involvement, especially in Europe. But there is a price to pay. People are not happy with an eavesdropping NSA. The MacDonald's culture tends to spread and too often displace the diversity of indigenous culture by blend commercial uniformity. And do we want world peace through domination, be it military, economical or cultural. We can not only point fingers to the Americans. Most if not all superpowers tend to extend and dominate their range of influence. We may even have to acknowledge the relative restraint of the Americans, considering their potential for domination. World peace as world domination is not the exclusive domain of super powers. The idea of peace in Al Qaida is submission. Under 95

their ideology peace equals submission. Only through submission to their standards and laws can we attain peace. We are to be terrorized into peace. As long as we don't submit we are legitimate targets for their bombs. So it seems that diversity is not compatible with peace and that peace can only be achieved on terms of submission and conformity. That is no real peace. Real peace should give room for diversity. Therefor it is interesting that Rotary Club Pune Katraj in their global essay competition have chosen “Understanding and world peace” as their theme. “Understanding” is the key word here. Peace through power and force leads to submission, as we have demonstrated. Understanding must be the real road to peace. When we understand each other there is room to respect each other. So many conflicts arise from misunderstanding and intolerance for the other. Rotary introduces an extra element to understanding, namely 'service'. Through understanding and service we contribute to world peace. When willing to take an interest and understand we can and will learn from our diversity instead of being led into conflict. Understanding means taking an interest in each other. This is an important common trait in Rotary clubs and Rotarians. Diversity is inherent in the Rotary formula. We assemble members with diverse professional backgrounds (classifications) in order to be divers, take an interest in each other and learn from each other. Also 96

we take an interest in the society around us. We acknowledge our responsibility for society and act. And we act on the principles in our own professional lives and as Rotary through our avenues of service. Understanding starts in our own backyard, in our own profession, in our own Rotary club and in our own town or region. But as Rotary we don't leave it at that. We realize that we are part of the world and through Rotary international we reach out to each other. Not from a desire to dominate and submit, but from genuine interest in each other, taking strength from our diversity. Thus we can contribute in our own humble way to real world peace.

Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends with them? Abrahram Lincoln

John Brodey Valley of the Moon Rotary, RI District 5130, United States

PEACE BY PIECE If he had written a book called "The Art of Peace", it is likely that Sun Tzu would not have become the compelling figure that he has been for more than two millennia. The relevance of his perspective has been validated by the fact that we have enjoyed no more than 45 years of continuous peace on this planet since it was written. War is romantic, it is heroic, it is the stuff legends are made of and yet even the great strategist himself would not disagree with Bertrand Russell's observation that "war never determines who is right, just who's left". (1) Individually and collectively, people have relied on violent confrontation for survival. It has become part of our DNA. Ironically, it has become institutionalized by the very social structures that we formed to control it. It's not that peace is alien to our nature but it is perhaps a more abstract concept. We have repeatedly tried to identify the systems that might best foster peace. Marx argued that Socialism was the ideal model for sustaining peace while Ayn Rand argued that Capitalism was the only sure path. A similar case has been made for a variety of social-economic ideologies such as Isolationism, Globalism 98

and Cobdenism. (2)

As a result : "The true tragedies in the world are not

conflicts between right and wrong. They are conflicts between two rights." (3) One thing we have learned is that governments cannot legislate peace, religions cannot instill it, money can't buy it, treaties can't guarantee it and diversity is as much the problem as it is the solution. The real power to wage peace ultimately rests with the individual. We must deliberately choose peace and we have often done so. History reveals a litany of peace movements which sadly are temporary and usually in response to a specific event deemed 'unjust'. They then fade and our momentary 'lust' for peace has been quelled for a time. A true blueprint for peace rests not with an emotional response to conflict but rather with one that relies on actionable goals. It is sustained through a self-organized network of mutually supportive mechanisms whose intent is to effectively limit the violent excesses of power. The anger and outrage that characterized the Viet Nam war protests were heartfelt but did not turn into an ongoing commitment to peace. That commitment has to be institutionalized in its own way, not through governance but by individual action. Our unique ability to positively impact the lives of those we don't know is our salvation. The minute we put a face on humanity, our perception changes. By all accounts Genghis Khan, 99

who thought nothing of annihilating entire villages, men, women and children, was himself a loving family patriarch. This disconnect was simply the result of ethno-centricity. His victims weren't really human to him. It is that humanity which lies at the very heart of service. Our personal involvement in those initiatives to reduce hunger, poverty, disease and distrust create bonds between those who serve and those whose lives have been transformed. These ties are rooted in understanding and tolerance and they form the pathway to peace. The transition from a conflict orientation to a resolution mindset requires that more people participate in the process. Service organizations then become a very effective way for people to engage but having a global agenda is essential in an age where war is no longer limited by geography. As the tragedy in Syria underscores we cannot ignore those elements of human suffering that war fosters. The International effort to eradicate polio in that country has now been undone by two years of brutal violence. Just as important as those efforts are, however, ancillary issues need to be addressed which are only served through personal involvement. Healing is an essential part of such a transition. War leaves many problems in its wake. We would be missing something vital if we didn't view healing the psychological scars of war as a key to moving forward. Anthropologist Colin Wilson 100

(4) Cites the problems faced by the Allies at the end of World War II. There were tens of thousands of German officers and conscripts who had to return to civilian life. The problem stemmed from the fact that these were not career military people and they had suffered unthinkable condemnation and scorn. The army psychologists realized that the key to enabling them to deal with their situation was not to tell them they were wrong or evil by virtue of their loyalty to a brutal dictator, nor could they paint the man they followed as a monster not worthy of their loyalty. The idea was to simply tell them they were good men who had at some point stopped thinking for themselves. They had abdicated the responsibility for their own actions to further a cause with which they may not have agreed. Their reintegration was tied to a sense of redemption while acknowledging that very human obligation to be one's own master. Perhaps the most important component of true peace involves service in the purest sense. We will not see a world without conflict in our lifetimes. It is a goal that will only be achieved gradually, piece by piece, generation by generation. Our children remain the most vibrant instrument of change for that reason. Our ability to build community for them among their peers is essential. Diversity has certainly made this both more critical and complicated. Certain countries have experienced huge increases among their immigrant populations. Considering the developmental issues normally 101

associated with children, exposure to such new and alien cultures has led to a myriad of problems. Much like an experiment gone horribly wrong, it can only be remedied by incorporating educational programs to replace antagonism and fear with understanding. A service organization agenda that includes supporting conflict resolution programs for school aged children should be an obvious step. Several Canadian school districts in such heavily diverse cities as Toronto have instituted hands on conflict resolution programs and, as a result, they have seen the incidence of violence and bullying decrease correspondingly. As the saying goes; 'it is easier to build a child than to repair an adult'. Our hopes and dreams for a world at peace rest with those generations that will follow. Each person's commitment to addressing the historic ills of humanity and adapting to those which a new world has created, must be accompanied by action. This is the measure of who we are. In the end, it is not important how history judges us but rather by how our children will do so.

102

Alison Sutherland Rotary Club of Cardiff Bay, RI District 1150, United Kingdom

TOWARDS PEACE THROUGH SPIRITUALITY Many of us will have differing opinions of what is peace, and , when asking this question we could receive many multiple definitions. As for myself, I would not attribute any one definition but would subscribe to peace as being multi faceted. There are many headstones in graveyards bearing the words â&#x20AC;&#x153;Rest in Peaceâ&#x20AC;?. Does this mean that there was no peace in life? That peace is not attainable in life? Do we have to wait until we die and perhaps join the spiritual throng of peoples around the world before peace becomes a reality for us?

For men and women of faith,

whatever their faith, would say that they have found inner peace. They would not necessarily relate this to peace with regard to their families, neighbors or the world. The definition for spirituality too would receive more than one response. The outworking and understanding of spirituality upon a person or group would again proffer more than one response. Spirituality for many is an inner connection with the world around and matters appertaining to the world. They would see their purpose as part of the created order, be it by evolution, big bang or as a 103

direct attribute of their god. They would recognise the beauty of the inestimable value of the various landscapes, seascapes, sun, moon and stars. Some exercise their spirituality in a mystical way, by cutting themselves off from the world around and spending their time in prayer and contemplation. Others would devote their lives to protect the creation, order and sustainability of the earth and its people. Some attribute their spirituality as a direct result of their relationship with their god. There are many faiths and religions in the world, some are bigger than others. Christians would attribute their spirituality to the way in which they were created by god, for god and to be a blessing to all. However, this spirituality is not just an ethereal process. The teaching of Jesus in the bible asks that Christians be in the world but not of the world. That they look not to their own interests but to the interests of others. The Christian faith recognises governments, kings and queens but it also places a requirement upon its members to speak out for the down trodden, the oppressed and the voiceless. The bible has four Gospels but the teaching of the whole bible speaks of a social gospel. The bible speaks of a peace which the world cannot give. It speaks of peace where there is no peace. But its author and founder, Jesus, speaks of peaceful means, not arms and conflict. So many contestants in the various Beauty Pageants are asked “what is your overwhelming wish”. 104

To which they reply “world

peaceâ&#x20AC;?! Yet many people around the world do not enjoy peace. At this present time there are too many countries torn apart by internal conflict whereby one party feels it should rule as opposed to another party. This results in strong opposition and resorting to the taking up of arms in their struggle to achieve their goal. It too results in the bombing of innocents, an increase in single and double orphans, children starving and without someone to care for them, an abuse of human rights and civil liberty. Not least, it destroys homes, towns, cities and the economic viability of both inhabitants and country. Some countries do and have achieved their peace at the expense of the minority be it ethnic, gender or social groups. Women are denied equality and democracy; denied choices over who and when and if they might marry. Some females are denied the right to education and work outside of the home. They are trafficked and sold. Tricked into finding a way out of their situation only to find themselves far worse off with no way of escape. These women have no personal security. They have no stake in what happens to them and around them. Personal security is something which can be taken for granted in the western world. There is a tendency to forget what life can be like if one does not have the freedom to go about one's daily business. Perhaps even to go food shopping without dodging bullets. Not to be afraid of a knock on the door, day or night, false accusations, imprisonment , disappearances and perhaps death. 105

Is peace achievable? Can peace be achieved by enforcement? If it is enforced does this not imply that there is no consensus, that those who are the recipients of this enforcement do not enjoy personal security? Have they lost the right of choice and freedom? We know that the UN has a peace keeping role around the world, made up of troops from many nations. The UN have come under sharp criticism for not using force, for ignoring the plight of people. None more so than during the Rwandan genocide period. However, their role is to keep the peace between parties when an agreement or peace has been brokered and to make sure that the parties adhere to the agreement. Peace is not peace if it is achieved by weapons, force or subjugation. Many of the Nobel Peace Laureates have undergone great trials and tribulation. The Dalai Lama went into exile from his beloved home of Tibet at the age of 15 when the Chinese invaded his country. He did not leave the country and set about getting his followers to take up arms so as to retake Tibet. He has always avoided conflict whilst at the same time being outspoken about what is right and what is wrong. He has shown another way. Aung San Suu Kyi experienced the slaughter of her father and his ministers as he began the process of installing democracy in Burma. When going back to visit her sick mother she realised that the country looked up to her for inspiration. She remained. She was threatened constantly, not knowing if she would live or die. She was under house arrest for 106

fifteen years. She was not able to leave Burma to be with her two sons and husband who lived and worked in Oxford, even when her husband contracted cancer and died. She persevered. She too spoke out of right and wrong but did not instigate or support any acts of violence. Perez Esquivel of Argentina disappeared along with many. He found himself imprisoned under the football stadium and was tortured. He held on to that deep private space within himself which no one could touch. The place where his god lives. He has spent his life setting up youth villages where youth learn life skills and skills for employment and income.

Gandhi was not a soft touch!

achieved peace and freedom for his beloved India not by violence but by truth, courage and graciousness. How can peace be achieved? Perhaps a starting point is to look at poverty, hunger, depravation and disease around the world. Peace is not destroying earth and its resources. Peace would be achieved when all have equal access to clean water, food, shelter, education, health, employment and justice. Perhaps this is where the challenge for world peace begins. Would there be internal conflict within a country if these basic human rights were met? What would be the need for conflict and resulting violence? Yes, there would always be human greed and the desire for power over others. The fulfilment of these basic human rights would make it much harder for individuals or parties or organisations to use their positions, influence and power 107

to subjugate others. There would be more unity because there would be more equality. There would be a recognition that a position of strength comes when people unite. Their unity would come with their shared spirituality in their belief in a higher order and the rights of all creation to enjoy creation and mortal life. In negotiating a peace settlement it is necessary to understand the history of the parties. It is necessary for there to be civil discourse between the parties with each party being open and honest about their needs as opposed to their desires.

There needs to be

consideration and compromise. Peace can only be achieved if there is a win win situation. There has to be something for both sides. How can we influence peace? We can do this within our homes. We can recognise the different make up and personalities of each family member. Recognise identity and differences.

We can then

extend this to our neighbors and communities. We can stop taking a back seat in terms of social reforms and justice.

We can make

decisions on where we put our money, what we buy, whom we support. Decisions not based on what is only good for ourselves, but the greater good. Peace may seem unachievable. It may seem as though it is a dream. A former Laureate Martin Luther King told the world â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have a dreamâ&#x20AC;?. It is time for us to dream and make the dream come true. Not for ourselves but for those who come after us. For those who do 108

not have a voice. For those who suffer. Peace begins with me, with you! We cannot wait for a magic wand to be waved and all to be made right. Each one of us has a part to play and a responsibility. Let the world unite and follow the examples of the Dalai Lama, Aung San Suu Kyi, Perez Esquivel, Gandhi and many others. Let us not accept the injustices, let us play our part and use the resources which we have to bring peace for others.

Peace can be achieved but it is not

cheap, it is not easy, it is not quick and it is not born of ignorance.

The idea that nuclear weapons function to deter war and are therefore a â&#x20AC;&#x153;necessary evilâ&#x20AC;? is a core impediment to their elimination; this idea must be challenged and dismantled. Diasaku Ideka

109

Anna Liza Gaspar Rotary Club of Makati McKinley, RI District 3830, Philippines

TO END ALL WARS FOREVER The use of force to enforce peace is a reality very close to home. When I was six years old, my family and I were forced to leave our home to give way to a squad of armed rebels. I remember the rebel leader politely and respectfully asking my grandmother if he and his comrades can use our home for the night and if we don't mind sleeping elsewhere. In spite of the lateness of the hour and for having two young grandchildren with her, my grandmother agreed. How can a 55 year old woman say no to several men armed to the teeth with armalite and semi-automatic rifles? My grandmother chose to bring me and my younger cousin to a relative's house a kilometer away rather than face the consequences of saying no. Though the distance was not that far, my cousin and I cried all the way, finding the journey too far and scary with the only weak light from a gas lamp to show us the way and the swaying shadows of trees on road imagined as monsters wanting to snatch us from our grandmothers embrace as we trudged to this relative's house. For a six year old, this experience was traumatic. Few years later, I found out that what I experienced as a child 110

was nothing compared to what a child of my age, at the same time, experienced in the war in Mindanao, the country's second biggest island. The search for sustainable peace in the Philippines is still an on-going process consuming vast amounts of the Filipino community's resources and energy. In our part of the world, just like the in rest, everyone is still looking for what Immanuel Kant described as “a league of peace (foedus pacificum)” which “seeks to end all wars forever” (14). Today armed rebellion in my hometown near the northernmost part of the Luzon, the Philippine's biggest island, is virtually nonexistent, and the Philippine government has just signed another peace treaty for Mindanao – this time it is called the Bangsamoro Peace Agreement. Since my childhood I have never again experienced something as bad as a result of armed violence, Filipinos in most of Mindanao were not as fortunate. Decades of armed conflicts have resulted to severe economic hardship in addition to emotional losses. With the newly-signed Bangsamoro Peace Agreement, this time around, the people of Mindanao and the rest of the country hope it will finally be The Treaty that ends all wars in Mindanao forever. With the hundreds of thousands of lives lost in my country's battle for peace, the millions lost by Europe in World War I, more millions lost 111

by both Allies and Axis countries in World War II, and the growing body count in the armed conflicts in the Middle East, is there such thing as “a contract among nations” (Kant 13) to end all wars forever? More than two hundred years after his death lives are still being sacrificed in defense of peace? Was Immanuel Kant mistaken? Is the so-called league of peace non-existent? Is it just a figment of Kant's imagination? In the Philippine context, much has been written about why the predecessor agreements of the newest Bangsamoro Peace Agreement failed. Bertrand identified the lack of “improvement in the living standards” (37) after each peace agreement is signed as a contributing factor to this failure which is true as well in the parts of the world that have experienced armed struggles. This view is supported by the study of Manuela and Bajao who found that “that insurgents who perceive that a return to civilian life may be more socioeconomically rewarding than fighting against the government will decamp to become productive elements in their local communities” (p. 597). It appears then that how successful the government of the Philippines is in terms of economic development will determine how well peace in all its 7,107 islands will hold. It is clear then that for the Philippines, the road to finding the league of peace to end all peace is through economic development. All throughout Philippine history, it can be observed that wherever there are armed conflicts against the 112

government, â&#x20AC;&#x153;poverty and anaemic economic growth persistsâ&#x20AC;? (CaĂąares, p. 252). Identifying economic development as a significant factor in ending violent conflicts and in maintaining peace in the Philippines may be too simplistic to some. But isn't this more acceptable than waging war against a group who dares to oppose a government and question its failure to provide a better standard of living for its people? With economic prosperity and better standard of living, Filipinos will have the more choices other than picking up arms to ensure that peace is maintained. Perhaps with economic prosperity, groups annihilating one another may be more than willing to drop arms and talk about how peace can be achieved without the unnecessary loss of lives? The search for peace in my country has come a long way. Ending an armed conflict appears to be the easier part while maintaining peace after is more difficult. The government must do more to ensure that the Philippines' economic development, long been stunted by the effects of armed conflicts, be realized. This realization more than any peace treaty or agreement will safeguard the peace we have gained so far, as fragile as it is. Regardless of the uncertainty of the results of the government's economic development plans and strategies to maintain peace, I know that if I decide to go back and live in my hometown, I am certain 113

that my children's children will never be forced out of their homes in the middle of the night just because armed rebels politely asked them to.

One does not need buildings, money, power, or status to practice the ART of Peace. Heaven is right where you are standing, and that is the place to train. Morihei Ueshiba

114

Connie Boyer Rotary Club of Fairfield, RI District 6000, United States

UNITY AND DIVERSITY TOGETHER "Diversity is destructive only in the absence of unity." Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (2003). Diversity makes things dynamic, fun, fascinating and brings strength. Diversity can also bring conflict through different views of life, different cultures and different religions. Our Rotary Clubs have doctors, bankers, carpenters, merchants-all with different backgrounds, different ideas on how to solve a problem, different religions; however we are united through the principles and common goals of Rotary. Rotarians' diversity strengthens ourselves through each other, strengthens our clubs, and strengthens our world through our unity of organization and purpose. With each thread of common goal is a new chance to strengthen peace through diversity. When the underlying unity that ties all people together is overshadowed by diversity, it can result in conflict. Conflict arises out of our stress and tension in ourselves and our inability to listen with our heart, think with our mind and act in a balanced manner that is in harmony with others and nature. As unchecked tensions grow within us, it spills over to our families, communities, countries and 115

nations. Family feuds or wars of nations; the conflict is just a matter of size and intensity. On the level of mind and thinking, differences can be resolved by careful listening with respect to the perspectives of other people. We can envision how all levels of life are connected with each other. This vision of unified existence fosters a broader, longer-term perspective about daily life and effects our behavior to those we interact with. We improve our decision-making process and expand our sense of duty beyond our individual self to friends, family, community, state, nation, and the world. It expands our appreciation of others, and adds to our respect, patience, and empathy towards others. On the level of heart and feeling, we can feel deep devotion, marvel at the creative power of nature and be inspired by the vastness and beauty of creation thereby enlivening the recognition of the unity between us. Differences among us no longer dominate and our underlying similarities unite us. Limited experiences of thinking and feeling are inadequate to live a life in unity fully respecting our oneness and our differences. Misunderstanding of unity has resulted in social and political efforts to make everything and everyone the same, not recognizing the differences that naturally exist in nature. We must go beyond thinking and feeling to a field of nature that is unified. Modern 116

science is now progressing to an understanding that all levels of life come from a single unified field-the unified field of nature. Within the unified field of nature, there is a vast array of diversity. Without it, our world would most certainly be boring and it certainly wouldn't function effectively. With recognition that all of nature stems from the same thing, comes the recognition that we as people are not only our individual selves but we are linked through a common thread of nature. What we do to our neighbor, we do to ourselves. What we teach to our children, we teach to the world. When each individual has a peaceful heart, the world will be at peace even will all diversity. Within that unity and diversity, together, we recognize our unified strength, and can uplift and appreciate the diversity among us. This concept must be taught to our children and as Rotarians, we must live this ideal so that generations in the future can grasp and know this fundamental knowledge that will help enlighten the world and bring peace. Rotarians strengthen peace in the world through their diverse clubs and activities with their unifying Four Way Test of the things they think, say and do: 1. Is it the Truth? 2. Is it fair to all concerned? 3. Will it build goodwill and better friendships? 4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned? 117

Does diversity strengthen peace or create conflict? Well, we could say it does both. More importantly, I believe we must have both to survive. The two together, become one, unified, when we recognize that our diversity conflict is on the superficial level of life and that unity is our foundation of life and a good foundation is most important and essential for the strength of anything.

''Peace is not only better than war, but infinitely more arduous'' George Bernard Shaw

118

Dennis Wong Westport Sunrise Rotary, RI District 7980, United States

PEACE THROUGH DIVERSITY Rotary's Diversity is a Unique Opportunity to Strengthen and Sustain Peace Diversity is a double-edged sword that can be an instrument for peace as well as conflicts. If any organization can use diversity to strengthen peace, it is Rotary. The Rotary family consists of over two million strong with people from all over the world.I count in our numbers all Rotarians (and spouses) as well as members of Rotaract, Interact, Community Corps., Peace Fellows and Friends of Rotary. In truth, our Rotary diversity may be the world's best hope to avoid conflicts. In our numbers of two million, there are men and women of all ages, races, religions, cultures and ideologies.

Our differences

become like a beautiful mosaic when we are connected by our shared desire and commitment to save and change lives for a better world, a peaceful world. Our declaration and dedication to peace, and our actions and example as individuals and as a group for peace can change the dynamics for peace around the world. Still we have work to do. 119

We should add to our diverse

membership, more members from countries and cultures that are under-represented such as the Arab countries and those of the Islamic faith. Peace is in Rotary's DNA. Peace is in our Rotary mission statement. Working for Peace has been part of our Rotary history. The first Rotary Area of Focus is Peace, Conflict Prevention and Conflict Resolution. And we end most of the Rotary events singing, “Let There Be Peace on Earth and Let It Begin with Me.” Diversity is in Rotary's DNA. The foundation of Rotary by Paul Harris was based on a gathering of people from different professions, then different parts of the world. We like to promote Rotarians as being everywhere, even if we are “different.” For example, in India there are Rotarians who are Hindus and Muslims; and in Sri Lanka, Buddhists (Sinhalese) and Hindus (Tamils). There are Rotarians around the world with cultures and religions of all types, such as Islam (Shiite and Sunni), Judaism(Orthodox and Reform) and Christianity (Catholics, Protestants, etc.). Unfortunately at time Rotarians are organized their clubs and themselves along racial, ethnic and religious lines. Imagine if all Rotarians joined together and celebrated our diversity as one in ways to strengthen peace. Imagine putting into action and fulfilling the 120

Oscar Romero quote used in support of the ROGEC Theme 2013 – World Understanding and Peace – “Peace is the contributions of all to the good of all.” So as the Nike ad says, “Just Do It.” Paul Harris famously wrote, “This is a changing world: we must be prepared to change with it. The story of Rotary will have to be written again and again.”What will be our story? Our goal is clear … fulfill the mission of Rotary to provide service to others, promote integrity and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace. Diversity (differences in people, cultures and ideology) and Conflicts are parts of life. The question is clear ... “How do we make diversity and conflicts work for peace?” The answer is also clear … We should recognize, accept and embrace diversity and conflict. We are a diverse group. Rotary recognizes the value of diversity and fellowship that can lead to more interesting and fulfilling lives. So how do we use diversity and conflicts to strengthen and create better solutions for peace? Think Different. This essay proposes a Peace Through Diversity program to use our diversity to overcome conflict. Use the Rotary Four-Way Test. 121

We Rotarians have a unique approach to conflict that can result in creative solutions and actions. We have The Four-Way Test. We need to be skilled in its use for critical thinking and problem solving in addressing complex issues. More than being the basis for ethical behavior, the Rotary Four-Way Test identifies conflicts by asking questions such as “Is it FAIR to all concerned?” and “Will it be BENEFICIAL” to all concerned?” Is it said that asking the right questions leads to better results. Think Conflict Transformation. Change how we think of conflict prevention and conflict resolution. Led by people such as Johan Galtung and John Paul Lederach, Conflict Transformation is a proactive approach - “assumes that diverse needs of people can precipitate conflict, that people can be changed and situations improved, and that with discourse, the diverse needs of the participants can be met through peaceful processes.

It moves participants past the idea of fault and

recompense and toward long-term solutions.” Uniquely, Rotary as a body has the opportunity to speak about conflict in a productive manner.

There is a quote that says,

“Creativity comes from a conflict of ideas.” The time is right. 122

We have the tools. The World wants and need peace. So let's consider making PEACE, Rotary's #1priority.

develop and implement a Peace Through Diversity program, member-by-member, club-by-club, country-by-country, and regionby-region until we touch the whole world. And let's lead by our example, and show the world how diversity can create, strengthen and sustain peace.

Democracy is the absolute value that makes for human dignity, as well as the only road to sustained economic development and social justice. Kim Dae Jung

123

Digambar Kulkarni Rotary Club of Pune Katraj, RI District 3131, India

LIGHT AT THE END OF A TUNNEL The Eloquent Past. Human history is full of Wars, Crusades and Revolutions! Conflicts have continued, in spite of several attempts made for centuries to develop Understanding. A time line of human history will clearly indicate that armed conflicts have continued throughout the History, resulting in huge losses.

Web site of Ohio State

University http://ehistory.osu.edu/World/WarsList.cfm lists 73 major wars and conflicts during the past 3,500 years. Wikipedia has noted about world wars: Total dead; World War I (9 to 15 million) and World War II (65 to 85 million) including war related diseases and famines. Even with such history, increasing military power and concentration of wealth continues. Peace is needed for Development of Culture. Absence of War is, of course, needed but absence of Fear and Peace of Mind are also necessary to provide the right type of climate needed for creative thinking... Human beings have proudly distinguished themselves from others due to such creative minds and intellect. 124

Causes of Conflicts : Conflicts have occurred in the past due to various reasons such as fear of unknown, control of rich agricultural and mineral areas, ethnic differences, ideological differences, revengeful terrorist acts originating from fanaticism and urge for dominance as basis of National Security. Nature of Understanding : Understanding is not easy. It comes from: Active listening; Thinking before reacting; Need to attack the problem and not each other; Accepting the responsibility for own actions; Communicating directly by stating, “What I need to do”, rather than blaming the other party for “not doing” a certain thing; Looking for common interests; Focusing on the future and Thinking beyond the individual or the community. Thinking of the future of Universe! Different Approaches to Conflict Resolution and Development of Understanding. Spiritual An Individual is a part of Universe which is a manifestation of Nature. Universe is very vast and permanent. Individual is extremely small and very momentary. GEETA SAAR states that the 125

individual arrived in this world without any belongings; the individual is sure to leave this world without any belongings. What makes him so proud, so possessive, so greedy, so jealous and so aggressive? Conflicts are futile and meaningless. Service There are 'haves' and 'have not's. Those who are fortunate enough to have should willingly offer their services to those who are deprived of the same. Basic needs like food, clothing, shelter, health, education and dignity of life are of paramount importance. This will remove automatically all the disparities and conflicts from life. War Sometimes, war provides a quick approach to peace; like surgery to an ailing patient! The process is painful, expensive but avoids a lot of trouble to the parties locked in a conflict of chronic nature. Limited war is often to establish peace badly wanted! Human Classification. It is a fashion to say â&#x20AC;&#x153;All human beings are the same and equal!â&#x20AC;? But besides the geography, there are distinct cultures which make communities different. They are different in languages, customs and traditions. Communities have become rich due to this variety. It is most convenient to accept their identity and administer them accordingly. The British Army of Second World War consisting of Regiments of GURKHAS, MARATHAS, KUMAYUNIS, SIKHS, 126

RAJPUTS and so on…could be quoted as a living example of this! Factors affecting Resolution of a Conflict A conflict resolution at the National level is a complex process; there are several factors which need to be considered concurrently. It could be best expressed as a Linear variation problem. A mathematical solution of it will straightaway take us to the optimum solution. Arbitrary solutions accepted hurriedly by “brave leaders”, who are often not the best Managers, may lead to expensive and temporary solutions. The comparative importance of different variables ( Weightages) in the best interest of the nation will also have to be considered. The variation range in terms of days will also have to be selected. The final weighted value could be called “Suffrage” value. Let us consider following example: Example : Comparison of Suffrage due to a War of 10 days and 50 days. Variable Value

Weighted Value or Suffrage

Variable Item Unit

10 days

50 days

Weightage 10 days

50 days

0.20

2.00

16.00

1. Loss of Manpower

2. Loss of Property

Rs. Crores

500

150

0.17

85.00

25.50

3. Loss of Culture

Lot

20%

0.14

0.70

2.80

4. Set back in Development

Years

0.27

2.70

3.24

5. Political will to Resolve

Lot

90%

95%

0.07

6.30

6.65

Lot

95%

30%

0.15

14.25

4.50

Total

1.00

110.95

58.69

6. Dominance of Performance space

127

Notes: 1. All values above are assumed for a typical war. 2. *The net loss of property is sum of own property lost and enemy property gained.

Conclusion The suffrage in a 10 days war is 110.95 as compared to 58.69 in a 50 days war i.e. 47.10% more. The variables affecting a Nation, in a wider sense could include: National Wealth, Political Will, National Development Time, National Military Power, National Dominance of the Performance Space, National Honesty to Resolve the Conflict, National Prestige etc. Historic Examples of Development of Understanding. Kalinga War in India (262 to 261 BC) which changed the mind set of Emperor Asoka from a fierce fighter to a humble worshipper of Buddhism; French Revolution in France( 1788 to 1804) which changed the social fabric from colonial imperialism to democratic equality, brotherhood and peace; American Civil War (1861 to 1895), which changed the fighting and selfcentred European communities into a United States advocating freedom to all; 128

Russian Revolution in Russia (1917) which focused the World attention on Sharing equally the National Wealth and principles of Communism; Struggle in South Africa (1948 to 1950) changing the mindset of the rulers differentiating between the Whites and the Blacks; End of Cold war uniting East and West Germany (1961 to 1990) changing the division on the basis of Capitalism and Communism into the Cultural Identity of the people; India Pakistan War and creation of Bangla Desh (1971) discarding the two nation theory on the basis of religion, which the British adopted to create Pakistan in 1947. Each one of these deserves a separate discussion, which cannot be done here for want of space. Changing Priorities of World Communities. Economic development is now priority. Now personal dignity, personal safety and security, right to education and good health are valued more than any other aspect. Human rights cannot be violated. Natural disaster aid, calamity help is common. Progress of Individuals is now measured and rewarded ignoring Nations or races or casts. The world around us is changing â&#x20AC;Ś. International organizations such as Rotary International are making a very large contribution in this direction!

129

Future Callingâ&#x20AC;ŚGlobalizationâ&#x20AC;Ś. Conflict resolution will be speeded up due to faster Understanding resulting from Globalization. Conflict development will itself be less. Tensions will be released before they are built. Improved Understanding is certainly taking over! Prevention of attack on Syria by US to destroy chemical weapons is a current example of Peace through Understanding. Diverse standards in economy, health care and education are on the decline. World is now fast progressing towards one culture.

Many people think excitement is happiness.... But when you are excited you are not peaceful. True happiness is based on peace. Thich Nhat Hanh

130

K.M.K. MURTHY Rotary Club of Secunderabad, RI District 3150, India

TOWARDS PEACE THROUGH SPIRITUALITY “It is the mind alone which is the cause of all objects in the world. The world exists because of the mind-stuff. When the mind vanishes, the world vanishes too. You should try hard to find solace.” ---YOGA VASISHTHA, an ancient script from India. This essay is on “Peace through Spirituality” deals with: (A) Causes of conflict (B) Understanding oneself and the world as well as (C) Suggestions to improve world understanding and peace, by means of direct and indirect spirituality. (A) CAUSES OF HUMAN CONFLICT: As J. Krishnamurti, the world renowned philosopher said: “Do not think by merely wishing for peace, you will have peace; when in our daily life of relationship we are aggressive, acquisitive, seeking psychological security here or in the hereafter. You have to understand the central cause of conflict and sorrow and then dissolve it and not merely look to the outside for peace. But you see, most of us are indolent. We are too lazy to take hold of ourselves and understand ourselves, and being lazy, which is really a form of conceit; we think 131

that others will solve this problem for us and give us peace or that we should destroy the apparently few people that are causing wars. When the individual is in conflict within himself he may inevitably create conflict without, and only he can bring about peace within himself and so in the world, for he is the world.â&#x20AC;? However, the root causes of human conflict in under-developed countries are: hunger, homelessness, illiteracy and poverty. Other causes of human conflict: * When there is division arising within the mind and there is conflict outside, we have to be aware of that process within our minds. * The causes of conflict i.e. division in mind comes out of (a) differences in caste, creed, religion, place of birth etc; (b) competition in the society and (c) pluralism in the society. * Conflict arises because it is a vast cynical world and cynicism can never tolerate affection, care and love. * Conflict comes through suffering on a minor scale or tremendous incident, as death. * Divisions in the world into East and West are because of geography first, then politics and then of course economics. (B) UNDERSTANDING ONESELF AND THE WORLD: To reach within i.e. to come upon that love, which is compassion, which has its own intelligence, one has to understand oneself what we are â&#x20AC;&#x201C; understanding our own sorrows, our own 132

pleasures, our own beliefs. We shall have a loving heart and a spiritual thought in order to achieve a synthesis for freedom of humans in the East and in the West. In India, tradition, literature and everything say that world is not as important as the understanding of the self, the universe, the highest principle called 'Brahma'. Man has lived on this earth for a million years, more or less. And psychologically, we are as primitive as we were before. We have not basically changed very much, we are killing each other, we are seeking power, position etc; Now, horror and terrorism fill the East and the West of the turbulent world. The political destiny of the world revolves around the liberal interpretation of Islam, the foreign policy of U.S. and the stability of South Asia. It is high time that we thought of a new approach to serve humanity, so we can live on this earth with peace, with great understanding of the mankind, which is understood more profoundly ourselves, not according to some psychologist or analyst. Can human beings have vitality, energy or transform themselves to civilized human beings, not killing each other? To have peace, live peacefully. Do not hurt another, do not kill another, do not become corrupt and have a great sense of integrity. Now, let us see how the three major regions in the world explain about peace: 133

Peace in Hinduism: According to Gyan Rajhans, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Peace of mind is the most sought after commodity in human life. It appears that most of us are in a state of perpetual restlessness. On analyzing the causes of this restlessness, ten solutions are to be followed religiously, if we are serious about achieving perfect peace of mind. They are: 1. Do not interfere in other's business 2. Forget and forgive 3. Do not crave for recognition 4. Do not be jealous 5. Change yourself according to the environment. 6. Endure what cannot be cured 7. Do not bite more than you can chew. 8. Meditate regularly 9. Never leave the mind vacant and 10. Do not procrastinate and never regret.â&#x20AC;? Peace in Christianity: Many people wonder what the Bible has to say about peace. Peace is one of the fruits of the Spirit. Peace is also a natural by-product of being in harmony with God. When we follow God's laws, we experience peace. God blesses the peace makers and encourages us to be at peace with one another. Peace in Islamic region: The word 'Peace' is repeated a few times in Quran. According to Islam, going to war in confrontational situation is a hard option, while following a conciliatory course in dealing with one's rival is easier. Countering aggression with aggression is a hard option, while countering aggression with patience and forbearance is an easier option. An aggressive course of action is harder than employing a quiet strategy. Taking emotional, extreme steps without a thought for their consequences creates 134

difficulties. The policy of confrontation with a ruler is a harder option, while initiating one's action; while side-stepping the ruler in the sphere of education and learning is an easier option. (C)

SUGGESTIONS

IMPROVE

WORLD

UNDERSTANDING AND PEACE: As per Vedic saying, â&#x20AC;&#x153;May He protect us both. May He nourish us both. May we work together with great energy. May our study be vigorous and fruitful. May we not hate each other. May there be peace, peace and peace.â&#x20AC;? The following are the Ten Commandments for peace: 1. For a quality- spiritual education in the world, each subcontinent or continent in the world can have a university exclusively on spirituality. (VIDYA DAAN as per spiritual tradition). 2. For food security in the world, each continent can have a regional food bank and share the food resources (ANNA DAAN or sharing of food with humanity as per spiritual tradition). 3. Each continent in the world should have a role in the interdependent world's economic development and peaceful evolution. They should coordinate themselves in improving the energy sector. 4. To promote world tourism, liberalization of issue of Visas by all countries can be extended for genuine students to genuine universities, teachers, professors, journalists, patients and genuine service-organizations. 135

5. Countries with larger and better resources can share greater responsibility to extend support to those lower down the scale of development. 6. All countries/continents should join hands to realize our shared destiny of world understanding peace and progress. 7. Reality should not be ignored, while saying good things for a better world-understanding. 8. Regional summits like SAARC or European Union can work out modalities to combat terrorism, smuggling of narcotics and other transnational crimes. Possible measures are to be developed to prevent and suppress, in particular, financing of terrific acts by criminalizing the provision, acquisition and collection of funds for such terrorist-acts and counter the trafficking of illicit arms. 9. There is enormous potential for world understanding and progress, if we can overcome problems of trade, problems of security and problems of democracy. 10. Poverty, illiteracy, unemployment and deprivation are driving forward the focus of anger and violence. The forces link themselves to some earlier or real or perceived historical enmities, tyrannies, injustices, inequalities, ethnic issues and religious fundamentalism flowing into an outlet of extremism world-wide. CONCLUSION The following poem in Yajurveda , an ancient spiritual 136

scripture of India, states : “May peace radiate there in the whole sky as well as in the vast ethereal space everywhere. May peace reign all over this earth, in water and in all herbs, trees and creepers. May peace flow over the whole universe. May all the Gods be peaceful. And May there always exist in all peace and peace alone. May there be peace, peace and peace to us and all beings.” · This mantra states that our cosmic world (sun, moon, sea, air and rain) be balanced. Let space be balanced. Our earth be balanced. Our water be balanced. Our medicines be balanced. Our vegetation be balanced. Our brain be in peace (calm). This balance itself be balanced, means we should all work in harmony. Otherwise, there may be peace without any living being on this earth. This mantra also reiterates all aspects of environmental protection. · Another Indian ancient scripture, called YOGA VASISHTA, says as follows: “This world is nothing more than a cobweb of indistinct ideas; all the objects of consciousness in the world are just only ideas to play with; reject the error (dirt) of ideation and be free of differences; and remain rooted in enquiry and attain peace.” In his spiritual message to Rotary Convention at Chicago, Illinois USA, late Paul Harris said: “There are no great fundamental 137

differences between men and between nations. None are entirely good, none entirely bad. The mischief-maker is misunderstanding.” At another occasion he said: “The heart of men must be so touched and molded that mutual

understanding and good-will

will take the place of fear and hatred.” Peace is one of the core pillars for holistic development of any nation. It is so crucial to produce well educated peace-cadres capable of designing effective invention tools for resolving conflicts. Reaching within and inner engineering by spirituality are essential for the world understanding and peace. Proper understanding of the world leads to peace. We have to remember as well that in all of our service, we reach for a larger goal of fellowship, understanding and peace through spiritual means. Finally, we should have a loving heart and a spiritual thought in order to achieve peace

and a

synthesis

for

humans in the East and the West. “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other” — Mother Tersa.

138

Olubayo Windapo Rotary Club of Gbagada, RI District 9110, Nigeria

WORLD UNDERSTANDING AND PEACE World Understanding and Peace can be said to be in existence when there's harmonious relationship among nations with inclination to agree with each other leading to a state prevailing in the absence of rancor and war. They are of major concern in global politics and international relations from the world go till the present day and, no doubt will remain vital as long as the world exists. World Understanding and Peace go hand in hand and are needed for various reasons. The world consists of geographical areas of land mass separated by boundaries, some natural, others created by human beings physically and sometimes imaginary; but they do exist, to form communities known as clans, hamlets, villages, towns, cities, provinces or divisions,states, countries and continents! These various land masses are populated by human beings of various colors, languages, cultures, religious beliefs and so on. Hence we have races, tribes, ethnic groups, extractions, sects and so on. With all these differences, it is expected that in our interactions, conflicts of interests and other forms must arise no matter how tolerant we are of one another. Handling these conflicts will require a lot of 139

understanding if we must be at peace with one another. It is only when we are at peace that we can make progress and solve other problems of life. The Yorubas, the tribe to which I belong, of Nigeria have a saying which translates to mean "peace is the medicine for wealth creation".When understanding and peace exit in relationships, confusion, acrimony, strife and war exist! From the above analysis, and taking for instance, the Family, the smallest unit of our society; the father may be of an entirely different background to the mother even when they are from the same culture. They will bring forth children of different sexes and will grow up to have different ideas about life no matter the home training and even indoctrination! The differences within the family no matter how subtle, require some understanding for peace to reign in the family! Quite often the existence of both is taken for granted until there is a break down. So goes the pattern to the larger communities up to the commity of Nations. In most communities, understanding and peace are delicately guarded and the people guided by norms, rules, laws, decrees constitutions, both written and unwritten. In the same way, relationships between parties are sealed with deeds,agreements, memorandum of understanding and treaties! It is unimaginable what the world will be like without these guiding principles and 140

documents! With all these come the need for enforcement agents and agencies. So also the need for arbitration and therefore the existence of courts, panels and so on. Despite the existence of all the above framework for maintaining Peace and understanding, we still have conflicts, strives and wars here and there. One tends to get the impression that the framework is not enough for Peace and Understanding to reign perhaps for the fact that misunderstandings, disagreements and tendency towards crime are part of our society. And as such, there's need for concerted and coordinated effort for advancement of international understanding, goodwill and peace. Rotary as an organisation has been in the forefront of achieving World Understanding and Peace from inception. From the understanding of four friends in different professions blossoming into a global organisation. Historically, the United Nations Charter was drawn in 1945 with significant input from Rotary. And till today World Understanding and Peace remain a major concern of Rotary, being one of the six areas of focus to which it commits its resources residing in The Rotary Foundation i.e. Peace and Conflict Resolution/Prevention. Even the remaining five Areas of Focus which are Maternal and Child Health, Disease Prevention and Treatment, Water and Sanitation, Basic Education and Literacy and lastly Economy and Community Development, all of which, when 141

addressed properly bring about peace and understanding. A remarkable and significant contribution of Rotary to the issue of World Understanding and Peace is the establishment of 6 Peace Centres in major Universities across the world for award of diplomas and Higher degrees in Peace studies. Rotary is perhaps the only Service Organization that lays so much emphasis and shows commitment to World Understanding and Peace with the realisation that "Peace is Priceless"! As if it has not been doing enough, the working Theme of the last Rotary year was 'Peace Through Service' as chosen, in his wisdom, by IPRIP Sakuji Tanaka. The crusade for World Peace, Goodwill and Understanding as led by this elderly Rotarian was similar to the effort of Father Moon, a fellow Asian and the founder of Universal Peace Federation, an NGO with UNO recognition planting 'Ambassadors for Peace' all over the world. As a Peace club President, I could not agree less with him as there's no better time to preach and promote Peace than now especially in our own country, Nigeria. I also share his assertion that Peace means different things to different people forming the basis of different project to promote peace. And as such, providing food for a hungry man is promoting Peace; ridding the world of deadly disease like Polio; and more importantly providing jobs for restive and jobless youth is promoting peace per excellence. World Understanding and Peace hang delicately on 142

international politics and diplomacy with economy and religion playing vital and deciding roles! Money, they say is the root of all evils and religion, they say is the opium of the poor! Economic wars and strives revolve around Oil, which is perhaps the commodity with the greatest global interest and attention for its obvious roles! While religious wars and strives are based on some strange indoctrination. Nigeria my motherland is a theatre of some sort for the illustration of this delicate issue. We are currently enmeshed in religious strife in the Northern part of the country where a militant Islamic group called Boko Haram, meaning 'Western Education is forbidden', is unleashing terrorist attacks on military installations, schools, churches and civilian gatherings! Down south where oil is being drilled and processed, host communities are up in arms for perceived, obvious and almost palpable deprivation and marginalisation! These scenarios illustrate how religious disharmony, economic injustice and political marginalisation can be impediments to Peace. When taken on a global scale, all the upheavals, unrest and wars in the middle east are woven around these impediments! A lot of papers have been written and theories propounded and much said about attainment of World Understanding and Peace! However, we still witness wars and uprising here and there. It is obvious that there's no tailor made solution to the issue. What then is 143

the solution? I personally buy the gospel of Father Moon which when fused into the Rotary movement, the world will be a better place. Father moon is the apostle of Love for one another as preached in all the Holy books! He goes further to advocate 'living for the sake of others' as the height of love. When this is matched with 'service above self' of Rotary and subjecting all actions to the 4'way test from interpersonal relationship to international scene, the world will know peace in all its ramifications! It is only a peaceful mind that can lead a peaceful society! We must ensure Peace in our homes and families as this will rub on the larger community. Organisations, governmental and non governmental must preach and ensure equity and justice in all their policies, activities and project allocation. Provision of basic amenities such as water, electricity and easy means of transportation and infrastructures such as good roads, affordable housing and health facilities that make life comfortable should be the responsibility of Government that got the mandate of the citizenry and must not be denied. The restive youth demand special attention in terms of employment and positive engagement to prevent them being used as they can be willing tools in the hands of unscrupulous mischief makers. They should promote those activities that promote peace; for instance, friendship exchange visits, sporting activities- I know. When it comes to football, the world speaks the same language! Very importantly, 144

Education, according to Peter Brougham, makes a people easy to lead, but difficult to drive; easy to govern but difficult to enslave, must be promoted as a basis for eliminating ignorance and providing a foundation for understanding and Peace. On the International scene, generally musing, the respect for sovereignty of every nation is very key. So also the religion of every region!.

Peace does not mean just putting an end to violence or to war, but to all other factors that threaten peace, such as discrimination, such as inequality, poverty. Aung San Suu Kyi

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Rajesh Kumar Modi Rotary Club of Mumbai Borivali East, RI District 3140, India

PEACE THROUGH SERVICE â&#x20AC;&#x153;Lay down your comforts, your pleasures your names, fame or position and even your lives and make a bridge of human chains over which millions will cross this ocean of life. Bring all the forces of good together. Do not care under which banner you march. Do not care what BE YOUR COLOR-GREEN, BLUE OR RED. But mix all the colors up and produce that intense glow of white, the colors of love. Ours is to workâ&#x20AC;? -Swami Vivekananda Peace is the purity evolved after committing eternally. Peace symbolizes a state of mind and heart with a balanced physical and mental behavior. The ultimate goal of all living beings is the attainment of Happiness. Happiness brings peace. Each person has her/his own reasons to be happy. A doctor gets happiness when his patient gets cured whereas a child is happy with a glimpse of toy or chocolate. Who is at peace? Attainment of peace does not depend on physical achievements, successful career, affluent, power or position of an individual. Peace is omnipresent but can be obtained through a 146

disciplined life. Good character, concentrated state of mind and salvation. Greed is the strongest enemy of peace. This is the reason why majority of people are unhappy in the present era. We all desire to get more without giving anything to anyone, which is impossible. If we follow a simple basic fact of life that is to help/serve others, we can live peacefully. Our basic human nature nurtures the fact “SEVA PARMO DHARMAH” All religions teach us to serve the living organisms whether humans, animals or plants. We must treat each one as a gift of god and god will gift us peace of mind and soul. Enemies of peace…. Ego, cruelty, criticism, proud, selfishness, hatred, discrimination, partiality etc. are the contaminated agents which causes chaos, sorrow and instability in life. This Blue Planet is a beautiful place and we can add more beauty to it by being responsible citizen. If, each one of us plant a tree this planet will become an eco friendly zone. If each one of us will teach an illiterate the world will become a home of educated beings. But if each one of us will think”what can I do alone?” this Blue Planet will become a dangerous, hazardous and polluted place. We must take the responsibility to serve all unconditionally to eradicate the enemies of peace to make this planet a better place to live. Rotary is doing this since long through its service projects. Nature Teaches…….. 147

Trees never eat their fruits… Rivers never drink their water. Nature always serves everyone without any expectations. Nature is a constant source of energy to us. It always showers pleasure and are our best friends forever. Those who serve others without any selfish ends and demands are always at peace. They are evergreen source of happiness and joy. They always spread happiness which brings peace to this world.”I” is a meager but it turns into vast when is transformed in to “we” Great men served to all… All the saints work for the betterment of our society and set a burning example of peace emitting emblems. Mahatma Gandhi taught this world a lesson of truth and non violence. He was man of great values having strong will power, disciplined life, with simplicity and high thinking which made him to stand against the powerful British and won freedom for his country India. He not only won independence but is also ruling in the millions of hearts till date. Peace in danger… Due to globalization, influence of mass media, exposure to electronic equipments new generations is very much affected. We have entered an era of touch technology, and instantly get whatever we wish. Communication is the fastest now. Education curriculum is drastically changed. Our institutions simply lack in moral education. Children learn everything except respect for others. It’s a rat race 148

none wants to lag behind. All want to touch the winning landmark. Competition leads to cruelty to win by hook or crook. This suppressed the natural human behavior to serve others to obtain peace. True spirituality does not lie in meditation and mantras but it is actually lies in service and sevaâ&#x20AC;Ś All religions in the world advocate for serving living beings selflessly. Serving living being is the simplest act but at the same time it is the most powerful and profound life changing ways through which we can put our spiritual knowledge into action. Service is not about being lost in thoughts of God, meditation and mantra, but in serving God's people. Peace is a state of mind where we feel satisfaction from the depth of our heart. If we analyze and notice the human behavior, we will find that everyone is busy in something and everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s purpose are different. But if we analyze further, we will find that though they are busy in different activities, their goal is same and that is to earn money. If we analyze furthermore, we will find out that though their visible goal is to earn money but they actually need it to get pleasure. And it is a surprising fact that even the richest person does not possess the pleasure for which he worked so hard. It is because, we think that pleasure can be obtained from money or some other physical means. It is like MUSK DEER who throughout its life roams 149

here and there but cannot get the MUSK which is in its own navel. It can be understood by another example; a child can get success in the game which he likes the most. Suppose he likes cricket and if we compel him to play chess, he cannot achieve success. In the same manner, the engine of our body is soul, which has characteristic called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dharmaâ&#x20AC;?, but instead of following dharma, we do other activities and we could not get the pleasure till the end despite of our hard work. But, if we analyze our own life and the happiest moments of life, we will find that the happiest moments were when we helped someone who truly and drastically needed it. And when we felt happiness, we must also have felt peace. Peace is a goal of life for every living beingâ&#x20AC;Ś There is mention of seva (Service) in all religions. The Bhagavad Gita mentions it all through, interspersed in the dialogues between Arjuna and Krishna, stressing on karma yoga or selfless service. Sikhism talks about nishkam seva - the cultivation and practice of selfless service that attracts God's grace. The Sikh religion rides high on seva, whether it is in minding the shoes of the sangat, cleaning the gurdwara or working in the guru ka langar, a concept initiated by Guru Nanak way back in the 1500s. Scientific research backs these findings. Making a difference has nothing to do with money; it has everything to do with the heart. 150

Helping others is the best medicine. They show that we think a lot less about our own troubles when we're serving someone else. Conclusionâ&#x20AC;Ś If we see the above In the context of Rotary, we will find that every member of Rotary is engaged in Service to the society. We as Rotarian, do various projects for the benefit of Society and after doing the project, we as a member of Rotary feels satisfaction and Peace. If we see from beneficiaryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s point of view, they also feel satisfaction after getting benefit from the project undertaken by Rotary and we can say, Rotary is spreading peace in society through service.

Do not be afraid to take a chance on peace, to teach peace, to live peace...Peace will be the last word of history. Pope John Paul II

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Tarakorn Kamolprempiyakul Rotary Club of Pranakorn, RI District 3350, Thailand

THREE CENTIMETERS : THE LAST DISTANCE TOWARDS PEACE TO MANKIND For over thousands of years of human civilization, numerous villages, cities and metropolis, as well as, emperors and queens have come and gone. So many kingdoms have flourished and ultimately vanished. This is analogous to the very long road undertaken by human civilization. Life on earth number in the billions and manifest themselves in countless forms. However, have we ever truly considered about the confluence of time, happiness and suffering & their impact on so many of us as human beings?

Have we

contemplated about the resources that we have consumed? This is happening under the guise of humans' profound wisdom and intellect. May I honestly ask, are we, as humans, in fact moving towards or away from the state of true peacefulness? At first glance, when one looks at other living creatures that cohabitate with us on this good earth, they may appear substantially less intelligent and capable than us.

However, upon deeper

observation, one would be astound by the epiphany that there are no other type or species out there that differentiate between those in 152

power and those less fortunate. This huge void we set between the leader and follower or between the haves and have nots, this does not, in fact, exist amongst any other living species. On the contrary, amongst most creatures, it seems almost incumbent upon the leader, or those with abundant resources, to take care of the less fortunate within their own tribe. Are we, in fact, using our intellect in the wrong way or perhaps in a manner that contravenes nature? Perhaps the elusive peace we seek is because we allow our own needs and limitless desire to take precedent over the common good of the community at large.

disregard the suffering and misery of our human brethrens who lack opportunities and access to education. Could this be the reason why despite being an advanced race, we have not achieved true happiness or peacefulness as we should? Try to find a moment of peaceful solitude to truly observe one kind of creature as they cohabite as a tribe. Or else, go to a public park and watch the behavior of a flock of pigeons. One would not observe any stark inequality or differentiation between the members. To the contrary, there appears to be a convergence amongst the creatures. Despite having uniqueness at an individual level, this does not prevent them from having a harmonious co-existence. Perhaps this points not only to an initial but also deep profound wisdom to be gained. This epiphany may guide us to new knowledge that can be 153

applied to help human civilization. Wealth, in and of itself is not a necessary evil per se. However, the unbridled accumulation of wealth and the life of excess contravene with the state of nature. The limitless accumulation of wealth creates imbalance as, by definition, one party's excess limits the resources available for others. The meaning of true happiness is not found in the singular focus to possess, but in the power of creativity and sharing amongst our fellow humans. Has the time come for us to reframe our vision from a singular focus on ME to a broader focus on WE? At the end of the day, no creature or organism, either on earth or even beyond the stratosphere, has ever survived on its own. We all coexist as musicians playing the song of life on a grand circular theater of bluish hue we all know as â&#x20AC;&#x153;earth.â&#x20AC;? This message has no scientific backing per se as it is not tangible enough to hear with one's ears nor be seen with one's eyes but can only be felt within one's own heart. As such, the distance to true peacefulness to mankind may not be as far-flung as many may imagine, but is only a mere distance of 3 centimeters from our outer body to our heart.

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Wendy Lickacz Rotary Club of Edmonton, RI District 5370, Canada

PORTRAIT OF A PEACEBUILDER : PEACE THROUGH SERVICE "Service above self" is Rotary's principal motto. Rotarians have long been committed to empowering, modeling, and demonstrating peace through service, which, in essence, is the art of peacebuilding and defines the portrait of a peacebuilder. We all have the ability to become peacebuilders, and our actions do not have to be extreme or extraordinary. As Mother Teresa stated, "Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love" (Good Reads Inc., 2013, para. 1). The objective of this essay is to identify the discernible characteristics and competencies of peace builders, along with the processes they undergo towards inspiring peace through service. The path towards becoming effective peace builders requires, first, an understanding of their own core values, beliefs, and characteristics and, second, an understanding of what motivates and drives them. The spheres overlap and have commonality because individuals are not separate and detached, but are inevitably part of their external environment and interdependent with other individuals. For example, the African world view of Ubuntu 155

expresses this reality of being human: "One cannot be human alone." One's humanity is expressed through others (Tutu, 1999). How, then, do people acquire a higher level of awareness to build the capacity to promote peace through service? To become effective peace builders, people must start with themselves by reflecting on, understanding, and internalizing what they value, believe, and identify as their own personality traits. Second, they must know what drives and motivates their human spirit and how their spirit interacts within the community and the structures in which they reside. Jungian psychology defines archetypes (the anima, mother, child, rebirth, spirit [wise old man], and trickster) as "an inherited pattern of thought or symbolic imagery derived from the past collective experience and present in the individual unconscious" (Jung, 1969, p. 44). The very nature of negative and positive archetypes operating within the same psyche suggest a tension of opposites that can also be found beyond the individual level and must be reconciled. Each archetype is believed to arise or re-arise regardless of outside influences such as tradition, culture, or language and occur at any time or place because of its inherent nature. For example, an extreme tension of opposites is the contradictory nature of war and peace. Soldiers are trained for war and are then expected to make and maintain peace. 156

Much of Joseph Campbell's work is based on Jung's archetypes. Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces (as cited in Cousineau & Brown, 1990) follows the journey of the hero. At first, heroes (like others) hesitate in unfamiliar surroundings, encountering both challenges and supporters along the journey. Unlike others, heroes persevere to overcome challenges before returning to their familiar surroundings. However, heroes soon realize that the journey is not over, because they will continue to face obstacles upon their return. Heroes are better able to face and overcome these challenges because the journey has transformed them, enabling them to carry the lessons learned from the journey throughout their lives and not only changing their immediate surroundings, but also inspiring others to pursue a journey of peacebuilding of their own. In The Hero's Journey: Joseph Campbell on His Life and Work, Campbell stated that he traced his own journey in life with himself as the hero, and he was able to identify characteristics within himself at different milestones in his life. The characteristics that Campbell identified include passion and commitment; self-guidance, yet the ability to be a mentor; faith; adaptability and education; discipline; risk taking; the ability to prioritize; and teaching (as cited in Cousineau & Brown, 1990). The path of the hero's journey and the characteristics that 157

Campbell (as cited in Cousineau & Brown, 1990) identified can be applied to well-regarded peacebuilders like Nelson Mandela (1994) and Mahatma Gandhi (Gandhi, Desai, Bok, & Gandhi, 1993), as well as to individuals seeking to transform themselves into accomplished peacebuilders by modelling service above self and peace through service, such as those employed in rules of engagement, emergency preparedness, and educators. According to Fukuyama (1995), both prosperity and effective democracy depend on individuals' trust in one another and in their national institutions. Trust is a nonnegotiable prerequisite for peace and security. In Trust: The Social Virtues and the Creation of Prosperity, Fukuyama examined three areas of civil society where trust must be developed: the family, volunteer associations such as Rotary, and the state. Societies that have high levels of cooperation and trust are often strong in these three areas and experience more peace and security than other societies. In Acts of Meaning, Bruner (1990) talked about the role of culture in shaping thoughts, expressions, and experiences. Bruner believed that interaction between the mind and culture needs to be rediscovered and that society needs to move away from the idea of processing information to constructing meaning because information processing is simply too restrictive and does not deal effectively with the vague or undefined. Bruner's cultural psychology is concerned 158

with action instead of behaviour, and he contended that culture, not biology, shapes human life and mind, which gives meaning to action. According to Jorge Nef (1999), as the world changes, the world systems also change. In recent years, faith in old dogmas has collapsed, and seemingly secure societies have become increasingly vulnerable to threats. The first step in eradicating these "mutual vulnerabilities" (p. 13) is to redefine what constitutes a threat to security and, from there, to find the connection between abstract national interests to more specific human or individual concerns. The peacebuilder must understand the interactions of the various elements within the global system and the global subsystems (ecology, economy, society, polity, and culture [Nef, 1999]). To be effective, peacebuilders must look to transform these mutual vulnerabilities within themselves and within each subsystem into building blocks for human security by using their knowledge of both the global systems and their variables. This is where the juxtaposition between the external environment of the peacebuilder and the internal workings (archetypes) become relevant and the portrait of a peacebuilder becomes more complete and fully realized. In summary, peacebuilders understand and process information by learning from others and from their own life's journey. They gain and impart their wisdom and understanding; or, in other words, they show an awareness of the necessity to make life better for 159

others, thereby demonstrating service above self and peace through service. The circuitous journeys of well-regarded peacebuilders reveal patterns and forces in their economic, social, cultural, environmental, and political environments in which they formulate strategies and solutions based on the problems within their environments. Peacebuilders must be able to explore and develop their own ideas and build a model upon which the community, society, or nation can begin to build consensus. For this to happen, all parties must discover who they are, be consistent, and demonstrate alignment through their thoughts, words, and actions. By being consistent and transparent to others throughout their journey, peacebuilders gain credibility and can legitimately present the building blocks of peace to others.

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Rotarians world over, are synthesis of intellectuals who come together to offer their expertise and resources for doing good to the World with a motto of "Service Above Self". Rotarians come from diverse cultures, unite for common goals through service projects, follow high ethical standards in their profession and use Rotary as a platform for advancement of international understanding, goodwill and peace. Rotary Global Essay Competition (ROGEC) is designed platform for Rotary fraternity to express themselves on a Global Canvas to ultimately fulfil Rotary's objectives and make this world a better place to live. This year the theme of the essay competition was World Understanding and Peace. The book is a collection of essays that were received from various participants across the world, who have contributed to the cause of establishing global peace by expressing their perspectives of World Understanding and Peace and also providing views on improving the world that we live in.

ROTARY CLUB OF PUNE KATRAJ (RID 3131)

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