A lot of people talk about wanting peace but I don’t see a lot of agreement about what the term even means. People talk about peace as something they would have if the conflict just stopped. The problem is, not many people are at peace when the fighting stops. Mostly, they just feel empty. The winner may have feelings of loneliness after a fight because the opponent doesn’t even want a relationship. And if you lost the fight, you may be thinking of revenge, frustration at a bad situation, or just walking away for good.
So what is peace? Well, stopping the fighting is the first step, but it is just the beginning. The partners in conflict need to figure out what it will take to feel like there is fairness in the relationship. Then beyond that, the partners need to feel like there is caring both ways. Without fairness and caring, peace in the relationship is not likely.
The good news is that human beings can learn to be fair and care about others. We talk about wishing for world peace but that is not where peace begins. Remember the song Let There Be Peace on Earth by Jill Jackson and Sy Miller? It rightfully suggests, “And let it begin with me.” It also suggests that we learn to walk with each other in “harmony” and that it become for us a “solemn vow.” When we have a world of people caring for each other like this and acting fairly, we will be on our way to world peace.
Pursuing Peace 