Since World War II, several wars involving the United States (for example, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan) have been launched with initial public support. However, these conflicts lost their popularity when more and more Americans became aware that their government had been less than honest in linking invasion and occupation with noble principles such as bringing democracy to brutalized people.
Japanese Peace Bell at U.N. Headquarters (Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike 2.5 Generic, from Wikimedia Commons)
Rejecting the pseudo-moral arguments for these wars, many people have embraced principled moral arguments–asserting, for example, that war is a violation of the Golden Rule, that no human being has the right to decide who will live and who will die, or that war and torture violate the hard-won international human rights agreements that grew out of the unrestrained violence of World War II.
Recognizing and rejecting pseudo-moral arguments and living by life-affirming principles is a challenge, particularly in a fear-mongering environment, but millions do it.
Tomorrow is the International Day of Peace. Established by a United Nations resolution in 1982, the celebration begins with the ringing of the Peace Bell at the U.N. The Day is often celebrated with greater enthusiasm and hope in other parts of the world than in the U.S.
Do your part this year. Consider the words of Miss Nida Ashfaq, member of the International Young Catholic Students (IYCS) from Pakistan, “Peace is not the absence of war; it is respecting and accepting each other and promoting human rights.” Then light a candle and formulate your own moral argument in favor of peace. Please share your thoughts with us.
Kathie Malley-Morrison, Professor of Psychology
Three cheers for a good wake up call to the International momentum toward peace. I had forgotten about ringing the “Bell” tomorrow, as I image most American do not even know what this references and even sadder that if they do, they don’t care. I will be telling my students as a start to a new quarter tomorrow the significance, and how we must look at peace not as the absence of war as mentioned, but rather a concerted effort to make human life better “promoting human rights.” As I look forward to another quarter with my students I’m excited to continue my effort with a “peace lab” and a ringing of the bell.
Dear Mahlon.
Thank you for your response to yesterday’s post. It adds to my own sense of goodwill and well-being to think of another American who is ready to honor the International Day of Peace. If we all rang our own chimes today, think of the lovely music that would waft its way across the country. It is great to hear of another “peace lab” in a country bankrupting the poor while investing in weapons of death and enriching the rich. Keep up your good work–choosing peace for good.
On this International day of Peace I thought the following new organization is a step in the right direction. Bringing together community members who advocate for peace and sustainability will help us to develop a focused grass roots movement that is local, national and international. The organization is called Your Olive Branch, Inc. (yobo) and is a non-profit educational organization focused on furthering peace and sustainability through online social networking; a robust, positive news portal; the creation of original content; and the facilitation of community based events. The organization is made up of members and viewers focused on making the world a more peaceful and sustainable place through communication, respectful interaction, education, action, friendship, and shared community. About Us is about you and me and all of us visiting and interacting through yobo.
“Peace is not the absence of war; it is respecting and accepting each other and promoting human rights.”
What a wonderful way to operationalize peace. Sometimes, I must admit I become disillusioned in my hopes for a more peaceful world: what with the horrible atrocities that occur all too often, it can be difficult to remain determined. For that reason, I like very much Miss Nida Ashfaq’s words: they make me feel re-focused on the goal of peace in a way that feels achievable.
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