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What is your definition of peace?
Essentially, conflict resolution without physical violence and further, without deprivation or enmity of any kind.
Ideally, it would be a world where these things are never considered let alone carried out.
It is a world predicated on non-territorial, holistic concepts of existence with emphasis on such foreign concepts as patronage, cooperation, advocacy and stewardship.
That's not to say I am convinced that any of that is achievable.
How do you seek peace?
Personally? By being kind, giving people space to breathe (be). By not being pushy or selfish. By being patient.
Not to say that I am perfectly in control of these things. But I do value them and I try.
What efforts have you made to bring peace?
On what scale? Globally?
Nothing but advocate within my realm of influence (friends and family and anyone else willing to listen) the same message about the futility of brutality and that, in my opinion, opting for war is in fact the cowardly way out of conflict. Not to say that individuals who go to war are cowardly, but that war, being a known construct, seems to be a very easy thing for people to put their faith in.
Let me diverge for a second and mention something that's been staying on my mind lately that Carl Sagan says in 'Cosmos.' He says that if the entire history of the planet were laid out within the confines of a calendar year, then the history of mankind would be taking place only within the last few seconds of December 31st. After dwelling on that, I've come to the conclusion that it's entirely safe to speculate that maybe we don't have enough experience to say anything definitive about the nature of mankind and the necessity of war.
What are your stories of peace?
Nothing comes to mind right off...
What is your favorite quote regarding peace?
I don't have a favorite, but after a quick looksee I came up with these:
It is easier to lead men to combat, stirring up their passion, than to restrain them and direct them toward the patient labors of peace. - André Gide
Peace hath higher tests of manhood, than battle ever knew. - John Greenleaf Whittier
Yes, we love peace, but we are not willing to take wounds for it, as we are for war. - John A. Holmes
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Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus
PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce
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