Peace on earth

In my last column – War and Peace – my thesis was that war and violence may be the nature of humankind. I received a very insightful and erudite reply from former Justice Adolf Azcuna. He said: “ Nice article but I would prefer the title to be Peace and War to support the new writing that peace is more natural occupations of humans than war. See Steven Pinker’s The More Angelic Nature of Our Being.” I have written about peace before. This is what I wrote.

When the angels announced the birth of Christ to the shepherds, they said: “Peace on earth, goodwill to men.” Today, the question being asked is: Will there ever be peace on earth?

Throughout the world, this Christmas season is filled with stories of conflict and violence. The war in Syria and Iraq has spread worldwide in the form of terrorism. Europe has become a battleground for terrorism. Africa continues to experience tribal bloodsheds and unending civil wars. China is building bases in the South China Sea that could lead to confrontations in Asia. Russia continues to flex its military muscle. Donald Trump has twitted that he is ready to engage in another nuclear arms race.

It is easy to be pessimistic about the search for world peace. There are historians who point out that war and bloodshed is the one common theme in the whole history of mankind. War, it seems is ever present whether at the level of individuals or nation against nation. Even the search for law and order is called a war like the war on drugs.

Some dictionaries actually define peace as the absence of war or the freedom from violence. The historian, Thomas Palaima, wrote: “ Why do wars begin? The simple answer is they never end. Peace is an illusion conjured up by a version of the old Roman magic trick. ‘Where they make a desolation they call it peace.’

To some historians, war is the natural state of things that may be painful but cannot be avoided. There are those who believe that war is always in everyone’s thoughts because men is always motivated by hatred, anger, greed and envy.

But when I think of all the wars, I also remember another quotation from the Bible which said: “Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called children of God.” Fortunately, the world continues to have people who believe that it is still possible to have peace.

Peacemakers are those individuals and organizations who are involved in peacemaking. Their primary objective is to transform a potentially violent conflict into non violent dialogue where differences can be settled in a more amicable manner.

This Christmas Day, we should remember and honor those who have dedicated their lives to seeking peace on earth. The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to recognize these individuals and organizations. In Nobel’s original will, the Peace Prize was to be awarded to the person in the preceding year who “ shall have done the most or the best work for the fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and the holding and promotion of peace congresses.”The Nobel Peace Prize has expanded its definition and has been awarded to many different types of people.

 In 2014, the prize was awarded to Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzai, the youngest winner, for their struggle against the suppression of children and young people and for the right of all children to education. In 1993, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded jointly to Nelson Mandela and Fredrik de Klerk for their work in ending apartheid to South Africa. In 1979,the prize went to Mother Teresa, the head of the Order of the Missionaries of Charity. In 1977, the award was given to Amnesty International, a worldwide organization for the protection of the rights of prisoners of conscience. In 1964, the award was given to Martin Luther King Jr., the leader of the civil rights campaign in the United States.

In 1901, the first Nobel Peace Prize was given jointly to Jean Henri Dunant, Switzerland, founder of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Geneva and initiator of the Geneva Convention; and, Frederic Passy, France, founder and president of the first French Peace Society .

Today, on Christmas Day, I want to thank all the peacemakers, especially those who will never gain public recognition, for their unceasing faith and trust that someday there can be Peace on Earth.

Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem

Let me share with you one of my favorite poems written by Maya Angelou. I wish I can reprint the whole poem. But I have reproduced the last few lines.

In our joy, we think we hear

a whisper. At first it is too soft.

Then only half heard.

We listen carefully as it gathers

strength. We hear a sweetness.

The word is Peace. It is loud

now. It is louder.

Louder than the explosion of bombs.

We tremble at the sound.

We are thrilled by its presence.

It is what we have hungered for.

Not just the absence of war.

But true Peace.

A harmony of spirit, a comfort

of courtesies.

Security for our beloveds

and their beloveds.

It is Christmas time, a halting

of hate time. On this platform

of peace, we can create a language

To translate ourselves

to ourselves and to each other.

At this Holy Instant,

we celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ

Into the great religions of the world.

We jubilate the precious advent of trust.

We shout with glorious

tongues at the coming of hope.

 All the earth’s tribes loosen their voices.

To celebrate the promise of Peace.

We, Angels and mortals,

believers and non-believers,

Look heavenward and speak

the word aloud.

Peace. We look at our world

and speak the word aloud.

Peace. We look at each other,

then into ourselves.

And we say without shyness

or apology or hesitation.

Peace, My Brother. Peace,

My Sister. Peace, My Soul.

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