The peacemakers

The most touching part of Irish actor Cillian Murphy’s speech at the Oscars, for me, was when he dedicated his Best Actor Award to the peacemakers.

“We made a film about the man who created the atomic bomb and, for better or worse, we’re all living in Oppenheimer’s world,” said Murphy, who won his first Oscar for his brilliant portrayal of Oppenheimer, the so-called father of the atomic bomb.

“So I’d really like to dedicate this to the peacemakers everywhere.”

We don’t talk about this often enough and at a time when we continue to live in dangerous times, it was timely that Murphy put the spotlight on the peacemakers of the world.

Supposedly, we’re living in a post World War II-epoch yet Putin’s Russia is at war with Ukraine; Palestine and Israel are locked in conflict that is as old as time and countries like Afghanistan, Syria, Sudan and many more are grappling with civil wars.

Throughout world history, there has been a “cast of monsters” as a Netflix documentary on the Cold War has pointed out, with Adolf Hitler as the biggest monster of them all.

There’s also Joseph Stalin whose three decades of dictatorial rule starting in the 1920s led to industrialization and eventual victory over the Nazis but also resulted in the deaths of millions in purges and concentration camps.

And then there’s Idi Amin, the so-called Butcher of Uganda, who purged rival Uganda tribes and expelled foreigners, mostly Asians, in his country.

There are others in this long cast of monsters throughout history including Pol Pot, Saddam Hussein, etc.

The way they ruled and the methods they employed to expand their rule and stay in power should serve as cautionary tales for the present and succeeding generations.

This is where the cast of peacemakers come in.

With parts of today’s world still caught in conflict, we must remember the individuals who have consistently fought for the peace and justice we are enjoying now.

Here are some of the peacemakers of the world we should honor, then and now, for lighting the path, as cited by oneearthfuture.org.

May we emulate them and continue to heed the lessons from their advocacies of nonviolence and struggles toward peace.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Dr. King was one of the most influential peacekeepers during the civil rights movement. He advocated for an end to discrimination through non-violent protest and mutual cooperation. Known for his “I have a dream” speech and his prominent leadership of the first great nonviolent demonstration of contemporary times through the bus boycotts, Dr. King was also one of the youngest men in history to have received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.

Muhammad Ali

“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee...” were the well-known words echoed by champion boxer Muhammad Ali. But what some may not know is that outside of the ring, Ali was a huge activist for human rights and the peace movement. Ali refused induction into the US Army in 1967, citing his religious beliefs and opposition to the Vietnam War. He was outspoken on various human rights and equality issues and believed that at the core of his protest against war was that his conscience would not let him take another’s life.

Nelson Mandela

Known for his significant contribution to the peace movement in South Africa, Mandela became a global role model of goodwill to all. In 1993, Mandela was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize due to his contributions in working to end racial segregation in South Africa. Spending over 20 years in prison for his opposition to the apartheid regime, Mandela was later elected as the first leader of a democratic South Africa in 1994.

Desmond Tutu

Desmond Tutu was a well-known campaigner against apartheid in South Africa. Since the end of apartheid, he has advocated for a variety of humanitarian issues, including racism, poverty, sexism, homophobia and AIDS. In 1984, Tutu was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for being an influential figure in promoting the concept of forgiveness and reconciliation.

Kofi Annan

Kofi Annan was the seventh Secretary-General of the United Nations, serving from 1997 to 2006 and because of him, UN peacekeeping was strengthened in ways that enabled them to cope with a rapid rise in the number of operations and personnel. Originally from Ghana, one of Annan’s main priorities as secretary-general was a comprehensive program of reform aimed at revitalizing the United Nations and making the international system more effective.

The Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama is not on the list of oneearth.org but he is also a well known peacemaker.

He has consistently advocated for the Middle Way Approach with China to resolve the issue of Tibet. Influenced by Tibetan Buddhist concepts, the Middle Way respects fundamental rights of people and strives to bring peace and security to China.

Effective peacebuilding

Peacebuilding takes time and it means addressing issues of economic development, governance and other concerns of the people but it is always the better option.

Here in the Philippines, wars have been waged for a host of reasons, including poverty and the fact that war is one big business.

May we all work toward peace instead of war; may we raise peacemakers instead of monsters and most of all, may we always believe that peace is always the better path than war.

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Email: [email protected]. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter @eyesgonzales. Column archives at EyesWideOpen (Iris Gonzales) on Facebook.