HUMANISTIC PEACE

          The ideology of peace is a humanistic utopia; it is not easily attained in this humanistic world, as there are always disagreements. Imagine a reality with only tranquility, calmness, and full of ecstasy, this illustrates the mood of peace. Unfortunately, our society is no where near that state. It is predominantly because of hatred, greed, and ignorance. If we are able to realize the peaceful solutions to all conflicts, then humanistic peace may actually become possible.

          Conflicts are usually started from hatred. Until we can accept equality between all sentient beings, hatred will always exist. For example, killing an insect that you loathe in your house is a form of hatred, and this certainly is not a peaceful way to handle the situation. By showing compassion toward the insects, treating them as your loved ones, and safely bring them outside the house; you then have resolved the problem in a peaceful manner, as hatred were never presented. But often, when our anger arises, we are blinded from what we do. In order to cease this anger, it can only be done through peaceful acts; otherwise, the anger will only grow into permanent hatred. A pacifist would not continue to fight a war, nor will a pacifist stand aside and be a spectator. A pacifist would resolve a conflict in a nonviolent approach; to cease the angrily disturbed minds from each sides of a conflict, and then a negotiation can be made to settle the situation. Some people believe that war is peace¹; they may not be too far off from the correct concept between war and peace. War, include hatreds, angers, deaths, and chaos, whereas peace, does not. But both war and peace are a method for trying to resolve a disagreement. This allows us to realize that there is always a peaceful way to work out a conflict, and more importantly, is to realize that it can prevent deaths, tears, and chaos. But in reality, numerous people still prefer the violent way to solve a problem; even so, we must remain calm and be compassionate toward those who prefer the method of war. Only by eradication of all hatred, can peace and justice finally be visible to us. This means the elimination of two main roots of hatred—greed and ignorance—then we can finally reach the state of peace.

          To understand greed, we must understand humble; so it is possible to decide the better of the two. A humble person would contribute their goods, and give everyone happiness; they will also receive a little cheerfulness in return themselves. While a voracious person would keep the valuables to their selves, and just keep on grabbing more valuables without any consideration; this often leads to hatred from people, and it certainly does not make anyone else feel happy, since it shows nothing but a selfish act. Thus, it is a necessity to choose humble and wise over greed; as it provides joy to the others, and this is a huge step towards achieving peace. But many people are greedy because of this money-driven society. The fear of not having enough money to live a luxurious life is what makes people greedy. This is something which we are required to overcome, we must understand that if there is enough wealth for survival then we should just treasure what we have. There are millions of people who die each day because of hunger; comparing to the fear of not having a luxurious life, it clearly shows that the greed for luxury is not necessary. Be humble and wise, then happiness will follow, and anger will vanish slowly, thus promote our understanding about peace and a step closer to it.

          The other obstacle that prevents us from achieving the humanistic peace is our own ignorance. We pollute our own lands, cut down trees that protect us, and we destroy other sentient beings. If we cannot be peaceful with Mother Nature, then it is logical to assume that we cannot be peaceful with ourselves. It is because of our ignorance, that we see various insects simply as disgusting creatures. But if we are knowledgeable, we will know that most of the insects found in our houses are not harmful to us at all; and in any case, they have equal rights to live as we do, so we should not harm them in any way. It is also our ignorance to destroy wetlands and forests. By learning about them, we know that they clean the pollutions we created, trees and plants also clean the soils for us. We also learn that the air we breath in are produced through photosynthesis from plants and trees, and further more, they are the habitats of millions of other species; it is a home to millions of conscious beings! We must gain knowledge through schools and readings to be freed from these ignorant behaviours of ours. Only when everyone is educated, then it is possible to attain peace. Not only that, when there is no more ignorance, new scientific discoveries and technological advancements will be improving at a much faster pace; but we must be very careful, even with nowadays advancements. Technology may be a new barrier for us in reaching peace if we do not use it with caution. As John F. Kennedy has stated, "Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together, let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths, and encourage arts and commerce."

          In conclusion, humanistic peace is a possible utopia only if we work together. We must learn to control our anger, treasure what we have, and study hard to understand about the world in order to experience peace. Remember, be wise, be compassionate, be humble, be knowledgeable, then it shall return you with the ultimate bliss; that is the way of attaining peace.

Mike Hung

FOOTNOTE:
¹ An ideology from Nineteen-Eighty Four by George Orwell: War and peace are the same.

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