Thursday Thirteen - Peace Blog

Dona Nobis Pacem

 

1. Every November 4, there is a blog blast for peace. I have participated off and on over the years. For more information, visit Blog4Peace.

2. Peace means no violence. In order to have lasting peace, there must be some form of economic equity.

3.  Systemic violence is caused by the gaps of development in countries and communities. To bring the macrocosm down to eye level, if you take a city like Roanoke, there is a division between rich and poor that is well-known and easy to see. 

4. Some antidotes to violence include better education, better health, and growth and prosperity that touches everyone.

5. Some issues require the efforts of a community while others must be met on a global scale. For example, a peaceful country could invest more in infrastructure, health, and research than on military spending (the United States is not by any means a peaceful country).

6. Education would help millions of adults live a different life. There are approximately 773 million illiterate adults in the world. What if we taught one someone else to read? Can you imagine the worlds that would open up? What kind of imaginations that have been given the ability to read and write might be set loose on the world to create a better life?

 

7. A focus on peace could increase the standard of living for everyone. 

8. A peaceful life allows a person to focus on more than immediate goals. When there is no worry of war or being stabbed in the parking lot (or gunned down in school, or killed by a domestic terrorist), then the mind is able to ruminate on more profitable ideals and goals. A peaceful society cares about other aspects of life besides survival, allowing new standards of living for all to become obtainable.

9. Severe inequity among the citizens in a community leads to lack of peace. In Roanoke, there are shootings nearly every day. Why? Social pressure leads to hatred and frustration, which leads to instability. This leads to violence.

10. In the United states,  0.01% of the population accumulates 11.2% of the total country’s wealth. This inequality does not contribute to peace, because other households live paycheck to paycheck and do not accumulate wealth. This combined with the pressures from social media to have the same things as the next person, even when one can't afford it, can lead to violence.

11. There is no reason why communities and countries cannot be more just and peaceful places to live. The only reason they aren't is because people in power want it that way. Peace is a choice.

12. Tell everyone that peace is the way out of the mess we're in. Hating on one another doesn't do any good; violence is never the answer. 

13. Everyone is important. If the nation and the world is to survive for future generations, then peace must become the standard, not an oddity. What is wrong with living in a peaceful, beautiful world?

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Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while and this is my 729th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.