Chapter 6: BUILDING PEACE CULTURE: Shifting Gender Views as a Solution to Violence

Education today, in this particular social period, is assuming truly unlimited importance. And the increased emphasis on its practical value can be summed up in one sentence: education is the best weapon for peace. (Maria Montessori, Education and Peace, translated by Helen R. Lane)

Life is about nuance. Every human being ought to reflect about life beyond those common concerns about wellbeing such as health, shelter, and finance. Wellbeing should include one more indicator, peace. Peace should be a measure of minimal discrepancy between peace within the self and peace with the other. Greater discrepancy signals the opposite of peace, violence. This includes violence against the self and violence against the other. A commonly mistaken indicator for peace is emotional health. The phrase “I am in peace” might refer to the absence of emotional distress, but omits whether the self is at peace with the other. The other is what makes community. In this way, peace becomes the responsibility of human beings, not institutions alone. Think about “peace talks” between nations, where only politicians are doing the talking. Talking about peace without educating communities of interest on what constitutes peace is as effective as throwing sand in the air.