Today is International Day of Peace. Unfortunately it is not an observed national holiday, in fact only a couple of folks even know about this celebration. And, when we switched our TVs in the morning, we did not see many shows discussing peace, harmony and a world without war. The little interest in a day of peace is reflective of the society we live in – a war society, a violent society.
This aggressive society damages humans both physically and psychologically. From innocent civilians killed by drones, to refugees and orphaned children, to military soldiers trained to kill on command, the result of a war culture is pain, death and undiagnosed mental scars.
Yet, the global military culture prevails not only by the message that veterans receive to be tough, to silence their post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and mental health problems, but also in our overall culture of competition, materialism and violence. Through movies, video games, narratives of war and destruction, our access to weapons, our ideology reflects a discourse of aggression. Whether we publicly talk about hunting terrorists, or claim that we strongly believe in the competition of the market, we promote discourses of domination and subjugation. In this world view, one is either attacked or attacks. In this world view, there is little room for peace and love.
Perhaps today we can all take a moment to envision a happier world, a safer world, a world with peace, a world where we are committed to non-violence, and solidarity.
Happy Day of Peace!
Watch UN Secretary-General Message