What is "Peace"?
by Marianne Perez

A very simple working definition for peace is how effectively we are able to transform conflict before it escalates into violence. This is a variation on the definition from Johan Galtung, the founder of the field of peace studies, which holds peace as the measure of two or more parties' ability to transform conflict nonviolently and creatively. If we want a more holistic and expanded view, the United Nations offers us a deeper definition and we'll discuss that also.  These are POSITIVE definitions of peace.

Traditionally, we think of peace in NEGATIVE terms. That is, we define peace in terms of what it is not: peace is the absence of war/violence. Certainly many people in the general public still understand peace this way - you may have encountered some while campaigning for a Department of Peace.

The absence of overt war in fact more closely describes what I would consider to be a Cold War—the status that existed between the US and the USSR for most of the late 20th century.

[Further Reading -PDF ] 

Now, we tend to think of war and peace in terms of international relations, things that happen between nation states. It is this connotation of peace that often provokes the question "Why do we need a Department of Peace? Isn't that what we have the Department of State for?"

Peace is not usually understood as being something that exists at home, within our country and our communities. Words that often replace peace in the domestic sphere include violence prevention, conflict resolution, and justice.

Current thinking in the field of peace studies posits that peace is a state of being that can be cultivated within ourselves, our communities, our societies, our civilizations and our world. Peace happens at all levels.

Now if we go back to our definition of peace being how effectively we are able to transform conflict before it escalates into violence we can see that peace is:

• How I communicate with my boss when we disagree on how to carry out a project—do I bad mouth her behind her back and ignore her requests, or do I engage her in a constructive dialogue?
  
  
• How schools deal with bullying and school violence—do they suspend/expel perpetrators or do they teach the students and faculty conflict mediation skills?
  
  
• How communities allocate land use—does the group with the most money/ power make the decision or are all parties consulted and agree on mutually beneficial outcome?
  
  
• How society addresses violence against women—does it permit and condone it or does it legislate against it and provide the resources to enforce that legislation?

So we see that peace actually encompasses quite a bit. Some even include environmental issues in peace—peace between humans and the environment; or rights for the disabled—peace between the "normal" and "different" (those who use wheelchairs, the hearing and visually impaired etc.).

A Culture of Peace
As defined by the United Nations, the Culture of Peace is a set of values, attitudes, modes of behavior and ways of life that reject violence and prevent conflicts by tackling their root causes to solve problems through dialogue and negotiation among individuals, groups and nations.

For peace and nonviolence to prevail, we need to:

• foster a culture of peace through education
  
• promote sustainable economic and social development
  
• promote respect for all human rights
  
• ensure equality between women and men
  
• foster democratic participation
  
• advance understanding, tolerance and solidarity
  
• support participatory communication and the free flow of information and knowledge
  
• promote international peace and security

[Further Reading from the United Nations]

POSITIVE, ACTIVE and DYNAMIC
It is the task of activists in the Department of Peace campaign to educate the public and our legislators that peace is POSITIVE, ACTIVE and DYNAMIC. It can be fostered and it can be taught. Peer mediation, conflict resolution, dialogue skills can be taught. Policies and legislation can be passed and enforced. Attitudes can be shifted and transformed.

If you ever have trouble describing what peace is, I invite you to envision a peaceful world 25 years from now. What will it look like? How will people interact? How will people live? Be as specific as possible. Then, figure out what exactly needs to be done to get to that point. What types of programs need to be put in place? What type of awareness do people need? What skills need to be acquired?

Peace is not only the vision, but also the process in getting to that vision.

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