World Peace: Myth or Reality?

You would think that we could have managed it now, but if you lift up any newspaper and see what is happening around us the reality is different. Peace still seems to be an ideal, a goal that we seem never to obtain. But is this goal really unreachable? If we go by our present global environment, the answer seems yes. Daily we hear about killings and conflicts, and daily they seem to transcend boundaries, customs, religions or any other factor. Hatred seems to prevail in a world that is becoming more globally interdependent, yet socially and culturally distant. As we are being exposed to a greater awareness of our world, as travelling is becoming less and less cumbersome, and as communication is bringing people closer together our world seems to continue to divide itself on other matters.

Hatred and violence seem to have engulfed themselves in our cultures. But these are emotions that have been programmed in us by our societies; hence, they are reversible. The fact is that today, although the possibilities of a third world war may be distant, the numerous ethnic risings seem to illustrate that we don’t need a world war to suffer an immense loss of human lives.

Why is there so much tensions, you may ask? Well, we have already touched on some of the causes in earlier write-ups on Sampadhki, but to sum up some of the causes are: population growth, limited resources, regionalism, multinationals and the growing gap between the rich and poor nationally, as well as internationally. However, now its time for us too look at the world with a much broader perspective. Instead of dissecting each reason separately, we are proposing a wide forum for your ideas. Now you tell us do you think peace should be a goal? And if yes, how do we obtain this goal? And if no, why shouldn’t we be trying to change our world?

After looking at these questions, ponder on more refined issues such as: what is the most important issue that is preventing peace? What responsibilities should nations house towards peace, and what about international organizations such as the United Nations? Then one should look at the time age question of man versus nature? Is it that we are failing at peace because of man’s inherit nature, or is because our social environment? And what effect has technology have on us both positively and negatively?

Historically, we have had great leaders as well as grassroot movements that preach the value of peace, yet we never seem to grasp the ideals and implement them in our hearts and lives. It is safe to assume that no one favors the killing of individuals, but we have in this century seen a dramatic switch from military casualties to civilian casualties. As we prepare for the turn of the twenty-first century, it is important for us to address these issues and propose solutions . . . conceivable solutions. So, what do you think: Is world peace a myth or a plausible reality?