Peace, of course, is a state of non-violence and tranquility – yet it’s potentially something more. Writer Dorothy Thompson said:
“Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the presence of creative alternatives for responding to conflict – alternatives to passive or aggressive responses, alternatives to violence.”
A fascinating take, isn’t it, that peace is about creative approaches? There was someone who, prior to the war in Iraq, suggested that the religious leaders of the world meet in Baghdad and stay there until a peaceful solution could be found to the issues.
Without regard to either the political issues or the practicalities, that person was thinking outside the box. No bombing could start with that kind of high profile presence in Baghdad. And, potentially, the presence of those notables would have put pressure on the situation to manifest a peaceful solution. Who knows? The point is that it was a creative approach to peace besides the more-often-assumed pacifism.
What kinds of creative approaches can you think of to currently violent situations? What are alternatives to “might is right”?