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What is Peace?

After eleven days of heartbreaking images of destruction and death in Gaza, there was some respite as a ceasefire was announced. But is this peace? 

The Caledonian chieftain, Calgacus speaking of the Roman invasion of Scotland, in 84 AD said “To ravage, to slaughter, to usurp under false titles, they call empire; and where they make a desert, they call it peace.”

Most western definitions of peace have been the cessation of war, derived from the Roman word pax which meant a call for truce.  As capitalism and colonialism offered new opportunities for economic  prosperity and international markets, it was believed war could be avoided by a balance of power.  However as modern history has shown us, maintaining balance of power itself becomes a cause for war.

Nuclear deterrence, the rise of democracy, and economic interdependence are cited as reasons for why there have been no wars in Europe since World War II, a period called “The Long Peace”. However, European armies have continued to wage wars, or support wars, in other countries. 

The British economist John Maynard Keynes, proposed peace would be achieved in a society of economic equals. However he warns, “For at least another hundred years we must pretend to ourselves and to everyone that fair is foul and foul is fair; for foul is useful and fair is not. Avarice and usury and precaution must be our gods for a little longer still. For only they can lead us out of the tunnel of economic necessity into daylight.”

World prosperity, and therefore peace, was to be attained by macroeconomics, through international bodies like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. All western economies had adopted his guidelines by the 50s, and we are all witness to where that has led, and how far we are from an equitable and peaceful world.

E.F.Schumacher rejected “soul destroying and mindlessly monotonous big businesses and large scale consumption” which he saw as “a crime against humanity.”  His concept of Small is Beautiful, while widely read, is seen as a great idea whose ship has sailed.

Western philosophies continue to focus on peace as the cessation of hostilities, while Eastern philosophies see peace as a positive state of being. Buddhism envisions peace as an inner state of mental tranquility which spreads outward. The Sanskrit term Shanti is chanted to infuse the mind, spirit and body with a feeling of peace.  The Chinese concept for peace, ho p'ing, and the Japanese, heiwa, reflect a tranquil mind, leading to social harmony and ordered statecraft.

All religions promote peace.  Some like Judaism and Islam, accept defensive wars or wars to resist oppression, although both offer peace with their greetings, Shalom Aleichem and Salaam Aleikum.  While Judaism rarely mentions the afterlife, for Muslims the promise of true peace is in the hereafter. Zoroastrians see humans in a continuous struggle between good and evil.  The Gandhian strategy of satyagraha, non-violent political resistance, was adopted by Martin Luther King Jr, the Sixties anti-war movement, and continues to be an effective form of protest today.

There is no waiting for the right economic or political conditions for peace to prevail, it cannot be achieved by meditation, removing oneself from a troubled world. The real achievement of peace would be the ability to keep one’s eye on peace in the centre of the storm, in the midst of disaster and difficulties.  

Social media has proved its worth, as millions of humane and peace loving people across the world have made their voices heard for Me 2, Black Lives Matter, the oppression of Palestinians, and one hopes the momentum will carry on for Kashmiris, the rights of indigenous people and many other injustices that suffer the conspiracy of silence. It is an example of one of the Quranic phrases for peace: Tasaalamatil khail - horses moving together, synchronizing their feet and galloping in tandem.

Dwight D. Eisenhower, veteran of two World Wars and president during a tumultuous period of American history, conceded:  “I think that people want peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of the way and let them have it.”

 

Durriya Kazi

June 5, 2021

 durriyakazi1918@gmail.com

 

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