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“Peace is not a season, It is a way of life.” Printable Version PRINTABLE VERSION
by Ali Raza Khan, Pakistan Nov 10, 2002
Education   Opinions

  

“Peace is not a season, It is a way of life.”

It is indeed peace that brings about real happiness to people and countries. Therefore it does not refer to a particular period of the year or a particular era in history. It is throughout the lifetime of a person, of a people, of a country, of a universe. It is not just for a particular aspect of people’s lives, but the whole of their human experience. The task of peace building is an enormous one and it would seem an endless task, as peace building would essentially mean loving our fellow beings in the face of imperfections and transforming social structures to reflect this love.

Life can never be perfect, but when fairness, equality and respect become the foundations of our community, life will be better and more rewarding for everyone. Peace is a process - we have to keep working at it. It begins with each of us when we respect ourselves, each other and the planet we share, and try to work out our problems peacefully.
In Pakistan, conditions for peace to flourish would still depend on the abolition of the following obstacles or “healing of wounds.” Poverty, environmental concern, human rights, equality, justice, health . . . every problem that our society faces is really a Peace on Earth issue. Living conditions of a majority of the people are very poor - they lack facilities even for their basic needs. They also face additional hurdles towards the creation of peace among people. Some of these issues are listed below:
1. Parents have different values and attitudes regarding male and female children.
2. Child-care quality and learning capacity in children are much diminished by poverty in all its forms.
3. Tendency to remain in poverty trap through long term unemployment.
4. Poor personal health
5. Low educational attainment including poor knowledge of nutrition, hygiene and health care.
6. Social isolation and under utilization of or poor access to essential education and health services.
7. Failure to address the question of egalitarian access.
8. Inability of education Ministries and formal school systems to keep pace with population increase.

Since 70% of Pakistan’s population is under the age of 29, it is critical to address this segment of society in any effort to spread awareness. It is essential to involve the young in our movement to promote peace and human dignity. The restoration of peace starts by respecting the childhood of every child in society. Peace cannot exist in a society where a child cannot enjoy his/ her basic rights. If a society ensures that its children are protected, there will be long lasting peace in society. The problem of gender discrimination also needs to be tackled in order to ensure that our children grow up in a society where the atmosphere of peace and tolerance prevails.
Time has come when we should broaden our efforts and develop leaders at all levels through capacity building opportunities in order to promote justice, social equality, sustainability and participation. Young people are our best resource and they should be given opportunities to take action and responsibilities in improving the well-being of their respective communities, but also as messengers of peace, spreading awareness on a peer-to-peer level as well as to other community members. This can have a multiplier effect in their respective communities. Thus peace can be initiated from the individual to the family level to go on to the national and international level.

Around 34% of Pakistan’s population lives below the poverty line. The cost of living is so high that the poor cannot afford the basic necessities of life. In such a situation, money means power and respect. Therefore, any attempt to address the issue of human dignity must necessarily endeavour to provide economic empowerment to the marginalized and downtrodden.


Peace is and should be integrated in the daily activities, life and interactions of people beyond race, age, sex, profession, socio-economic and political status. Peace with in and around people can be the liberating essence for the real human development. Authentic peace can bring true happiness and harmony, unity and social justice and equality.

We can only attain peace by mobilizing communities, which include parents, teachers, caregivers that can provide greater attention to these aspects of peace and also building alliances with educational institutions to propagate and generate enthusiasm among the rising generation with whom our future is associated.






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