Peace Day
Globally shared thought for humanity, dedicated to all among the nations where people are treated equally without discrimination to build a good society where everyone can flourish.
I have pondered thoughts of many where being serene is a great quality to be inculcated in my institution. Peace is not war, bloodshed, or hurting others but has got a lot of features capped in it.
“Peace is not the highest goal in life. It is the most fundamental requirement“ - Sadhguru.
Worldwide, Serenescence can be referred to as the state of people from all nations being happy and living harmoniously with each other.
This state of ‘Serenescence-wellness’ leads to increased globalization, promotion of tourism, cultural exchanges, developed economies, unity among people to fight unjust vices like racism, religious discrimination, and gender inequality, reducing wars, increased freedom of people etc.
To help in bringing and continuing Serenescence globally, we have international bodies like the United Nations which promote harmony in every country, also by upholding Democracy, rational representation of nations in international bodies, globalization, raising awareness among nations and sharing the wealth of a country equally among its citizens by providing equal opportunities to all.
For this, one must know the framework
of the basic eight pillars of peace.
The ‘Eight pillars of peace’ are
A well-functioning government
Sound business environment
Equitable distribution of Resources
Acceptance of the Rights of Others
Good relations with Neighbours
Free flow of information
High levels of Human Capital
Low levels of Corruption
The world must live, work and coordinate together again. Since the world is divided as in David Goodhart‘s formulation, definitely there must be peace between the “any-wheres” and the “some-wheres” i.e. “luxury” in peace with the “limited”.
“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other”
-Mother Teresa
“Peace is not the absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.”
- Ronald Reagan
Different views of Peace in Mythology:
In Greek Mythology, Dove symbolizes peace and portrays love and renewal of life from resilience.
In Scandinavian mythology, the formation of the Rainbow implies the peaceful relationship between God and Earth and forgiveness with a biblical reference to Noah’s Ark where a covenant between God and mankind was formed.
Peace with other Nations
In general, peace is attributed not only to an individual but also to every nation that strives hard to maintain peace among its citizens. Of course, certain segments like casteism, colour, creed, sect, gender etc have put a strong foothold in destroying the peace of any nation.
It may be surprising to note that recent surveys taken by Insider Monkey, a financial website in over 61 countries, have zeroed in on our Indian subcontinent as the second most racist country in the world closely following Libya which ranks the numero uno. But so far, except maybe for a few, many hardcore incidents haven’t been reported in the country.
On the other hand, the United States poses a serious threat not only to its citizens but also to its immigrants. But, Canada is seen as the best country for racial equality along with other countries like The Netherlands and New Zealand.
“A country is stronger when it is more racially and ethnically diverse.”
Every student of St. Britto’s takes a role in fostering harmony and tackling “racism” - a threatening fact to date even killing and polluting young minds by giving ‘Hand outs’ to fellow students by pointing out the ill effects of racism and refraining from it.
Now as the world witnesses the war between Russia and Ukraine, the most affected were women and children as increasing reports of sexual violence and human trafficking have raised ‘Red Flags’ over a Potential Protection Crisis, the Executive Director of the United Nations gender agency warned the Security Council on April 11th, this year.
Taking Non-violence as a tool, the students at St. Britto’s learnt about the current scenario between Russia and Ukraine and related it to the importance of peace by keeping them abreast of daily news from all sources in the past few months at school.
The students were made aware of the aftermath of a war - bloodshed, destruction, vandalism, cease-fire, migration etc and how to recover from these long-term situations.
At St.Britto’s, Human Rights Day (Celebrated every year on 10th December) was held to raise awareness of Human Rights which encompasses physical, social, cultural and spiritual well-being. Students of Class VIII came up with a good performance of mime and drama, depicting the sufferings of weak, underprivileged and vulnerable sections of people whose basic rights are denied.
The students of St. Britto’s were taught the importance of the privilege of children and women to enjoy their rights and that they must be given due respect in all aspects of life by celebrating International Women’s Day by successfully marking the economic, social, technological and political achievements of women. For an instance, the achievements of Marie Curie and twelve ‘First Indian great women achievers’ were highlighted by a PowerPoint presentation by the students on that day.
“Peace at Home” - Charity begins at home, the same way peace starts at home. The Students at St. Britto’s were able to understand that peace of mind at home was essential to lead a peaceful life.
Every home embodies varied cultures, financial situations, family structures, bonding, etc. By incorporating a clear knowledge of sensible understanding, mutual adjustments, and stress-free activities in their minds ‘Peace at home can be taken to higher levels.
Students had a small discussion, stating peace at home is a vital factor for overall wellness at school and all places. In the Social Science class of grade eight, the teacher had a discussion with the students after the usual class. When she questioned them, what it meant by peace at home, she got mixed responses.
Some students mentioned a clear understanding between the parents and kids was as important as a good relationship between the parents, their love for their grandparents, no fights, no abusive words, no beatings, their priorities, spending quality time with each other were the only incomparable luxuries and riches of a peaceful life.
As a small token of love and due respect ‘Grandparent’s Day’ was celebrated at St. Britto’s. The students learnt that the first and foremost qualities of a peaceful life that they inherited from their grandparents were love and affection towards the elders of the family, the social value of togetherness, adjustments, cultural richness etc.
Peace in our Society
As the world is healing from the COVID-19 pandemic, the students at St. Britto’s are allowed to help individuals to recover better, build resilience, and transform the world into one that is more equal, just, equitable, inclusive and healthier.
The students were taught First Aid Procedures by the Physical Education teachers to save lives first-hand in general, which might come in handy in critical situations.
Making the students at St. Britto’s know about social stigmas like gender and culture issues, sexuality, religious taboos etc., and erasing their wrong notions from their minds through Oratorical and Essay-writing competitions were conducted.
From the above activities, the students will slowly learn to be at peace with their family members, peer group and adults who are affected badly in such areas in their lives.
Create Positive Peace whereby the attitude of creating a sustainable peaceful society with better ecological measures, a high level of resilience and adaptability to change.
At St. Britto’s, as a part of ‘Friendship Day,’ a Drama was enacted by the students of Std IX and X to instil and create positive peace, accept the weakness of their peers, try to correct them and move amicably.
Peace with Nature
In general, to live a harmonious life, we have to make peace essentially with Nature too.
On Children’s Day, at St. Britto’s, the highlighted theme was PEACE with the slogan ”Spread the song of peace, that echoes on and on”.On many occasions, peace with nature was observed at St. Britto’s like ‘World Environment Day’, ‘Save Water day, ‘Cleanliness Day’ etc.,
The students depict the climatic changes caused by greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, destructing and dwindling all the natural resources etc., in the form of presentations, and conversations, making it a theme in the Painting competitions and learning the importance of making ‘Peace with nature’.
Every year ‘World Earth Day’ is celebrated. The students understood the need to nurture and save our Earth and pass it on safely and cleanly to future generations.
On the whole, at St. Britto’s, we emphasize congenial ambience and building a harmonious, serene and sustainable world to face.
I am happy that my concept of peace has reached the students like peace with nature, family, society, positive peace and bringing a holistic approach of peace and harmony as a ‘Pocket of Hope’ linking Man, society, World and Nature with Humanity.
Comments
Post a Comment