By Jagunmade O. Rilycks
21st of September marks the annual world peace day. A day set aside to celebrate international peace and coexistence. Before I go further, let me stress the point that peace is merely not the absence of war.
It is a common scenario to have a day named after an international cause, movement, ideology, etc. In actual fact, I doubt if a day out of the 365/(6) days that makes a year is actually free of tags such as world malaria day, world sickle cell day etc.
It is highly impressive knowing that the whole world is concerned enough to unite towards a common cause but are we truly reaping the dividends of such campaigns? Is the western world only using such campaigns to play to the gallery? Is world peace a reality or a mirage? Can we truly have a world devoid of chaos, war, oppression?
I was having a casual discussion with a brother of mine on the recent spate of killings and terrorism in the USA. Through the course of our discussion, we explored the concept of terrorism from different perspectives. Prior to this time, He was of the opinion that terrorism is only a problem of the underdeveloped/developing world such as Syria, Nigeria, Iraq etc. We all are guilty of this stereotypical approach to terrorism as we mostly blame certain tribes, religion, country or human race for this menace.
Now that the mighty USA is falling to this monstrous demon called terrorism, where is the hope for the vulnerable countries of the world?
Terrorism is a much loathed yet persistent human phenomenon and it should be treated as such.
Contrary to the common perspective that links terrorism to a certain religion, race or ethnicity, I’d like to put it straight that terrorism is peculiar to all facets of humanity… Even the acclaimed holy country of Israel cannot distance herself from terrorism, likewise the Islamic inclined countries of the world… This doesn’t exclude the so called super powers of the world, The US, Russia, Germany etc. I think the best way to curtail the ever evolving menace of Terrorism lies in perceiving and dealing with it holistically instead of victimising and attacking personalities, religions or certain human races… There is no bad religion, there is no bad tribe or human race.. The only valid distinction is that between good and bad people.
It is only when we realize the need to truly come together as one powerful force against terrorism and other forms of societal ills, that we achieve a genuinely peaceful world. Until then, Happy world peace day!
2 comments
This write-up is so on point. It’s soo disheartening when I hear of terrorism and other social ills. There will be peace and happiness in this world. It will require an incredible effort on behalf of humanity, but it will be achievable. Humans strive for power, because they believe that it will ensure control over their lives, over the conditions they are forced to experience; but this is only partially true. There is a greater cosmic power, and it brings misery to those that strive for unfair advantage and social inequality. Therefore these humans will never be satisfied.There is only one alternative then: we must all strive for peace and equal social status, and in that state discover that our uniqueness and differences make this world a provocative and fantastic place to live! Yet we are all equal…. God help us!
While ruminating about the topic, the writer jerked me out of my reverie as he captured my thoughts in the first paragraph that peace is not merely the absence of war. Even warring parties still gather to discuss peace terms and cease fire. That’s a way forward in achieving peace even in the conflict ridden parts of the world.I hope all of human race genuinely unite to fight terrorism in order for us to have a truly peaceful world