Discovering Peace

A Synthesis Paper

Presented to:

Sunshine Grace B. Austero, LPT Instructor

Presented by:

Mayna T. Baklayan

BSED III-B

Introduction

Peace, it is something that everyone desire to have, a harmonious community, a good

relationship with other people and to have a better place to live without any form of violence.

But violence is one of the nature of humans. It means that human cannot remove violence as it
is already part of being human and it is also relevant to the society. How can people possibly

remove violence when it is part of who we are? Can we remove violence? The answer is no, we

can never remove violence but that doesn't mean people will live in risk. We, humans can

choose to reduce violence and we can also avoid it. It is true that violence is inevitable but

peace start always within ourselves.

Chapter I

A Holistic understanding of Peace ang violence

To understand peace accurately people should know that peace is not merely the absence of

war or direct violence. The simplest and the most widespread understanding of peace was the

absence of crime and death or what we called the direct violence. Defining Violence is similar

on how people define peace. It can be defined in a various ways depending on one's

perception. According to Johan Galtung, peace is the absence of violence, not only personal or

direct but also structural or indirect. The manifestation of structural violence are the highly

uneven distribution of wealth and resources as well as the uneven distribution of power to

decide over the distribution of the said resources. In simple words Negative peace is the

absence of direct/ physical violence like war, torture child and women abuse. While the Positive

peace is the presence of condition of well being and just relationship between social, economic,

political and ecological. Negative peace can be categorize into three form of violence, the first

one is the structural violence which is people can feel the violence through poverty and hunger.

The other one is the socio-cultural violence, the given example are racism, sexism and religious
tolerance. And lastly the ecological violence which people can feel violence because of pollution

and over consumption. To further understand what is peace, we have here the five level of

peace. The first and most important level of peace is the Personal peace, it is always start

within ourselves, if you want peace start giving it to your self. The second level of peace is the

interpersonal peace, the respect of other person, justice, tolerance and cooperation. The third

one is the intergroup/ social peace, the peace with other group within the nation justice,

tolerance and cooperation. The fourth level of peace is the Global peace, the respect for other

nations, justice, tolerance and cooperation. Lastly is the peace between human and the earth

and beyond, respect for the environment; sustainable living and simple lifestyle. If we have the

level of violence we also have the typology of violence through personal, interpersonal, nation

and global. The culture of peace is the set of values, attitude, tradition, modes of behavior and

and ways of life. By understanding the culture of peace there's a big possibilities that the act of

violence can be prevented due to the sensitivity of human towards othe. The concept of peace

is similar with the other concepts even though it is defined differently, because a harmonious

society is what people aims.

Chapter II

Peace Education as Transformative Education

Through Peace Education people mindset can be changed, improve and widen. It is essentially

transformative because it cultivate the knowledge base, skills, attitudes and values that seek to
transform people mindset, attitude and behavior that is already inflicted with 'violence against

violence' conflict resolution. By transforming the misconceive of people about peace and

violence to awareness and understanding, it can help to build a good relationship within the

family, small group of people and even the whole universe. Peace Education aims to spread

awareness and understanding about how peace can be attain and how violence can be avoided.

To educate for peace it will always start within ourselves, by developing a better understanding

of peace and widening people mindset is a stepping stone toward peace. Peace Education is

holistic and it tries to address cognitive, affective and active dimension of the people especially

the learner. By gaining knowledge about peace and being aware on why it is important to

educate for peace will make them concern about the society, people will respond because it

concern not just about one person but also about the world. And by that they will valued peace

and people will take action to maintain the peace within the society. But sadly, social injustice,

war and other form of violence have long been feature of our human condition. They have

already cause havoc to the society, violence seems like the answer to the conflict of people and

the nation when infact it is the main reason for chaos. That is why peace education is important

to give deeper understanding about peace and how it can be attain. It is true that violence

cannot be removed buta at least people can avoid it and can choose other alternatives to

promote peace instead of inflicting violence against violence. We all know that war has been a

core institution of security system then and now. And it is because of people's mindset, if

people want peace but is using force and violence to achieve it, it sounds off. And thats why

peace education come, it aims to mold the attitudes, skills and turn knowledge into abilities to

promote peace by giving alternatives to avoid any form of violence.

The Comprehensive Scope of Peace Education

Peace Education is multidimentional and holistic in content and in process. Everyone is included

when it comes to education, everyone has the right to be knowledgeable about what was

happening in the society, and everyone should know how to promote in the middle of chaos

and war. That is why various form or facets of peace education practice are implemented. Lets

start with Disarmament Education where they're trying to educate people about how

dangerous weapons are, not just because it inflicted pain and death but also how it is

dangerous to one's mental health. Weapons are indeed needed to protect the nation but

bringing it everywhere will intimidate the citizens because of the thought that it can harm

them. And also the people using the weapon might use it threatened the people without any

reason. We also have the human rights education, where people are thought about their rights

as a human to be aware that everyone is equal and each one them is special. Teaching the

human rights of people cannot only thought in school it can also learn through experience and

what we encounter in our day to day life. Because according to Flower 1998, 'how we teach is

what we teach'. Global education is also listed on the list, and it aims to promote peace

globally. According to the Philippine council for peace and global education defined GE in its

undated brochure as 'education for responsible participation in an independent world

community' its enumerate key terms in perspective and these are the GE is human value-
centered, GE is world-oriented and GE is future-oriented. Conflict resolution education also

make it to the list, of course it is important to educate people on how to make a resolution to a

conflict or problem that they encountered without using any form of violence. CRE is now in the

curriculum of many school to and has educated learners about managing conflict

constructively. Being a peacemaker involves a great patient and control on how to maintain the

peace in the society and CRE will be a big help because it is all about teaching how to prevent

an arose conflict. Multicultural education on the other hand help student to understand and

appreciate the cultural differences and similarities and to recognize the accomplishment of

diverse group. Education for international understanding thought the people about the

difference of each country from one onother, to be sensitive and to be aware that every

country has different rules and culture. By this people can avoid doing things that might

disrespectf other nation. Interfaith education also thought the people to be sensitive about the

beliefs of other, to be sensitive and aware that everyone has freedom to believe what they

wnat to believe and to choose who they want to worship. Development education aims not just

to be knowledgeable about the culture of peace but also to develop the the economic of one's

nation to prevent structural violence that is relevant to our society. Developing our society into

a floury country will prevent the structural form of violence. Gender fair/non sexist education

promotes the equality between men and women. It aims to respect the capabilities of women

and let men shared the opportunity to women because men and women are equal. And lastly

the environmental development where it promotes to respect our mother earth and everything

in it because it is what makes us alive and enjoy life.

Spiritual and Faith Tradition as Rsources of Peace

The worlds major spiritual and faith traditions inspire and motivate people to embrace peace as

a mission. According to Machado 1993, the conflict were actually rooted not in matter of faith,

or even of religion, but in conflicting claims to social and political goals. Religion might have

different believes, tradition, practice and culture but all of the religions seek peace for a better

place to live and even to achieve peaceful afterlife. We shall now focus on the five spiritual and

faith traditions that have taken root in our Southeast Asian Region. And these are the

Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Indigenous traditions. The Christian story begins

with a song of the angels shepherd when Jesus was born. According to Geroge 1987,

Christianity contained a convern for peace of earth. He continue to explain that we can identify

three elements injesus approach to peace. The first one is the rejection to violence because he

believes that 'All who take the sword die to the sword' it simply means that if we choose

violence to respond to violence nothing will be solve. The second one is the Love and

reconciliation rather than retaliation. It simply means that why choose to be violent and full of

hatred when you can forgive and show love. Forgiveness and love for other people can make

you at peace. Amd lastly the use of transforming initiative, it means that if you can still avoid

violence avoid it using another approach to solve the conflict rather than react violently. Islam,

the root of the word Islam is 'slim' which means peace, peace with God and other human

beings. Islam also seek for peace spiritually that is why they follow the five obligation of Islam
that is explain by Mahmood Abedin, which are the Taweed, Prayer five times a day, Payment of

Zakah, Fasting in the month of Ramadhan and Pilgrimage to Makkah. Buddhism, they believe

that of you do good you will attain Nirvana - the ultimate peace where tje end of suffering and

death. Buddhist also believe in the Law of karma where anything you will do will return to eve if

it is good or bad. They also follow the middle path, it is following a positive and peacefull way in

ones daily life, avoiding extreme. Hinduism, the ultimate goal of Hindu spiritually is to gain a

vission of unity which is non-discriminatory , where every kind of life form is important.

Hinduism not only cared for life of people and the relationship between one another but also

cared about the relationship between humans and the world. To attain peace Buddhist aims to

unite humans and the world. Indigenous traditions, indigenous people find peace with the

nature because it is what makes them grow. Through natural resources that the world can offer

they will have something to eat. Unlike other people they depend more on natural resources

like for example the ocean and the forest where they can gain something to consume even

without money. That is the reason why they value their land more than anything ealse because

they believe that the land don't belong to human but the human belong to the land. Indeed

every religion jas a different rule but they are all united with one goal- and it is to attain peace.

Chapter V

Upholding Human Dignity

Human dignity is defined as the fundamental innate worth of human being. Every human being

has its own believes and stances that cannot be taken away from them. The dignity of human is
very important to ones own that is why protecting it will also protect the rights of human.

These rights are made to protect human and to stop discrimination and violence. Human rights

defined as the right tht belongs to every person. The rights created for humas are the Universal

Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of

Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and the Convention on the Rights of Child (CRC) had

been implemented to take action and sustain justice. The first one is the UDHR, it implements

thirty articles to elaborate basic human rights. These rights focuses on five major types which

are civil rights, political rights, economic rights, social rights and cultural rights. The civil rights

includes the right of life and security, freedom from torture and slavery, right from arbitrary

arrest, right to fair public hearing, right to be innocent, right for privacy, right to travel, right

in marriage and family, right to speak out opinion and information. Next is political right which

elaborates the right to asylum in other country from persecution, right for peaceful assembly,

and right to join government and vote in free elections. In economic rights, it elaborates the

right to own property and join trade unions. Social rights points out the right to social security,

rest, have an adequate living standard, and to be educated. Lastly, cultural rights elaborate

the right to respect every religion and join cultural life. The second one is the CEDAW, it

focusses on the rights of woman to be equally treated and not discriminated. This also holds

thirty different rights that is exclusive only for women. These rights involves the freedom from

discrimination and right to be equally treated, freedom from stereotyping and prostitution. It

also includes the right to vote, participate in international organizations, right to have and

change nationality, right for education and employment, right for health care and family

planning, equal social benefits and right to marriage. Rural women must also be treated not as
an uncivilized woman but a woman that must be respected like any other people. These rights

shows the strength of all women and the rise of feminism. And lastly the CRC, it focuses on the

rights of child. These rights are with accordance to the four categories of CRC. These are

survival rights, development rights, protection rights and participation rights. The rights of

child runs within 17 and below. Same as other rights, it craves for non-discrimination,

respecting best interest, valuing life, respecting the family, must be given a name and

nationality, privacy in identity, non-separation from parents, freedom of expression and

information, free to give thoughts and opinion, honor reputation, access digital information,

having alternative guardian, freedom from any abuses, right to be adopt and respected when

disabled, right for health care, social security, standard of living, education, and freedom to

play. It also show the right to indigenous children, protection from the economy and sexual

exploitation, torture, punishment and harm of armed conflict and juvenile justice. These

rights are made not only to protect humans from violence but also to respect the life of other

people, women and the child.

Chapter VI

Challenging Prejudice and Building Tolerance

Being different from the common status of human is not a sin. Humans are naturally unkind to

those who doesn't meet the standard of the society. They are often bullied because of their

status, looks, race and even because of their religion. People will use the term difference just to

discriminate others without any valid reason. And those action might end up to violence or
worst death. Let's say prejudice is just a negative feeling or attitude toward a person or a group

even without basis, but the impact of that attitude might destroy someonesthe self-esteem and

confident that might lead to isolation and depression. Stereotypes on the other hand is the

negative opinion about a person or group based on incomplete knowledge. It has nothing to do

with direct violence but words can be as sharp as knife. Opinion can hurt someone especially if

that opinion is baseless. People should really know what will be the effects of opinion to other.

Giving opinion is one of the right of humans, but of it is base on incomplete knowledge that

opinion might harm the person more than waus than one. While discrimination is the negative

action toward member of specific social group. Discrimination involved action that might results

to physical violence that its either inflicted harm or death. Due to this, it is really important to

educate people about the impact of any action and opinion to other people. Focusing on the

types of prejudice that includes racism, sexism, heterosexism, classism, linguicism, ageism,

lookism and religious intolerance which falls negative effects to people. Through educating

about this types of prejudice people will be aware that this action toward other people only

cause disaster and chaos. By applying what people learn will ease casualties because people will

respect everyone. Educating for tolerance must be available to all people to learn how to

respect and appreciate others. Learning peace education is fun especially if it can be applied

accurately without any form violence.

At this point, we already discovered that peace is what everyone desire to have during life and

afterlife. There is a lot of ways to attain peace in this whole world, although it is said that
violence is one of the nature of human but I believe that if we choose to be tolerance and

respect other there is no way that the violent side will dominate because in attaining peace it

should always start within ourselves.