On a Monday evening in March, TWR’s Youth Action Network got together to discuss recent events happening in our country and what we can do as young people to make a difference. The Youth Action Network is a community of youth from all over the United States with a passion for raising awareness on a variety of social issues through virtual events and conversation, along with other practices. We were inspired by TWR’s mission to turn remembrance into action to end identity-based violence and combined it with our skills and interest to create the idea of writing collaborative blog posts highlighting voices of community members from various walks of life. Every month, we will discuss a different question about current events.
This month, we are back to discuss a milestone in international history. Living through both a pandemic and a time of immense, necessary change, it is important that our generation takes a stand and bridges the gap between awareness and action. This month’s question prompt is the following:
In celebration of the United Nations’ International Day of Peace, what does peace mean to you? What instance of conflict resolution has resonated with you the most?
Additionally, we want to encourage a powerful discussion among members of the TWR community. If you feel inspired by our dialogue and want to submit your response, please email it to info@togetherweremember.org and we may add it to this blog post! Enjoy!
Dorene Hantzis, 16 | Terre Haute, Indiana
To me, peace is a group effort and a compromise. To have peace we all would need to agree that peace is a shared goal. And we would also have to set aside our differences, but not our morals. Peace is only attainable if we all do our part as well. That means assisting in education, building connections and valuing respectful communication. I have seen so many instances where the world seemed to come together for just a bit in a united front that in some way was a semblance of world peace. My favorite instance of this was in 2015 when gay marriage was legalized. It was such a happy day for me as an activist and as someone who looked forward to and advocated for this ruling.
Savanna Tess, 17 | Dallas, Texas
Peace to me means not necessarily the absence of all conflict, but the acknowledgment and activism towards ending conflicts and aiding people in need. Conflict resolution has always been a part of history, especially in the Middle East with the Arab Spring. This series of events has stood out to me as a paramount instance of the rights of people to uphold democracy and have their voices heard against an oppressive government. The rebellions weren’t organized or planned, but they were impactful. While some countries remained unstable post Arab Spring, they showed the world as well as nearby corrupt governments that the people had a say and they would be heard. Social media was vital in providing awareness to these crises in Tunisia and Libya, and their press are growing increasingly more free because of it. Peace isn’t necessarily a destination, instead it’s a mindset. People should be able to be free and safe from tyranny, while still advocating for a continuously improving quality of life. This is peace to me.
Allison Weiner, 17 | Terre Haute, Indiana
To me, peace means that we as both a nation and a world are able to unite as one and not be as divided as we currently are. In the current world we live in, we are really divided because each person has very strong opinions on what they believe is best for the nation or the world. Instead of getting into so many fights that only further drive everyone apart, we should be able to unify as one and unite benevolently to settle our disagreements. In this day and age, human rights have somehow become political, and it shouldn’t be. We should all be able to come together no matter what your background is and acknowledge that human rights are still very much a prevalent issue in our world and be able to advocate for it as a whole. The same thing has somehow also happened with the pandemic. People are tying this into politics which is only further tearing us apart, when we should be coalescing as a nation and a world to put an end to this together. In order to achieve peace, we all should be able to consolidate as a whole despite our background, nationality, etc and be inspired to be advocates for the issues that are currently going on and bring about the change this world desperately needs.
Jocelyn Paulin, 16 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
In my experience and limited knowledge of the world, “Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding” (Einstein). The many errors of the past were often made from one person, nation, or country’s firm belief of peace and their enforcement of it. Not one person’s perception of peace is wrong, nor is one person’s perception of peace is insistently right. It is important to accept and acknowledge each other’s perception despite how wrong or right WE see them as. I see peace as acceptance and understanding. Each culture has its differences, and we as humans, who have grown up with the fundamentals of our own culture, will never be able to understand all the differing cultures of the world objectively. What we view as wrong, may not be wrong to them, and to force our perception and culture onto them would be the only thing incorrect in the situation. We must learn to accept our difference in views. We may think they are wrong or right, but our personal opinion should not get in the matter. Only then can we live peacefully together. An instance of conflict resolution that resonates with me is an old and simple tactic used by the ancient Chinese called “use the mouth.” Ancient China was filled with conflict and in the instances of the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States of China, Political Strategists were able to negotiate for their kingdoms and accomplish their political aims. These Strategists were good in speech and debate. This shows me how strong a voice can be in matters of conflict. Words have impact, and if you move the right audience, there can be a life changing result. This gives me hope that one day my voice can be a voice of change and a voice that brings peace as did the voices of the Political Strategists in Ancient China.
Cassidy Laffey, 16 | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Peace not only means the obvious lack of conflict between different groups, but it means everyone is able to feel safe, and most importantly, loved. Peace is the feeling you get when you see neighbors helping each other after a natural disaster. Peace is the girls in the bathroom lifting each other up. It's the ability to love who you love without the fear of being attacked. It's being able to walk on the sidewalk without people moving to the other side of the road, or clutching their purses. Peace is going to the grocery store and not being judged for what you wear or who you choose to worship. It's the safeness someone feels after being hugged when they are feeling down. Peace is all of this, and so much more.
I used to go to school with a Syrian Refugee. He recently graduated, but his story truly left a mark with me. He and his family spent close to a year trying to get out of the conflict zone. He did not get to play soccer during this time, his favorite sport. He could not hang out with his friends. He no longer had the opportunity to get an education. After that hard year, he and his family finally could breathe again. They were finally safe to have family dinners and play soccer on the weekends. He got to make friends, and above all further his education. While yes, this example of conflict resolution is not the most conventional, and there are still so many people suffering in Syria, just getting to see how much my friend’s life was changed was truly inspiring. His story has sparked a passion in me to spread as much awareness that I can, and hopefully see many more people find the peace they deserve.