Why Peace Education? What is it anyway?
Letter of Peace to Dr. Andria Wisler, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
Dear Andria, I want to share with you my understanding about peace education. Before I came here to EPU, my feelings about peace education were like chalk and cheese. I did not know how I could understand peace education. Should I consider it a participatory holistic process (which is very huge perception for me)? Or should I take it as a non-violent behaviour or maybe in some different way? These, all became issues for me and this is the why I came to EPU. I cannot say my background is wrong. I just improved it and I am still improving it thanks to various approaches in peace education which I hear in the classes. You can ask me why peace education? I think because it is the process for me to acquire the knowledge of nonviolence in my behaviour, attitudes, skills, and values. If I will live in harmony with myself it does mean I will live in peace with others. It doesn`t make me selfish or egocentric, this changes just my worldview. What I can tell you is that peace education is teaching me to think critically...
I cannot remember unfortunately who mentioned this but he or she was absolutely closed to truth:
'A child born today in the U.K. stands a ten times greater chance of being admitted to a mental hospital than a university.... We are driving mad our children more effectively than we are genuinely educating them. '
I have been teaching more than 7 years in Moldova and I saw cases of degradation in mentality and thinking amongst the young people. I asked myself why young people come to schools and universities and use the violence and discrimination as technique of their behaviour. What is the mistake of adults? I know that media, especially TV channels which are the most adorable amongst young people, influence their behaviour. But is not all in this. I mean the problem is not just here. One question is how are TV monitored channels today? They are commercial, arrogant, false, and indifferent. And almost the newspapers and magazines are too. Second question is why are they so brutal? Because is not commercially to educate in the art of peaceful living. Violence is a result of emotional impulsivity which is an outcome of wrong perception of the things which is a consequence of wrong information and education. At least, it is my thoughts.
I am really happy to know that there is a growing realization in the world of education today that children should be educated in the art of peaceful living. In schools and universities curricula need to develop peace-related disciplines such as values education, moral education, global education, human values etc. We stressed cognitive learning in schools and universities at the cost of developing children's emotional, social, moral and humanistic aspects. The consequence of such imbalanced learning is evident today in the forms of youth unrest with their antisocial attitudes and behavioural problems.
Peace education means to learn about and for peace, harmony, human values, tolerance, reconciliation, understanding, open-mindedness, charity, patience, endurance, ethics, indulgency, help, love, compassion, etc.
Learning about peace means obtaining knowledge and understanding of what contributes to peace, what damages it, what leads to war, what does 'peace' mean on each level anyway, what is my role in it, and how are the different levels connected? Knowledge of peace is the human values and how we can keep them in our hearts and minds. Nonviolent knowledge brings peace of mind.
Why peace education? I am still thinking on this issue. I consider we have many reasons to do peace education:
- There are over 600 million small arms in circulation around the world – one for every 10 people on the planet.
- Studies show that more than 500,000 people are killed due to these weapons every year – or, one person every minute.
Because small arms can:
- destabilize regions;
- spark, fuel, and prolong conflicts;
- undermine development;
- obstruct peacebuilding initiatives;
- exacerbate human rights abuses; and
- foster a “culture of violence.”
Accordingly with UNESCO Program of Action on a Culture of Peace and the Culture of Peace News Network the real peace has a chance. I think that violence is a resistance to something what is wrong or immoral in someone perception. And in the same time, the motivated violence, such as military interventions, brain wash process “in the name of nation and for reasons of international security” became a hypocritical culture. Accordingly with programs mentioned above we can see what the perception of culture of war is and what the perception of culture of peace is.
Culture of War & violence
1. belief in power based on force
2. acceptance of an “enemy”
3. authoritarian government
4. secrecy and propaganda
5. reliance on arms
6. exploitation of people
7. exploitation of nature
8. male domination
Culture of peace & non-violence
1. belief that peace is possible and can be learned
2. reconciliation, tolerance, cultural understanding
3. democratic participation, cooperation
4. free flow of information, critical awareness
5. negotiation, disarmament, non-violence
6. the same human rights for all
7. respect for the Earth, sustainable development
8. equality of men and women
I don’t believe that culture of war is highest that culture of peace, but in conditions of economical concurrence and crisis of energy security as well of food missing and others became more difficult to keep peace and tolerance, non-discrimination and indulgency.
I don`t dispute why we need peace education, I just want briefly to show you, my friend, who says we need peace education.
- “If we are to reach real peace in this world, if we are to declare war on war, we must begin with the children.” Gandhi
- “Establishing a lasting peace is the work of education; all politics can do is keep us out of war.” Maria Montessori
- “They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not rise up against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” Prophet Isaiah
- “Violence begets violence, toughness begets toughness….It is either non-violence or non-existence.” Martin Luther King Jr.
- “Peace education has evolved into studying violence in all its manifestations and educating to counteract the war system for the creation of a peace system.” Leonisa Ardizzone
These persons contributed to development of peace education in different corners of the world bringing together the chance to peaceful development for international society. The peace education is important for everyone who wants to live in harmony and tolerance. For me peace education is a challenge to improve myself as citizen of the world and to remain the person who I am. It is difficult to do if you live in violent zone or background, if your family practice violence, if you see the violence in the streets and on TV, in the schools and on international relations. But actually for all these facts I have the rationale to learn and teach peace. The peace education is the central thesis of tolerance. It teaches me to think critically and be open-mindedness. It is pedagogy teaching you to live with yourself in peace and to cohabitate with the all others in the world.
This is my message to you, my dear friend.
I am really hoped that is open discussion which can have continuity...
Dear Andria, I want to share with you my understanding about peace education. Before I came here to EPU, my feelings about peace education were like chalk and cheese. I did not know how I could understand peace education. Should I consider it a participatory holistic process (which is very huge perception for me)? Or should I take it as a non-violent behaviour or maybe in some different way? These, all became issues for me and this is the why I came to EPU. I cannot say my background is wrong. I just improved it and I am still improving it thanks to various approaches in peace education which I hear in the classes. You can ask me why peace education? I think because it is the process for me to acquire the knowledge of nonviolence in my behaviour, attitudes, skills, and values. If I will live in harmony with myself it does mean I will live in peace with others. It doesn`t make me selfish or egocentric, this changes just my worldview. What I can tell you is that peace education is teaching me to think critically...
I cannot remember unfortunately who mentioned this but he or she was absolutely closed to truth:'A child born today in the U.K. stands a ten times greater chance of being admitted to a mental hospital than a university.... We are driving mad our children more effectively than we are genuinely educating them. '
I have been teaching more than 7 years in Moldova and I saw cases of degradation in mentality and thinking amongst the young people. I asked myself why young people come to schools and universities and use the violence and discrimination as technique of their behaviour. What is the mistake of adults? I know that media, especially TV channels which are the most adorable amongst young people, influence their behaviour. But is not all in this. I mean the problem is not just here. One question is how are TV monitored channels today? They are commercial, arrogant, false, and indifferent. And almost the newspapers and magazines are too. Second question is why are they so brutal? Because is not commercially to educate in the art of peaceful living. Violence is a result of emotional impulsivity which is an outcome of wrong perception of the things which is a consequence of wrong information and education. At least, it is my thoughts.
I am really happy to know that there is a growing realization in the world of education today that children should be educated in the art of peaceful living. In schools and universities curricula need to develop peace-related disciplines such as values education, moral education, global education, human values etc. We stressed cognitive learning in schools and universities at the cost of developing children's emotional, social, moral and humanistic aspects. The consequence of such imbalanced learning is evident today in the forms of youth unrest with their antisocial attitudes and behavioural problems.
Peace education means to learn about and for peace, harmony, human values, tolerance, reconciliation, understanding, open-mindedness, charity, patience, endurance, ethics, indulgency, help, love, compassion, etc.
Learning about peace means obtaining knowledge and understanding of what contributes to peace, what damages it, what leads to war, what does 'peace' mean on each level anyway, what is my role in it, and how are the different levels connected? Knowledge of peace is the human values and how we can keep them in our hearts and minds. Nonviolent knowledge brings peace of mind.
Why peace education? I am still thinking on this issue. I consider we have many reasons to do peace education:
- There are over 600 million small arms in circulation around the world – one for every 10 people on the planet.
- Studies show that more than 500,000 people are killed due to these weapons every year – or, one person every minute.
Because small arms can:
- destabilize regions;
- spark, fuel, and prolong conflicts;
- undermine development;
- obstruct peacebuilding initiatives;
- exacerbate human rights abuses; and
- foster a “culture of violence.”
Accordingly with UNESCO Program of Action on a Culture of Peace and the Culture of Peace News Network the real peace has a chance. I think that violence is a resistance to something what is wrong or immoral in someone perception. And in the same time, the motivated violence, such as military interventions, brain wash process “in the name of nation and for reasons of international security” became a hypocritical culture. Accordingly with programs mentioned above we can see what the perception of culture of war is and what the perception of culture of peace is.
Culture of War & violence
1. belief in power based on force
2. acceptance of an “enemy”
3. authoritarian government
4. secrecy and propaganda
5. reliance on arms
6. exploitation of people
7. exploitation of nature
8. male domination
Culture of peace & non-violence
1. belief that peace is possible and can be learned
2. reconciliation, tolerance, cultural understanding
3. democratic participation, cooperation
4. free flow of information, critical awareness
5. negotiation, disarmament, non-violence
6. the same human rights for all
7. respect for the Earth, sustainable development
8. equality of men and women
I don’t believe that culture of war is highest that culture of peace, but in conditions of economical concurrence and crisis of energy security as well of food missing and others became more difficult to keep peace and tolerance, non-discrimination and indulgency.
I don`t dispute why we need peace education, I just want briefly to show you, my friend, who says we need peace education.
- “If we are to reach real peace in this world, if we are to declare war on war, we must begin with the children.” Gandhi
- “Establishing a lasting peace is the work of education; all politics can do is keep us out of war.” Maria Montessori
- “They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not rise up against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” Prophet Isaiah
- “Violence begets violence, toughness begets toughness….It is either non-violence or non-existence.” Martin Luther King Jr.
- “Peace education has evolved into studying violence in all its manifestations and educating to counteract the war system for the creation of a peace system.” Leonisa Ardizzone
These persons contributed to development of peace education in different corners of the world bringing together the chance to peaceful development for international society. The peace education is important for everyone who wants to live in harmony and tolerance. For me peace education is a challenge to improve myself as citizen of the world and to remain the person who I am. It is difficult to do if you live in violent zone or background, if your family practice violence, if you see the violence in the streets and on TV, in the schools and on international relations. But actually for all these facts I have the rationale to learn and teach peace. The peace education is the central thesis of tolerance. It teaches me to think critically and be open-mindedness. It is pedagogy teaching you to live with yourself in peace and to cohabitate with the all others in the world.
This is my message to you, my dear friend.
I am really hoped that is open discussion which can have continuity...
