People left alone to live by their cultures and traditions, without attempts to impose/force them to change. There is a reason why God created people differently, and other cultures should respect that.

If you can, find a way to trade/interact with them; if not, find your kind.

Your advice is to leave people alone? If you are struggling in life, confused or being attacked or suffering real need, do you want to be left alone? No question, love should be without strings. In addition, real love is courteous, kind, respectful, supportive and encouraging. I belong to several traditions, multiple cultures and believe that all that is 'good' in them should be affirmed but what about cultures that approval of forcible female circumcision in parts of Africa or traditions of killing wives in India if the husband can't make money off of them? I am not afraid to reason with those who 'believe' in these things and appearl to love and goodness. Peace to you! brother Joseph, SFO

Thank you for the thoughtful and timely Peace report on Christmas Day. The honest spirit of inquiry that ensouled the entire report itself exemplified an element essential to a "culture of peace." The short excerpts from Kiran Sabastian, Donna Blackwell, and Marianne Williamson were on target. One basic point really comes home to me: we need to stop giving lip-service to peace, as if we all know what we are talking about. In this sense, the report was very Socratic: it indicated the need to think through definitions, assumptions and implications of peace. Many of us are, in Ms. Williamson's words, entirely too un-sophisticated in our understanding of peace. It is no wonder then that peace appears anemic and insipid - we can hardly realize something concretely that we cannot grasp intellectually. The real challenge to peace, clearly, is an internal one.

The last statement in the report, however, was disappointing to me. Alex appeared to be covering his rear end, in the name of "balanced journalism", playing for equal time to a cynical segment of the audience. He reminded me of the contortions politicians make to avoid appearing "soft." His rhetorical questioning of the human capacity to make the world better is no little matter, and quite suddenly this little single swipe makes everything during the past eight minutes sound like the mythology of the Easter Bunny. If we need to be more critical about our understanding of peace, Alex's closing comments also show we need to be equally critical about the place of science and empiricism in self-understanding. Science is descriptive and can say nothing about prescriptions. No analysis, dissection, or laboratory experiment is going to tell us whether we can make the world better. This is a matter of existential psychology, the experience of exertion, visualization, effort, deep-feeling, love. If I am successful at improving my own life in small ways, and if I have participated in groups or communities of human beings who make things better -- then why should I have any doubt that human beings can make the world better? Aren't we intelligent enough to know the future cannot be inferred from the past? That's just bad logic. Unfortunately, the mesmerizations of applied science, coupled with the philosophical dumbing-down of culture, have created an authority problem. If people accept cynical dicta handed down in the name of science -- the real problem is not that intractable helplessness IS true, but that it might BECOME true. The truth is, there is no possible card that science is going to suddenly play from its deck that will conclusively negate our efforts toward peace. To believe such a thing merely plays to our fears that the costs of committment may be entirely wasted. And people who waste time, money and effort are fools. If we all hold-back in fear of foolishness until science provides conclusive proof that peace and human fellowship are possible, we will never go anywhere. "The biology of the human animal" will never answer these questions, and does not deserve to have the final word in what is an otherwise informative and inspiring report.

Joseph Miller
Santa Barbara, CA, USA

I'd say that 'peace' is not an absence of conflict; rather, an agreement to resolve conflict in a respectful, open style.

This viewpoint is affirmed, I believe, in Ann Weiser's small offering, "Agreements of the Open Space", accessible on Google from "Ann Weiser Agreements of the Open Space". Another bit of insight on style can be found as "Strategic Questioning", again on Google.

A number of thinkers affirm the usefulness of our acknowledging the inevitability of conflict. Among them is the British Quaker, Adam Curle.

I have only recently found and understood peace. Peace for me is the absolute certainty, based on experience, that God (or whatever you choose to call the creative power that made you) is real and cares for each of us personally. I know I am always completely safe and loved and I can verify this through the tools of prayer and meditation. And because I know this, I know that peace on earth is possible for all people, and I know the way to achieve peace through the sustained and purposeful action of prayer and introspection by committed people. We all carry anger. If each of us who cares about peace would choose to own and heal our anger, how great would be the resulting force for change in the collective mind of the earth!
I quote Mother Clare Watts, of the Sophia Peace Center: "We can all be preparing ourselves, not for war . . . but for peace. Not for revenge, but for forgiveness. If each of us does this, and others follow our example, we will grow a large force for peace and justice, one which will be ready to move forward... We will never harm others. But we will be willing to risk being harmed. We will be strong, while being gentle; active, while having inner peace; and determined to stand up for what is right and just."

Deacon Christa Rathe
Milwaukee WI

Peace is fair and just governance.

Peace as relates to a truly coherently stabilizing effect, is - when actually implemented- a powerful, even indomitable influence, in its purest essence and acomplishment; being more than empty blandishments and ineffectual gestures, and most assuredly is devoid of that which induces hatred and fear -although people do seem to fear its achievement and actual realization, threatened by the self serving losses which must attend its global realization.


Violent warfare can never produce peace, because the effects of violence always seeds retaliation, disorder, death,impoverishment,dis-satisfaction, loss, disease,hatred, anger, guilt etc and such things interfere with the realization and enjoyment of peace. "As never before the essence of war is fire, famine ad pestilence; they contribute to its outbreak and are its consequences.___Dwight Dabvid Eisenhower. And as the brother of the Prince of Peace stated: "The fruit of righteousness has its seeds sown in peace, by those who are make peace. From what comes wars and fightings among you? They come even of your lust[ful thoughts] that war in your member..." The flow of adrenalin produced by antagonistic fear engendering thinking has many an addict.


People seem to delight in scenes of gore and a religion is even based sordidly upon crucifixion, making it appear a sacred rather than abominable and reprehensible enactment. "Never think that war however justified, is not a crime. Ask the infantry, ask the dead." ++__ _Ernest Hemingway. "As long as war is regarded as wicked it will will have its fascinations. When it is considered to be vulgar it will cease to be popular____ Oscar Wilde


Waging destructive wars can never protect a people from its longer term de-structive and destabilizing consequence,s which do not construct and produce peace, but more a longing for revenge on the part of those so violently defeated. Peace better triumphs in peace egendering ways!

Peace if freedom.Freedom can be used to choose the right options.It's time for important decisions in America.Time to give peace a chance.Intolerance,selfishness,exclusion,hate,will result in violence.It takes a lot of work to change minds to find the right way,but its worth trying.

As Jimmy Hendrix is credited with saying, "When the power of Love exceeds the love of power, the world will know Peace." Watch the latest on the Department of Peace on my talk show:
http://tamarahenry.blogspot.com/

It's a great question, and I am surprised not to have encountered it before.

I am tempted to describe peace as a sense of security, freedom from external threat. But the quest for security has led America to become an armed camp, suspicious of most foreigners. Other nations and societies that have made security a priority fall prey to demagogues, as America is doing or worse.

I don't know what peace is, but I have known contentment, which makes me wonder if we can have peace as long as we seek saviors. Following their instructions tends to beget a lot of suffering, whether of the acolytes or their victims.

Peace is not something you wish for; it’s something you make, something you do, something you are, and something you give away.

I define peace as not needing a word to define it.

a true and lasting peace must start with and within each individual, Socrates as well as many" world teachers" understood true peace. if possible ,read www.greatpath.org this site seems to really put everything together but, the whole thing is very long ,over 300pages.

Peace is not the absence of war or conflict. Peace is the absence of fear.

Peace is the ability to have free will in making choices
there must not be an opposition when making these choices

it is our nature to not live in peace but is also our nature to search for it and enjoy it when we have it. it is like the ying and the yang. peace can't be without war, and war can't be without peace. it has been like that since the begining of time.

Peace is giving someone a hug, making does around you happy, being happy yourself, helping others, smiling, and kindness.
Peace and love make the world go round! :D

Peace is something that Osama Bin Laden and other terrorists do not like :)

Maria
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how about a lack of any and all violence?

I would define PEACE as an action that always has a good reaction !!
I would also define it as a tonic of happiness !!

Natasha
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