We need global peace

Pallavi
Indus International School
India

Unfortunately, at present, we do not have global peace. People fight for economic reasons, as they want their country to become bigger and more powerful.

These wars or conflicts take place because people lack food, land, power/popularity, money and/or natural resources. Wars also occur when people are not able to accept other opinions or ideas.

Today, there are about 30 wars taking place all around the world. In these wars or conflicts, most of the people killed are civilians and two-thirds of these people are children. Such conflicts do not only kill people, but also cause damage to our environment. They also create hunger and the loss of facilities like electricity and water. Needless to say, they also cause health problems too.

The first major international gathering in history dedicated to peace took place in 1899. The name of this gathering was the 'Conference for Peace'. This conference wasn't of much help, as evidenced by the fact that so many other wars occurred soon after. These include the two World Wars, the Vietnam War, the Korean War, as well as the war in Cambodia.

As the 20th century came to an end, we found that the world was still a dangerous place, with conflicts in Palestine, Kashmir, Afghanistan, Congo, Rwanda, Somalia, Kosovo and Iraq. These names are evidence of our failure to prevent the continuing waves of violence and human suffering. The 20th century ended no better than how it started: in an unforgettable stain of red.

There are, however, many practical ways in which peace loving people and governments around the world can promote a culture of peace. We firstly need to understand what peace is. In my opinion, peace is a world without conflicts, where all the people are able to live in harmony. Peace does not only mean the absence of war. It also means that people have enough food and facilities to live a comfortable life, without worrying about what others will do to them.

To resolve conflict and bring peace, we can use dialogue, communication, listening to the opinions of others, respect other cultures and races and being sympathetic to the problems of other people.

Whenever there is a conflict between two nations or two groups of people, the UN steps in to solve the problem. It tries to bring the two sides together. Sometimes, it calls all the sides to a conference where they debate the issues. If the problem persists, the UN can send a peacekeeping force that makes sure that the fighting stops and that the ordinary people can go about their daily lives without fear of being attacked.

There are quite a few famous personalities who played an important role in bringing peace to our planet. Gandhi is well known for his idea of non-violence against the British. Mother Teresa is also famous. Her aim was not to save the lives of unfortunate souls, but merely to give them a respectable place to die. 'They lived like dogs, but they will die like angels',was her motto.

A peace activist is a political activist who strives for peace. A strong inspiration to many peace activists in recent times was the Cold War between the West and the Soviet Union, during which there was a threat of nuclear war. This helped start a campaign for nuclear disarmament. Peace activism was also common during the Vietnam War. Anti-war protests sprung up all over the United States. These protests involved thousands of people in marches, and the popular music composed at that time also had messages of peace. There has been a lot of peace activism during recent wars in the Middle East, with people coming onto television channels to debate the issue, despite not having much freedom to do so.

Organisations like the UN and the Red Cross donate money, blankets, food and medicines to the people affected by war or conflict and help rebuild the property that was damaged in the conflict.

During the Kargil War between India and Pakistan, several television channels were running campaigns to collect donations for the injured soldiers. A huge sum of money was collected and distributed to many families. This helped affected families to restart their lives, educate their children and provided many of them with new jobs, too.

In conclusion, global peace is very necessary for our planet's progress and for the wellbeing of all people. We must all strive to avert conflict and think only about maintaining peace.

Top     Senior Presentations     Discuss this presentation     Previous     Next