Working for global peace

Aadvik
Pathways World School
India

'There is no way to peace; peace is the way'.
Mahatma Gandhi.

To bring peace to the world is a very big ambition that many of us dream of and all of us have to work towards. There are many things that we can do to stop violence, such as trying to stop terrorists and their misdeeds. People often fight because they want to capture the land or resources of another country. But can't we just develop a model to share resources rather than fighting other countries for theirs?

The factors that work against us achieving peace are very big. The governments of the world face a big challenge, for example, in stopping the use of nuclear weapons. Despite the end of the nuclear standoff in the Cold War, nuclear weaponry is still menacing the world with very dangerous possibilities.

People fight to capture land for resources, such as oil or water. For example, two Indian states, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, have been in dispute over the use of water from the Kaveri River for over a century. This dispute started as early as 1883 when the construction of a dam by the Mysore state was opposed by the then Tamil Nadu government. An agreement was reached in 1924, but disputes continued. Karnataka wanted to cancel the agreement while Tamil Nadu said that it was valid until 1974. There have been many dramatic scenes in this water war. At one time, Jayalalitha, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, even went on hunger strike to try to resolve the problem. The case has also gone to the Supreme Court many times. In 1990, a tribunal was formed by the government on the direction of the Supreme Court. There has also been a lot of violence associated with this issue, as well as indefinite fasts, contempt of court cases, and the farmers of Karnataka forming suicide squads.

And so, the saga continues in our own country, within our states in the south! Let us hope for a final and amicable settlement without the loss of any more lives.

Terrorism is the use of violence and intimidation to try to change rules and regulations that the government has made. Terrorism obviously works against us achieving peace. An example of terrorism is the 9/11 incidents when the terrorist group Al Qaeda attacked the twin towers in New York and killed thousands of innocent people.

Thus, the question arises, how do we bring back a stable peaceful environment in the world and what role will peacekeeping bodies, as well as individuals, play? The United Nations can play an important role in bringing peace to the world and they can try and make peace in a number of ways. The UN can mediate disagreements between countries. Members of the UN can also refuse to trade with a country which is being aggressive or which disregards the human rights of its citizens. Sanctions can also be imposed, so as to damage a country's economy and encourage them to cooperate.

Individuals have also brought about huge changes in an effort to maintain peace and to bring about much needed change. Mahatma Gandhi, who during the 1940s peacefully resisted the British invasion and occupation of India, used a unique approach of non-violence to free his country. Similarly, Nelson Mandela, who resisted apartheid in South Africa, was imprisoned for his beliefs for 28 years, but finally emerged victorious in gaining freedom for his country. Despite there being fewer struggles for independence, there is still a lot of violence to capture the resources and land of other countries. There is also violence between different communities within individual countries.

I do not think it is right to fight over resources like water because even though some countries have fewer resources and others have more, we should learn to share them. To attain peace in my own little world, I would like to clarify my specific action plan. This addresses issues relating to my friends and family. In keeping with my peacekeeping responsibilities at school, I will try and ensure that my peers do not get into verbal fights that lead to physical fights. I will encourage my friends to discuss issues of more importance, such as the topic of world peace and Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence, rather than silly arguments about who is better or cooler. Also, when someone verbally abuses somebody else, I will explain to them why it is not good to do this. Abuse is only resorted to by those people who can't engage in sensible verbal conversation.

In the end I leave you with the words of Benjamin Franklin: 'There was never a good war or a bad peace'.

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