Global peace is a necessity

Tejas
Indus International School
India

Why do we wish for global peace so much? What do we need to do to bring it about? Why is there conflict? Why do people start wars? Do they enjoy bloodshed or is it for a just and proper cause? All these are valid questions with varying answers.

Before we go into answering these questions we need to understand why people start wars. What factors come into play to start a war? A few of the most common reasons are: territory, resources, disagreements, not meeting expectations, and differences in skin colour, religion or nationality.

Conflicts over territory are no longer very common but do occur in a few places. Pakistan and India are warring over their lines of control. Also, the need for resources can influence the start of a war. If a country needs oil it could attempt to conquer another country that has oil, such as Saudi Arabia or Kuwait. Even small conflicts in a country are important. These could be caused by a disagreement between two very influential or rich people and they could start fighting, which could cause further trouble within that area. If a manufacturer, for example, does not reach certain standards, customers may get angry and start to boycott its products and riot. In the USA white people discriminated against black people and this caused the blacks to fight back and rebel. The terrorists of 9/11 may have attacked due to religion and nationality.

Past conflicts were mainly over the two most important things: land and religion. Muslims took over Jerusalem and the Christians fought them back. The greatest warlords were conquerors looking for areas to conquer. Famous figures such as Julius Caesar, Mohammed of Ghur, Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan were all conquerors. Nowadays conflicts are mainly over resources and disagreements.

What is peace in real terms? Peace is the absence of hostility and conflict. Why is it so important to us? Even as you are reading this article around 30 wars are being fought around the world. Many people are losing their homes, loved ones and their own lives as well. The wars are not directly affecting people watching the TV, who often feel little sympathy as they watch videos of explosions and gunfire. The people solemnly watching the photos and videos rarely have experienced it and cannot feel what it is like. Innocent civilians in the war zone and the soldiers are the ones who are dying and getting injured. They can lose everything; their lives and their loved ones, not to mention their property, at the explosion of a bomb or a round of gunfire. I feel this alone is reason enough to bring about global peace.

How can the global community, and we people, bring about peace? People should be encouraged to go to places that have had a war to comfort the people there and create a bond between the two nations. When large groups of countries fight, such as when world wars occur, the rest of the world should intervene peacefully. The UN should keep the various countries from fighting with each other. The nations in the UN should join together, not to fight wars, but to send proposals to the warring nations. This way, nations won't be losing people to the hungry gun and ravenous bomb, but would gain friends in other nations instead.

The mixing of cultures should also be encouraged. This way people will get a better perspective of other countries and would be less likely to start a war with another country. Another idea by Thomas L. Friedman was the 'golden arches theory'. This states that no two countries, which have McDonald's, have warred with each other. This shows people in countries that have McDonalds aren't as intent on fighting wars. Also, if a country and another country see what they can gain by trading with each other they will not want to attack each other. If they do attack the other country they lose a source of an item they need. If country A needs coal and has titanium and country B needs titanium and has wood, while country C needs wood and has coal, all of them can trade with each other and that means none of them can attack each other without losing something they need. Peace can therefore be brought to the world through trade.

How can individuals and groups of people bring peace to the world? The persistence and strength of will of individuals and groups can bring peace. Gandhi did not fight with guns or swords, but through his repeated marches and protests. When protesters died during the fight for freedom and peace, did their supporters give up? No, their will to fight it out and drive the British out of India was stronger that that. When Gandhi was jailed many times over for his protests, did he give up? No.

A person like Martin Luther King Jr. proved that peace between blacks and whites in America was not impossible. If constant protests are held in warring countries, the countries might attempt to make peace and stop fighting. Even small conflicts between people should be discouraged and people should live together peacefully. Whilst conflict is part of human nature, it is important that it doesn't escalate into violence and bloodshed.

Organisations like the Red Cross and the like are the ones who mainly work towards achieving peace. We should contribute to their cause by giving donations to rebuild homes, provide clean food and water, and most of all, provide medication to treat the wounded. Medication, clean water and food are all needed. For people who have lost loved ones, no amount of money can bring their loved ones back. All we can do is comfort them and help them rebuild their lives. We can give them a reason to be happy again by giving them food, a house, money and clothes.

To bring peace to the world is one of the hardest tasks humankind will ever face. Without it we may wipe ourselves out by nuclear war. We can fix these problems if the world works together. If the world is peaceful we can stop global warming and other environmental issues. Global peace is a necessity!

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