What is 'Peace'?

What is Peace? Any initial inquiry into this strange word reveals that we are all too willing to fight for it, die for it and protest for it but what do we actually understand it to mean when we talk of Peace? Just stop and wonder for an instant; what does Peace really mean to you? Ok, now is that what you really want? Would you be willing to fight to keep the Peace? Maybe not, so how would you deal with those who are not prepared to live in Peace? Perhaps now you are starting to think that understanding the concept of Peace is not as simple as it first might appear. No wonder that over the centuries such questioning has challenged even the most enlightened of thinkers, and driven many of them to war!

Perhaps we should start with what the word Peace actually means. Dictionary.Com provides 17 definitions of what Peace means within the English language, while the Online Etymology Dictionary reveals that the Hebrew word for Peace is Shalom and both the words Islam and Muslim are derivatives of Salam, also meaning Peace. Do you think these three major religions are paragons of Peace? To further confuse matters, Christianity, Judaism and Islam are all derivatives of a single Semitic tradition, tracing its roots back to Abraham. So these three religions’ understanding of Peace comes from a single source. Do you think they all mean the same thing? Maybe you feel limited, or curtailed, by just three words for Peace. Well why not click on the link below to see what Peace means in other languages: http://www.geocities.com/thetropics/9356/wordsof.htm

No doubt you are wondering why so many people are so fixated with the meaning of Peace? Or perhaps you are thinking, ‘please, just give my head peace’. Well, it is quite simple, how can you become a peace builder if we don’t even know what Peace is? What is it you are supposed to be building and what are the materials you should be using to build Peace? Many activists working in a peace building environment will tell you, there is no script, and once the architects of a ‘Peace Process’ have moved on those at the grassroots, of Government or Community, are expected to ‘get on with it’. But get on with what?

To firm up what people mean by Peace, it might be a good idea to ask them what they think Peace is. So this blog is providing a space for people to communicate and share insights, views or ideas of what Peace means. We hope to create a valuable resource for peace builders, who can draw on it to inform their own working environment. If you are interested in Peace why don’t you ask yourself, friends and neighbours, your enemies and opponents: What does Peace mean to you? Then send us your replies below and we will piece them together to create an innovative resource for the architects, makers and builders of Peace. Shalom, Salam, Peace be with you.

Seán Brennan is the Development Officer for the Edward de Bono Foundation NI and works in partnership with Intercomm’s Developing Leadership Initiative CEP in North Belfast’s Interface Communities.