Peace is an almost universally held value, yet seemingly as elusive as happiness.  Few would explicitly claim to not want to see peace in the wider community. However, human actions very often contradict explicitly professed values.

Firstly, what exactly is peace anyway? What must be in place in order to achieve it? What are the foundations that peace must rest upon?

Einstein argued that problems cannot be solved by the same thinking that created them. It serves us to question our own thinking (or lack of it) as well as our deeply held beliefs in pursuance of this elusive goal.  Could it be that developing our thinking is the way out of the maze?

Defining Peace

Lets start by defining terms. Wikipedia says this “Peace is a certain quality of existence which has been sought after, yet seldom found in a long enduring form, since time immemorial. In a behavioral sense, peace is generally understood to be a lack of conflict and freedom from fear and violence.”

Below is a summary of what the Oxford, Mirriam Websters and online Dictionaries have to say about the meanings of the word ‘peace’.

* Tranquility, Non-disturbance. An absence of intrusive noise or some other interference. A state of calm.

* Freedom from distressing thoughts or emotions; feeling at peace, unworried or unconcerned.

* Harmony in personal relationships – peace within a family, rivals at peace.

* Agreement between governments, cessation of hostilities, and an absence of war.

* An absence of violent social disruption – keeping the peace, no looting angry mobs, agreement to uphold the rule of law.

The Foundation Stone of Peace

But the mainstream definition is incomplete. Surely a definition of peace must also include ‘the absence of force and coercion’. 

It is forceful intrusion that disturbs and disrupts calm. It is force and violent coercion that are the tools of war. It is force and coercion that subjects people to cruelty or controlling and exploitative relationships. It is force and coercion that breach the peace, incarcerate, kill, maim or rape.

Also, peace is much more than just the absence of war, violence and force. Peace is a state of mind. Specifically, one that would not even consider the use of force. Peace is a maturity of consciousness that has learned that coercion is not in one’s rational self-interest and benefits no one in the long term.

The non-aggression principle lies at the very heart of the concept of peace. To open the door of possibility for peace, aggression and force must be absent. We all know that we don’t want to be coerced, forced to do things against our will, or aggressed against. All we need to do is logically extend this insight into a guiding principle of moral behaviour. And to bear in mind that principles are universal – meaning they apply equally to all people, everywhere, always. When we replace force and coercion with persuasion and negotiation we lay the foundations for the way of peace. And this requires us to think, and to think outside the box – outside the Matrix.

Peace is frail and can be destroyed. Whether the peace of one man or that of a nation. It takes a long time to grow and nurture into being and yet can be destroyed in a moment.

The freedom to be left alone unmolested is essential for the experience of peace. If we are to build a peaceful society The non-aggression principle is the foundation stone. A Peaceful society can only result from voluntary human interactions based upon a respect for individual rights. And thus a peaceful society can only exist hand in hand with a free society.

Meanwhile, in the Matrix

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