By Salifu Jawo
Peace is a daily, weekly and monthly process
Gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers and quietly building new structures
Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding
Darkness cannot be driven out darkness, only light can do that
Hate cannot be driven out hate, only love can do that
It is through numberless, diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped
Each time a man stands up for an ideal, strikes out against injustice or acts to improve the lot of other, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope
Crossing each other from a million different centers of energy, these ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest wall of oppression and resistance
Peace comes from being able to contribute the best that we have and all what we are, toward creating a world that supports everyone.
It is also securing the space for others to contribute the best that they have and what they are.
If you want to make peace with your enemy, then he becomes your friend
To replace the old paradigm of war with a new paradigm of waging peace, we must be pioneers who can push the boundaries of human understanding
We must be doctors who can cure the virus of violence.
We must be soldiers of peace who can do more than preach to the choir
We must be artists who will make the world our masterpiece
If we are to have peace on earth, our loyalties must transcend our race, class and nation.
This means we must develop a world perspective
Peace doesn’t mean an absence of conflicts, difference will always be there
Peace means solving the problems through peaceful means, through dialogue, education, knowledge and a humane way
We seek peace, knowing that peace is the climate of freedom.
Non-violence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time
It is the need for mankind to overcome oppression and violence
Mankind must evolve, for all human conflict is a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation
The foundation of such method is love.
