International Day of Peace

September 21 is the International Day Of Peace. This may be news to you. We hear so much about wars, conflict and violence that it may seem that the world has forgotten about peace, has given up on peace and we may feel individually and collectively powerless to do anything to counter so much conflict. With war raging to political rhetoric so intense that even discussing elections is too stressful, it may seem that initiatives for peace are just too elusive. Conflict can seem so much more powerful and prevalent than peace and the efforts to restore it. It may seem that the forces fomenting hatred and violence are stronger than the forces advocating for peace.

But here is some factual context that offers confidence in the human spirit and our progress in our efforts towards greater compassion, humanity and coexistence. According to Max Roser, who developed the chart below, “Global Deaths In Conflicts since 1400,” we are actually experiencing a long period of relative peace. Thousands fewer people have died in conflicts since World War II than in any time since 1400.

This chart is shared from Vox

It may not seem that way as we watch in real time and in living color, the devastation in Gaza, Lebanon, Sudan, Ukraine. Up until the Viet Nam War in the 1960s and 70s, news from war zones travelled slowly, in print and in the mid-twentieth century on the radio and then in black and white film footage, not instantly and in color as it does today. Even news from World War II took days to get into the news and live images would be seen in movie theaters running before the movie - no one had televisions. The coverage of the Viet Nam war, where we saw nearly in real time, the horrors, in color, sparked revulsion around the world and support for the war including among Americans plummeted, protests ensued, and voting changed to reflect the anti-war movement. It’s one thing to have horrors going on out of sight and mind but when they cross your screens daily, that horror enters our consciousness and affects our world view.

This is why we have days like The International Day of Peace, an initiative of the United Nations, to remind us that our efforts do work. Hope matched with purposefulness is a powerful tool. Knowing that peace is something that humans can reach for and enact, steals the power from conflict. It is so easy to be engaged in hatred or fear. But it is just as easy to let it go and shift our gaze and our efforts toward generosity of spirit, to kindness, away from fear of the other to supporting the other - or better still, embracing the other as our brothers and sisters. So much conflict is inspired by forces that will profit by the conflict - political forces, oligarchs, despots, munitions manufacturers - leaving the people on the ground, including those taking up arms, to suffer. And it is the most vulnerable who suffer from conflict - women, children, as well as the soldiers who put their lives on the line for conflicts they didn’t start.

Working for peace means so much more than turning swords into plowshares. It involves supporting humane policies such as fair and equal treatment of women and girls, building up living conditions of those affected by war or natural disasters, including those disasters caused by climate change. Working for peace in the larger sense means recognizing that all people on this planet have equal value and doing our best to support the needs of all people to have lives of promise and peace.

Working for peace can be as simple as reaching out to someone who has different views. We may have different beliefs, customs, religions, political points of view, but we all want our children to be safe and healthy. We all want good education and healthcare. We all want clean water, clean air, and plenty of food. These are universal and they ground us and help us see “the other” as a human being.

Below is a list of events around the world, cited by the United Nations, - from Australia to Uganda, to Lebanon and San Francisco - participating in the U.N. initiative for global peace. Even if you are not able to join any of these initiatives, you can add your voice here, at History Chip, any time. You can write about your efforts to end conflict or perhaps about your experiences with conflict. Our voices matter. Knowing that people all over the world are working for peace, makes that peace more possible.

PEACE DAY in SAN FRANCISCO! San Francisco, CA, United States, 2024-09-21

Peace prayer in Zagreb, Croatia, Zagreb, Croatia, 2024-09-21

#WhiteWindowForPeace, Portugal, 2024-09-21

The Global Peace Flag, New York, NY, United States, 2024-09-21

Celebration International Day of Peace, Nairobi, Kenya, 2024-09-22

International Day of Peace, Lahore, Pakistan, 2024-09-21

International Peace Day Event, Baidoa, Somalia, 2024-09-21

Peace Culture Cultivation, Kampala, Uganda, 2024-09-21

Education for Youth (MUN), Beirut, Lebanon, 2024-09-23

2024-09-21

Silent UN Peace Day Vigil with Reflection, Melbourne [Online], Australia, 2024-09-21

Online Forum: Demilitarisation for Climate Justice, Online, New Zealand, 2024-09-26

Cultivating A Culture of Peace, New York, NY, United States, 2024-09-21

Peace in the Park. Chesham. Chesham Bucks, England, 2024-09-21

Say HI! for Peace, Worldwide, 2024-09-21

Peace, a word that seems like a dream in the complex reality of Sudan, Kampala, Uganda, 2024-09-20

Si a la Paz, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2024-09-21

International Day of Peace Symposium, El Paso, TX, United States, 2024-09-21

Celebration of Peace, Midland, MI, United States, 2024-09-21

Global Essays for Peace | Light Up the World for Peace on International Peace Day, Global, 2024-09-21

Peace Wave: Outdoor Dance Meditation on the Beach, San Francisco, CA, United States, 2024-09-21

Again, we invite you to share your story here on History Chip, where every voice matters.