“The whole world is divided for me into two parts: one is she, and there is all happiness, hope, light; the other is where she is not, and there is dejection and darkness...”
- Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace
How do we know what is hot without knowing what is cold? How can the mind process what is day and what is night? Why is a day called day and night called night? How can we perceive what is good without the rules of what is considerably evil? Without these contradictory alliances, we cannot be present in the true duality of existence, which should be considered the Balance. Is chaos the opposite of peace? Is there an opposite of peace, or is peace the foundation in which war, chaos, and even peace itself are conceptualized? Opposites sometimes exposure something that we lack rather then something that is truly different. Often, we go against the things that impact the balance of life the most. We need balance in order to survive. It is my belief that the world is out of balance. We are lacking in _____________.
"This is not only peace from violence, but also peace of mind."
-JR Rummel, The Just Peace
First, it is essential to understand that our most consistent state of unity is negative peace. Negative peace is the absence of violence or fear of violence. To achieve true peace, we must enter into positive peace by acquiring harmony among people. Positive peace is the mindset that leads to acceptance and application of the masses on human rights and disarmament efforts. Furthermore, the collaboration with programs that offer effective conflict resolution while building relationships among different people. Rummel (1981) offers a different, but alike concept of positive peace as an order which will gratify many of one's central values, especially self-esteem, and in doing so provide happiness, satisfaction, and justice.
In order to produce true peace, we must reconcile the incongruities that lie within.
The need for stability or certainty is motivated by fear and solidified by a belief. The belief that one’s way of life is at risk is rooted in instability of well-being and fear of that which is unknown. It is difficult to experience peace with and within the presence of the fear of uncertainty. In order to produce true peace, we must reconcile the incongruities that lie within. This concept transcends all preferential barriers as we all have incongruities that motivate private agenda and weaponizes purposes to attack people who are different from us. It is a great injustice, but we all are guilty of this crime.
Reference
Rummel R.J. (1981) Understanding Conflict and War: Vol. V, The Just Peace..