[HWPL Peace Education Textbook 3-3] The Beginning of Peace - Love| What is the Seed of Peace?

[HWPL Peace Education Textbook 3] The Causes of the Breakdown of Peace in Human Society

[3-3] The Beginning of Peace - Love

◆Learning Objectives

1. Understand that the cause of disrupted peace is the collapse of order.

2. Understand that the fundamental cause of the collapse of order is greed.

3. Recognize that the fundamental spirit of achieving peace is love and that peace starts with the transformation of individual character.

◆The Fundamental Spirit of Achieving Peace is 'Love'

What is the Seed of Peace, the Start of Peace?

There was a seemingly peaceful family. The parents and two brothers lived without conflict. The older brother was a successful businessman and wealthy, while the younger brother, who lost one hand in an accident while working in a factory, lived in poverty. One day, their parents passed away, leaving an inheritance to both brothers. The older brother proposed a 7:3 split, claiming his right as the elder. The younger brother argued for a 3:7 split due to his poverty and disability. The disagreement escalated to the point where they went to civil court, and the judge ruled for an equal 5:5 division.

Does this situation seem peaceful to you? How long can these brothers live peacefully? What is missing between them? In fact, the love between brothers is causing conflict. Even situations that appear peaceful on the surface can easily fall apart without love.

Image from Pixabay

Love: The Fundamental Spirit of Achieving Peace

All humanity is like siblings living together in the same bowl called Earth. No one can live outside of Earth yet, making all humanity a community of shared fate. Just as peace cannot be achieved in a family where parents and children, brothers and sisters envy or hate each other, humanity needs love and trust to live together peacefully on this planet. The same principle applies to nations. They must recognize each other as siblings and work together with a sense of global community to create peace on Earth.

The love necessary for achieving peace is not the romantic love between a man and a woman. It refers to a sense of community where neighbors care for each other as they would for themselves. Therefore, the word "love" encompasses various meanings such as gratitude, consideration, sacrifice, forgiveness, and tolerance. This can be summed up as the character of love, which is the seed of peace.

The character of peace becomes the solution to overcoming greed. Love fosters consideration for each other and forgiveness of mistakes. Love leads to understanding and respecting neighbors. Thus, a person with the character of peace can escape narrow-minded greed and selfishness, and move towards harmony, cooperation, and mutual survival, just like the natural world.

Image from Pixabay

Peace Education that Plants the Seed of Peace

A large apple tree starts from a small seed. Similarly, a person begins when an invisible sperm and egg meet and implant in the mother's womb. To make the entire global village peaceful, we need the seed of peace, which is love. Love, or the character of peace, forms a peace citizen who spreads peace culture. A peace citizen values other as much as they value themselves.

The process of planting the seed of peace in people's hearts is peace education. Advanced civilizations, scientific and technological progress, and a prosperous life can all be destroyed in an instant by war. Only when peace is guaranteed do these things have meaning. Therefore, peace education is the foundation of all other education. Peace citizens, educated in peace, can play two roles. First, they can call for an end to wars. Second, they can spread peace culture to maintain peace. Peace is not achieved solely by the efforts of a few politicians but by the efforts of numerous peace-loving citizens.

Image from quotefancy.com

◆Reflection

1. Discuss how you have changed through peace education.

2. Share stories and experiences about the importance of love you have learned or heard about.

3. Identify ways to practice love in your surroundings. Practice love towards family, school, neighbors, etc., and share your experiences.

4. To achieve peace, wars must end, and peace culture must spread. Find and practice actions you can take to contribute to these two goals.

◆ Chapter 3 Conclusion: The Causes of the Breakdown of Peace in Human Society

The disruption of peace in the human world is equivalent to the breakdown of order. There are established orders in families, schools, workplaces, communities, and nations to protect and ensure smooth functioning. However, there are blind spots in this order, particularly in the international community. Although there is an international order based on the United Nations, international law lacks enforcement power, and the International Court of Justice cannot proceed without the consent of the parties involved. This results in frequent wars and conflicts in the international community.

The power to correct international order lies in civil society. If every global citizen becomes a peace citizen and raises their voice for peace in their country, national leaders cannot ignore this. The fundamental cause of broken order is greed. Excessive greed disrupts procedures and order, leading to wars and countless sacrifices. Greed, warned against in all religions, has caused numerous tragedies throughout history. It tramples the dignity of life and has claimed countless lives. By abandoning greed and selfishness, most conflicts can be resolved peacefully.

The Earth is a small planet in the universe, and all humanity is like one family living together. If peace is disrupted, everyone faces destruction. Therefore, what is the seed of peace? It is love. Love is the foundation of a peace personality. When many people acquire a peace personality through peace education, the global village will become a large tree of peace.