SEARCHING FOR A CULTURE OF PEACE

PEACE AND YOUTH GO FORWARD TOGETHER

“To all of you who believe in the urgency of peace,To you, parents and educators, who want to be the promoters of peace,To you, political leaders, who bear direct responsibility for the cause of peace,To you, men and women of culture, who seek to build peace in today's civilization,To all of you who suffer for the sake of peace and justice,And above all to you, the young people of the world, whose decisions about yourselves and your vocation in society will determine the prospects for peace today and tomorrow.”

According to these words of Pope John Paul II, we believe that we, today’s youth, have a fundamental role in the creation of a culture of peace: we are the builders of the future.

Michael Jackson said: “We are the world, we are the children”, and it is true: We are today’s future, we will be the ones running those big companies and multinationals, controlling the media, governing the countries, dictating new laws... so as heirs of the world it is our responsibility to form ourselves to be able to handle our world when our turn comes.

We certainly are the ones who will have the opportunity to make real that desired culture of peace, but it is also today’s adult’s responsibility to help us to reach that goal. As Kahlil Gibrán said referring to parents, “You are the arch from which your children, as living arrows, are impelled ahead.”

Just as adults are our role models and help us in this formation, educating us from an early age, we will be the ones teaching our children everything we have learnt, giving them the bases that our parents gave us when we were youngsters.

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The way: strong values.

“Values are the underpinnings of the choices that determine not only your own lives but also the policies and strategies that build life in society. And remember that it is not possible to create a dichotomy between personal and social values. It is not possible to live in inconsistency: to be demanding of others and of society and then decide to live a personal life of permissiveness” Pope John Paul II

It is important to strengthen both personal and social values, and live coherently in both aspects. Because even though they mean living different virtues, they cannot be excluded one from another. If we don’t live our personal life with values, we cannot hope to reach the world peace. As José Luis Martín Descalzo said, “The peace of the world will only be constructed by the sum of many millions of small portions of peace in the life of each one.”

I) Personal values:

These virtues are the ones that are lived in the everyday life. But although they might seem simple and unnecessary they are the ones that will eventually make a difference.

For example:

GENEROSITY: thinking of others before ourselves, leads to desire the common good. Generosity is freely sharing what you have with others. To be generous means giving something that is valuable to you without expectation of reward or return.

Many traditions measure generosity not by the size of the gift, but by what it costs the giver. We can structure our lives in ways that make generosity more spontaneous and fun. When we give, we reap the pleasure of knowing we have made someone else's life a little happier.

TOLERANCE: the peace is the balance between two or more edicts ... if none of them learns to yield, it is not possible to reach the peace.

Tolerance means accepting and valuing differences between people, appreciating that these differences enrich us. It recognizes that each of us has a limited perspective on the world and that together our tapestry of insights and virtues is greater than those of any one person, tribe or culture alone. Tolerance acknowledges the vastness of reality and cherishes the many human faces of that reality.

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When we are tolerant we watch and listen and seek to discover how the many pieces fit together to make a wonderful whole.

OPTIMISM: Optimism is an attitude that keeps us centered on what is good about our present situation or about the future. Optimism gives us energy; it makes our efforts feel worthwhile. When we are optimistic we are happier and better company—we help other people to be happy and hopeful, too.

Peace does not mean to be in a place without noises, without problems, without hard work or without pain. Peace means that in spite of being in the middle of all these things we remain calmed inside our heart. This is the real meaning of peace.

II) Social values.

Are promoted by nations and the world leaders.

JUSTICE & FORGIVENESS: “There is no peace without justice, there is no justice without forgiveness” Pope John Paul II

If yesterday’s mistakes are not forgotten it is impossible to start over. Without forgiveness there cannot be peace.

Past conflicts and wars must indeed be forgiven, but they also have to be judged, always fairly.

EQUALITY: Every person has the right to be respected and to have the primary needs covered.

The color of the skin, race, language, religion and sex don’t matter, all human beings have the same dignity, rights and duties.

FREEDOM: Freedom is the aptitude to choose the good. We are free to choose our actions, but only the correctly chosen ones will help in the way to peace.

Freedom means that our lives are shaped by personal priorities rather than external constraints or social pressures. It means we are able to follow our own deepest values and exercise our judgment even when others disagree or disapprove.

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BUILDERS OF BRIDGES BETWEEN NATIONS:

“We must promote the construction of these bridges, especially in a time in which the barrier builders abound. But to build bridges and especially, to be bridges, it is a very hard task.” Jose Luis Martín Descalzo.

It is important to build cultural, economic, social and political bridges that allow a major exchange between the nations. This will promote the cause of the peace as cause of each one.

Countries have to commit to truthful dialogues, honest negotiations, mutual respect between them, and eradication of nuclear weapons.

It is important to educate young people so that they can learn to live through the virtues. This education is shared between the families, in the early age of youngsters, schools and colleagues in their adolescence, and the society through all their lives.

1. FAMILY

Family is the fundamental unit of the society, where the individual: is loved and learns to love, forges his personality, learns to coexist ...

Love is valuing the joy and pain of another being like we value our own. We instinctively seek our own happiness and take action to relieve our own discomfort; love makes us instinctively do the same for others, loving someone means being able to choose what is best for them over what is best for us.

This is the reason why families must be protected. Nowadays, the importance of the families in the society has been forgotten. This is the reason of many problems at the present moment.

“The one who loves his mother cannot be a villain” Alfred de Musset.

2. THE SCHOOL

“What one gives to the children, the children will give to the society” Donald Zolan

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Young people spend an average of eight daily hours in schools, institutes, universities... That's why is vital the role that teachers redeem in the student's life: they are the reinforcement of the education received in the family.

3. SOCIETY AND MEDIA

Media have a very important role in the society, and especially in the youngest people, that's why their veracity and responsibility is very important.

Laws have to support a society with values that lead to peaceful social relationship and defend the fundamental rights of everyone.

THE WORLD YOUTH DAY

The WYD is the clearest symbol of young people’s worry for their future. Every act assembles more than two million young people of the whole world, not all Catholics, who make people notice their presence, their happiness and vitality, everywhere they go. Young people from all over the world joined by the peace and happiness of being young.

Madrid's WYD offers an opportunity to all the young people who look for a life's motive, a cause to fight for… and an unique and unrepeatable experience.

“Youth is much more: it is passion, hope, adventurousness, auto demand, acceptance of the risk... and light in their eyes.” José Luis Martín Descalzo

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

“Los jóvenes y la paz caminan juntos” Message for the World Day for Peace, 1985, John Paul II

“Cruzando el umbral de la esperanza. Juan Pablo II” Vittorio Messori, Plaza&Janes Editores S.A.

“Razones para la alegría” José Luis Martín Descalzo, Sociedad de Educación Atenas.

“Citas de Donald Zolan: el autor de los niños”.

Images from Donal Zolan and Google.

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