Peace: What peace now means to me!
- Johnathan Morey
- Apr 22, 2019
- 2 min read
Over the past three years, I've been lucky enough to travel Australia, Europe and Asia exploring what peace means, and the ability to have a significant impact on inspiring peace actions. It's been humbling seeing actions created through the take up of the Messenger of Peace Program at Scouts Australia. From no uptake to momentum in project creation, the ability to understand and track these actions allows us to learn something about peace. Today I want to share with you what I learnt about Peace on my journey.
What you learn about peace can really define how you feel about it. It's interesting that in different parts of the world people celebrate The International Day of Peace (21st September) as if it's a public holiday, yet in my country, it's something we take for granted and is under-represented in media, community and personal commitment.
During my travels, I was lucky enough to meet two young gentlemen from Bangladesh. We were talking about culture and identity they made this statement to me which I will never forget. "The happiest day of the year is The International Day of Mother Languages (21st February). We are forced to learn English at school, while at home we are losing our identity and language. It's the only day of the year we are allowed to speak our language at school". We know as a society that we decide when our culture changes. Peace to me is the ability to celebrate the young gentlemen's language with them and allow them to celebrate their culture every day.
At the beginning of my journey, I wrote peace is a feeling of calm. The definition I gave has since been developed and shaped by my experience. After three years of studying peace, I have learnt what peace means to me.
Peace is the natural ability of your soul to feel proud of who you are, in the world you live in.
Peace is your elevation of safety and freedom.
Peace happens when you maintain your high standards of the world you want to live in.
Peace is the ability to have a lifted heart.
Peace begins when we collaborate.
Peace is the interaction between people and communities. Collaboration is at the core of peace, dialogue and human rights.
Peace is creating actions that have positive impacts.
Peace is a reality that can achieve better.
Peace is relative to those around you.
Peace is a voice for those who feel repressed.
Peace is a platform of power and hope.
Peace is the ability to give a compliment to a stranger on the street, that comes from a place of love.
Peace is personified by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which we must make a commitment and take action.
Peace is seen in smiles. Smiles have power. Power creates momentum.
As I hand over the role of Messenger of Peace Coordinator for Scouts Australia, my commitment to peace will only continue to grow. I look forward to continuing my commitment to peace. I'd love to hear about your peace action, and still recommend anyone, scouts and non-Scouts, to share their peace Actions on Scout.org as we know how important it is to inspire others.
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