Peace Initiatives
A Philosophy of Peace

Peace is more than public order. For example, in pre-civil rights America there was public order. But there was not peace because of the repressive racist laws that discriminated against African-Americans. It was only through the civil rights process that peace began to develop. Public order can be established by repressive policies. But peace cannot. Peace can only be established by resolving the problems underlying conflicts. Peace is achieved through reconciliation, and is characterized by domestic tranquillity ("inner" peace).

Conflict is natural to human life. It is through conflict that people are forced to grow. In the case of the civil rights movement, the growth is the over-comming of prejudice. When a conflict is resolved, the fruit of that resolution is experienced as peace. Though conflict is natural, it does not have to take the shape of physical or emotional violence. The role of the mediator is help parties resolve conflicts so that the conflict does not rise to the level of physical or emotional violence.

The use of force is recognized as legitimate in the case of self-defense and "collective" self-defense. But force can never provide the foundations for peace. The United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights both declare that the foundation for lasting peace in the world is respect of human rights. Human rights include civil and political rights, economic and social rights, minority rights and environmental rights. Any peace process must have at its core, a concern for the protection of the full spectrum of human rights.

Because democratic institutions tend to be sensitive to the needs of citizens, they also tend to be sensitive to human rights. Thus, since the days of the philosopher, Immanual Kant, democratic institutions have been seen as essential to world peace. (Democracy is an evolving concept and can take many forms, it does not have to be the American or British system.)

Peace Initiatives therefore considers peace, human rights and democracy as integrated concepts.

Underlying these three concepts is a more fundamental concept: spirituality. The spiritual side of humanity - wisdom, human kindness, compassion and sensitivity to the needs of others - is the most fundamental foundation for peace. Any successful peace process must reach out to enhance the spiritual side of humanity.