Building Peace

It’s not a radical idea that killing innocent people is morally wrong. Most of us believe this. And yet, violence continues to get its day in court, with well-funded advocates justifying the need for it. For most of human history, violence persists as the practical choice when we build borders and expand them.  I continue to believe that violence reflects a profound lack of imagination, void of any creative power. We cannot solve chaos by adding chaos to the equation of conflict.

I believe that we will see the day when days like 911 are a thing of the distant past. To get there, we have to stop being ok with people dying in war, whether as direct or indirect targets. Collateral damage should be a term we use only to describe the loss of property in an accident, not human lives.

Peace is the construction project that requires all of our efforts. The Oculus, the transit hub near the World Trade Center in New York, reminded me of this. When you enter the station itself, the space feels cathedral-like. It’s an inspiring space. The exterior structure was intentionally designed to look like a dove being released from a child’s hand, reminding me that while peace is hard, it is simple.

On a day like today, it is worth stopping to ask yourself: where am I going to invest my efforts today? Peace or violence? I will certainly ask myself those questions today.