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Concept and methods of Culture of Peace

Subhash Mehta

Dialectics of History of human Conflict of survival of war and peace, of exploitation points to and unending struggle. The production of arms is systematically based on the dynamics of International, order of military industrial complex. It is not only the presence of violence that people, groups, nations, generals, intellectuals and experts play, which end up in the collection of instruments of violence. Generally the game becomes more and more costly, fearsome and deadly as the weapons of violence multiply even while creating the illusion that balance of weapons makes the player defeat rather than play the game by using the weapons. Violence becomes the spiteful goddess which accentuates the appetite.

In the above scenario, the world peace movement has been trying to build the peace scenarios not only without juxtaposing them with war scenarios which gobble up billions of dollars, but also without correspondingly building scenarios for non-violence and without destroying the legitimacy of violence which is prevalent at many levels.


The Concept

The present international system is the culmination of violence, caused by exploitation and untruth built-up vertically from individual groups to societies to nations, to national alliances as such. Hence protecting the universal outcome of this process cannot generate peace. Therefore the UNESCO declaration “ Peace cannot consist solely in the absence of armed conflict but implies perennially a process of progress, justice, mutual respect among the people” Peace founded on injustice and violation of human rights cannot last and leads inevitably to violence. All this calls for the concept if and its examination in depth of Culture of Peace and Non-violence. This transformation towards a culture of peace implies change in values, attitudes and behaviors that reflect and inspire social interaction and sharing based on the principles of Freedom, justice and democracy, all human rights, tolerance and solidarity that reject violence and endeavor to prevent conflicts by tackling their root causes to solve problems through dialogue and negotiation and that guarantee the full exercise of all rights and the means to participate fully in the development of culture pf Peace and Non-violence. It is relevant to point out that the Gandhian view of Culture of Peace takes into account social, economic, technological, ecological as well as cosmological issues in one go.


Suggested Methods

The suggested methods for the implementation and spreading of the Culture of Peace could be:

  1. To organize international and regional institutions of research of the meaning and the contents of “Peace Culture”. These institutions would explore, examine, and encourage of creation and writing of peace literature films and TV. Scripts, theatre, videos, visual arts, and music. The research should likewise thoroughly investigate national and international compendiums of the peace materials recourses available in the various countries.

  2. Empowerment of the electronic media as peace media that would be nationally funded to project programmes, films, literature and art, that deal with the problems of real life, and the yearning for harmonious creation and Peace. Programmes that promote violence, crime and murder should be discouraged and banned.

  3. Building of business infra-structures and various business departments by governments and Ministries of Education in universities, colleges and schools, to encourage and promote the business of creative peace writing, direction, presentation and distribution of peace literature, TV and film-scripts, videos, and web. Sites. To stop the funding and discourage by every possible means violent TV programmes, movies, videos, and internet programmes.

  4. Organize and spread nationally internationally, the “Turn Off Violence on TV project”, which discourages sponsors, directors, and editors from creating and showing violent programmes, by notifying the sponsors and directors that they have lost their money, as their detrimental crime and murder programmes, by notifying the sponsors and directors that they have lost their money, as their detrimental crime and murder programmes have not been watched. Sponsors and directors should be made aware that the public desires to solve their problems and lead harmonious lives, and not destructive ones that the public desires to solve their problems and lead harmonious lives, and not destructive ones that offer bad detrimental examples to society.

  5. Establish Literary, TV, and Movie Script, peace Contests to enhance the writing and publishing pf films, stories, poetry, visual arts and music, based on the various themes of conflict resolutions and peace.

  6. It is recommended to establish “Cultural translation Institutes”, at the national and internationals levels, as well as Foundations to organize the translation of peace works. International Peace Prizes should be awarded to outstanding translators of Peace literature, film scripts, plays and poetry.

  7. To suggest to governmental institutions to promote Peace Culture as an integral part of Peace Education at all levels, and to learn to discern and discourage adverse and violent programmes for all ages, and not only for children and youth. Criminals and warmongers are usually adults.

  8. It is recommended to develop through research creativity and bridges of creative works, the understanding and respect of the culture of neighboring nations and people, warmongers are usually adults.

  9. Prestigious National and International Peace Awards and Prizes should be allocated to all the Peace cultural channels, including the visual and plastic arts, dance and music, as well as to the directors of the regular and electronic media. International and National Peace Awards and top Peace Prizes (at the same level as that of the Nobel Prizes), should likewise be allocated to the people working in those channels: top peace programmers, directors, journalists and media people at all levels, in addition to literary writers, TV scriptwriters, playwrights, dramatists, poets, and movie scriptwriters.

  10. Government and governmental Institutions should make it a national priority to allocate a large and serious budget for the establishment and promotion of the various projects delineated above for the implementation of peace culture.

Finally the door has opened on the twenty first century, the start of the third millennium of the Common Era. Will it truly be anew age with expansive foundations for a lasting Culture of Peace, we must deinstitutionalize war. Ina word, we must effect a transition from a Culture of war to a Culture of Peace in an organic manner.

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