Monday, August 16, 2010

The Myth of World Peace...

The Oxford American Dictionary defines peace as a slice, as of bread or pie(oops, sorry, that's piece).  But defining peace is certainly the first step in fulfilling the wishes of beauty pageant contestants everywhere.  Is peace just the absence of war, or is it everybody getting along and accepting each other?  Sadly, my dictionary doesn't mention getting along with each other until way down the list.  The first three definitions are freedoms from something bad; war, civil disorder, and anxiety.  The next is a treaty for ending war.  It isn't until the fifth meaning that we find some real meaning.  A state of harmony between people(mmm, that sounds good).  In today's world, I'm not sure you can find that even in a single-family household.
     World peace is kind of like the weather, everybody wants it, but nobody does anything about it. More precisely, everyone thinks someone else should sacrifice for their happiness, but they shouldn't have to give up anything for anybody.  My dictionary defines that as selfishness, and my Thesaurus says that's the opposite of benevolence and generosity(I wish my reference books would shut up for a minute, so I can think).  Parents still go without for their children, but even that percentage is not nearly as high as it used to be(or not nearly as high as we imagine it used to be).
     We can never have true world peace, not because old prejudices run so deep, but because no one is willing to be the first one to give them up.  In this day and age, it is a sign of weakness to reconsider long held beliefs and open your mind to new ideas, even ones that might actually serve you better(after all, in order to write this, I had to give up my intense hatred of writing).  Selfishness and Hate love only one another.  So, I am hoping for the next best thing.  A day when we can just stop the wars, death, disease, and general suffering that comes from absolutely despising all things different from what you believe.  Hmm, on the other hand, what's in it for me?

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