What is Peace — pacification or perfection?

War inside, Peace outside

There has been many attempts in Human history to create lasting peace with more or less success. But even today there are military conflicts all sound the world, while many geopolitical conflicts, “proxy wars” threaten to broaden to wider, even world wars.

In order to successfully “pacify” Humanity and try to prevent further exacerbation first we have to pacify ourselves. The true war rages inside us, as due to our inherently selfish, hateful and greedy egos we are in constant strife with everything outside of the self.

Thus the path to “world peace” starts with balancing our inherently warring nature with new, acquired, altruistic, “peaceful” intentions.

Mutually learning to achieve perfection instead of pacifying each other

The word “pacify” in English has a negative connotation. It implies the actions taken by one person to control the undesirable activities of another. For example the police use a stun gun to pacify a violent criminal who has been arrested, or we pacify a baby with a “pacifier”. So, the word has an ominous sound.

So perhaps we need to use different expressions, or look at “peace" from a different angle.

“Peace” in Hebrew is “shalom” from the expression “shlemut” - completeness, perfection.

We cannot “pacify” — create true “peace”, prevention from top down. We can’t “pacify” others.

It has to be a gradual, mutual process through a unique educational method both parties (or more) take part as equals in, so the “shlemut” perfection, completeness appears between the otherwise diverse, seemingly contradictory parts just as it happens in Nature.

Then this “shlemut/shalom” leads to mutual complementing cooperation, communication above diversity, opposition, tension thus creating life.