Peace Means Zero Hunger, Comfort, Security, Non-Violence, Zero Pollution and Tolerance

Peace is a complex word in a complex world with complex people, complex ideologies, complex personalities and complex situations, but in all of these, peace remains the center of humanity and essence. The entire universe needs peace and once there is no peace, things fall on the way side and there is despair. The world therefore needs peace in order to be in harmony. There are so many things that hinder people from experiencing peace such as hunger, conflict, injustice, subjugation, deprivation, racism, lack of empathy, and a lot more. Beyond these, there are also psychological traumas that strip people of peace and these need to be redressed. Peace means different things to different individuals and communities and I will be highlighting key things that mean peace to me and some other people in my community.

To me, peace means a comfortable, quiet and secured home where everyone lives in harmony and have at least their basic needs provided. Home is where one takes refuge after a day’s busy schedule and should therefore offer that individual some level of comfort and rest. Its inhabitants should be welcoming, understanding and empathic so that life flows in one accord. Any home that is short of these can never bring peace to its dwellers, rather, all that will be found there are chaos.

Moreover, peace to me is when we have bread on our table. Food security is an act of peace because when there is no food, there is bound to be negativity and this can escalate to many conflicts and antagonisms which could be kept in check by the availability of food. The saying goes thus: “A hungry man is an angry man.” No one can do any effective work when he or she is hungry, so food is important for performance in every area of life, thus enhancing peace. When there is little of no food, people fight in order to own the little that is available. Besides, hunger causes malnutrition and even severe malnutrition in children and other adults thereby leaving the people in despair. When there is adequate balanced food, there is peace for many health problems caused by the absence of food will be curtailed or even completely eradicated.

Furthermore, peace to me is an environment that is clean and void of health hazards such as cholera, malaria, typhoid and colds. A clean and safe environment means peace to me. When an environment is polluted, the lives of both humans, flora and fauna are at risk. Unchecked disposal of waste in many towns and cities cause mosquitoes to breed and then bite the inhabitants who in turn get malaria parasites in their blood. Malaria is a very deadly disease and can cause the death of its victims. Irresponsible dumping of refuse on streams and water sources on which the population depends for portable water brings about cholera which causes the death of many people. It does not only cause death; it also destabilizes the government and the community as they have to mobilize both funds and medical personnel for intervention and prevention. Once there is an epidemic in a given region, the people cannot have peace.

Also, peace to me is when we as human beings respect the natural environment around us and preserve it for future generations. Peace is when we do not use harmful substances in the environment such as chemical fertilizers and insecticides that are harmful to both human beings, plants, animals and vegetation. Peace is when we all turn towards organic farming/gardening, thereby preserving mother earth for the next generations. When we consume foods grown on chemical fertilizers and fall sick, then there is no peace, but when we consume foods grown on organic manure and grow healthy, then we have peace.

Peace to me is means unity, tolerance, empathy, justice, freedom and love. When we live as one people, no race, no religion, no gender, no class, no nationality barriers, then there is peace. Peace is when we respect each other irrespective of our cultures, races, religion, or nationality. Peace is when we have the same feelings for each other, carrying one another’s burdens and sharing our ideas and progressing together. Peace is when humanity acts as one whole, no divisions and no separations.

Finally, peace to me is simply being human and caring about one’s neighbor. Peace means no war, no starvation, no injustice, no violation of human rights, no racial prejudices, no hatred, no violence, no conflict, no disputes, no gender based-violence, no corruption, no class segregation, no tribalism, no hate speech, no disease, no pandemic, no epidemic, no environmental pollution, no chaos and no betrayal.