This week in my Violence in Society class, we discussed the ideas of world peace and if it is obtainable or not. Although my opinion may not be popular, because some people believe that the only way that peace is possible is to remove any sort of weaponry, maybe even law enforcement and government, I believe that world peace is obtainable and violence can be reduced.

At some point, I feel like everyone dreams and wishes about the idea of world peace. Whether you are directly affected by a shooting, riot, or upset in a community, or just watching the news, we have all been there and praying for some sort of relief. At times, I feel helpless. I feel like the love in the world has been destroyed as we are killing each other over race, religion, sexual preferences, and opinions that are rightfully our own. Although I feel this way, I will never give up on the idea that peace, maybe in the smallest of forms, is possible due to the genuine human connections that can be made.

As an example, let’s say that I believe in the idea that cookies should be considered its own food group, and you say that cookies are the devil’s food. Although we are thinking about cookies in two separate ways, disowning you as a fellow human is only going to make you hate me or make you angry, right? Rightfully so, we have two separate opinions; we may come from different backgrounds, traumas, and/or families which are all things that can lead us to believe the way we do. I can respect that you think cookies are disgusting and in turn, there can be a mutual respect. Getting angry at each other over things that may not be possible for us to change (race, sexual orientation, gender, religion, etc.) and opinions that have been formed all on our own, is only going to create a bigger, deeper divide between groups.

Now, I can see where my opinion is flawed, because there are people who really are out there to kill and create hazard in our world we live in, and trust me, I get that. But instead, these people who are out to kill or create damage are able to create hazard within our own groups because they get us fired up over their opinions and actions, which in turn causes us to act out against one another. If we were all able to truly listen to one another and make a genuine connection with another person, we might just be able to come to an agreement. Working together to create a change instead of just watching as the world crumbles will make this planet we live on much more enjoyable and probably tolerable to live on. Comprise with one another seems impossible, but it all starts with one group and then like the ripple effect, everything will follow lead.

There are a lot of issues in this world that need to be brought to our attention. There needs to be more discussion about the things we can do to make this Earth a better place. Rather than putting each other down for our flaws, opinions, preferences, and skin color, let’s work together and connect because our world needs it.