Peace by Peace | Teen Ink

Peace by Peace

January 28, 2011
By Anonymous

When life gets hard, who hasn't wished for a more perfect world? Utopia; the thought of an ideal society is overwhelming and amazing. Though, because of human nature and our individuality, erasing all problems from the world is impossible. Despite this, there is still hope. There are so many things big and small that each and every person can do to help make this world a better place. By promoting education, making fundraisers and programs more accessible, and creating events to aid society in making everyone feel accepted, we can come a step closer to mending the breaks in our imperfect world.

Think of all the problems that are created out of our own ignorance. Educating people about issues and giving alternatives could help eliminate some of that ignorance. To start with, many young people in war zones only know war and don't see peace as an option. If schools could be established in those places, the next generation of adults would be able to advocate peace and could give their countries a bright future. Education could also support the movement to make the world "greener". Many people don’t know that the simple things they're doing like keeping the water running while they're brushing their teeth or using plastic grocery bags is harming the environment. The media could promote green living by putting weekly articles in newspapers and making news programs about how to live with less waste. Additionally, educating students about issues of poverty and hunger in third world countries would make them want to do something to help. Not many people have the courage and integrity of a young child who wants to help, so giving them something to fight for could really benefit the cause. In summary, when you don't know about an issue, it's hard to care about fixing it, so we need to let the importance of knowledge be recognized.

Along with not knowing about issues, many people just blow off the chance to help a cause because, for example, they don't know where a food bank they can help out at is or they can't find a store that sells reusable grocery bags. To get more people involved in serving the community, programs or causes sometimes need to become more commercial. For instance, Relay for Life was hugely promoted locally, so it attracted many people to participate. If places like soup kitchens could make their locations and events more known to the public, many more volunteers would be willing to contribute. Likewise, it's sometimes hard to find stores that sell clothing made from recycled cloth. Popular stores like Aeropostale, American Eagle, and Hollister could start new lines of clothes made from recycled cloth, which would encourage teens to go green. In conclusion, many useless things are very easy to find and get involved in, so why shouldn't the important things be too?

Finally, an obstacle that some might not feel is as drastic as war, hunger, and the environment is the problem that many people don’t feel accepted by society. Everywhere people are split up into groups, but to make the world better we need to come together. A day where everywhere people agree to get to know someone that they would never usually talk to might help people see that even though we're all different, we fit together like a puzzle and there is something to appreciate in everyone. There are also camps existing that bring Palestinian and Israeli kids together with American kids so that when they grow up there won't be as much tension between the races. Camps such as these should be promoted so that stress between other groups of people can be loosened. A final proposal to assist everyone in coming to an understanding with one another is an event called the Day of Silence. During the Day of Silence, student decide that they will not talk for a day to try to end the bullying of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. This day should be an event extended to all schools and workplaces around the country, as this discrimination is happening everywhere. All in all, if everyone can accept each other's differences as something to be celebrated not looked down upon, then our world will be in good shape.

Ignorance, laziness, and misunderstanding are some of the biggest problems that humans struggle with. We can conquer these obstacles by working together to make issues known and easier to get involved in. There may not be a flawless world in our future, but there is good at the heart of every human being and with that good can come peace. Belief and perseverance are our greatest tools in making the world a better place for everyone to live in. "There comes a time when we heard a certain call when the world must come together as one. There are people dying and it's time to lend a hand to life, the greatest gift of all." –"We are the World" by Michael Jackson


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