Today we begin looking at the topic, THE ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF PEACE. Does a peaceful world mean a pasture of unfeeling zombies? Hardly:
228. The path to peace does not mean making society blandly uniform, but getting people to work together, side-by-side, in pursuing goals that benefit everyone. A wide variety of practical proposals and diverse experiences can help achieve shared objectives and serve the common good.
First, a commitment to the truth, in order to diagnose the serious challenges, then find a way forward that doesn’t disadvantage the most vulnerable. And obviously, a colelctive approach to manage those who will be most displaced or disturbed during the progress of a solution.
The problems that a society is experiencing need to be clearly identified, so that the existence of different ways of understanding and resolving them can be appreciated. The path to social unity always entails acknowledging the possibility that others have, at least in part, a legitimate point of view, something worthwhile to contribute, even if they were in error or acted badly. “We should never confine others to what they may have said or done, but value them for the promise that they embody”, [Message for the 2020 World Day of Peace(8 December 2019), 3: L’Osservatore Romano, 13 December 2019, p. 8] a promise that always brings with it a spark of new hope.
I like this notion. It is the attitude of a teacher and mentor: to always look for the potential of a person, or a situation. What is the very best that can occur? I like to ask this question of people. When the person or group themselves see a way forward, we are speaking not only of interior motivation to progress, but a way to build a better edifice.
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