WHERE IS THE PEACE?
Is the peace just a five letter word?
Is the peace the symbol of a white bird?
Is the peace a symbol relates to the hippie movement in the 1960s, the same that was originally designed for the British nuclear disarmament in 1958?
Is the peace one of the reasons why The Beatles and so many other artists have written so many good and vibrant songs?
Is the peace the reason why presidents have won elections?
I am a young woman who was born and grew up in a country that was on war at the moment I was born.
I am from a country in Latin America best known in the world for his variety of fruits, flowers, biodiversity, good coffee, emeralds and so for no good well know people like Pablo Escobar, yes probably after that name you already know where I come from.
I am a young woman; I was born in Colombia by the moment the country was already in war. Our war has had different shapes, different victims and so different perpetrators. In 2012 Colombia stared negotiations with one of the armed forces in Colombia, the largest and oldest left wing guerrilla in Latin America. The guerilla is just one of the actors whom mark the war history in the country but with no doubt is one of the harmless chapters for us. After 4 years of process, discussions and negotiations the guerrilla and the government did an agreement to end the war. This was a long and complicated process just to write down the agreements which include five macro topics, the comprehensive rural development, the ex-guerrilla political participation, illicit drugs, victims and the end of the conflict. The agreements should be approved by the people in Colombia through a plebiscite. After both parts of the negotiation had an agreement the time for the people in Colombia to vote for the agreements or against them had come, and guess what, who
would think that the people could vote against the peace? Who could imagine the majority of the people in Colombia would reject an agreement with one of the groups that have cause so much harm to the country?
Yes, as you maybe knew, majority of people in Colombia voted against the peace process. Which ones were the reasons for that? I can say many, but I can also say the mean reasons were political hate, personal hate and corruption, but even though the people voted against the agreement the government found a way to renegotiate, signed and submitted the agreement. The peace process in Colombia is for some people a no constitutional process because of this. Many points of view about this can count, some in favor, some against, our history is complex and because of this same reason is complex to understand the peace process in the country where I grew up.
This story was to express the way from my perspective we have forgotten what peace means, Colombia is not going to have peace just because of this process although I believe is a start and an important part to achieve it, same happens in the rest of the world, the world is not going to have peace for listen peace songs or wear peace symbols clothes, the world is not going to have peace written down laws, peace is not a political campaign, peace is not a five letter word, is not a white bird, is not a symbol, is not a song, is not the Colombian president who won a peace Nobel price after being the minister of national defense in a government that left many civilians death while they fight against the guerrillas. The peace is a culture, is a way to live, is the belief that our actions not only have an impact in us but in the whole world, the peace are our kind and sincere behaviors, the peace is what we do every day, not what we do sometimes to seem good people, peace is the reality of our daily actions, peace is when your actions are not just in pro of your wellness but instead in pro of every people affect by your actions. Peace is a culture we live and fight for, we express our peace feelings through words, music, symbols and people, this letter is my way to express the feelings I have about the peace but not because of this letter I am a person with peace culture every day. Our culture has taught us to be selfish, this is the first opponent we have to fight if we want to build peace, and then I can tell you that when you are less selfish, you become happier.
Let’s leave the tendency of peace on a side to create a real peace culture that express our peace intention not just with words, music or symbols but with everyday actions.