FOLLOW US
Day of Peace Observed at a Conference in Prague
Written by UPF - Czech Republic
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Prague, Czech Republic - The International Day of Peace was observed at a September 18 conference organized by UPF-Czech Republic in partnership with the Civic Institute and Society for Interreligious Dialogue. The conference was hosted by the Cevro Liberal Institute in Prague. Thirty-six people participated.
The conference was divided into three panels with two speakers in each, approaching the theme of peace from different aspects of human and social life. The first panel was dealing with the internal aspects of peace focusing on education for peace. The speakers of the second panel spoke about peace from the viewpoint of politics and economics, and the third panel was devoted to the social aspects of peace.
In the opening remarks Dr. Juraj Lajda, Secretary General of UPF-Czech Republic, spoke about the significance of the International Day of Peace, and read the the message of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The audience especially responded to the part where the UN Secretary-General said:
"It is not enough to teach children how to read, write and count. Education has to cultivate mutual respect for others and the world in which we live, and help people forge more just, inclusive and peaceful societies.“
Then Dr. Lajda outlined the causes of conflicts and ways to achieve reconciliation. He tried to show that conflicts, fighting, and wars start first in the human mind and gradually spread out on the personal, family, national, and international levels. If we want to achieve peace and harmony we need to start from ourselves and make peace within ourselves and with our environment. The internal aspects of peace are very important.
In the next presentation, Dr. Kateřina Děkanovská, chair of the Society for Interreligious Dialogue, mentioned that the main instrument in education for peace is the family and school. The problem is that the concept of multicultural education is not clear, and usually each pedagogue has his or her own method of teaching. Even though all religions are teaching about peace, often they are a source of conflict. Religions should cooperate more, because tolerance alone is not enough. Education for peace should start in religious communities.
The second panel was opened by Dr. Roman Joch, Director of the Civic Institute, who spoke on War, Peace and Pacifism. Based on history he explained the concepts of war and peace. The ancient Greeks knew either a state of peace or war. Both were legitimate. If war, anything is allowed in the quest to achieve the quickest victory. Often it is fear that motivates people to fight. In the Christian era a new understanding of war and peace emerged. St. Augustine spoke about a just war, but before it is necessary to love one's neighbor, as Jesus taught. Peace means peace of order (tranquilitas ordinis) where justice and human dignity prevail. Pacifism, on the other hand, considers war the biggest evil. Pacifists will not fight on either side.
In the end Dr. Joch mentioned that the wars are not made by weapons but by people. No country with a strong defense was attacked. He quoted from the Bible contrasting passages from Isaiah 2:4 but also Joel 4:10.
The next speaker, Dr. Martina Heranová, spoke about the Palestine-Israel conflict. In an overview, she summarized the history of the conflict over the last 100 years. For many people in the audience, it was good to be reminded of the historical data.
The third panel focused on the social aspects of peace. Prof. Jan Jireš, Director of the Center for Transatlantic Relations in the Cevro Institute, spoke about Liberalism and War in the works of R. Niebuhr. In his speech he explained in detail the theories of war and peace. He claimed that in USA it is the liberal ideology which supports the wars. American liberalism is always expansionist. He mentioned four streams in US foreign policy – Wilsonism, Hamiltonism, Jeffersonianism, and Jacksonism. All of them do not hesitate to use power if necessary.
The last speaker, Dr. Jeroným Klimeš, a psychologist, spoke on the Strategy in the Partner Relationships. He explained that in each organism there are two forces, which he called competition and cooperation. The more two organisms are interdependent the more they cooperate and the less they compete. This is the psychology of peace or conflict. The more globalized the world is and the more people are interdependent, there is greater hope for cooperation. He mentioned many examples from his practice as an adviser for partner relationships.
In the end the UPF chapter appointed Dr. Roman Joch and Dr. Kateřina Děkanovská Ambassadors for Peace.
One of the speakers commented afterwards:
"The recent conference was very rich and contained a variety of topics and views. I very appreciated this aspect. Also the way all contributions were presented was very smooth, not too long. It was interesting, and fortunately we had enough time for discussion. The structure of the conference - three thematic parts moderated by representatives of all three organizing partners, proved to be very functional and should be followed in the future. Also the questions of the listeners, who came in a very good number, were very good and stuck to the topic. The venue of the conference was very well chosen, and all the equipment as well as the refreshments were on a high level."
If you find this page helpful and informative please consider making donation. Your donation will help Universal Peace Federation (UPF) provide new and improved reports, analysis and publications to you and everyone around the world.
UPF is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization and all donations are tax deductible in the United States. Receipts are automatically provided for donations of or above $250.00.
|
Donate to the Universal Peace Federation: Your donation to support the general programs of UPF. |
Donate to the Religious Youth Service (RYS): Your donation will be used for service projects around the world. |
Donate to UPF's Africa Projects: Your donation will be used for projects in Africa. |
Related Articles
Australia
UPF-Australia Convenes Mutual Prosperity Summit
Melbourne, Australia—The Mutual Prosperity Summit focused on “Rethinking Our Economic Models.”