TEACHING PEACE

Teaching Peace: Now More Than Ever!

by Irene Helen Zundel

With rampant terrorism and war all over the planet, the world can be a terrifying place — especially to our children! Besides the six o’ clock news and network specials, there are new reality TV shows that glorify the military. The music industry has gone patriotic with a rash of pro-war songs. And there are scores of violent shows, cartoons and toys that parents indiscriminately let their children have access to.

Crime, terrorism, war, destruction and death are difficult enough for an adult to process and cope with. Have you ever wondered how such things impact young minds and spirits?

More than ever, we need to create an atmosphere of shelter and refuge for our children, and teach peace and non-violence as a way of life. Here are just a few ideas I found on an excellent website called The Alliance for Childhood at http://www.allianceforchildhood.net.

1. Create a peaceful home environment. Peace with the world begins with peace inside yourself. Model composure and non-violence. Have a safe place where you and your family can go to pray, meditate, close the door and cry, or scream in frustration if needed. Having a “neutral corner” where stress and emotion can be vented prevents people from lashing out at each other.

2. Get close to nature. Beauty can be very calming! Walking outside, even if it is just in a city park, is good for both body and soul.

3. Encourage peaceful play, and imaginative play. Studies have found that children who engage in make-believe social play have higher levels of empathy and lower levels of aggression. They use creative play to express emotions and act out pain, sadness, and fear. This allows for a healthy release of stress. Remember, unexpressed emotions are somatized by children (expressed bodily in the form of headaches and tummy aches etc).

Choose non-violent and non-competitive games and activities.

For ideas and sources, try: Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children's Entertainment (http://www.truceteachers.org), The Lion and Lamb Project (http://www.lionlamb.org) and the Cooperative Games website at (http://www.cooperativegames.ca.)

4. Encourage compassionate action. Can you make sandwiches for a homeless shelter? Donate clothes to a facility for battered women? Make or donate toys for the poor? Visit a nursing home? Teaching children about the needs of others helps to develop empathy. Acting on that empathy builds a sense of connectedness and provides a boost in self-esteem. It also lessens despair and frustration at the state of the world, because your children will know that in some small way they are making a difference.

5. Support peace and conflict resolution programs in your child’s school. For great ideas about this, visit:

Educators for Social Responsibility (http://www.esrnational.org)

The National Peace Foundation (http://www.nationalpeace.org)

The Karuna Center for Peacebuilding (http://www.karunacenter.org)

Facing History and Ourselves (http://www.facinghistory.org) and

The Public Conversations Project (http://www.publicconversations.org).

On these webpages you will learn about:

the creation of “peace places” where children can negotiate conflict with others

the bad effects of prejudice, stereotyping and hatred

how to analyze and solve problems in areas of great political conflict and

how to create a meaningful dialogue in dealing with divisive issues

6. Teach your children about important peacemakers, social reformers and humanitarians. Discuss the contributions of those who win the Nobel Peace Prize, work with outcasts, like Mother Teresa, lobby against landmines, like the late Princess Diana. Point out the contributions of organizations that build housing for the homeless, give free medical care to the poor, and feed the starving masses. Great people and great works inspire your children to excercise their finer impulses and make their own contributions to the world we all share.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. The road to peace lies in the commitment of each single heart to live a life of compassion and non-violence.

Won’t you travel that road with me?