蜜芽传媒

War, and efforts to bring it to an end, has been on all our minds in recent weeks. As the Book of Ecclesiastes reminds us, war is part of the human condition, 鈥淭here is a time for everything 鈥� A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.鈥� While we should never deny the horrors of war, we should also heed the words of the US general George S Patton: 鈥淚t is better to fight for something than live for nothing,鈥�. For some eight decades after 1945 鈥� the year of Patton鈥檚 death 鈥� the world enjoyed relative peace 鈥� Or so received wisdom tells us. The truth is that there was always a war going on somewhere on the planet.

If war is part of the human condition, it is also a test of human nature in all its contradictions. The fiery crucible of war produces atrocities, destruction and waste, but it also gives rise to grace under pressure, to altruism, courage and heroism.

We think about wars ending in victory, but what matters more in the long term is the resilience and victory of the human spirit. And what can the human spirit do to bring about that proverbial time for peace? It can apply its energies to resolving conflict.

The word 鈥榙iplomacy鈥� tends to evoke the corridors of power, but when war rears its ugly head the essence of diplomacy lies in the disciplines of conflict resolution 鈥� and in very human actions and qualities that we know as a positive force from our daily lives, such as listening, communication, purposefulness, empathy, and creativity.

When it comes to promoting peace as a simple human being, I cannot forget the answer that Mother Teresa of Calcutta gave to a question on that theme. It was asked by an energetic, impatient young sister who worked in her hospital. I watched as Mother Teresa looked her in the eye and said: 鈥淵ou can start by not slamming the door.鈥� What she was saying in her inimitable way was that true strength lies in restraint. When it comes to war, diplomacy is not the coward鈥檚 way out: it takes action and bravery, not passivity or resignation, to resolve conflict.

The world does not lack wisdom, but sometimes it lacks the resolution to apply it. Each one of us can make a difference by following Mother Teresa鈥檚 advice. Let鈥檚 make sure to close the door gently 鈥� so that we can open our hearts and set about creating our own time for peace.

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