If there is nothing like being at peace, how come are there so many conflictive people or groups in this world, so many governments with a tendency far from peaceful, and entities that not only support hostility, but stir it, or others that do not move a finger to avoid contexts that lead to wars?

Since the world beginnings, human beings have experienced disagreements and impulses have led us to conflicts. The reasons may range from the possession of such basic resources as food, as well as minerals, lands and whatever natural wealth there ir. Power, racism, the imposition of ideas and systems, even other less elaborate causes such as a family feud in monarchical times, have been the beginning of great violent events that we remember today with shame.

However, although peace and the peaceful resolution of any disagreement will always be the other best option, it’s rarely avoided. It’s as if in reality individuals with decision-making capacity don’t have the will to channel and reach middle ground before stirring chaos and mayhem. If not, let's just do the math. Let's look for the data on the balance that wars have left us.

The written memory proves it. Since humanity began to set foot on earth, millions of people have died in armed confrontations, millions have been displaced, and the disasters they have left in terms of infrastructure, economy, culture, environment, psychological and social stability are several.

Let's think about the largest conflicts from recent times. The two world wars, for example, went down in history as one of the worst misfortunes that could have been avoided, with an approximate result of one hundred million fatalities between them. The numbers are increasingly exceeded, as fighting and other forms of aggression don’t stop, causing irreversible losses.

Recently, bloody episodes of large scale have taken place in countries like Vietnam and Iraq, while other current crises threaten global stability. Syria, Afghanistan, Palestine, Ukraine, Somalia, Haiti, Sudan, there are many territories that today experience some sort of warlike state. Although nations that supposedly remain at peace have also suffered episodes of terrorism perpetrated by armed groups or crazy people who have frightened the masses with devices of any nature or other means.

At the beginning of all times, perhaps human beings lacked enough reasoning to solve problems, but the fact that in the 21st century we continue to impose death and destruction increasingly confirms that a world of peace will continue to be a utopia, if we don’t find the will. Ignorance is no longer an argument, especially when war is a macabre business that seeks to destroy people using soldiers as cannon fodder and without looking at the civilian population or taking into account collateral damage, only with the childish objective of demonstration of superiority.

Peace is a right we must defend. According to the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, this September 21 marks the International Day of Peace, a date to condemn any act that threatens human life, to raise awareness about the need to be compassionate and find alternatives to correct situations, to accept differences and prepare ourselves to respect our fellow human beings, to dialogue, as well as to live in harmony, to foster inclusive environments, free of fear and violence.

Each year campaigns are focused on us being compassionate, conciliatory, recognizing that hatred and revenge do not lead us to a better place, that the ideal is that we can make our planet a fair, equitable place, and that this is only possible if we promote understanding and a ceasefire in regions that are experiencing constant conflicts, if we promote policies of coexistence and tolerance. We must reflect and understand that world peace is not a chimera, that it’s perfectly possible because it’s in each of us.

Translated by Amilkal Labañino / CubaSí Translation Staff