Fighting for Peace

The Retune Blog - 12th May 2023

At the start of each Taekwon-do session we declare the oath which includes the commitment to build a more peaceful world. I’m always mildly amused by the thought that we are promising to build a more peaceful world before we get to kicking and punching. But, what does it mean to live in and build a more peaceful world?

In Cory Henry’s Fighting for Peace we start to get a picture of why peace isn’t something that happens without a fight:

Well, I'm fighting for my family, Fighting for myself. Fighting to make a difference, Even fighting for my health. Said I'm fighting for my life, Fighting for the better days ahead. Fighting for my people, And fighting for the things left unsaid.

Like many things in life it is easy for us to idealise peace as a sort of zen aspirational concept. But peace is something that has to be worked out in the different areas of our life. This requires effort and commitment, and yes, sometimes confronting challenges. Peace is often something for which we have to fight. The best things in life might be free but they are not effortless.

So, what makes this kind of fight different from just violence. The fight for peace is inextricably linked to the fight for justice and equality. Real peace isn’t something just to be experienced for ourselves, but something we share with others. At the heart of peace isn’t individual wellbeing but communal well being.

So, if we really want to experience a life of peace, we might need to be prepared to stand up and fight for what is right. Peace after all is not the absence of activity, but the working out of a just and fair society in which we can all be valued. And this peace is something for which it is worth fighting.