THE MESSAGE. BRINGING INTO FOCUS FILIPINO PRESENCE IN AUSTRALIA
www.kalatas.com.au | Volume 5 Number 1 | October 2014
ADOBO
EDITORIAL & OPINION
(A Dose of Brown Opinion)
Peace: illusion or just elusive?
W
hat a
wonderful
world
it wo
would be if there was total
peace, where peoples of
all cultures, races and beliefs lived in harmony with
each other. Unfortunately, a peaceful world is elusive - some say it may be
an illusion – because of
‘noises’ that prevent its
full realisation.
What
are these
‘noises’?
Literally and figuratively, there are
many types - person-
al, physical, mechanical,
environmental, spiritual,
governmental, ideological,
economic, and so on.
These endogenous and
exogenous factors create the discordant elements that distort our daily lives and routines. They
push us, rush us, pressure
us, disturb our peace. Day
in, day out, harmony gets
shattered and cacophony
takes over.
Non-euphonic eruptions of mundane sounds
occur: banging, thumping, wheezing, honking
cars, racing trains, humming machineries, racing
vehicles, booming planes,
crying babies, screaming
children, shrieking adolescents, shouting adults,
the list goes on. These are
the sounds of a fast-paced
world. Of a listless world,
an anxious world. A world
in a hurry.
And then there are the
sounds of hate, where music has been replaced by
sounds of fury and terror.
Of gunshots, bombs, and
artillery fires. Of violence.
Where zones of peace have
been turned into zones of
war. Where lands of birth
became places that could
no longer guarantee refuge
and sanctuary to citizens.
Where laughter and freedom have been replaced by
pleas of anguished hearts
and aching bodies crying
for help.
We have recently read
about instances of peace
being shattered, in faraway
lands and in nearby suburbs. Try as we may to be
peacemakers, there will al-
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“PEACEMAKERS have always been talking
about peace. But every tool used - diplomacy,
dialogue, moral suasion, subjugation,
capitulation, even penance – has so far failed
to result in lasting peace.”
ways be some elements that
want to destroy the peace
and disrupt the order in our
communities.
This is human nature. Ever since the time of
Adam, he had tried to fight
off the devil that came to
his paradise. Through millenia, peace has been challenged or compromised
due to differing opinions
and beliefs - over territory
and over ideals of supremacy. People had disagreements with others; neighbours threw spite against
each other; nations fought
other nations.
We never gave the
world the peace it deserves.
Peacemakers have always
been talking about peace.
But every tool used - diplo-
macy, dialogue, moral suasion, subjugation, capitulation, even penance – so far
failed to result in lasting
peace. So what can we do to
attain it?
This is difficult to answer, but if we start with
self – if each one is at peace
within – then, there may
happen a collective peace
in the community. With
this, I hope to not any more
read about news that pe