So I have this crazy idea: I think that teaching young people how to take powerful responsibility for their own choices, learn how to communicate without blaming or dominating, listen deeply, and resolve their conflicts without using violence-- I think those are good things. Isn't that insane? Isn't it radical? If I were Socrates they might make me drink hemlock!
It always amazes me when I tell people that I teach peace and they get defensive; I've actually been accused of indoctrinating the youth. The underlying reason for this (it usually comes out in the ensuing conversation) is that many people automatically assume that "peace" is inherently "liberal," politically speaking, if not outright leftist. Allow me to clear my throat before I rant...
When, I ask you, did the notion of trying to avoid war and violence, if at all possible, become a defining political affiliation? And if it truly is one, what does that make the alternative political stance? Pro-War? The Death Party? I would think that the desire for peace (and consequently the effort to learn concrete skills in peacemaking and reasoned negotiation) would be universal. In fact, that's a question I often begin my classes with: "Who wants to walk through flying bullets and falling bombs on the way to school, raise your hand?" Am I missing something here? Shouldn't the effort to teach our young people tangible skills in managing conflict without the use of violent force transcend political lines? Am I naive in saying yes? Can we not rescue the word "peace" from the annals of tween-targeted commercialism and vacuous hippie-speak? (Nothing against the hippies, don't get me wrong, it's just another unfortunate stereotype that gets too often attached to the notion of peace.) Can we not make teaching peaceful negotiation as nonpartisan as teaching health or PE? After all, we teach teenagers how to avoid STI's in Health class, how to choose good nutrition and avoid unhealthy choices. Isn't War essentially a politically transmitted disease? How is teaching nonviolent conflict resolution any different? Anyone?
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