和平文化對于我們意味著什么

I believe that the Culture of Peace is one of the most precious humane philosophies in the 21st century. This article contains my thoughts on what that concept means to me.

First， it is crucial to clarify that the Culture of Peace is a concept which should be expressed through individual efforts as well as shared by all people collectively. That is the true strength of this unique concept. Through the irreversible process of globalization， the opportunity to reach out to others has dramatically increased. Globalization has opened up brought us close to every part of our planet and exposed us to variety and diversity of our world. In fact， each human being has a different background such as demography， language， religion， gender， nationality， race， culture and history.

From the perspective of diversity， the crucial point is to tolerate different values and accept diversity. It is meaningless to compare which is superior because different people have different perspectives and values. Then， how should we treat the diversity? If people do not accept， value and respect diversity， it is obvious that inherent intolerance would cause conflicts， and the history of colonialism has shown that very vividly. European conquerors not only dominated the indigenous people， but also destroyed their culture as the colonialists considered indigenous culture as inferior. Thus， rejection of diversity is the trigger and the cause of widespread discriminations which in turn resulted in conflicts.

我認為和平文化是21世紀人類哲學最珍貴的一部分。這篇文章包含了我如何看待和平文化對我的意義。

首先，需要明確的是和平文化是一種概念，它應該通過個人努力及群體共享表現出來，這才是這一獨特概念的真正力量。在全球化不可阻擋的過程中，人與人交流接觸的機會大大增加。全球化讓我們對地球的每一部分都密切接觸，向我們展示這個世界的多樣和差異。實際上，每個人都有不同的背景，如人種、語言、宗教、性別、國籍、民族、文化和歷史等。

從多樣化的角度來看，最重要的一點就是寬容對待不同的價值觀和接受多樣性。對比哪種文化更高一籌毫無意義，因為不同的人擁有不同的角度和價值觀。那么，我們應該如何對待多樣性呢？如果人們不接受不同的價值觀、不尊重多樣性，很明顯這種內在的不包容性就會導致沖突。這一點殖民主義的歷史已展示的淋漓盡致，歐洲占領者不僅控制土著人，還破壞了他們的文化，因為殖民者認為土著文化是劣等文化。因此，拒絕多樣性就會引發廣泛的歧視，并進一步導致沖突。

Our world today should make every effort to raise the level of tolerance for the diversity of people and their thoughts. I believe that diversity is not a disadvantage but an advantage because through the process of accepting the differences， we can expand our perspectives and gain the capacity to change our mindset. In addition， diversity allows us to notice that each individual has his strength and weakness， and we can cooperate with each other to move ahead. In a globalized world， it is impossible to live without mutual support and cooperation. And if we make use of each one’s individual strength， the solidarity will have amazing power to achieve incredible results.

In this context， one particular area where we have failed to benefit from is equal participation of women in every sphere of human activity. At present， we are failing to utilize a large part of women’s power as UN Security Council Resolution 1325 has envisaged. It might seem difficult to overcome the fear of differences，. At the same time， what we need is two simple thoughts. Be tolerant and respect others. These are essential points for a harmonious world and generate solidarity amongst all human beings. In other words， through these two actions， we can overcome the discrimination and forget our differences.

It is also essential to reconsider the definition of peace. In general， peace is defined as the absence of war; that is not sufficient. For instance， even though my own country Japan has not been involved in wars since World War II and is one of the most developed countries in the world， many people there are suffering from social pressure generated by many external forces. Consequently， many commit suicide or get mentally sick. Even though large scale wars have not flared up in recent decades， the number of people suffering is not decreasing because people are experiencing the negative impacts of interminable competition in market， pressure from social responsibility， corrupt politics or lack of goverance. Because of insatiable greed for wealth， people are not controlling but are being controlled by the socio-economic system， and it demolishes human dignity. The absence of war does not guarantee a life of dignity for any human being anymore. Personally， to me peace is the absence of misery and deprivation. In term of this definition， I believe that all human beings are free from conflicts but also have happiness in their lives. To sum up， peace is not only the absence of war but also happiness and compassion.

當今我們的世界應盡全力提升對民眾及其想法多樣性的寬容度。在我看來，多樣性對于發展不是不利條件，而是有利條件，因為通過接納不同點，我們可以拓展看問題的角度，獲得改變思維方式的能力，同時通過彼此合作，攜手共進。在全球化的世界，沒有互助與合作是不可能生存的。如果我們利用彼此之力，團結起來將會取得意想不到的成就。

在這樣的背景下，我們沒能從中受益的一個特別領域就是婦女公平參與人類活動的每個部分。目前，我們未能像聯合國安理會1325號決議所設想的那樣發揮女性的力量。克服對差異的恐懼似乎不容易，然而，我們需要秉持的是兩個簡單的觀點：寬容與尊重他人。這是實現世界和諧和所有人團結的關鍵點。換句話說，就是通過這兩點，我們可以克服歧視，忘記差異。

同時，重新定義和平的概念也很重要。一般來說，和平被定義為沒有戰爭。這樣定義是不夠的。比如，我的國家日本在二戰后就沒有再卷入戰爭，也是世界上發達國家之一。然而，仍有很多人遭受外在因素產生的社會壓力，因此他們自殺或者患精神疾病。近幾十年來，盡管大規模的戰爭沒有爆發，受苦的民眾數量并沒有減少，因為人們正遭受市場無休止的競爭帶來的負面影響、社會責任的壓力、政治腐敗或管理的缺失。由于對財富的貪婪，人們并沒有掌控社會經濟體系，而是被它掌控，而且尊嚴也被它削弱。沒有戰爭并不能繼續保障人類的尊嚴。在我個人看來，和平是沒有苦難和剝奪。根據這個定義，我認為人類不僅應該沒有沖突，也應該生活幸福。總之，和平不僅是沒有戰爭，也應包括幸福和慈愛。

In conclusion， for me， the Culture of Peace is a humane concept which encourages us to be tolerant， to respect others as individuals and to devote ceaseless efforts to bring happiness for all human beings. As long as we inculcate the Culture of Peace in our minds， it will energize us to create sustainable peace individually and globally. What we can do are these four simple things:

Respect diversity，

Tolerate differences，

Show compassion， and

Serve humanity.

These will enable all of us to build the Culture of Peace.

和平文化是一種人文概念，鼓勵我們寬容、彼此尊重、不遺余力地把幸福帶到每個人身邊。只要把和平文化謹記于心，它一定會讓我們每個人都精力充沛地奮斗，與全世界人民團結起來創造可持續的和平。我們要做的四件簡單的事是：尊重多樣性、寬容差異、展現慈愛和服務人類。這將使我們能樹立和平文化。