Focus of the Study Research Question

CHAPTER II THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

A. Concept of Peace 1. Introduction

Peace has always been among humanitys highest values-for some Supremes. Consider: “Peace at any price,” “The most disadvantageous peace is better than the most just war,” “Peace is more important than all justice” 5 etc. But, we have to know what peace is. Perhaps the most popular Western view is as an absence of dissension or freedom from violence, war, 6 a meaning found in the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary . Peace, however, is also seen as concord, or harmony and tranquillity. It is viewed as peace of mind 7 or serenity, especially in the east. It is defined as a state of law or civil government, a state of justice or goodness, a balance or equilibrium of powers. 8 5 R. J. Rummel, What is Peace. Accessed on November 15, 2008. http:www.hawaii.edupowerkillsTJP.CHAP2.HTM. 6 Jonathan Crowther, Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995, International New Students’ Edition, p. 1112. 7 Peace of mind or Inner peace is a colloquialism that refers to a state of being mentally or spiritually at peace, with enough knowledge and understanding to keep oneself strong in the face of discord or stress. Being “at peace” is considered by many to be healthy homeostasis and the opposite of being stressed or anxious. Peace of mind is generally associated with bliss and happiness Peace of mind, serenity, and calmness are descriptions of a disposition free from the effects of stress. In some cultures, inner peace is considered a state of consciousness or enlightenment that may be cultivated by various forms of training, such as prayer, meditation, Tai Chi Chuan or yoga, for example. Many spiritual practices refer to this peace as an experience of knowing oneself. Anonymous, Peace of Mind. Accessed on October 5, 2007. http:en.wikipedia.orgwiki inner peace. 8 Anonymous, Peace of Mind. Accessed on October 9, 2007. http:www.hawaii.edupowerkillsTJP.CHAP2.HTM. Such meanings of peace function at different levels. Peace may be opposed to or an opposite of antagonistic conflict, violence, or war. It may refer to an internal state of mind or of nations or to external relations, or it may be narrow in conception, referring to specific relations in a particular situation like a peace treaty, or overarching, covering a whole society as in a world peace. Peace may be a dichotomy it exists or it does not or continuous, passive or active, empirical or abstract, descriptive or normative, or positive or negative. The problem is, of course, that peace derives its meaning and qualities within a theory or framework. Christian, Hindu, or Buddhist will see peace differently, so will pacifist, internationalist be. Socialist, fascist, and libertarian have different perspectives, as do power or idealistic theorists of international relations. In this diversity of meanings, peace includes the concepts such as justice, freedom, equality, power, conflict, class, and, indeed, any other concept. All above concepts are defined within a theory or cognitive framework what have been called elsewhere a perspective. Through a perspective peace is endowed with meaning by being linked to other concepts within a particular perception of reality.