Peace as an Academic Pursuit and Hopefully More

Many people think of "peace" as an end goal. In some respects, I suppose it is. But the word peace is vague and loosely interpreted, often bringing to mind trite phrases spoken at beauty pageants like, "If I win the crown, my platform will be to advocate for world peace."

Aside from the complexities of the meaning of the word, what does one gain by studying peace? What does one "do" with a degree in Peace & Conflict Resolution? The latter question is probably what I get asked the most by people who learn that I am pursuing peace as a degree. Quite naturally, diplomacy and foreign affairs in a venue such as the UN is an option (which is what most people assume is THE path after this degree), as is my current field in international education, or even an entrance into the world of NGO's like Peace Brigades International, Invisible Children, or Oxfam, etc. (By the way, look up these organizations if you have time. Good causes for real change in the world.)

My future career, per se, is not my first concern at this point. In this next year, I simply want "peace" to become more than a feel-good word and something that spurs me to action, whether in my professional life, personal life, or both. I do not believe that someone needs a degree of any kind to become an advocate for peace. However, I have chosen to pursue peace academically so that I can begin to understand it in the context of history, politics, psychology and sociology. What parts of peace are a process, an attitude, a lifestyle, a delicate balance, a policy, a decision, a series of moments?

Regardless of what the future may hold for me in the field of peace, I remember studying abroad in Cyprus two years ago and looking forward to my Cyprus & the EU class every week. My professor talked about when he and his father escaped the division of Cyprus in 1974 and how he has devoted his life to understanding his country's conflict and being a part of its reconciliation. I listened to both Greek and Turkish Cypriots tell me of their losses as well as their hopes for the future. I met the people at the US embassy in Nicosia who shared how they develop programs for children to interact with the other community for perhaps the first time. I could easily see that peace for these people was not a singular moment or a vague goal, but a daily journey. Something in me sparked. I care about these things.

My journey into discovering the impact of the peace process has already begun. But the best, I suspect, is ahead.