Question

Images of violence are a constant presence on nightly news media. It is no longer an oddity as individuals worldwide reek vengeance and mayhem on the innocent. Many people say enough and that it must stop. We blame many factors for all the death and harm, but as yet there is no collective will to make changes necessary to stop it. There are individual and group efforts, as for example the parents at Sandy Hook school where a whole class of first graders were killed. We can blame psychopaths, troubled individuals, availability of guns and knives, and poor parenting. But what really is wrong? Philosophers have discussed this question for thousands of years and many suggest that humans are naturally brutish and aggressive. Some point to cultures which encourage male aggressiveness and violent behavior. While those people debate the why, we need to debate how it can be stopped. In the case of warfare, there are rules for the engagement of war and for conduct during a war. But for everyday living in a world of gangs and drugs, there are no rules. How do good citizens deal with citizens who are not.

What are some ideas that could offer us some hope to create a peaceful world?

Answer 1

There are a lot of idealistic ideas that could be put forward to propagate peace in the world. But none of them are realistic or practical enough. As a result, I will attempt to propose efforts that can be made on a small scale and yet those can bring a larger difference.

• One way to create a peaceful world is to establish more and more altruistic values. Research has shown that just like violence can be propagated through video games and media; when prosocial behavior is displayed in a similar way, there is a likelihood of the viewer engaging in the same behavior.
• The second way is to instill higher moral emphasis against violent behavior into our education system. This can help in the peace-making process in the long run.  
• Desensitization is the cause of most of the violence that occurs in the world. As a result, there needs to be sensitivity that needs to be embedded into the minds of people. Living in the world of the internet, it may still sound difficult to achieve. However, spreading awareness and making people mindful of themselves and also of others can help to spread peace in this world.