"Do not be afraid to take a chance on peace, to teach peace, to live peace...Peace will be the last word of history." - Pope Saint John Paul II

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What is an Act of Peace?

For Opposite Action, acts of peace relate directly to feelings of security and safety and empower the individual to make changes by encouraging the apparently insignificant contributions of the average person. Peace is at least a freely produced absence of violence and at best the creation of a respectful, supportive environment for human growth, interaction and learning.

Opposite Action identifies three types of peaceful opposite acts, performed by free people to promote or honor peace. The first type promotes internal or intrapersonal peace. This includes making peace with God, yourself, and efforts to grow in spiritual ways. It also may include stress and anger management activities, exercises, and religious practices that are done in an effort to accept and positively express the negative emotions we feel every day. Peace must first be experienced personally by individuals before it can be taught or valued by societies. Only those experienced with personal or internal conflicts can begin to understand the complexity of addressing the conflicts between groups and nations. Only those who have tasted peace can share its vision and intimately know its value. Any efforts to develop human potential, prayer, meditation, jogging, exercise, and any hobbies or activities that reduce stress, promote relaxation and cause no harm, can be acts of peace.

The second type of act of peace is social and refers to our interactions with others. This includes examining our personal communication skills, interpersonal conflicts and may involve reconciling others. People experienced with this type of peacemaking may be clergy, counselors, legal advisors, ambassadors, delegates, representatives, arbitrators, policemen, teachers, effective parents and sometimes military personnel. However, anyone can choose to add to the conflict around them or to end it. Helping people to remain calm when angry, helping someone to control their behavior, or brainstorming options to solve a problem can be acts of peace. Teaching language or communication skills or developing plans to minimize miscommunication in the workplace, can be acts of peace, hope or growth. Also, the development of what Opposite Action calls Freedom social skills may be an example of an act of peace.

The third type of peaceful act involves the preservation and maintenance of peaceful places or refuge. Violent and fearful environments prevent the growth and development of the peoples who live in them. Whether these places are nations at war, or homes wrecked by domestic violence, the individuals who survive in these fearful domains cannot develop their unique potential.