In our world seemingly small things like intolerance and misunderstanding differences have caused large-scale conflict, destruction and even wars. With that in mind, world peace can seem like an impossible thing. Despite that, we at AIESEC interpret it a little differently. To us, the absence of major war is not the only interpretation of ‘Peace’. ‘Peace’ symbolizes a world that doesn’t have conflicts arising from cultural, religious, or other differences in humanity. You could say that we need to learn how to respect and understand these differences as human beings. Read about our selection of different TEDx talks that inspire a different perspective on World Peace
Our recommendations
We’ve pulled together a series of TEDx talks for you to listen to inspire new ways of thinking on the roadmap to peace.
In the Road to Peace playlist on TEDx, “these speakers offer inspired ideas, practical advice and real-world examples from around the globe of how it just might be attainable.”
Firstly, Jody Williams, Nobel Peace Prize Winner in 1997 for her work toward the banning and clearing of anti-personnel mines advocates for society to have a more realistic vision of world peace. The talk focuses on rethinking world peace to human security, and enabling people to live dignified lives. Watch it here
Secondly, Scilia Elworthy a three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee and founder of Oxford Research Group. She seeks to develop effective dialogue between nuclear weapons policy-makers and their critics. In her TED talk she explains how to deal with extreme violence without using force in return. Exploring the themes of how to overcome bullies ranging from countries to individuals without any violence in return. Watch it here
Lastly, there is Julia Bacha, a filmmaker who produced “Budhrus”. As a filmmaker she knows how to capture an audience and their attention. During her speech she focuses on exactly that: the power of attention. For instance, how often do audiences pay attention to the violence, but not the non-violent leaders and peacemakers? She advocates for us to pay attention to nonviolence, and see what solutions can come with that. Watch it here
What can you do?
Eventually, progress will come, when all of humanity awakes, moves to take action and does not wait for change. In order to achieve that we must be brave, but also patient in seeking cross-cultural understanding amongst people and nations.
What actions will you take to make yourself a better person? How can you be the leader who can help make the world a better place?
One of the best ways to gain a new understanding of the world is to live, volunteer or work abroad. Learn more on how you can get involved in our student programmes that offer global experiences to create positive change in communities and on yourself.
This post was written by AIESEC in the Netherlands. We offer international voluntary projects and professional internships with the aim of developing leadership in youth.
