Yes to Department of Peace

A formal Department of Peace is not only aligned with our country’s core mission, but also would be one of the fastest routes to our own well-being.

Sixty one years ago on D-Day, my uncle, of the 13th-18th Tank Regiment QMO Hussars in the British Army, was on the first tank to land on the shore of Sword Beach, Normandy. His arrival met with a rain of gunfire to drench that sand with blood and scatter the parts of his companions' bodies.

My uncle somehow survived. He returned early last June to the commemoration on the pale cream sand of a peaceful Europe – his country’s former bitter enemy, Germany, participating in the ceremonies.

BBC News reporter Alan Little, commenting on those events, reminded me: "What subsequent generations have taken for granted – peace between the European powers – was not true of the world into which these men were born. It is the achievement of their generation."

The peace in Europe we all now do take for granted was barely conceivable then, after centuries of decimating wars. But it exists now.

How? It was created by leaders who believed it possible and who worked to create the bonds of trust, cooperation and respect that allowed it not just to exist, but to flourish.

Likewise, the global economy did not pop, fully formed, out of thin air. It was built by leaders who believed it possible and worked to make it happen.

It is remarkable to me that most European nations, not long ago hurling cannonballs with frequent ferocity, now trust each other enough to share the same currency and cross borders with little more than a wave.

No less a vision is needed now. We must work toward global peace with the same determination, the same belief in its possibility.

It can be the achievement of our generation.

A formal Department of Peace practically as well as symbolically demonstrates that this country is committed to pursue and intends to build that state we would all choose – that of peace between all.

Practically, a Department of Peace would research and facilitate nonviolent solutions to domestic and international conflict.

It would support and coordinate programs that cultivate respect, that honor the capability of people to create remarkable solutions, that instill the skills necessary to work from cooperation instead of confrontation. It would coordinate proven and effective strategies that reduce violence.

In short, the Department of Peace would guide this nation to nurture the social conditions that result in a positive peace.

Symbolically, a Department of Peace is aligned with our nation's core mission. We were founded on the truth of the unalienable rights of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Peace would open the doors to the greatest potential expansion of all of these rights.

We are at the moment predominantly a reactive nation. We wait for the heart attack before we examine our way of living. As many are now realizing, cultivating the conditions of health is a more effective strategy than hoping you can recover from a heart attack.

In the same manner, we can actively cultivate conditions of peace. They are well known. It is simply that we have yet to fully commit to them.

Creating this Department of Peace would indicate our commitment and our choice to actively pursue a more effective strategy for our long-term security that happens to coincide with our highest ideals, our grandest dream. That, surely, is how any person, and I suggest by extension any nation, feels most fulfilled.

One thing is certain: peace will not arise without the intention to create it.

Setting this intention could be the most majestic legacy this nation could ever leave.