When I started this project I was interested in focusing on peacebuilding, specifically what worked well, what didn't, how lessons from one context could be applied in other contexts. But as I have been interviewing people who do the difficult and important work of peacebuilding, my interest has shifted slightly. Of course I still believe lessons can and should be applied across contexts, but I have realized that even more important is the motivation and support of peace workers themselves. For without those to do the work there is no one to learn these lessons from or teach these lessons to. I need to do some more research and thinking in this area, but I think I would now like to focus my work on what motivates people to get involved in peace work and how to help people stay motivated to continue this work despite the challenges that they inevitably face. Perhaps learning from one another can even be part of that continued motivation?
Another theme I have been thinking about a lot is the intersection of peace and justice. Although I cannot and would not claim to be an expert on either of these topics, they are both very important to me and I have spent a great deal of time over the past eight years thinking, reading, and learning about peace and justice. What I have come to realize is that they are inextricably tied to one another. Without peace there cannot be justice, and without justice there cannot be peace. The challenge for me, then, is work for both. To put is simply, I will quote a bumper sticker I saw several years ago: "If you want peace, work for justice." These words by Pope Paul VI sum up my vocation.
As I mentioned previously, I started on the journey of peace work in 2005, but I never thought about working for justice until I saw that bumper sticker. I didn't know what it meant at first, but I have slowly realized that when unjust systems are in place and any group is being oppressed there cannot be peace. Conflict or war may not be manifested, but that does not mean that there is peace. This is another concept I have learned over the years: absence of war is not the same as peace. In my understanding, true peace exists when people have no reason to be in conflict. And this, in my understanding, is also justice.
I will need to do some more thinking, reading, and learning about both of these ideas, but I feel like I am gaining deeper understanding and that my thesis topic is coming together.
