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Essay / How can sport build peace in communities in difficulty?
“Peace” is a word that we hear and say quite commonly in our lives. Society needs it, it aspires to it, but it may lack it. Is peace simply the absence of war? We all know that this is an extremely popular concept of peace. However, as Baruch Spinoza said: “Peace is not the absence of war; it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition to benevolence, to trust, to justice. In my opinion, the first sentence, a sentence in itself, must be understood figuratively since it is literally false. Peace is not simply and in itself an absence of war, but it is the State which exists in the absence of war. The rest of the sentence gives three attributes of peace. Peace has always been one of the highest values of humanity - for some; supreme. People from different parts of the world possess different cultures, lifestyles and statuses; and at first glance, they seem to have very little in common. Yet they breathe the same air, inhabit the same planet and share a common humanity; world peace is therefore truly crucial. Broken communities and conflict zones exist all over the world and it takes hard work and an open mind to heal them. However, despite the philosophies and teachings of great men promoting the idea of world peace and the overwhelming number of peace movements arising out of nowhere, peace on Earth has remained an elusive dream. Perhaps the answer lies within ourselves. Although human nature guides what we do as individuals and as a civilization, we have different perceptions of things, including ways to establish peace within our community. Sport would be an excellent way to build peace in struggling communities. According to the United Nations in 2008, sport is recognized as "all forms of physical activity that concern...... middle of paper... the globe." . It focuses on fun and education using the exhilarating and character-building sport of Ultimate Frisbee as a tool. In addition to its positive health implications, sport makes a truly profound contribution as a peacebuilding effort. Sports and peace programs that are inclusive of all genders, races, nationalities, social and economic status are essential to making a difference at the individual, community, state and global level. They have been proven to provide the opportunity to bring groups together in a competitive space without being antagonistic, learning to overcome and look beyond their differences. This contributes to shaping a more united and peaceful environment. Although sport alone cannot end conflict, it can be an important peacebuilding tool, whether by bringing together divided or previously uncontacted populations...