2008 THIRD HONORABLE MENTION

WHAT ABOUT PEACE?
Anonymous
15 years old, Tennessee

"There is no way to peace. Peace is the way." - AJ Muste

What about peace? This seemingly intricately complex question has the foundation of a relatively simple concept: peace is purely everything. Because it is the core of everything, understanding, analyzing, and evaluating the issues and effects of peace are vital for a healthier future for us and the generations. Indeed, it is our undoubtedly our duty as members of the human race to cherish and support the cause of peace. Severe consequences will result if we do not attempt to halt this destruction immediately - lest it be too late and the problem blow out of control.

Peace is, in a nutshell, everything. It is the solution to our major worldwide dilemmas - it is truly the answer to unwinding the tumultuous society that we live in. What about peace? Peace should never be underestimated because it is the key to a more harmonious society. The absence of peace is the epitome of all problems in the world: poverty, war, destruction, cruelty, greed, and misunderstandings; much suffering is due to the lack of the all-important peace. We must - as an international community - work tirelessly to promote and advance peace before the world spirals into a chaotic society. Our world would be unimaginably horrifying. Ataxia would reign - something we surely must prevent with all of our might. I have personally witnessed the traumatic effects of the dearth of peace: I have seen others tragically affected by the persecution of peace on violent, criminal-infested streets. The devastation is something no human should ever be forced to experience.

The advancement of peace and world unity is not only absolutely necessary, but critical in maintaining a relatively stable community. Cooperation is the key in this effort, and actual action without hesitation is required from all countries and its citizens in order to ensure the efficacy of agreements. Additionally, evaluation of current peace efforts and critical reforms are needed. More importantly, however, is the fact that the global community should proactively enforce, regulate, and amend as needed. Constant monitoring of the effectiveness of current efforts should be thoroughly enforced. Severe consequences should be enforced if the strict laws prohibiting the violation of peace is ever broken. Furthermore, education is imperative in achieving the goal of a more congruous planet. Education basically equates to everything, so indubitably we should emphatically stress this approach. After all, the future generation of adults are the kids of today - and educating them properly is vital to promoting the prosperous peace in later years!

Understanding the significant nature of peace and reforming to make peace available throughout the world benefits the magnanimous spirit of this earth - an essential quality that we shall always preserve and treasure. I personally believe that peace is the most effective solution in a complete eradication of one of society's vices - evil. One more life senselessly wasted, one more second needlessly wasted, is too much. We must take action now before it's too late! Let peace reign...