“Peace is much more than the mere absence of war. Peace requires the simple but powerful recognition that what we have in common as human beings is more important and crucial than what divides us.”
Our Quote of the Week is an affirmation that for peace to be sustained, we must recognize each other’s humanity. In a society where the dangers of judging others by superficial labels can become deadly, let us look beyond the surface to see what we have in common as one, human family.
Sargent Shriver spoke these words at the age of 86 during the Speech at the National Peace Corps Association’s 41st Annual Celebration Dinner. His optimism, energy, and enthusiasm are as infectious in this speech as they were early in his career in public service, when he frequently gave speeches as the head of the Chicago School Board and the Catholic Interracial Council in the 1950s.
Shriver does not mince words when talks about the stakes of us not being able to look beyond superficial labels to recognize our common humanity:
“We are not just Americans, or Jews, or Muslims, or Catholics, or rich, or poor, or famous, or obscure. Yes, some of us still wear those labels today. But we must realize now that our children and grandchildren will be confronting a world of stark choices: peace or death. As for me, for my children, my wife, and my friends, I choose peace; for all peoples in all the world.”
Acknowledging that the differences associated with these labels can lead to outright war, he says:
“The ‘call to war’ can only take us so far; so I say what our nation needs now is a call to peace and to service; peace and service on a scale we have scarcely begun to imagine.”
Shriver’s call to service reminds us of how he saw politics: as an opportunity to be of assistance to others, and as a way to build peace. He ties the concept of peacebuilding and the importance of service together beautifully in this speech, which is devoted to the importance of the Peace Corps in solving 21st century challenges.
Twenty-two years after Sargent Shriver spoke these words and 13 years after his passing, we still find value in their meaning. We know all too well that our inability to see each other as human beings can lead to death; indeed, we are seeing this reality every day in ongoing conflicts around the world. As 2024 comes to an end and we begin a new year, may we have the strength and the insight to lay down our weapons, be they literal or figurative, and to see the humanity in each other. In doing so, we will take the first steps towards an enduring peace.
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