Peace is more of an inner state of calmness and harmony, than something external. This is what Epoch Times reporters from Brazil to Bulgaria discovered when they asked locals:
  Sao Paulo, Brazil
Natalia Vorobiev, 20, College Admission AttendantI understand that peace happens when you’re comfortable with yourself. It is not something external; it is not a world peace, but something inside yourself. This is my opinion. |
  Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.
Brandan Jones, 27, Freelance Artist When everyone in the room is okay with compromise. |
  Dobrich, Bulgaria
Gulser Ismail, 24, Archeologist Peace, apart from lack of war, means calmness and harmony to me. Peace is something that all people and countries crave. We all need to crave peace. But as we live in a relatively peaceful country, we cannot appreciate peace like people in other countries, like Afghanistan for example. |
  Islamabad, Pakistan
Huma Shafqet, 25, University Professor I define peace as, peace of mind, contentment. If every individual is peaceful then the society they live in will naturally be peaceful. In Pakistan the majority of people do not have complete inner peace, they only have partial peace of mind; I think this is due to the fact that Pakistan is a developing country and citizens are still striving to become better. |
  Iquitos, Peru
Sergio Nunez, 32, Doctor The word peace I define it in two ways: External peace could be the tranquility and the inner peace could be the harmony, and the combination of both has as a result—the balance that must be in every human being. Every human being, I think is a universe and, therefore, we must find that balance. In my case, as a doctor, I need to find my balance with the good care and attention that I have to give to my patients. … Man must be a researcher, be open to these new skills to achieve wisdom, and gain personal fulfillment and peace with the world. |
  Aneby, Sweden
Peter Lindberg, 61, Project Manager In our country, the society have not even come to terms with their past regarding the orphanages and foster care children who have been neglected during their childhood, while they remained under the community’s supervision. You cannot create peace in neither the country nor the mind without first looking back and then straightening up your mistakes. |
  Wellington, New Zealand
Luke Doig, 22, Photographer I guess I would define peace as everyone living harmoniously. Everyone being able to get along, and having enough resources to live without fear of not being able to achieve what they want to achieve in life. And making that a realistic possibility for everyone. I guess the government plays quite a big role in that. If you’re determined enough to make your goals, it’s always going to happen. But obviously, it’s easier for some people rather than others; because [some] people aren’t sort of desperate to achieve their goals, and aren’t desperate to do things to look after their families. |
  Canary Islands, Spain
Jorge Hidalgo, 62, Merchant Peace is the absence of war. It’s all we should be and do. I think people aren’t clear what peace is all about. People think it is fine to fight for everything, … and I think that living that way is not right and it’s not justified. We must [a] have deep conscience of how much sorrow, sadness, and pain, wars and violence provoke. |
  Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Bernardo Magina Teixeira, 22, Communications and Arts Student It is a feeling that all men and women are trying to achieve, sometimes in a utopic way. However, this feeling will never be real if one does not find it inside him or herself. This means that there is no point in designing a peace for all, a utopic peace, if mankind does not have its moral nature, and its pleasures satisfied. |
  Toowoomba, Australia
Mark Merchant, 40, Builder The only way you will ever get peace is not have greed. While there’s greed you will never have peace. |
  Sri Lanka (resident in Dubai)
Roy, 48, Chef Peace to me is when you finish work and you come home, and you go out into the garden and do some gardening. That is very pretty and I think it’s very peaceful. |
Look for the Global Q&A column every week. Epoch Times correspondents interview people around the world to learn about their lives and perspectives on local and global realities. Next week’s global question: “What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever done?” |
