Introduction
The Student Movement for the Culture of Peace Club (SMCP) hosted the Dialogue Buddies in collaboration with the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) on March 28th, 2024, at Soka University of America (SUA). Dialogue Buddies is a monthly lunch event initiated by the DEI to foster meaningful conversations about global topics at the SUA campus to enable participants to deepen their understanding of the world. Furthermore, it aims to form lasting connections that transcend cultural and academic boundaries, embodying the beauty of liberal arts education at SUA.
Discussion
The topic of the March Dialogue Buddies was peace. In light of ongoing conflicts and international instabilities, the participants reflected upon how each individual can contribute to peace in daily life. Example questions the SMCP and the DEI prepared include “What does peace mean to you?”; “Do you think you can contribute to peace?” As the culture of peace emphasizes the individual’s unlimited capacity to enhance peace in society, the participants realized the value of embodying the culture of peace at the individual level to bring peace in a broader context. One participant shared the importance of creating harmony in their immediate surrounding since peace can be built on an individual level. Another brought the significance of having a human-to-human dialogue on news about ongoing wars because of the polarization in social media that easily dehumanizes people.
On top of the discussion questions, one of the groups discussed peace education at Soka University of America (SUA). One faculty member emphasized the importance of introducing a peace theory course as a requirement at SUA, considering the peace-oriented nature of the university. The group got into a lively discussion on the significance of peace-theoretical understanding for students. One student suggested that the peace theory class should apply to other fields, not exclusively to the context of international studies, since different students engage in different areas of work in the future. The group members expected that having an abstract framework of peace and reconciliation, as well as practical skills of dialogue, would establish a common ground among students that can also be practiced within the campus and foster a concrete capacity of global citizenship.
Conclusion
Throughout the dialogue, the participants were determined to continue their daily commitments to peace-building as members of Soka University of America, a peace university. Many students often share the powerlessness they feel when they witness horrible atrocities committed against humanity in today’s world. However, if we stop making efforts to create peace, that is the moment when peace deteriorates and a more unlivable society to come. We, as the Student Movement for the Culture of Peace Club (SMCP), will vigorously continue to foster the culture of peace toward a world without any form of war and violence.