I like to believe that people in the long run are going to do more to promote peace than our governments.

I like to believe that people in the long run are going to do more to promote peace than our governments. – Dwight D. Eisenhower

President Eisenhower in the Rose Garden with an early group of organizers of the (then) government sponsored People to People organization.

What does that mean?
To me, this is a quote only a warrior could make. It is a twitter-friendly version of a longer quote: “I like to believe that people in the long run are going to do more to promote peace than our governments. Indeed, I think that people want peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of the way and let them have it.”

This is the quote of a warrior who has seen enough of war. His quote appears to recognize that the people of the world have power over their governments, at least in theory. In practice, it doesn’t always work out as well, as the people of Syria are presently experiencing.

His stated hope is for the people of the world to pressure their governments for peace. Since the quote, there have been several wars that have been influenced by the peace movement. Whether for good or ill is still debated. Of course, this quote is more easily realized in a democracy than in a dictatorship. There is also the issue of offensive vs defensive wars. However, both these topics are beyond the scope of this post.

Why are the people of the world important?  
It’s just math, if a bit the Utopian side of life. If everyone said there was to be no more war, war would simply be ended. But it wouldn’t last forever. It would only last until the first person figured out that they could gain something by attacking someone else.

Ethnic and religious tensions, competition for resources (including water and arable land), are but a few of the factors that have triggered wars in the past and in the present. They will also probably trigger them in the future.

The most difficult wars to stop are the ones where the bulk of the populations of both sides are aligned with the war, and not aligned (as the quote hopes) against it. That is why the word Utopian was used in a prior paragraph. Humanity just isn’t evolved as yet. Perhaps someday, but not likely very soon.

In the mean time, it’s up to the people of the planet to do what they can to reign in their government, and attempt (as much as they can) to prevent wars of offense. Unfortunately, those who wish to start wars can usually find an excuse to get their public on their side. We can always start with reaching out and trying to understand each other.

Where can I apply this in my life?
Ike, as he was called, was a man of planning. But he was also a man of action. One of the things he did to as President of the United States was create the People to People International, as an official government organization which he subsequently helped to privatize.

The purpose of the organization was to help ease Cold War tensions and help with cultural exchanges between youth of Western and Soviet Block countries. Since inception, the program has expanded in many areas (see the above link for a brief description of them). Probably the best known branch of the organization is the People to People Student Ambassador Program.

I am familiar with the Student Ambassador Program through my son, who has traveled with them twice. In the process, he has learned quite a bit about the true meaning of old (Roman forts) and future planning (oak trees planted to replace the great beams in building over 100 years from now), as well as meeting and interacting with other kids from several different countries, speaking several different languages.

I don’t know if this one act will bring world peace, but it has helped my son get a broader view of the world and how others approach some of the same challenges we have in our country. Everywhere there are concerns about water, roads, food, and other resources, although in the Netherlands, the water issue usually had to do with having too much of it.

While traveling the world is a great way to learn first hand, it is also expensive. While there are less expensive ways to travel, but there are also less expensive ways to learn. If you live in a large enough town or city, you may have local ethnic clubs or organizations you could call or visit.

People who used to live somewhere else can tell you first hand what life is like in their countries, and help you understand their approaches to life and to their cultural views. Again, a conversation won’t likely bring about world peace, but each step, no matter how small, moves us closer, and is a worthy exercise.

Understanding is a good first step in the promotion of peace. Often there are mutually agreeable solutions available, if only we understood the objectives, motivations, and needs of others.

From: Twitter, @billjryan
confirmed at : http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/d/dwightdei136898.html
Photo by Unknown

On 6 June 1944, the D-Day invasion began under the command and direction of then Allied Supreme Commander, General of the Army, Dwight D. Eisenhower.