The human civilization has always been shadowed by the dark clouds of war. As the ability of man to conquer nature increases, so does its ability to destroy the earth and itself. In the 20th century, two world wars brought a huge disaster. Due to the increase in the lethality of military weapons, the primary cause of death was direct military conflict, rather than disease. After the end of the Cold War, civilized conflicts, differences in values, and conflicts of national interests remained. It will lead to constant wars, and racial conflicts and hatred remain widespread. After the 9.11 attacks, in the United States emerged anti-Muslimism and stigmatization of Islam. Peace education was considered “unpatriotic.” Although peace is the desire of mankind, it has become a luxury. War and conflict have emerged as one of the major problems with the modern world. An effective solution to this problem is through peace education.
The commercialization of violence and the violent entertainment drive the violence in the mass media and use violence to attract people’s attention and earn profits and reputation. In most film and television works, justice is just a gimmick, and violence is the core element that attracts people. “Not all violence is deadly. It begins with anger, intolerance, impatience, unfair judgement and aggression. It is often reflected in our language, our entertainment, our driving, our competitive behavior, and the way we treat our environment. The acts and attitudes are not the same as abusive behavior or physical attacks, but they create a climate where violence prospers and peace suffers. (US Catholic Bishops).” Violence has even developed into an aesthetic. The simplification and intensification of the contradictory manifestation of violence distorted the real contradictions in real life, and evaded the inherent spiritual needs of man. Such kind of “education” is destroying the aspiration for peace in the younger generations and brainwashing them about cruelty and violence.
People may pay little attention to the fact that, in primary and secondary school curricula, violence, though not manifested directly in the form of bloodshed, prevails in an implicit manner. Taking history lessons as an example, revolutions, wars, and uprisings have been given the idealized praise. The two warring sides are seen as opposing each other. The opponent is reduced to the target that one needs to eliminate, not the same kind of human being that one must respect. Looking at the entire history class of teaching materials, more attention is paid to the use of war strategies and the outcomes of the war, but there is a general lack of reflection and criticism of the cruelty of the war as a means. According to Pope John Paul II: “Never again war, which destroys the lives of innocent people, teaches how to kill, throws into upheaval even the lives of those who do the killing and leaves behind a trail of resentment and hatred (Pope John Paul II).” Such an important teaching is not embodied in today’s education.
In contrast, peace is seen more as an international and political business. It seems to be a matter that politicians need to worry about and has little to do with ordinary citizens. It can be expected that the symbolic and embellishment peace educations often fall apart in the face of actual conflicts of interest. Such indifference should be criticized. In the 2010 film, I Am, Tom Shadyac began to realize the truth about the world. The answer to the question: “what is wrong with the world?” lies in the title: “I am.” If every member of the human race makes a little change, the effect would be tremendous. Sadly, most people don’t realize this and are thus reluctant to act. In addition, the theme of environmental protection continues to emerge in education. But in scientific studies, such as physics, chemistry, biology, the emphasis is on the development of students’ instrumental rationality or the mastery of knowledge and the conquest of nature. This leads to the emergence of heartless and soulless politicians and scientists, who are capable of more damage than ordinary people.
Faced with the problems of violence media and lack of peace education, a basic understanding of peace must be established. There have been many discussions on globalization and peace. We recognize that this global opportunity for thinking and action is the result of global awareness, responsibility and solidarity. Interdependent and closely linked economic networks al