The following is junior Samantha Petersen’s winning essay in the USS Missouri Essay Contest.

Peace for the World

From the very beginning mankind has sought for an ever-lasting peace agreement one with another, however all agreements up to this day eventually failed and no system ever developed has truly eliminated war. To develop what we need for ever-lasting peace among all nations, every single one of us in the world today must change. General Douglas MacArthur gave a radio address after the Japanese surrender at the end of World War II, in which he stated the following, “[The change] must be of the spirit if we are to save the flesh” (radio address after ceremony to world audience, Sep. 2, 1945). General MacArthur was correct when he stated this; we must change from the inside if we are to change the things around us and prevent another war. To make this change we must first understand what we need to become and make that understanding who we are.

The first step we need to take to start bringing about peace in our world is to eliminate the contentious nature of man. To do this we must change what’s inside of us, we must become peacemakers with the fellow men of our everyday lives. First of all, we need to come to understand and accept the difficulty and challenges this change will present. Secondly, we should understand what a peacemaker is and incorporate this understanding into our everyday habits. By definition a peacemaker is a person, group, or nation that tries to make peace; by this definition we should live our lives accordingly and follow after the things which make for peace. To do this we must change the things we do, or in other words, our behavior.

The second and last step to start bringing about peace is to change our behavior and become peacemakers. We should refrain from criticizing, complaining, or speaking unkindly to or about others and have compassion and kindness scream in our every action. We mustn’t argue but speak peaceably to one another, apologize if we err, have gratitude for the simple things, humble ourselves, and use the golden rule: treat others as you would want to be treated. It’s the simple things that prevent a war. If we are to ever have peace among all nations, every individual in every nation must do their part.

In conclusion, we must lift a standard of peace among all worldly nations if we are to prevent another war. General MacArthur’s words could not ring truer; in order to save ourselves and prevent wars and contentions, the behavior of every human on planet Earth must change. The solution doesn’t need to be complicated in order to work; it can be as simple as bringing cookies to North Korea.

USS Missouri Essay Contest article