Rockridge High School
Taylor Ridge, IL
Teacher: Mrs. Barb Downey
By Lindsay Behrensmeyer
12th Grade
Is power a negative or a positive thing? When we see the word “power,” we automatically assume certain qualities that it has. “Power” is forceful. “Power” is strength. “Power”can destroy anything at will. Many assume that the rules of power can never be changed. But, what if the rules were broken? What if the ideas of power were compromised into something greater? In the way we see it now, power can move anything or anyone that stands in its way. But what if not people and structures were destroyed, but ideas? Ideas of hate, violence, and inequality could be destroyed if people turned the ideas of power upside down. This would ultimately lead to an evolution little seen, but widely known and hoped for. This idea is peace. It is an idea that has always been right under our noses, but yet only few have been able to get a whiff of it.
It is obvious that negative attributes are often associated with power. These negative effects can ultimately lead to war. This word can strike terror in grown men and can put fear into an entire nation.
By taking the words of some wise people and applying them to life, the world can take one more step into making peace a natural part of human existence. Cicero gave us one great anti-war quote involving the use of positive human power. This quote exemplifies the prospect of mind over violence. In a letter to his friend Atticus, Cicero stated, “I prefer the most unjust peace to the justest war that was ever waged.”
Cicero was a student of law in Rome at around 69 BC. Cicero led the party that joined Pompey in an attack upon Caesar and his followers. Cicero recalls the downfall of Caesar’s Republic in his letters to his friend Atticus.
Cicero’s statement proves the fact that peace is far better and more secure than any war. But unjust peace is not unjust. It is impossible for happiness to be unjust or undeserved if it exists in a world without violence or disagreement. There is one man who had the same concept for peace as Cicero, although the two men lived in very different times. This man is Muhammad Ali.
Ali was not just a boxer. He was and is a Black Muslim with strong beliefs. One such belief is the opposition of war. Ali refused induction into the US Army in 1967. The boxing establishment in New York revoked Ali’s boxing license and stripped him of his championship title. In 1971, the Supreme Court finally upheld Ali’s draft appeal.
Ali was very brave when he refused to go to war. To him, war was something that had nothing to do with what he was about. This could be the case with many people, but few have the ability to pronounce their opposition for fear of the consequences. It is the right of a person to have his/her own beliefs and proclaim them. But it is a right that few take advantage of. This negative power of consequence needs to be replaced with peace to make the world a forum for a new vision. This vision is now overpowered by the relentless fear that consequences have over the human mind.
These facts are astounding: “Peace is rare: Less than 8% of time since the beginning of recorded time has the world been entirely at peace. In a total of 3,530 years, 286 have been warless. Eight thousand treaties have been broken in this time.”
Why is it that a reality the world has been looking for has been overshadowed by violence? Leaders and their countries are constantly eager to react after any action is taken against them. This causes a meaningless chain of anger. Can this chain be broken? It can be if people stop acting upon their rage at an immediate moment of impact. If a person renders suffering on someone else, why is it the sufferers’ instinct to cause suffering as well? Why must one give back the meaningless anger brought upon them? If all people would rely not on the powers of anger, but rely on the powers of peace, then only good things will happen.
An example of the potential for people to make peace lies in the words of Ben Herbster. Herbster said, “The greatest waste in the world is the difference between what we are and what we could become.”
Rev. Dr. Ben Herbster was a huge force in volunteer work. Herbster founded the United Church of Christ, and through it created opportunities for the elderly to receive aid. He spent years volunteering and undertaking the development of many programs. These programs now help elderly people live more securely.
Right now, we just assume that war happens and there is nothing that we can do about it. We could let go of this assumption and become something greater. We could eliminate violence and terror from the minds of those who wish to destroy human lives just to make themselves seem more powerful. It is true that people can evolve into a greater form of themselves. This evolution can begin by overpowering problems with the mind. Then, eventually, this power could catch up to the devastation of war.
In conclusion, there is one final quote that all should take into consideration: “To preserve peace, we need weapons of smaller, and men of larger caliber.” Which is more effective: grabbing a weapon to release anger, or actually stopping to think about what can be accomplished through the use of the mind? Right now, power is having the ability to hold a machine with the capability of ending a life. The potential for power, however, is to use the mind as the one and only weapon the world will ever need. If power could prepare the world for peace, then the mind will have the ability to take on all the enemies in the world. And through peace, these enemies will eventually be eliminated.
“Muhammad Ali.” On-line. Internet. 30 Dec. 2001. Available WWW:
“United Church Homes.” On-line. Internet. 3 Jan. 2002. Available WWW:
http://www.nuwavemedia.com/uch/pages/FAQ/faq.htm