Lark Lo looks at Peace Education in the context of improving the work we live in. 

"The ultimate goal of peace education is the formation of responsible, committed, and caring citizens who have integrated the values into everyday life and acquired the skills to advocate for them," -  Berty Reardon.

The idea of peace education is that we construct from the youngest in our society, citizens that can negotiate conflict, communicate, and cooperate.

Anti-bias work is a continuous process it will be something that you must always do, because bias is a tool of oppression. Bias enforces the classist and racist structure within our socioeconomic system. Then, Bias is combined with Adam Smith’s “invisible hand” to hold your face and turns it away from justice.

But once you are aware of these biases, after you have had conversations on racism, gender, & nationalism, and have begun to chip away at them, are you prepared?

Are you prepared to sprint around the track of liberty. Will it be a dash among equals or will you still be leaping hurdles?

Are you teaching your children to be prepared?

What are we teaching about cooperation & love? How seriously do you take play?

Are we teaching our children to be distrusting, to view their fellow students as deceitful rivals and adversaries?

For working class children and the most economically oppressed, to be taught to view your neighbors and family in a suspicious manner is a true disservice, oppression feeds on suspicion and mistrust. Marginalized people who do not trust each other, lose the power of community, and this is often their greatest advocate & sustainer.

The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh taught me patience. Not patience with others, but patience with myself, the patience to learn, and the patience to be open.

Marie Montessori provided me a map with her essays, "Educate for Peace" which highlights Montessori’s lifelong dedication to peace and equity internationally.

The founder of the social justice oriented Reggio Emilia, Loris Malaguzzi, believed to create a society that is rooted in justice a society must start with justice for its youngest members.

As we move towards a society where (de)information can easily be obtained via the tap of a few keys our interactions with our fellow humans are important and it is even more important to teach children the reasons why cooperation and communication are important.

How do we communicate? This is something that we’re losing. Cooperation and conflict resolution is one of the most important tools that groups have, even groups of 4-year-olds.

We aren’t going to achieve liberty by exclusion of others using in-group signals and retreating to the life-stylism. Act from your ideas and beliefs, don’t react to hate. Avoiding reactionary responses is difficult, I understand that.

We need to practice for when we are free, because our work has to be about the truth that This getting better Is possible, because Another World is Possible.


Lark Lo produces and owns Black Kids in Outer Space 

Follow Lark Lo on Twitter @willstartsmall



Revisiting PEACE Education

Lark Lo looks at Peace Education in the context of improving the work we live in. 

"The ultimate goal of peace education is the formation of responsible, committed, and caring citizens who have integrated the values into everyday life and acquired the skills to advocate for them," -  Berty Reardon.

The idea of peace education is that we construct from the youngest in our society, citizens that can negotiate conflict, communicate, and cooperate.

Anti-bias work is a continuous process it will be something that you must always do, because bias is a tool of oppression. Bias enforces the classist and racist structure within our socioeconomic system. Then, Bias is combined with Adam Smith’s “invisible hand” to hold your face and turns it away from justice.

But once you are aware of these biases, after you have had conversations on racism, gender, & nationalism, and have begun to chip away at them, are you prepared?

Are you prepared to sprint around the track of liberty. Will it be a dash among equals or will you still be leaping hurdles?

Are you teaching your children to be prepared?

What are we teaching about cooperation & love? How seriously do you take play?

Are we teaching our children to be distrusting, to view their fellow students as deceitful rivals and adversaries?

For working class children and the most economically oppressed, to be taught to view your neighbors and family in a suspicious manner is a true disservice, oppression feeds on suspicion and mistrust. Marginalized people who do not trust each other, lose the power of community, and this is often their greatest advocate & sustainer.

The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh taught me patience. Not patience with others, but patience with myself, the patience to learn, and the patience to be open.

Marie Montessori provided me a map with her essays, "Educate for Peace" which highlights Montessori’s lifelong dedication to peace and equity internationally.

The founder of the social justice oriented Reggio Emilia, Loris Malaguzzi, believed to create a society that is rooted in justice a society must start with justice for its youngest members.

As we move towards a society where (de)information can easily be obtained via the tap of a few keys our interactions with our fellow humans are important and it is even more important to teach children the reasons why cooperation and communication are important.

How do we communicate? This is something that we’re losing. Cooperation and conflict resolution is one of the most important tools that groups have, even groups of 4-year-olds.

We aren’t going to achieve liberty by exclusion of others using in-group signals and retreating to the life-stylism. Act from your ideas and beliefs, don’t react to hate. Avoiding reactionary responses is difficult, I understand that.

We need to practice for when we are free, because our work has to be about the truth that This getting better Is possible, because Another World is Possible.


Lark Lo produces and owns Black Kids in Outer Space 

Follow Lark Lo on Twitter @willstartsmall



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