I could start a war in 30 seconds. But some countries spend 100

In the powerful words of Sylvester Stallone, "I could start a war in 30 seconds. But some countries spend 100 years trying to find peace. Just like good manners, peace has to be learned." These words speak to the delicate and profound nature of peace—an ideal that requires patience, understanding, and deliberate effort, not just to achieve, but to sustain. Stallone acknowledges a harsh truth: conflict can be ignited almost instantly, but true peace is not so easily attained. It demands much more than the absence of war; it requires an active practice, much like the cultivation of manners, that must be learned and nurtured over time. The fleeting nature of war, so easily triggered, stands in stark contrast to the long-term effort needed to build a lasting peace, one that reflects the highest ideals of human dignity and cooperation.

This ancient wisdom about peace, and the struggle to attain it, can be traced back to the Greek philosophers, who spent much of their lives contemplating the nature of society and human relations. Plato, in his ideal society described in The Republic, emphasized that peace is not simply the absence of conflict but the presence of justice and harmony. He believed that true peace could only be attained when each individual within society fulfilled their proper role, contributing to the common good. This idea that peace requires deliberate action, understanding, and moral development is reflected in Stallone’s words—peace is something that has to be learned, nurtured, and constantly maintained by every individual and every society.

Consider the example of Rome, one of the most powerful empires in history. The Roman Pax, or “Pax Romana,” was a period of relative peace and stability that lasted for over two centuries, beginning under the reign of Augustus Caesar. But this peace was not achieved through force alone. It was built on the principles of justice, cooperation, and mutual respect that Augustus and his successors carefully cultivated. The peace that the Romans enjoyed was not merely a byproduct of military dominance but a carefully constructed social order that prioritized the well-being of the empire’s diverse peoples. It was a peace that took centuries to build, a peace rooted in the belief that good governance and just laws were essential for creating harmony. Like Stallone’s assertion, this peace was not instant; it had to be learned and practiced by those in power and those who were governed alike.

In the modern era, we see the same struggle for lasting peace in the aftermath of the World Wars. Following the devastation of World War II, countries across Europe, Asia, and the world sought to rebuild and create lasting frameworks for peace. The formation of the United Nations in 1945 was an attempt to learn from the mistakes of the past, to create systems of diplomacy and cooperation that would prevent future wars. The Cold War that followed proved that peace could not be simply achieved by the end of active conflict—it required a constant effort, a willingness to listen and engage with those who had once been enemies, to find common ground even in the midst of deep ideological divisions. Stallone’s words echo this hard truth: peace, much like good manners, is something that must be learned and practiced by every generation.

The lesson we can take from Stallone’s words is one of humility and patience. The ease with which war can be started serves as a stark reminder that peace requires constant effort and vigilance. It is not enough to wish for peace or to dream of it; we must actively work toward it in every aspect of our lives, whether it be in our personal relationships, in our communities, or on the world stage. Peace is not a passive ideal; it is a commitment that requires the collective effort of all who wish to live in a just and harmonious world. Just as we must teach our children the value of good manners, so too must we teach them the importance of peace—how to engage with others in ways that promote understanding, respect, and cooperation.

In practical terms, this means that we must take responsibility for the peace within our own lives. We must begin by learning how to resolve conflicts calmly and respectfully in our personal interactions. In our communities, we must advocate for justice and reconciliation, working to dismantle the barriers that divide us and seeking solutions that uplift everyone. On the global scale, we must invest in diplomacy, engage with diverse cultures, and actively work to prevent conflict before it begins. Peace is not something that happens in a moment; it is something that must be taught, learned, and maintained through constant effort.

Thus, let us heed Stallone’s wisdom and understand that while war can be sparked in a moment, peace is the result of a lifelong commitment. Whether in small acts of kindness or international agreements, we must strive to learn peace and pass it down through generations. The challenge for each of us is to recognize that peace is not a distant ideal but a living practice that we must actively shape with patience, understanding, and commitment. Let us commit ourselves to the task of learning and teaching peace, for it is only through this effort that we can create a world where future generations will not know the horrors of war, but will live in the stability, justice, and prosperity that true peace brings.