Peace is a question of will. All conflicts can be settled, and

Hear the steady voice of the peacemaker, Martti Ahtisaari, who declared: “Peace is a question of will. All conflicts can be settled, and there are no excuses for allowing them to become eternal.” These words shine like iron hammered upon the anvil of experience, for they were spoken by one who spent his life mediating between enemies, seeking to quiet the roar of war and replace it with the gentle breath of reconciliation. They carry not the weight of empty ideals, but the strength of lived truth: that no conflict is beyond healing if men and women possess the will to heal it.

For what is peace, if not a decision of the heart before it is a treaty on parchment? Many believe conflict is inevitable, that hatred between peoples is endless, that war is eternal. Yet Ahtisaari unmasks this illusion. Wars persist not because they cannot end, but because leaders refuse to yield, to forgive, to compromise. The obstacle is not fate, nor destiny, but the stubbornness of human pride. Thus he reminds us: the root of peace is not found in circumstance, but in the will to choose it.

History itself bears witness to this truth. Recall the long division of South Africa, scarred by the chains of apartheid. For generations, it seemed that hatred between races would never end, that the conflict was eternal. Yet when Nelson Mandela was released, and when he and F.W. de Klerk summoned the courage to speak, the will for peace overcame centuries of bitterness. Through will, reconciliation was born. What many declared impossible became reality. Conflict was not eternal; it was ended by choice.

Ahtisaari himself lived this creed. In Namibia, Kosovo, and Indonesia, he labored as mediator, guiding enemies to sit at one table. His life proved his words: when both sides commit to peace, no quarrel is too deep, no history too violent. But when will is absent, even the smallest dispute can grow into rivers of blood. Thus the power of human will is double-edged: it can sustain war, or it can create peace. The question is never “Can it end?” but “Do we choose to end it?”

The phrase “no excuses” is sharp as a blade. It pierces the justifications men create to prolong enmity—claims of ancient hatred, of irreconcilable differences, of debts that must be repaid in blood. These excuses are illusions, cloaks for pride and power. Ahtisaari strips them away: there is no excuse for allowing war to endure generation after generation. The suffering of innocents, the destruction of futures—none of this is justified when peace could be chosen instead.

O children of tomorrow, take this wisdom to heart: in your own life, conflicts will arise—between family, between friends, between communities. Do not tell yourself they cannot end, or that bitterness must last forever. Instead, ask: “Do I have the will to make peace?” Often it requires humility, the courage to forgive, and the sacrifice of pride. Yet as Ahtisaari teaches, when the will is present, reconciliation is always possible.

Thus, let us carry forward his lesson: peace is not a miracle—it is a choice. All conflicts, great or small, can be settled if the will is strong enough. Refuse the excuses that bind hatred to eternity. Summon the courage to end disputes, to forgive, to rebuild. For the destiny of nations and the healing of souls alike rests not in chance, but in the steadfast will to choose peace. And in this choice, humanity’s truest strength is revealed.