Captain Shunsui Kyōraku (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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fandomhigh2022-09-08 03:53 am
sake_shinigami) wrote in fandomhigh2022-09-08 03:53 am
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The Art of Peace; Thursday, Third Period [09/08].
Once again, the students would enter their classroom to find a ring of comfortable cushions and pillows arranged at the center, and their instructor already comfortably sitting on one of them, a cup of tea in his hand, a pot and several more cups for the students waiting before him. On the board, scrawled in large letters to take up the space was a quote:
"Peace is always beautiful. - Walt Whitman"
Shunsui smiled quite peacefully himself at the students as the settled into their spots and, once they had and the offer of tea was made, he began.
"Hello, ducklings ♥," Shunsui greeted the students. "Welcome back ♥. I assure you, not every class will be quite like this, sitting around and discussing matters, but it is a rather good way to ease on into our exploration of the Art of Peace, neh ♥? And today, I'd like to ask a very important question that will no doubt guide us on the rest of our journey, and that is....what is Peace, exactly? What does it mean to be peace-ful? Let's explore, shall we ♥?
"Peace can mean a great many things to a great many people, and nearly everyone is likely to have their very own, very different answer ♥. But, ultimately, it is viewed as a society or relationship operating in harmony without any violent conflict ♥. This could mean actual physical violence, or one could argue that it extends to emotional and psychological violence as well. Some view peace as the absence of hostility; others believe it includes the healing of a previously violent or difficult relationship. And, obviously, internationally speaking, peacetime is a time without any warlike conflicts ♥. That's the easy one, the big one. But what about peace within ourselves?
"Just as everyone is different, everyone is going to have their own personal thoughts on what they consider to be the ultimate peace ♥. The word itself is Anglo-Saxon in origin, meaning 'free from civil disorder.' It has been used as a greeting, especially as renderings of the Hebrew word Shalom ♥, similar to the Arabic salaam ♥, which have multiple meanings: safety, welfare, prosperity, security, fortune, friendliness.... ♥. Many people have considered it to encompass respect, justice, and goodwill, too ♥. Quiet also enters the picture, recalling meditation and serenity, in the search for tranquility, an absence of disturbance or agitation ♥.
"Clearly, many religions have their tenants of peace, as well. Buddhists believe that peace is achieved when all suffering ends, following the Four Noble Truths: the Noble Truth of Suffering, the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering, and the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering, the Noble Truth of the Path that leads to the Cessation of Suffering ♥. Suffering comes from craving the things that make life, both good and bad, and only when one can escape these cravings can they start the path on the cessation of suffering, and, in a sense, obtaining one particular kind of peace ♥.
"The Jewish and Christian faiths believe ultimate peace comes from a personal relationship with God ♥. Jesus Christ, the son of God, imparted to his Christian followers, 'Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.' It is through that connection with a higher being that they find the center...and source...of peace ♥. And when we look at Islam, one of the translations of the Arabic word is peace; it also means submission to Allah. This submission is based on humility and an attitude of humility within one's own self cannot be accomplished without total rejection of violence and attitude of alliance towards peace ♥.
"These are, of course, ideals ♥. After all, there are great histories of violence committed in the act of religion, which would seem to go directly against the tenants just mentioned in their ideals of peace ♥. If your idea of peace is linked to a connection with your god, and your connection with your god does not allow for other beliefs, is a break in the peace acceptable? Must one create war to then achieve peace, or is it all too counter-intuitive? Can a peace achieved through war truly be considered peaceful?
"Let us keep in mind that most times of peace come only after a war, where one party has completely vanquished or conquered another. As Georges Clemenceau, the prime minister of the country of France during this world's World War I, said, 'I don't know whether war is an interlude during peace, or peace an interlude during war.' Is a post-war peacetime true peace? Does the achievement of peace justify the warlike actions that brought it? A very, very big question, that men have been asking themselves for ages ♥. My own realm seems to have a rather annoying habit of finding itself in long stretches of peace interspersed with sudden and violent wars of upheaval. Are they merely breaths between wars, a moment's pause before the next one? Is war inevitable? What does that say of peace? Is it even worth striving for, if it must constantly be fought for?
"And what of inner peace ♥? Often, peace on the wider scale can seem overwhelming for a person, especially if they themselves are not at peace ♥. Inner peace is described as being strong in the face of trouble or stress, and is often achieved through meditation or other activities ♥. Inner peace, one could assume, is highly individual; each person should have a different way to achieve it. But are some better than others? Is, say, one who reaches inner peace through meditation and closing out the world around them achieving a better form of inner peace, than, say, oh, I don't know, someone who may find it at the bottom of a bottle of sake, hmmm ♥? What of those who find their inner peace in violence? I'm sure it wouldn't take us long at all to find someone who resembles that remark, I know several just off the top of my head, and we may not even have to go beyond this very classroom for it ♥.
"But enough from me ♥. I'm sure the only peace I've accomplished with this ramble is the peace that can be obtained through slumber ♥. After all, it is Eleanor Roosevelt who said that it 'isn't enough to talk about peace....' ♥
"But..." Here Shunsui broke off with a faint chuckle, "talk about it is exactly what we'll be doing....for now ♥. This is, obviously, a very large topic, with many nuances and facets, and I'd like to know what you think ♥. What are you own personal philosophies on peace ♥? What does your society say about it? What obstacles present itself in obtaining your ideal of true peace ♥? No wrong answers, of course ♥! Just a discussion to help understand and maybe open our minds and eyes to perspectives that may not be our own ♥.
"Who would like to begin ♥?"
"Peace is always beautiful. - Walt Whitman"
Shunsui smiled quite peacefully himself at the students as the settled into their spots and, once they had and the offer of tea was made, he began.
"Hello, ducklings ♥," Shunsui greeted the students. "Welcome back ♥. I assure you, not every class will be quite like this, sitting around and discussing matters, but it is a rather good way to ease on into our exploration of the Art of Peace, neh ♥? And today, I'd like to ask a very important question that will no doubt guide us on the rest of our journey, and that is....what is Peace, exactly? What does it mean to be peace-ful? Let's explore, shall we ♥?
"Peace can mean a great many things to a great many people, and nearly everyone is likely to have their very own, very different answer ♥. But, ultimately, it is viewed as a society or relationship operating in harmony without any violent conflict ♥. This could mean actual physical violence, or one could argue that it extends to emotional and psychological violence as well. Some view peace as the absence of hostility; others believe it includes the healing of a previously violent or difficult relationship. And, obviously, internationally speaking, peacetime is a time without any warlike conflicts ♥. That's the easy one, the big one. But what about peace within ourselves?
"Just as everyone is different, everyone is going to have their own personal thoughts on what they consider to be the ultimate peace ♥. The word itself is Anglo-Saxon in origin, meaning 'free from civil disorder.' It has been used as a greeting, especially as renderings of the Hebrew word Shalom ♥, similar to the Arabic salaam ♥, which have multiple meanings: safety, welfare, prosperity, security, fortune, friendliness.... ♥. Many people have considered it to encompass respect, justice, and goodwill, too ♥. Quiet also enters the picture, recalling meditation and serenity, in the search for tranquility, an absence of disturbance or agitation ♥.
"Clearly, many religions have their tenants of peace, as well. Buddhists believe that peace is achieved when all suffering ends, following the Four Noble Truths: the Noble Truth of Suffering, the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering, and the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering, the Noble Truth of the Path that leads to the Cessation of Suffering ♥. Suffering comes from craving the things that make life, both good and bad, and only when one can escape these cravings can they start the path on the cessation of suffering, and, in a sense, obtaining one particular kind of peace ♥.
"The Jewish and Christian faiths believe ultimate peace comes from a personal relationship with God ♥. Jesus Christ, the son of God, imparted to his Christian followers, 'Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.' It is through that connection with a higher being that they find the center...and source...of peace ♥. And when we look at Islam, one of the translations of the Arabic word is peace; it also means submission to Allah. This submission is based on humility and an attitude of humility within one's own self cannot be accomplished without total rejection of violence and attitude of alliance towards peace ♥.
"These are, of course, ideals ♥. After all, there are great histories of violence committed in the act of religion, which would seem to go directly against the tenants just mentioned in their ideals of peace ♥. If your idea of peace is linked to a connection with your god, and your connection with your god does not allow for other beliefs, is a break in the peace acceptable? Must one create war to then achieve peace, or is it all too counter-intuitive? Can a peace achieved through war truly be considered peaceful?
"Let us keep in mind that most times of peace come only after a war, where one party has completely vanquished or conquered another. As Georges Clemenceau, the prime minister of the country of France during this world's World War I, said, 'I don't know whether war is an interlude during peace, or peace an interlude during war.' Is a post-war peacetime true peace? Does the achievement of peace justify the warlike actions that brought it? A very, very big question, that men have been asking themselves for ages ♥. My own realm seems to have a rather annoying habit of finding itself in long stretches of peace interspersed with sudden and violent wars of upheaval. Are they merely breaths between wars, a moment's pause before the next one? Is war inevitable? What does that say of peace? Is it even worth striving for, if it must constantly be fought for?
"And what of inner peace ♥? Often, peace on the wider scale can seem overwhelming for a person, especially if they themselves are not at peace ♥. Inner peace is described as being strong in the face of trouble or stress, and is often achieved through meditation or other activities ♥. Inner peace, one could assume, is highly individual; each person should have a different way to achieve it. But are some better than others? Is, say, one who reaches inner peace through meditation and closing out the world around them achieving a better form of inner peace, than, say, oh, I don't know, someone who may find it at the bottom of a bottle of sake, hmmm ♥? What of those who find their inner peace in violence? I'm sure it wouldn't take us long at all to find someone who resembles that remark, I know several just off the top of my head, and we may not even have to go beyond this very classroom for it ♥.
"But enough from me ♥. I'm sure the only peace I've accomplished with this ramble is the peace that can be obtained through slumber ♥. After all, it is Eleanor Roosevelt who said that it 'isn't enough to talk about peace....' ♥
"But..." Here Shunsui broke off with a faint chuckle, "talk about it is exactly what we'll be doing....for now ♥. This is, obviously, a very large topic, with many nuances and facets, and I'd like to know what you think ♥. What are you own personal philosophies on peace ♥? What does your society say about it? What obstacles present itself in obtaining your ideal of true peace ♥? No wrong answers, of course ♥! Just a discussion to help understand and maybe open our minds and eyes to perspectives that may not be our own ♥.
"Who would like to begin ♥?"