COMPASSION

The Missing Ingredient in Peace-building?

Abstract

This essay aims to answer two questions: firstly, when and where can practising kindness in the face of conflict be part of building and sustaining peace? And secondly, how can the sharing and gifting of food contribute to a culture of kindness and peace? It argues that generating positive interpersonal relationships is vital to building and maintaining a positive, everyday peace, that this is achieved through acts of interpersonal kindness, and that food can be a tool with which people exhibit this kindness in a wide range of situations. In a world seemingly dominated by violence, documenting and discussing acts and structures of violence can feel like a moral imperative, because it is important to understand structures of violence and hate in order to dismantle them. However, simply ending violence is not enough to create a state of peace. That is why this essay focuses on kindness as a practical step towards peace.