The Culture of Peace, New Year’s Eve Celebrations

To value peace and generosity and to have mercy is to understand the true meaning of Christmas.

Calvin Coolidge

In practically the entire western world December is characterized by the festive atmosphere and celebrations, Mexico is no exception.

Breakfasts, meals, toasts, parties, posadas and in many cases Christmas dinner are organized. It is traditionally an occasion for families and friends to come together and exchange good wishes and perhaps some gifts. The environment, in general, is conducive to living in harmony and concord. Although it is not uncommon for conflicts to arise in these coexistences.

It is a time that invites reflection and evaluation of what has been achieved in the year that is ending and to remember those we have lost. It is a time when families come together.

These dates also remind us of the wonder and miracle of life, harmonious coexistence, love, friendship, balance, nature and goodness that often seem to be surpassed and even forgotten due to the mundane and often frivolous nature of life. daily life and the challenges of each day.

Sadly, it is the overwhelming and growing violence, in all its expressions, which affects the most in all spaces of social interaction. We find it in oneself, in the family, at school, in the community and at work, to name the most important.

Neither positive nor negative qualities are specific to people, what exists is a combination of one and the other in interpersonal relationships that can be a source of conflicts and attitudes towards them.

The family is one of the most important institutions in society, it is a universal and unique institution of which there are various models: the extended or extended, the nuclear or single parent, as well as the matrimonial, extramarital or adoptive. The family is the cell of society and it is also the cell of the community.

Being part of a family provides hope that is based on the connection and shared history of its members. Love is one of its pillars. It can be a source of motivation and confidence. Being part of a family also brings obligations, stress, distraction, pain and vulnerability.

The difficulties that overwhelm us lead to feelings of anger, impotence, or sadness, among others. It is not strange that these feelings and emotions contribute to the emergence of conflicts within the family. Paradoxically, it is within the family where the human rights of its own members are frequently violated by another family member.

Within the family, as in any organization, conflicts or controversies may arise, some of a legal nature. Of all the social conflicts, family conflicts tend to be the most common, they are the ones that cause the most damage to the interior of the family itself and in many cases contaminate coexistence at school and in the community.

Currently, members of many families must face a variety of conflicts on a daily basis, for example: unemployment, separations, communication problems with their partner, children, or between siblings, and the loss of one of their members, among others. These are common problems and each person or family deals with them in different ways.

For this reason, it should be remembered that, within the positive qualities of every person, there is kindness and solidarity. We are intrinsically kind beings with capacities that guide each person to give the best of themselves to others, without receiving anything in return. That is to say, disinterestedly.

If we move to the nucleus of goodness, we will discover within it love, tenderness and generosity. It is a journey for the common good and it is also a power. The power of kindness is very broad, it has the quality of putting us in touch with ourselves and making us focus on the well-being of others. It can arise in each of the human interactions through actions of solidarity, service, consideration and also compassion, particularly in the family environment.

Being kind allows people to value more than objects, frees us from selfishness that, among other things, encourages capitalizing for our benefit. Laying the foundations of natural goodness as a human quality will make it easier for us to build better relationships with oneself and with others.

However, the constant in modern cultures, especially urban ones, is selfishness translated into all kinds of destructive attitudes. Such attitudes are contrary to goodness.

Kindness generates a uniform sense of coexistence in a framework of respect, empathy and common justice. What better than these end-of-year celebration dates to act accordingly.

Kindness is a source of energy and natural wisdom. Considering it like this, evoking it and cultivating it, strengthens fundamental values, makes us more cooperative and of course causes learning to generate possibilities for change. Goodness perfects the spirit and generates power, it is also a matter of honesty, since its exercise must not be selective or the product of calculation or manipulation and, instead, it must be expressed as a quality that does not make distinctions and is becomes a rule of conduct in all areas of our life.

The reality imposed on us by the current crises that affect everyone demands that we promote harmonious coexistence, in a culture of peace. Above all, on these dates in which we must prevent the growing discord from transforming into hatred that can get out of control, and that the drowning in the usual obscures the effect and potential of our power of goodness.

In these dark hours of Mexico and the world, it is urgent to act to reduce violence and promote harmony. Let us propose to enjoy these festivities in peace and harmony.

May peace be transformed into a positive contagion.

Congratulations to everyone!

*The author is a lawyer and professional mediator.

phmergoldd@anmediacion.com.mx

Twitter: @Phmergoldd