We have lots of practice waging war. But not in waging peace.

We can't even define peace, except in terms of war (see the starter post).

If we could find a way to focus the same ferocious intensity we wage war with, to wage peace, we might get somewhere.

Sadly, such efforts are contingent on a "you first" negotiation position... except by war-weary survivors of prolonged conflicts, who were usually neither the instigators, nor the formal combatants of those conflicts. With little more to lose, those survivors manage to find a way to the common ground that eluded their leaders.

Even more sadly, those short-lived periods of peace, and the roads that led there, are forgotten in less than a generation.

For a while, I thought that the African "truth and reconciliation" paradigm might show us the way, and it does show us westerners important lessons. But, it too, needs "war deeds" to have been committed before it is invoked and works. And my jury is still "out" on how long that works, without some future revenge rearing its head.

Someday, we'll figure out a way to go from the 'conflict-fight-resolve-prosper' plan to the 'conflict (skip fight)-resolve-prosper' plan.

If that makes any sense.

Cool topic.