Weekly THIS AND THAT for June 10, 2007: Scott Novak on "Establishing Peace in My Home, School, and World"

This and That:
Scott Novak on “Establishing Peace in My Home, School and World”

During the month of April the Hereford and Jacksonville Optimist Clubs selected sixteen participants from all sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade students to participate in each of their local competitions. As a result of their local competitions, three students from Our Lady of Grace School were chosen. Brittany Martin and Scott Novak were to represent Jacksonville and Gillian Vincent was to represent Hereford at the Cockeysville area competition. Scott is in our seventh grade; Brittany and Gillian are in our eighth grade. This is the third and final essay being published in the weekly bulletin. What a joy it is to share the marvelous skills our boys and girls have developed at Our Lady of Grace School. Congratulations Brittany, Gillian, and Scott, we are very proud of you!

Fondly,
Father Nick Amato


Everyday brings new challenges. There are many in my life. But my greatest challenge is establishing peace in my home, school, and the world. Conflict has become a normal part of our everyday lives. We are constantly exposed to violence. Murders are on the news everyday. Fights break out among families. Conflict is everywhere.

Sometimes it seems that more conflicts happen in our homes than anywhere else. My brother and I argue all the time. These arguments are usually over small things, like who gets to watch what on television, or which video game we want to play. But sometimes these small things can turn into a huge fight. This is like a snowball rolling down a hill, getting bigger and bigger. Everyone has probably had this experience. We should end the argument in a peaceful way before it turns into something that can ruin the rest of our day. Whenever I have an argument with my parents, the same situation often happens. My parents and I disagree on something. We both want to be right. It is a true challenge to see a problem from someone else’s point of view. Jimi Hendrix said “When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.” This peace can start in our families.

School is another arena for conflict. In school, there are friends arguing, fights, and bullying. Unfortunately, there is often no one there to stop all of this. These school problems are so sneaky that most teachers don’t even realize that there is a problem. Five million seven hundred thousand teens are estimated to be involved in bullying as either a bully, a target of bullying, or both. I have seen fighting in my own school. Being involved in bullying can affect not only your schoolwork, but create more conflicts at home. Albert Einstein said, “The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.” If you see someone being bullied and do nothing, then you are just helping the bully. I hope that if I find myself in this situation that I will have the strength to do something. Arguments among friends are inevitable, but, just like at home, one little problem can turn into something big. Fighting friends spread rumors about one another, so both people can get hurt. One of the Bible’s main focuses is to treat your enemy as you would treat your friend. If everyone made an effort to be on good terms with one another, then there would be no such thing as bullying.

In the world, there are numerous political and religious conflicts. These are much more serious and lethal than the daily family fights. Terrorists are major causes of deadly conflict. The war in Iraq was started because of them. But we must fight for what we believe in. John F. Kennedy said, “It is an unfortunate fact that we can secure peace only by preparing for war.” This is a very unfortunate fact. But our hope in the Iraq war has always been to secure democracy for the people living there. I look forward to the day when Iraq is a truly peaceful place.

But how can we make peace happen? How can we make a difference in the way that someone like Martin Luther King did? Although conflict may never be completely stopped, that should not keep us from trying. I hope to meet this challenge by taking responsibility for my actions, thinking of what choices I have before I act upon them, and trying very hard to consider everyone’s opinion, even when I disagree. Doing these things can be a challenge, but it is a challenge that is worth taking up. I believe that if families and schools establish peace, then that peace will be spread throughout the world. Mahatma Gandhi said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Strive to make a difference.