Peace Initiatives

Elijah Lowry

Elijah’s Work:

Justice

An exploratory poem

What is justice? Is it a thing of law?

A code of conduct that we all must follow?

Or is it something more, something greater,

That transcends the written word and hollow?

What is justice? Is it blind? Or does it see

The truth behind the lies, the heart beneath the sleeve? Does it weigh the evidence, or does it bend

To those with power, those who have the means to spend?

Is it fairness, equality, and right?

Or is it something more subtle and complex?

A way to ensure that no one is too powerful,

A balance of competing interests?

Is justice fair? Or does it favor some,

While others suffer, innocent and dumb?

Does it protect the weak, or does it crush

The downtrodden and poor: those without a crutch?

Perhaps justice is simply a matter of perspective. What seems just to one person may seem unjust to another. But even if there is no single definition of justice, We all agree that it’s something worth striving to and for.

Or does it mean something more? Does it mean That everyone’s voice is heard and protected are their rights? That everyone is treated with respect?

Are protected, no matter their creed, race or plights?

In this, our world, so fraught full of imperfections, And where justice often seems to dwell afar,

We ask, “What is it, that we call ‘justice’?

From whence does it spring, and how can it be ours?”

Some say it’s stored and saved in Holy Texts, Created by God from his place above his peoples; That everyone lives in his world which is his creation; That the law must therefore treat us all as equals

But others say that justice is found not

In laws or scriptures, but within the human heart; Justice is something that we must create

Within ourselves, and then live in it’s beautiful art.

Still others say this thing is but a dream,

A fantastical ideal that won’t and never can be; The fight for justice is a noble one, even if futile… But is this goal something that we could ever really see?

Maybe! Just maybe, the ideal can be real

So we must work and toil, to plant the seeds To make our world a more just place.

Then water and weed to create a growth;

Like the garden before: a better and safer space

But is Justice something so easily attained? A constant struggle, but a struggle worth fighting for, Justice is the flame that must be kept burning, A beacon of hope in a world of darkness.

For without justice, there can be no peace, And without peace, there can be no hope.

By Elijah Lowry

Sandy Ruiz

Carlos Martinez

Carlos’s Work: Free Markets for the Arrangement of Peace

About Me

As an economics major, I have encountered numerous circumstances where economic theory is used to explain the forces at work in society. I thought peace utterly needed to be presented keenly from economic viewpoints and recount how much we need things like private property, the rule of law, or even sound money. In the future, I aspire to earn a Ph.D. in economics and be recognized as a renowned researcher and professor.

McKiah Bashay