What do YOU imagine when YOU hear “Peace”?
I imagine “War”.

Most of people in Japan connect Peace to War. I had thought it was same for everyone. However people in Costa Rica connect “Election of the President” to Peace.

In my country, we take Peace Education when we are in elementary school. Of course, Hiroshima, Nagasaki stories give us strong impression about war. Teachers show us some animations or photos about World War Two and we are often scared and know how terrible it was. This is one of the reason we imagine “peace=war”, at first. And I had believed it’s most important not to forget about that terrible story for keeping peace for a long time.

However, I became known that learning about war is only a part of peace education.
Most important thing to make peace is having imagination of the peaceful world and share it with people.

As I told you, we, Japanese learn about peace from the negative part of imagination, war. But children in Costa Rica are needed to imagine positive thing about it,at first.
“Smile” “Family” “Fun” “Peaceful mind”….what is the element of peace? What is necessity thing? Teachers ask children so many times in the class. Totally opposite thought both of us have constitution about peace in Costa Rica and Japan.

Everyone don’t wanna remember scared imagination. That’s why peace becomes unusual word for us, Japanese, in our daily life. On the other hand, this is familiar word for people in Costa Rica. Especially, they think, the election of the president, once in four years, is best opportunity to keep and think about peace. Their voting percentage is over 80% every time and children is also participate in the activity of election even if they do not have right of voting. Election is something like festival for them. No matter, Old or young,everyone enjoy the festival. Democracy is also connected to peace directly. A person there said “We must remember peaceful condition everyday. It is most important element to make peace.”
Not negative, scared, but positive, funny thing can make them keep thinking about it.

War education is a part of peace education, We must approach to peace from positive image and make the vision by ourselves. Because peace does not only mean “no war”.

What kind of peace do YOU want to make???