20 ways you can make the world a more peaceful place

Between non-stop news coverage of wars around the world to petty fights on your Facebook feed about the best dog food, peace can feel in short supply these days. Yet it feels more important than ever. In a 2019 survey of peace perceptions, researchers found that the majority of respondents were desperate to find a long-term solution to the increasing violence in the world, including conflict prevention or ‘peace-building.’ But if that feels overwhelming, you’re not alone. So here are 20 ways – big and small – you can increase peace, starting right now.

When you make brief eye contact with a stranger on the bus, in the store, or at the gym, your instinct may be to automatically look away. Instead, try giving them a warm smile. It’s a bigger act than you think – it isn’t just a smile, it’s recognising and appreciating someone else’s humanity and sometimes feeling seen is all it takes to make someone’s day.

Check out these stories about the touching kindness of strangers that’ll make you tear up.

Similar to vending machines, except instead of candy bars you can purchase anything from a metro card for a person in your city to a piglet for a needy family in another country at a Giving Machine. It doesn’t take any more time than a regular vending machine but the good feelings and peace you buy will last way longer than any sugar rush.

Taking a moment or two to pick up an empty bottle or some plastic bags and throw them in a garbage can may not seem like much but think how much cleaner and more peaceful feeling our public spaces would be if everyone took this approach? We know, you didn’t make the mess, which is why it’s so meaningful when you pick it up.

Find out which food parts you should never throw in the garbage.

Teenagers are often seen as instigators, not peacemakers, but many are still very much children at heart and would welcome learning a cool new trick or skill from someone they admire. Whether it’s a kickflip on a skateboard or writing a basic computer program or folding an origami crane, take some time to teach it to someone else. Don’t have a teen of your own? Sign up to volunteer as a Big Brother or Big Sister or simply reach out through your local library or church.

People tend to overthink helping the homeless or others in obvious need: Will they spend it on drugs? Are they scam artists? Are they mentally ill? Why isn’t their family helping them? Yet when it comes to promoting peace and love, does the answer of why they’re in need really matter? Share a dollar or a granola bar or whatever you have with an open heart.

Read on for the food staples healthy people always stock in the pantry.

Feelings left alone can fester, causing angry outbursts and pain for everyone involved. Help a loved one deal with their complicated emotions by offering a listening ear and a shoulder to cry on – often times that’s all they really need. You don’t have to be a trained therapist to be a good listener.

Voting in local and national elections is a powerful way to make your voice heard and to support policies and politicians who promote peace in your own country and around the world. And don’t just vote in the ‘big’ ones, like a federal election – making sure you’re informed and active in local elections is an easy way to effect change in the place where it will impact you the most.

The shelves are filled with books about war, conflict, and strife, so why not try a change of pace by reading something of the opposite genre, like The Art of Peace, by John Gittings.

Don’t miss these real ghost stories you won’t want to read at night.

The next time you pull up to the drive-through window at your favourite coffee shop or fast food joint, consider offering to pay for the order behind you. This anonymous act of service is a powerful reminder of the good in humanity and that strangers are kind more than they are scary.