PEACE AND ITS DESTROYERS

The PERSPEKTIVA show rarely addresses global topics, even though many of them directly affect the Western Balkans region. However, some issues discussed by young people, though rooted in local realities, reflect the state of the world remarkably well.

One of these topics is peace. There is increasing aggression across the world, and wars are becoming more frequent. Those in power often deliberately mobilize voters, especially in the run-up to elections. What do young people have to say about this? Here are a few reflections from the PERSPEKTIVA program over the past few years.

“We are facing an economic crisis, a crisis of values, and an identity crisis – all possible crises that exist at once. You have a generation of young people, including me, who have developed an unhealthy level of resilience toward the world around them. This comes from the environment we grew up in. I was born during the war. I grew up surrounded by it, immersed in a militant vocabulary and a culture where violence, like that portrayed in “Rambo”, was normalized. That experience shaped not only me, but thousands of other children, into highly resilient individuals. But that kind of resilience is not healthy, just as the opposite extreme, a lack of resilience, is also unhealthy. We can endure a great deal, but what builds up inside us will eventually find a way out.”

https://www.slobodnaevropa.org/a/retrospektiva-perspektiva-bijeljina/31444615.html

“Awareness and knowledge need to be developed The problem is that people are either unaware of its importance or simply not interested in learning. War and its consequences have had a strong influence, but mostly, many people choose not to know. Only the system can change this mindset. But why would it, if it does not serve those in power? Everyone is pulling in their own direction. We are stuck in a vicious circle that seems impossible to break. People lack the desire and awareness to change it, and the government has no interest in such changes. As a result, the cycle continues. So, we are in a vicious circle that cannot be broken.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS8qHcsedP0

“It is a kind of peace where weapons are constantly being rattled. On the surface, everything seems fine. We say we live in peace, but in reality, it is not true peace.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufgqZg-AOWo

“There is simply too much politics. Politicians hold too much power over people and make all the decisions. We can vote, but we cannot truly influence their decisions.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQuroNF1zfU&t=1s

At the end of last year, the Peace Festival was held in Vitez, where the PERSPEKTIVA team was also present. We asked participants what peace means to them.

“For me, peace means serenity, harmony, and security; it represents a society where everyone can be who they are without fear of judgment and stigma.”