Peace is not something that can be ordered or mandated. It is not a law that can be imposed on a worldwide or local scale, nor is it the decision to stay quiet in times of conflict. Peace is a behaviour that must be decided upon by each individual person. It is achieved without the demand of authoritative figures and it provides a safe place where one is able to stand up for their beliefs. Peace is an ideal state of being which results in equality for all. Through the works of Jane Addams, Hugo Grotius and Jean Jaurès I will demonstrate my opinion whereby peace is a mutual respect for others that is achieved through means other than the act of violence. To begin with, peace is a state in which there is a feeling of solidarity and mutual respect between individuals. I believe that war diminishes this…show more content… Similar to my own views, socialist Jane Addams “condemned militarism as a form of theft from the poor and considered her antiwar activism a logical extension of her concern for social justice” (Cortright, 69-70). War takes away the voice that each individual should feel free to use and limits behaviours. Those who are underprivileged and do not have the ability or platform to speak out against the war are left with no option but to take part. This takes away from a person’s freedom and destroys the mutual respect between the people and their political leaders. Additionally, Dutch philosopher Hugo Grotius “argued that the supreme law of states is to maintain peace, and that this could be achieved by respecting and preserving the individual sovereignty of each nation” (46-7). It is the responsibility of the state to maintain a state of peace