Lesson Note

Subject: Social Studies

Topic: Promoting Peaceful Living in our Society

Lesson Objective: by the end of the lesson, the learners should be able to:

1. Explain the meaning of peace;
2. Mention and differentiate between the types of peace;
3. State the importance of peace;
4. Describe with examples ways they can promote peace.

Lesson Summary/Discussion

MEANING OF PEACE

Peace means cordial and friendly living among different groups of people.
Another definition says that Peace is
generally accepted as the absence of
war, fear, conflict, anxiety, suffering and violence and about peaceful co-existence.

Peace is also seen as the creating and
maintaining of law and order in the society and the settlement of conflicts by non violent means.

Peace therefore, is the building of a just society where order and satisfaction make people to co-exist without fear, war, worries, and violence.

Types of Peace
There are basically two types of
Peace in the society.

  1. Positive Peace
  2. Negative Peace

Positive Peace
Positive Peace exists where there are:

  • Absence of war (physical and cold war), justice, fair play and development.
  • Respect and tolerance between people in the society.
  • Balance in and with the ecosystem
  • Inner or spiritual harmony.
  • Balance between anger and calmness in the environment.

Negative Peace or uneasy Peace.
This exists when people are in:

  • conflict
  • Fear
  • Anxiety
  • Violence
  • Suffering
  • Deprivation
  • Injustice at the individual, community, state, national, regional, and intermational levels.

Importance of Peace

The importance of peace could be
summarized in the following ways:

  1. There is absence of violent conflict such as war, fear, conflicts, injustice.
  • Peace brings about progress, growth and sustained development in the society.
  • Happiness and less stress. There is overall outward and inward expression of happiness, joy and less stress in the individual and his society.
  • Peace creates good environment for critical and reflective thinking and innovations among the active participants in the society.
  • Peace creates unity, co-operation and understanding among the people, who coexist in the same environment.
  • Peace helps in the creation of good citizens who abide by the rules and regulations, and brings about positive behaviour towards good governance.
  • Peace lays good foundation for citizens rights, obligations and privileges in the society.

Ways of Promoting Peace
There are several ways of promoting
peace in the society; They include;
1. Tolerance: People in the society
should aspire to tolerate one another, bearing in mind that there are individual differences that bring
about different strokes in behaviour
If we tolerate one another, we wil
remove prejudice which is a major
draw-back in peaceful co-existence
among different ethnic groups.

2. Social Justice: Social justice is a
instrument in relationship. Social justice should be seen done in the society and expected. Justice should flow like a river, to enable peace to
remain ever green in the society.
Nobody should suffer injustice
because of place of birth, religion,
geographical location. There should be equality before the law, fair treatment for all and sundry in the law court, job places, economic and
cultural forums.

3. Human Rights: Fundamental Human Rights of citizens and non-citizens in the country should be adequately protected and safeguarded in the constitution. Government should not infringe on the rights of her citizens. Citizens should be allowed to enjoy their natural and constitutional rights in all the spheres of life, namely; economic political, religious, social, without any deprivation.

4. Maintaining Cooperation at All Levels: The Individual Members of the Community or Country must Cooperate with the Authorities at each level of governance by simply obeying the rules and regulations of the organs of government for peace and order to reign supreme.

5. Good Governance: The ability of
those in government to promise and
fulfill what is in their manifesto shows appropriate response to the aspiration of citizenry. The provision of adequate security, enough food for the citizens, massive provision of social amenities and infrastructural facilities in all the component parts
that make up the society. All these
and more, make for good governance
that will keep the people satisfied.

6. Partriotism: This is another sure way of promoting peace in the society. Citizens should aspire to show love, willingness and ability to support others in need, whether the person is Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba, Efik or ljaw. We should love Nigeria with all our strength, in her policies, programmes and projects. Public properties should be protected every where they are located. We should defend the territorial integrity of Nigeria at any time and anywhere.

7. By Sincerity, Accountability
Honesty, Discipline: Lack of trust and integrity, corruption, stealing, electoral malpractice, murder, arson, etc. are enemies of peace because these issues create fear, acimony, distress and the like among the people. Peace abhors social vices and welcomes good human virtues.

See previous lessons in Social Studies

Lesson Evaluation/Test

1. Explain the meaning of peace
2. Differentiate between the types of peace.
3. What are the importance of Peace?
4. Describe with examples ways we can promote peace.

Questions answered correctly? Kudos👍

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