P eace is defined as a type of freedom: freedom from unnecessary stress, strife, hostility, disturbance, war, violence or civil disorder; and a utopia of quiet, tranquility, harmony, serenity and security…
What Are the Most — and Least — Peaceful Countries in the World?
…so which countries set the best — and worst — examples of the definition of peace?
According to this interactive portal called the Vision of Humanity — which is based on 23 different qualitative and quantitative indicators that include violent crime, the impact of terrorism and internal conflicts fought — created by an organization called the Institute for Economics & Peace, Iceland is the most peaceful country of 163 countries in the year 2016; while Syria is the least peaceful.
The United States ranks 103 out of 163 overall, with a national cost of violence estimated at $2,028,740,716,654.
You read that correctly: that number is greater than two trillion dollars.
The interactivity of this portal extends to the 23 different qualitative and quantitative indicators — each of which you can apply to any of the 163 countries or the world in general — and you can compare the statistics of 2016 to those of previous years.
For additional information, you can download a copy of the 2016 Global Peace Index, which is a Portable Document Format consisting of 118 pages. There are other documents available which you can download as well.
Summary
I tend to take not too seriously reports such as this one, as it is possible to be the victim of a crime or experience danger in Iceland and not in Syria — based on myriad factors; as well as the circumstances of the moment — but I find reports such as this one interesting just the same…
…and if not Iceland and Syria, then how about the United States and Serbia, Laos, Vietnam and Egypt — respectively ranked 103 and 48, 52, 59 and 142? Choose any two or more countries to compare.
Complete peace is only part of the answer, as the world will never be dispelled of conflicting opinions — nor should that happen. Conflict — when handled properly and appropriately — is an opportunity for learning and the broadening of knowledge amongst all of us. How many times have you had an opinion about something — only to have it change when you found out about a point of view from another person about which you had not thought?
I have expressed my vehement belief that travel is a critical element in mitigating the fallacies and misnomers which contribute to the ignorance and stereotypes which fuel many of the 23 different qualitative and quantitative indicators which comprise the interactive Vision of Humanity portal. We must learn from each other; find out what makes each other different and why; have thoughtful conversations discussed while breaking bread; and proactively let our fellow human beings know that we accept them for who they are — while simultaneously denouncing inexcusable and unacceptable behavior which does nothing but exacerbate the violence and hatred in this world.
Source: Institute for Economics & Peace.
