Something few of us thankfully do not really understand. Ran across this in today's paper.Right hand corner. It discusses
http://services.inquirer.net/print/print.php?article_id=178382
Government declares 4-day ceasefire with NPA
It discusses an agreement that both sides essentially don't kill each other for a brief period of time . Of course at some point the killing resumes. I remember reading similar cases in Sports Illustrated before and I tried to find the exact article. Along the way I did find some other things that you may find interesting, links below.
Wars are essentially started and fought because of extreme differences between groups of people. Even though good will is not always seen in sports.They are ways of bringing people together based on similarities and agreements. A common adherence to rules, officials, boundaries of the field of play etc. Whether it's the World Cup or the Little League World Series , it is not uncommon for players from different teams idolizing the same heroes regardless of the role model's nationality.
Some people like to say the 1914 story never happened, well do your own research and make up your own mind. A cease-fire where cooler heads prevail can be a stepping stone to something more constructive . While writing this I am getting an attack of LSS (Last Song Syndrome) of a Boy George song I have not heard in decades and for good reason. Lyrics : War War Stupid. And People Stupid. And Love Means Nothing. I don't think Christ came to Earth only to have us shooting at each other 2000 years later.
George Carlin has some bit where he talks about those in charge keep pointing out differences of the people below so that they fight amongst themselves. Hey why not Google it? My memory is shot. Here it is:
GEORGE CARLIN: I’d like to talk about some things that bring us together, things that point out our similarities instead of our differences, because that’s all you ever hear about in this country, is our differences. That’s all the media and the politicians are ever talking about, the things that separate us, things that make us different from one another. That’s the way the ruling class operates in any society. They try to divide the rest of the people. They keep the lower and the middle classes fighting with each other, so that they, the rich, can run off with all the [bleep] money. Fairly simple thing, happens to work. You know, anything different, that’s what they’re going to talk about. Race, religion, ethnic and national background, jobs, income, education, social status, sexuality. Anything you can do, keep us fighting with each other, so that they can keep going to the bank.
You know how I describe the economic and social classes in this country? The upper class keeps all of the money, pays none of the taxes. The middle class pays all of the taxes, does all of the work. The poor are there just to scare the [bleep] out of the middle class. Keep them showing up at those jobs. So [bleep] I like to do from time to time.
But I also like to know that I can come back to these little things we have in common, little universal moments that we share separately, the things that make us the same. They’re so small we hardly ever talk about them. Do you ever look at your watch, and then you don’t know what time it is? Then you have to look again, and you still don’t know the time. So you look a third time, and somebody says, “What time is it?” You say, “I don’t know.” Do you ever notice how sometimes all day Wednesday, you keep thinking it’s Thursday? And it happens over and over all day long. And then the next day, you’re alright again. http://www.democracynow.org/2008/6/24/george_carlin_1937_2008_legendary_comedian
This whole ceasefire concept is made possible by having common frames of reference. Soccer is a common frame of reference for almost the whole world. If this is successful for two days why not two years. Why not longer? Why not just kick a soccer ball around instead of blowing each other up? You may say I'm a dreamer but I am not the only one............. Cue John Lennon.
Ed
More than a game
by Neil Stormer
20 June 2006 Print
Email
Washington, D.C. – “Some people believe that football is a matter of life and death. I am very disappointed with that attitude, it is much, much more important than that!”
With those words, former Liverpool football coach Bill Shankly inadvertently alluded to a new reality: football is not just a game, but is also an economic force, a model of globalisation and, more importantly, a vehicle for conflict resolution.
Two days ago, in the pages of this paper, Pascal Boniface discussed the relationship between football and geopolitics. In the context of his article, Boniface jokingly stated that football fans believe that FIFA should be given a Nobel Peace Prize. While concerted, pro-active efforts need to be made before the noblest of Nobel Prizes is conferred upon football’s governing body, it is true that football and sports in general can play and have played a role in limiting the reaches of war and de-escalating violent situations.
There are numerous examples from the 20th and 21st centuries showing just how large a role football and sports have played in mitigating conflict. Consider the Christmas Truce during World War I; caked in mud and nearly frozen, Germans and Brits climbed out of their respective trenches along the front, set aside their guns and mutual animosities and celebrated Christmas by playing football. The truce didn’t last, the war continued, but soldiers on both sides found themselves unable to fire out of their trenches — to fire across their erstwhile football pitch — at their enemies. A large amount of wasted ammunition was recorded on the following days as guns were trained at the stars above and not at the enemy.
In 1967, Pele travelled to Lagos, Nigeria, then in the midst of a brutal civil war, to play an exhibition match. In order to allow both sides of the conflict to see the greatest ever play the game, a 48-hour ceasefire was called and honoured. A single footballer stopped a war.
World Cup qualification can do it too. Cote d’Ivoire is in the middle of a civil war. After the country’s qualification for the World Cup, President Laurent Gbagbo acquiesced to the pleas of the Ivorian football federation and restarted peace talks. The country now enjoys a tense ceasefire, thanks solely to the team’s trip to Germany. The peace may not survive much longer than the World Cup, but any cessation in fighting is a reason to celebrate.
Football can be a force for violence however. There is a tendency towards nationalism and racism, and the 1980s witnessed the rise of football-related gangs notorious for criminal behaviour and drunken brawling. The game has also “started” a war: a riot erupted at a series of games between Honduras and El Salvador, and the ensuing diplomatic collapse resulted in the 100-day Soccer War.
But the violence is the exception, not the norm. Sports have long served as a means of bridging gaps through peaceful exchanges and act as a diplomatic tool. While rivalries are occasionally inflamed through athletic contests, sports exchanges are seen as a safe icebreaker.
The real sports-related conflict resolution success to be had though is not through the temporary unity achieved during international tournaments or the diplomatic thaw following a friendly football match. While a successful national team’s efforts can bring warring sides together for the duration of the World Cup, the way to leverage football and all sports in the name of conflict resolution is through consistent, grassroots efforts to enlist the masses in peaceful interaction.
An increasing number of organisations take advantage of this form of peace building. Football 4 Peace is one such organisation. Since 2001, F4P has been bringing Muslim and Jewish youth together to foster understanding and to overcome differences through sport. The Peres Centre for Peace has used football in a variety of ways to foster peace between Israel and Palestine, from a mixed Israeli-Palestinian exhibition team to camps and tournaments for children from both side of the divide.
Acknowledging the role sports can play in building peace, among other things, the UN General Assembly, passed Resolution 58/5, proclaiming 2005 to be the International Year for Sport and Physical Education. The goal was to use sports “as a means to promote education, health, development and peace”.
Organisations that promote understanding through sports see in them an unrivalled ability to overcome cultural, political and religious differences while promoting unity and understanding.
While the temporary ceasefire in Nigeria during Pele’s visit and Ivory Coast’s World Cup-inspired peace are not to be overlooked, these examples are only part of the bigger picture. The path to peace should be paved not just with the one-off event and top-down, tournament-inspired ceasefires, but also with long-term efforts of those who try to build from the ground up.
The premise behind the practice is simple: just as the World War I-era British and Germans who entered into a wartime Christmas football match would not readily fire upon each other, those who play together find it difficult to remain foes.
No one seriously contends that football is more important than life or death, but if applied to more serious pursuits, it can mean the difference between war and peace.
###
* Neil Stormer works in conflict resolution and foreign policy in Washington, D.C. This article was distributed by the Common Ground News Service (CGNews) and can be accessed at www.commongroundnews.org.
Source: Jordan Times, June 14, 2006
Visit the website at www.jordantimes.com
Distributed by the Common Ground News Service – Partners in Humanity (CGNews-PiH).
Copyright permission has been obtained for publication.
http://www.commongroundnews.org/article.php?sid=1&id=2079
http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/christmastruce.htm
http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1138301/index.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1998/10/98/world_war_i/197627.stm
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