Good intentions are not enough!
Engagement in such activities, when they aim to reduce violence, are good examples of peace work, but some of them may be used for other purposes. As with any tool there is potential for misuse: a knife is an excellent tool to cut a slice of bread, but it can also be used as a murder weapon. This is why the peace worker needs to combine the right intention with good skills. The use of practical tools in must be guided by good understanding of the problem and good theories. Good intentions have often proven to be inadequate.
Actors
Who are the actors using these tools? Anyone can be a peace worker and help to reduce suffering. Armed forces recruit only the physically fittest people, but the peace worker can do a good job regardless of gender, age, disabilities, class, religion or social position. The list of prominent peace workers includes Nelson Mandela, who for most of his life was a prisoner; the spiritual leader the Dalai Lama; the brave civil rights activist Rosa Park; the electrician Lech Wałęsa, who led the Solidarity movement against the communist dictatorship in Poland; and the indigenous Maya Rigoberta Menchú, whose work for human rights in Guatemala won her the Nobel Peace Prize. They were all ordinary citizens who became world-famous. Most people will never get such attention, but that does not limit their impact or importance. The largely anonymous millions working for a better world are also heroes.