Education is often regarded as a fundamental pillar for fostering peaceful and just societies, serving as a powerful instrument for shaping individual values, beliefs, skills, and behaviors, and thereby influencing the broader socio-political landscape. Despite continuous advancements in technology and science, teaching and learning methods have largely remained unchanged over centuries. Unfortunately, global education systems are often rooted in competition and zero-sum thinking, which also influences international relations in political and socio-economic contexts. Over the past fifty years, technological advancements, economic globalization, and scientific progress have contributed to increased prosperity, reduced poverty, and improved access to education. However, these developments have not necessarily resulted in a more peaceful world, whether in terms of negative peace (absence of war) or positive peace (presence of justice, equality, and prosperity). Six out of seven worldwide are plagued by feelings of insecurity, the world is facing the highest number of violent conflicts since the Second World War and 2 billion people — a quarter of humanity — live in places affected by such conflict.
Tragedy of the Commons or Winning for All
Many aspects of contemporary education systems embody zero-sum thinking. From standardized testing to competitive college admissions, students are often pitted against one another in a race for limited rewards and opportunities. This competitive environment perpetuates a belief that one's success necessitates another's failure, rather than fostering a collaborative and supportive learning atmosphere. This mindset is particularly harmful in diverse societies, where it exacerbates racial and economic divides, undermining collective progress and mutual prosperity (McGhee, 2021, p. 3).
From a young age, children are conditioned to strive for good grades, acquire essential skills, emphasizing toughness, intelligence, and resilience for their own advancement. The prevailing pedagogical approach prioritizes competition over cooperation, evaluating students in comparison to their peers rather than recognizing their unique abilities and interests. This standardized framework fails to account for diverse learning styles and individual strengths, perpetuating a culture of comparison and pressure on students to excel academically.
By instilling in them the belief that individual success surpasses collective well-being, it becomes apparent that achieving consensus on global public goods and necessary international cooperation to address urgent challenges, especially those disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations, is a formidable task due to limited capacity for collective action on a global scale. This phenomenon can be viewed through the lens of the Tragedy of the Commons theory, where the pursuit of individual interests often leads to the degradation of shared resources and hinders collective well-being. Urgent issues such as climate change and poverty require coordinated efforts and multilateral cooperation, yet the current geopolitical landscape, marked by competing national interests and short-term gains, often exacerbates this tragedy, impeding the realization of shared objectives.
The societal glorification of competitiveness extends beyond academics to areas like sports and military systems, influencing individual upbringing and global interactions. This competitive culture can heighten geopolitical tensions and contribute to ongoing conflicts over resources, power, and ideology. Security dilemma theory exemplifies this, showing how one state's efforts to enhance security by amassing military resources can prompt others to do the same, escalating tensions and potentially leading to an arms race. This cycle of mutual suspicion highlights that conflicts often stem not from the issues we contend over, but from the structures and incentives driving us to conflict (Blattman, 2022).
Additionally, the consumption of violent media, including movies and video games that depict extreme acts of aggression, can desensitize individuals to violence and cruelty, blurring the lines between entertainment and reality. This desensitization further ingrains a culture of aggression and competition, shaping attitudes and behaviors that may inadvertently contribute to the perpetuation of crises, from environmental degradation to armed conflicts. While we constantly argue that conflict is an inevitable aspect of human nature, we forget how we created conditions for conflict, and we invented war to resolve our disputes. This perspective challenges the notion that competition and aggression are inherent and unchangeable aspects of human behavior, emphasizing the potential for cultural and systemic transformation (Mead, 1990).
War and Education: Understanding the Narrative
The challenges encompass not only the educational environment but also extend to our historical narratives and economic structures, further complicating the situation. War is often glorified as a unifying force that provides purpose, historical education often glorifies national achievements, fostering a sense of superiority. This glorification can infiltrate educational narratives, where history is taught in ways that highlight nationalistic victories and heroism, thus perpetuating a cycle of conflict (Hedges, Chapter 4).
The notion of ontological security, especially within nationalistic curricula, involves restoring the past by claiming territory for religious, ethnic, or traditional reasons. These ingrained stories about identity and security shape a nation’s foreign policy by reinforcing a collective memory that justifies territorial and ideological claims (Subotić, 2016). This can lead to aggressive stances in international relations as nations seek to preserve their perceived identity and security.
Deceit and manipulated narratives used by governments to shape public perception and foreign policy that can escalate conflicts by fostering mistrust and hostility (Fearon). Governments often use education as a means to instill nationalistic identity from a young age, ensuring that citizens internalize and propagate state-sanctioned views. By controlling historical narratives and promoting certain ideologies, states legitimize their actions and suppress dissent (Tilly). This control over information and education helps sustain the power structures necessary to continue wartime policies and maintain national unity against perceived external threats.
To counteract these influences, a significant shift in educational focus is imperative. Instead of promoting nationalistic histories, curricula should highlight human history, emphasizing our shared humanity and common experiences. Education should cultivate global interconnectedness, drawing insights from indigenous cultures on conflict resolution through respectful dialogue and mutual understanding.
Education must empower students to question and challenge existing narratives, the social contract, and norms that perpetuate structural and systemic violence. This involves integrating diverse perspectives in education, encouraging inquiry-based learning and comprehensive analytical skills to discern propaganda and resist manipulative narratives, reducing the likelihood of conflict escalation. By teaching students to value cooperation over competition and to approach global issues with a collaborative mindset, education can become a driving force for creating a more peaceful and just world.
In conclusion, it is crucial to reevaluate and transform the narratives and values within global education systems. By shifting from competitive and individualistic values to ones that promote a holistic understanding of human history and interconnectedness, we can foster a culture of cooperation. Education should emphasize empathy, respect for diverse perspectives, and the intrinsic value of all beings, cultivating a high-level of consciousness.
While we often discuss the power of education, we tend to overlook the ethical shortcomings within education systems. Embracing ethical principles: kindness and emotional intelligence lays the groundwork for a harmonious and compassionate society. These values encourage prioritizing collective well-being over individual success, addressing root causes of global issues like social inequalities, environmental degradation, and conflicts.
It may be difficult to grasp, but since 1946, humanity has endured over 285 distinct armed conflicts, according to the Uppsala Conflict Data Program (UCDP). As of 2024, the Geneva Academy monitors more than 110 active conflicts around the globe—ranging from international wars to internal strife.
Despite painful lessons from World Wars, the world continues to fracture under the weight of geopolitical rivalries, economic power struggles, and advancements in warfare technology. Modern conflicts are increasingly complex, drawing in more lives and spreading across more regions than ever before.
Yet, as we walk past towering monuments of historical "heroes" and flip through countless versions of history textbooks — deleted, edited and rewritten— we continue a dangerous deception. We continue to lie to ourselves. We continue to lie to future generations. And in doing so, we steal from them the hope of a peaceful world.
If we are to change the course of history, we must confront this truth: glorifying war while preaching peace will never end violence. It’s time to unlearn war and imagine a future where peace is not a dream, but a decision. Peace is not a monument. It is a mission.
Children play inside an inflatable castle during Eid al-Fitr celebration in the Douma neighborhood of Damascus, Syria, June 26, 2017. Copyright: Bassam Khabie/Reuters
Itinerant Wanderer. Mississippi Memorial at Gettysburg National Military Park, USA. 2022.
The giant 131-foot-tall, 250-ton stainless steel Genghis Khan monument near Ulaan Bataar. Copyright: Tim Ward.
War monuments should confront us with the horrors of armed conflict, not glorify military power or mythologize conquerors. They should serve as somber reminders of suffering and loss, not as altars to violence dressed in heroism.
Galuh Edelweiss Sayyidina R, 8 years old, Pontianak, Indonesia. Art for Peace, International Art Contest, UN 2012.
"I think if there was no war then there would be no nuclear weapons, bombs, and fear that makes it all destroyed. The world will definitely feel comfortable, peaceful, and beautiful. We can see various plants and colorful flowers thriving, butterflies quietly sucking honey, free-flying birds in the sky, and beautiful views of the twilight sky... All occur freely, without limits, without pressure, without fears..."
