“Peace is not something that is given to you.”
– Relena Dorland/Peacecraft, Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz

Relena is a young woman who has already lived a storied life. From this life, where she has stood at the very forefront of humanity’s quest for peace, for an end to endless wars and senseless bloodshed, she has learned a thing or two about the very nature of peace itself. She has formerly believed, like many others, that peace is a natural thing, a thing which is simply given to them, and the absence of which is an act of deprivation by the hands of evil men. It is not.

When Relena speaks these words for the world to hear, she is admitting a truth which strikes a resonating chord in the people, a people who have paid for a peace which has been shattered, and who hesitate to stand again for fear of losing what they gained. But they must stand, or they will lose it anyway.

Peace is not a natural thing. War is what is natural and reflexive. Peace is anything but.

Peace is not something which is simply given, or even attained; it is made, built by human hands, shaped like glass in fire, and it must be protected by all of those who cherish it, every man and woman.

Peace, like love, is not something easy or cheap. It is even more expensive than freedom, for freedom is essential to both its making and its maintenance, as are truth, justice, and mercy. Thus, it must be paid for. And then paid for again, and again, and again.

Peace is not merely the absence of conflict, but the unity of hearts and minds which are free, and so every individual who seeks it must be willing to stand up for it, even against impossible odds. Each one of us must acknowledge the humanity of the people on the other side, accept the importance of their story alongside our own, and somehow end our ageless anger and all-consuming feuds. In short, we must love each other more than we love whatever we are fighting over. And that’s just to start.

Peace is anything but natural, anything but given to us, and anything but easy.

Peace is mankind’s longest and most enduring quest. If it were easy, it would have been done long, long ago.