Imagining Peace: Why Violence Might Be a Lack of Creativity

Violence may seem like an inevitable part of life, but peace scholar Michael Nagler suggests there’s more at play—calling it a“failure of imagination.”In his view, nonviolence isn’t just about what you refrain from doing; it’s also about channeling your emotions, like anger, into a force for creative change. Drawing inspiration from Gandhi’s transformative night at a South African train station, Nagler reframes our understanding of conflict as something more profound than mere absence of violence.

He poignantly reminds us that while history may document the moments when love falters, countless conflicts around the world dissolve every day, unnoticed, through acts of unnamed force. Instead of fixating on the negatives, we should focus on what we can become in the face of adversity. Put simply, it’s a call to action: when faced with anger, we have the power to redirect that energy toward something constructive. In a world where disagreements seem rampant, isn’t it time we tapped into our imaginative potential for peace?