Creating a Culture of “Being Peace”: From Listening to Trauma Stories to Peacebuilding

Peacebuilders often engage with difficult trauma stories. Yet, listening is just the beginning of a path to peace. My research begins with my engagement with and responses to Second Indochina War stories from three family members who were an American veteran, a member of the Vietnamese diaspora in the United States, and a Vietnamese survivor in Vietnam. I then draw from teacher-peacebuilders from the East (Thích Nhất Hạnh) and the West (Rev. Mark S. Hanson) to situate the role of healing in peacebuilding. I argue that in contexts of conflict and violence, peacebuilders should become healers for not only the world but also for themselves. Building peace from within (being peace) creates a foundation that allows peacebuilders to heal and embrace loving-kindness as they witness violence. I use the term “peacebuilder-witnesses” to emphasize the need to move beyond actively listening to people’s stories and practice dia-praxis—turning stories and dialogues into actions for healing and peacebuilding.