IT’S NO SUPERHEROES, IT’S PEACE WORKERS

When this article was written (2020), Dr. J. P. Linstroth wrote, “When I was growing up, DC Comics and comic heroes like ‘Batman’, and ‘Superman’, and ‘Wonder Woman’, were ubiquitous at local convenient store stands. I remember eagerly reading about the so-called comic book, ‘Justice League’ and how these fictional heroes gathered forces and jointly fought off evil foes. The heroic exploits extended to Saturday morning cartoons in the 1970s to 1980s with the ‘Super Friends’. In grade school, I too had learned about Greek myths and Greek mythological heroes. So, there were overlaps in my readings about fictional heroes. Today I look back on these years and wonder how much such readings have shaped my current worldview. I know now the world is a much more complex place than comic books and Greek myths allude to. Even so, these past fictional heroes are still etched in my mind. Such monikers for these ‘everyday people’, may seem unusual for those who actually work in peace studies, but I think not. Most are unsung heroes like teachers working in lower socio-economic public schools; or psychiatrists working in mental health clinics; or nurses in hospitals and different health settings; or medical doctors in emergency rooms; or social workers; or psychologists; or many governmental workers; or firemen; or policemen; or public defenders; or clergy who defend migrants; or clergy working with the poor; or those who work with the homeless; and all those who spend their careers in mediation and working in conflict resolution and peace studies. Some of these unsung heroes may find it strange, I call them ‘peace workers’, but I think it can be argued they are indeed such people for making our own existence more peaceable. And while we have made so many notable technological advancements, we hardly think how we have socially advanced toward better living.”