Daoist inner peace, social justice and peace education

This article draws on Daoist ideas to explore peace education (PE) with reference to global citizenship education (GCE). A Daoist account of inner peace, characterised by spiritual freedom and emotional equanimity, can illuminate how to nurture 'peace thinkers' for a more peaceful, just and sustainable world. This article begins with a critical review of the current PE dominated by inter-peace building notwithstanding the increasing demand for intra-peace building. This is followed by an explication of Daoist inner peace, namely (1) inner peace through social engagement rather than social withdrawal, (2) the dependence on external things that disrupt our inner peace, and (3) the need to live with the inevitable to avoid emotional upheaval. The article then goes on to discuss how PE informed by Daoist inner peace can provide a non-violent method for confronting social injustice, all the while addressing the cognitive, socio-emotional and behavioural goals of GCE. This Daoist approach augments students' inner peace by encouraging them to fulfil their ethical responsibilities through actively redressing social injustice. More importantly, students learn to be mindful of the nature of the emotions evoked by social injustice and not be distracted by destructive emotions such as reactive and impulsive anger.