Cooler temperatures persisted through June, but July reminded us that summer has arrived in Concordia, Kansas. The welcome and frequent rains brought humidity, making temps above 85 feel extreme. While snow cones, ice cream, swimming, and a trip to the splash pad help cool us down, rising temps and heaviness in the air can wear patience thin, giving room for small frustrations to emerge louder than expected, stealing the peace of making joyful memories with our family, friends and neighbors. As we continue our series on the topic of “Loving our Community,” we focus on peace.
The name “Concordia” was derived from the Latin word “harmonia,” meaning “harmony,” and therefore should reflect a desire for peace among its residents.
Laws and ordinances are adopted for the purpose of keeping our community safe and healthy. They also provide structure to encourage peaceful living. For example, speeding down a residential street late at night with music blaring increases the risk of injury to the driver, their passengers, as well as pedestrians. It also wakes neighbors from their sleep. This is why speeding is illegal, and why there is an ordinance against playing loud music late at night. Local law enforcement professionals are tasked with keeping the peace. To do this, they hold our residents and visitors accountable for actions that violate laws and ordinances with warnings, tickets, and court appearances. The use of a digital ticketing system makes progressive discipline more efficient and consistent among our police officers. Loving our community is keeping the peace.
Our police officers, firefighters and EMS personnel frequently interact with people during stressful situations, making decisions that directly affect the health and safety of individuals involved and those around them. These City staff are trained to calm the situation while administering necessary treatment based on the circumstances they encounter. This treatment may be as minor as listening to and suggesting people involved go home, or as significant as taking someone to jail. Treatment may involve a simple bandage, or may require transportation by ambulance to the hospital. Sometimes, treatment is resisted and tensions escalate, which makes the situation more difficult and dangerous for all those involved. Loving our community means providing treatment when needed in order to restore peace.
Disruption of peace even occurs in the most unexpected places. Our parks staff has reported increasingly aggressive encounters with cemetery visitors who are angry about decorations the wind has blown from their loved one’s grave. Parents of youth recreational softball and baseball players have threatened coaches and umpires, and have thrown items in response to their perception of a bad call or player mistakes. While cemeteries and ballfields can be filled with tremendous emotion, they can also be places of reflection, growth and joy when we take a moment to remember why we are there. We are there to honor and support our loved ones, and doing so respectfully is another example of peaceably loving our community.
There is an inverse relationship between hot summer weather and the inner peace of people: as the temperature rises, peace decreases. We normally observe an increase in angry outbursts, domestic violence, and thefts during the summer months. This year, the volume and intensity of these encounters has noticeably increased, which disrupts the peace of the community around us. Disruption of peace is not how we love our community. How can we restore peace?
The Bible encourages both personal inner peace and the pursuit of peace in the world around us. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. – Matthew 5:9. This means peacemakers work on their own inner struggles while also actively seeking to resolve conflicts and create harmony in their interactions with others, to reconcile people and situations.
Fifteen years ago, the Year of Peace Committee was formed in Concordia with the goal of addressing actions that disrupted the peace of our community in an ongoing way. Forums were held every 6-8 weeks to discuss topics a survey revealed were at the heart of disruption of peace; more mental health practitioners were added at Pawnee as a result. Local board members signed a “civility pledge” to bring attention to and curb fighting among these teammates. Articles promoting peace were published weekly in the Concordia Blade-Empire. The National Night Out was heavily promoted to encourage people to spend time with their neighbors instead of fighting with them. A song was even written to help make these efforts toward peacemaking memorable. The Year of Peace was so well supported that efforts continued for several years. Perhaps it is time for the Year of Peace Committee to re-emerge.
The United Nations has declared 2025 as the Year of Peace and Trust. This declaration is intended to strengthen peace and trust of member nations through dialogue and cooperation. Additionally, the International Day of Peace is observed annually on September 21. As we approach the International Day of Peace, I encourage you to reflect on your own inner peace, and to consider whether your words and actions this summer are encouraging peace in your home, neighborhood, and workplace. If they are, thank you! If they are not, what can you do to become a peacemaker?
Thank you for loving our community by encouraging peace. May your words and actions be those of peacemakers. Concordia…We Build Community!
