When we seek to achieve world peace, we must first begin with peace between individuals as these relationships are the building blocks of society and nations . Peace can be achieved by nonviolent means or by the use of lethal force. This essay will explore the notions of peace and conflict, advocating the use of non-violent means to resolve conflicts. The environmental and social cost of lethal force is very high and unsustainable. Nonetheless, there are situations where justice requires the use of lethal force and examples of these will be discussed. The article will conclude with the argument that continued life-improving structural reforms are needed to manage and prevent future violent conflicts around the world. What is peace? Our modern understanding of peace discusses the absence of war (The Macquarie Dictionary, 1987, p.1254), which Raymond Aron, (Barash, 1991. p7), calls negative peace. Most people in the West would expect more from the concept of peace, as many would not have experienced war firsthand. We would also include the freedom to choose for ourselves, the freedom to pursue our own interests, as long as no one else is hurt in the process, mutual tolerance, and living in a stable society. John Galtung expands the concept of peace to include positive peace, which is the absence of "structural" violence inherent in the social and cultural structure of society that denies people the right to economic opportunity, political and social equality, and self-realization, (Barash, 1991, p.8). Positive peace includes the active role of building non-tyrannical and harmonious social structures, even in the absence of war. Laue believes that peace is a proc...... middle of paper ......aige, GD (1996). Taking a leap further and getting even closer: from war to peace, to non-violence, to non-murder. “Creating non-violent futures”. 16th General Conference of the International Association for Peace Research, 8-12 July 1996, University of Queensland, Brisbane, pp. 2-24. Schellenberg, J. A. 1996. Conflict Resolution. State University of New York Press: Albany.Scimecca, J. A. (1993). Theory and alternative dispute resolution. A contradiction in terms? In Sandole DJD & van der Merwe H. (Eds.), Conflict resolution theory and practice, integration and application (pp211-221). Manchester University Press: Manchester.Tidwell, A.C. (1998). Conflict resolved?: A critical evaluation of conflict resolution. Pinter: London and Washington. Tillet, G (1991). Conflict and its resolution. In Resolving Conflict (ch. 1, pp 1-10) Sydney University Press: Sydney.