Keep the Peace: How We Learn to Calm the Storms Within and Around Us
Nassau, The Bahamas – September 21 2025
When I was younger, I thought peace was silence — no noise, no arguments, no chaos. The older I get, the more I realize peace isn’t quiet at all. It’s deliberate. It’s the loud work of choosing calm in a world that loves conflict.
Every September, as The Bahamas joins nations around the world to mark the International Day of Peace on the 21st and the Conflict Resolution and Peace Campaign that follows, I’m reminded that peace isn’t just a goal — it’s a habit. And like any good habit, it takes daily practice.
The Noise Before the Calm
The past few years have tested everyone’s patience. Global uncertainty, economic strain, social divides — even family group chats can feel like battlegrounds. Here at home, our communities are not immune. Violence among youth has increased, disagreements too often turn personal, and social media has made shouting easier than listening.
But as one teacher once told me, “If you can’t find peace, create it.”
That’s exactly what organizations like the Fox Foundation believe: that peace starts at the community level — in classrooms, homes, workplaces, and small acts of understanding that ripple outward.
Lessons in Everyday Peace
One of my favorite stories comes from The Hon. Dr. Adrian Fox, who often shares how growing up in Nassau taught him that conflict and compassion live side by side.
“I learned early that peace doesn’t mean avoiding people,” he says. “It means learning how to meet them where they are.”
It’s a truth most Bahamians understand intuitively. Our culture is loud, expressive, passionate — and that’s what makes us special. But it also means that building peace isn’t about suppressing emotion; it’s about guiding it. It’s the friend who steps in before an argument escalates, the neighbor who checks in instead of judging, the teacher who teaches conflict resolution as seriously as math.
Peace, Caribbean-Style
This year’s UN theme — “Actions for Peace: Our Ambition for the #GlobalGoals” — invites us to think bigger than kumbaya moments. In the Caribbean, peace is tied to economic opportunity, social equity, and access to education. It’s about creating conditions where frustration doesn’t have room to grow into violence.
In The Bahamas, the Conflict Resolution and Peace Campaign (Sept 22–26) brings that message home through school initiatives and youth programs designed to teach empathy, listening, and problem-solving. Because when we teach kids how to manage conflict early, we build adults who lead with understanding later.
The 3 Cs of Everyday Peace
Just like we’ve learned to contribute, connect, and commit to causes that matter, we can apply the same thinking to peace:
🕊️ 1. Contribution: Support Safe Spaces
Whether it’s volunteering at a youth center, sponsoring a school mediation program, or helping organize a neighborhood clean-up, contribute to spaces that calm, not divide.
🤝 2. Connection: Listen Before You Lead
The most peaceful people aren’t always the quietest — they’re the ones who listen. Start by having real conversations with those who disagree with you. Peace grows where understanding begins.
❤️ 3. Commitment: Model the Behavior
Conflict doesn’t disappear; it transforms. Commit to being the person who turns frustration into empathy, gossip into grace, and disagreement into dialogue.
A Nation That Chooses Calm
Peace work isn’t glamorous. It’s not about titles or ceremonies — it’s about emotional intelligence, restraint, and courage. And it’s contagious.
As The Honorable Dr. Fox often says, “A peaceful nation is built one conversation at a time.”
This week, as The Bahamas celebrates International Day of Peace and Conflict Resolution Week, let’s remember that we can’t control every storm — but we can control how we show up in it.
So whether it’s a tense workplace, a family disagreement, or the noise of everyday life, take a breath, extend a little grace, and choose calm.
Because peace doesn’t just happen — it’s made, one deliberate act at a time.
💛 Happy International Day of Peace from the Fox Foundation — helping The Bahamas build harmony from the inside out.
#InternationalDayOfPeace #FoxFoundation #ConflictResolutionWeek #BahamasPeace #CommunityCare #ChooseCalm #PeaceBeginsWithUs
About The Fox Foundation
The Fox Foundation is a Bahamian nonprofit organization founded by The Hon. Dr. Adrian Fox and Adrianna Fox. Its mission is to improve lives and empower communities across The Bahamas through initiatives focused on education, youth development, community unity, and relief & resilience. Since its establishment, the Foundation has spearheaded programs that provide school scholarships, educational resources, mentorship opportunities, and community support to those in need. From annual back-to-school drives in Kemp Road to national relief efforts, the Fox Foundation remains dedicated to creating generational change by ensuring every child and family has the opportunity, tools, and support to build a brighter future.
For more information, please contact:
Lia Castillo
Marketing Director
The Fox Foundation
+1 (305) 467-1420
Lia.castillo@aafgroup.biz
