David J. Smith Wants Millennials to Know Where to Find Their Brand of Peace

Maryland author and consultant David J. Smith returned to campus on Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016 to give a lecture on “Peace and Conflict” in the Coblentz Seminar Room.

Smith’s hour and a half lecture focused primarily on the intents of the Global Studies community at Hood.  Students were provided with ideas on what career paths they might choose to pursue as well as the additional knowledge of the varying degrees of peace and perception.

He pointed out that while traditionally the careers surrounding global peace piqued interest in students studying law, ethics and foreign services, the tides are turning and the world will need an abundant amount of multitasking capable individuals with well-rounded educations and skill sets.

After asking students their name, major and career intentions, Smith promoted his message with several activities reinforcing the message that peace is not universally interpreted.  In one of these activities, students were asked to choose whether actions presented were “peace” or “not peace.”

Student answers were represented by choosing to physically stand in locations across the room correlating with the answers.  Students scattered across the room in representation of their opinion.

The locations were equally diverse as their reasoning behind them. The topics Smith discussed included levels of conflict, types of work available and the types of careers of which a global peaceful mission is comprised.

Quoting figures throughout history including Eleanor Roosevelt and Gandhi, Smith kept a steady pace of discussion.

The ability to combine an interest of Information Technology and Global Studies was discussed as part of a societal need to be multifaceted and ready for the jobs of the future.

Students were additionally encouraged to engage in healthy conflict such as social media is sustaining a deficit in controversial conversation due to closed networks creating an isolation of ideas.  He stressed people are not exercising their capacity to grow from conflicting opinion and are stifling personal and professional growth.

Smith said, “Getting the right kind of job is important. Students need to find their niche and work with those cut from the same cloth.”