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I have made this photographic report of the olive tree for The Photos of the Readers of La Vanguardia with the wish that in 2024 the wars will end and peace will come for so many people who suffer the hardships of these conflicts.
But, the way the world is (and how the history of humanity has developed) we could ask ourselves if the olive tree is a symbol of peace or utopia?
In ancient Rome and Greece a crown of olive branches was the highest award given to citizens, especially in the Olympic Games. Furthermore, as a sign of a peaceful will, it was used as an offer of peace to enemy armies when settling an armed conflict.
The original emblem of the United Nations was created by a team of designers, led by Oliver Lincoln Lundquist, in 1945. Among other elements, they introduced crossed olive branches, as a symbol of peace, as well as the color blue, as opposed to red. , associated with war.
Today, therefore, an olive branch is a global symbol of peace. In our imagination it comes from afar. In fact, in the story of Noah's ark in the Bible, the return of a dove with an olive branch was interpreted as the confirmation that the waters of the flood were receding. Therefore, it was a sign of hope.
But, hope is one thing and utopia another. We owe this last concept to the English jurist, writer and statesman, Thomas More, who, in the 16th century, referred to "utopia" to describe an imaginary island that hosts a perfect society in every sense. The truth is that this theologian and humanist, chancellor of Henry VIII, was interested in searching for an ideal world. But that claim has ended up being related to the idea of the chimera.
The utopia that proposes a happy ending, an evolution of society towards a better future, is also known as "eutopia", while if it announces a drift towards the worst, it is "dystopia". This last vision, moreover, is very much in vogue in the audiovisual culture of the 21st century and it is even fashionable to imagine and show, for example, in cinema or in series, a dystopian future, why would it be?...
This is how we can ask ourselves, in a current context of major wars in various areas of the world, such as in Ukraine or Gaza, whether the olive tree is a symbol of peace or rather of utopia. Or perhaps the most accurate question would be this: What would happen if there were no symbols of peace like the olive tree?
The truth is that there are conflicts in areas where various religions should coexist and, curiously, the olive tree is an element of unity, a common denominator. Let's look, for example, at the Middle East.
In the Jewish religion, oil plays an important role as a symbol of Divine Blessing. In the Menorah, the seven-branched candelabra, Jews use olive oil. And, for Muslims, the olive tree and its oil are allegorically related to the Light of God that guides human beings.
In Christianity, there is a very significant prayer for peace, attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi (1182-1226), although he did not make it, but he was a person of dialogue and respect among other religions. This prayer is today one of the most popular devotions, a synthesis of the Franciscan ideology.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
Where there is hate, I put love,
Where there is offense, I put forgiveness,
Where there is discord, I put unity,
Where there is error, I put truth,
Where there is doubt, I put faith,
Where there is despair, I put hope,
Where there is darkness, let me put light,
Where there is sadness, let me bring joy.
Oh Master, let me not search so much
be consoled as consoled,
to be understood how to understand,
to be loved as to love.
Because by giving you receive,
forgetting is found,
by forgiving you are forgiven,
and dying he is resurrected to eternal life.
