TOWARDS GLOBAL PEACE
We often talk of peace in the context of war. But this is a very narrow and restricted notion of peace. Peace is deeply linked with the entirety of human life. Peace is a complete ideology in itself. Peace is the only religion for both—man and the universe. It is the master-key that opens the doors to every success. Peace creates a favourable atmosphere for success in every endeavour. Without peace, no positive action—small or big—is possible.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PEACE AND VIOLENCE
PEACE is the result of planned action, while violence is purely an aggressive response to any kind of provocation. The peace-loving person first thinks and then acts. The violent person first acts and then thinks. There is hope in peaceful action from start to finish. In violent action, however, there are false hopes to begin with, which are soon followed by frustration.
The peace-loving person stands for truth, while the violent person stands for falsehood. The way of peace runs an even course from beginning to end, while the path of violence is strewn with obstacles. In peace, construction is all, while with violence, destruction is all. A peace-loving person lives with love in his heart for others, while a violent person is consumed with hatred for others. The peaceful course ends in success, while the violent course ends in frustration and regret.
A peace-loving person lives with love in his heart for others, while a violent person is consumed with hatred for others. The peaceful course ends in success, while the violent course ends in frustration and regret.
In having recourse to peaceful methods, there is nothing to be lost and everything to be gained. Violent methods, on the contrary, bring no gains, only losses. The way of peace is the way of humanity, while the way of violence is the way of animality. While an act of peace is well within the ambit of the law, the act of violence is utterly lawless.
A peace-loving person ignores problems and avails of opportunities, while a violent person leaves opportunities untapped and remains locked in a futile struggle with problems. While an act of peace causes the orchard of love and well-wishing to blossom, an act of violence sows the seeds for a whole jungle of enmity and hatred. The culture of peace is, in short, the culture of goodness, while the culture of violence is the culture of evil.
In peace, God’s rights as well as human rights are honoured. Where violence reigns, human rights as well God’s rights are violated. If peace is paradise, violence is hell.
Where the opposite courses of peace and war are open to man, peace is the true choice for him. War is only a proof that he has made the wrong choice. That is a test in which he has failed. The truth is that war and violence are in no way valid options for any individual, community or nation.
Although many allurements exist in this world, they are there purely to put man to the test. They are not something desirable for man. For instance, alcohol is available, but it does not exist for man’s consumption. It is there rather for man to refrain from indulging in it and thus prove his ability to distinguish between good and bad. It is a temptation, in the avoidance of which he shows that he is prudent and a man of principles. The same is true of war. Although the way of war is open to all, the noblest line of conduct is to refrain from opting for it. The conditions prevailing in ancient times allowed for war in selfdefence. But this permission to go to war conformed to the law of necessity. Now, in the present situation, this need no longer exists, therefore there should be a general ban on war.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE AGRICULTURAL AGE AND THE
INDUSTRIAL AGE
As regards war, all religions and all ethical systems are agreed upon
one principle, and that is, no matter how great the justification for
waging war, i.e. even in an entirely lawful war, non-combatants must
not be assailed or killed. The attacking of non-combatants is totally
unacceptable.
Now let us look at how this principle is carried into effect in wartime. This kind of condition, i.e. the attacking only of combatants, could be fulfilled only in the agricultural age. Today, owing to scientific and technological developments, war is waged with explosive weapons which do widespread damage. When a bomb is dropped over an inhabited area, it cannot do otherwise than kill a large number of noncombatants along with the combatants. In reality, therefore, it is wellnigh impossible to meet this condition.
This shows that, in practice, man has only two options in present times: either he refrains from war on the grounds that the observance of humanitarian provisos is impracticable. Or else he commits the crime of hurling himself headlong into war, callously ignoring all humane considerations.
When we delve deeper into the matter, we discover another important truth. We now find that in present times, on the one hand, circumstances are such as do not allow us to meet all the desirable conditions of waging war, while, on the other hand, such resources have been made available by the industrial revolution as permit us to achieve our goals by purely peaceful means. Indeed, we may expect to win far greater victories today by peaceful means than could have been done in ancient times by waging war. It must be conceded that war, as fought in former ages, has been rendered a futile exercise by the modern industrial revolution.
When we keep this reality before us, we can safely conclude that violent war was the product of the circumstances prevailing in the agricultural age. In the industrial age, this kind of war, due to its counterproductive results, has been in principle rejected. With the end of the agricultural age, the way of violent struggle has at least theoretically come to an end. Now, in the present circumstances, the peaceful method is the only method. Now no excuse can justify violence or war.
If any constructive work is to be achieved in life, it must be through peaceful efforts. Violence can only destroy life. It cannot build it.
The difference between peace and violence is aptly illustrated by the building of a bird’s nest. A nest can be constructed only by peaceful effort. Violence can only destroy it, not build it. The same is true of human life. If any constructive work is to be achieved in life, it must be through peaceful efforts. Violence can only destroy life. It cannot build it.
THE PRICE OF PEACE
Everything has its price—even peace. No individual or group can have
peace unless it is willing to pay for it in due measure. And that means
showing willingness to suffer loss.
According to the law that governs the system of the present world, on the principle of “no risk no gain”, it is necessary for people to incur losses of different kinds. At times, they are unfairly challenged by others, they fall a prey to economic difficulties, they suffer losses of land and wealth, they meet with an accident or are deprived of certain benefits that should have been theirs by right etc. Unpleasant experiences of this kind, by the very law of nature, are undergone at one time or another in this world, by individuals, communities and nations. In such situations, if people are not willing to suffer any loss, the result will be violence. But if they are willing to make sacrifices, this will result in peace.
Opting for the way of patience and tolerance does not mean treading the path of defeat or retreat. It is, in fact, a future-oriented plan. It amounts to a voluntary acceptance of reality. This means even after losing something, one has always to remember that one is still in possession of many other things by utilizing which one can build anew. The benefit of patience and tolerance is that, even after suffering losses, the bereft one does not lose his balance. In spite of temporary defeat, he never loses the ability to think cool-mindedly and, by making a realistic assessment of his situation, plans his life anew. By forgetting what is lost, he reorganizes his work on the basis of whatever he still possesses. Frustration yields pride of place to planning and he sets himself to starting his life’s journey all over again.
The power of peace is far greater than the power of violence. One who, failing to recognize this truth, adopts a violent course of action in order to achieve his goals, demonstrates his own foolishness. For peace is the way of the wise, while violence is the way of the foolish.
One reliable feature of our world is that here the night is always followed by the morning. This world is full of possibilities and opportunities. Here, after losing one opportunity, man will find another. Here, if he finds one door closed to him, he will soon find many other doors open to him. In this way, there is always the possibility that, after the failure of one set of plans, he may work on another set and build his life afresh.
The truth is that in this world each piece of bad news is followed by good news. Each adverse incident gives man the good tidings that we should not fall a victim to frustration or lose heart. Rather we should muster enough courage to seek out new opportunities. Nature’s system tells us in advance that our deprivation is not going to last forever. Soon we will be able to build a better world for ourselves. Soon our defeat will prove to be a victorious beginning.
Those who are unable to bear losses patiently tend to lapse into negative thinking. In this way, their life becomes a burden to themselves and to others. On the contrary, those who have patience and courage, build a new edifice on the ruins of the past. After the night comes the dawn, so that in its light they may continue their journey without a break. However, this noble end awaits only those who refrain from violence and engage themselves in peaceful activities, regardless of the circumstances.
PEACE—A GREAT POWER
The power of peace is far greater than the power of violence. One who,
failing to recognize this truth, adopts a violent course of action in order
to achieve his goals, demonstrates his own foolishness. For peace is
the way of the wise, while violence is the way of the foolish.
Peace and war are not just two equal modes of achievement in the simple sense of the phrase. Rather they reflect two different standards of humanity. One who adopts the path of peace raises the level of humanity, while one who adopts the path of violence decidedly lowers it.
In moments of crisis, when the individual opts for the way of peace, he cultivates positive thinking. He raises his moral standards. He goes from strength to strength in the improvement of his own character. Indeed, he gives a practical proof of his being a human being. On the contrary, when a man opts for the path of violence to solve his problems, he slides down the slippery slope towards perdition. He makes it all too clear that he is suspect as a human being.
Inclinations towards peace or violence serve as indicators of the true character of the human being. If the former proves the humanity of the individual, the latter proves his animality, despite his appearing to be a human being.
Peaceable behaviour is indicative of self-control. Self-control is undoubtedly a very great strength: it saves man from engaging in negative activities like violence. One who does not have the power of self-control will be enraged at times of provocation and will hurl himself into violent activities. Controlling one’s anger is the way of the peaceful person, while losing one’s self-control when provoked is the way of the violent person.
RECONCILIATION IS THE BEST
In any controversy, one way to attempt to settle matters is for both
parties to enter into violent confrontation. The better way to settle
disputes is to effect a reconciliation at the very outset. Reconciliation is
like a safety valve in any situation where there are conflicting interests
and where tempers can become explosive. So at times of provocation,
the best course to adopt is a conciliatory rather than a confrontational
one. That is a law of nature.
However, it rarely happens that the reconciliation effected are exactly according to the desires of both the parties. In the majority of cases, reconciliation is possible only on a unilateral basis. That is, one party has to suppress its own inclinations and show a willingness to put an end to the dispute in accordance with other party’s wishes.
Why is this kind of unilateral reconciliation better? The main benefit is that without wasting one’s energy and time in unnecessary wrangling, one is able to carry on a constructive course of action, whereas a state of confrontation puts a full stop to all such activity.
History shows that any success on the part of an individual or a community has been achieved by adopting the conciliatory method. The path of clash and confrontation has never led to any genuine success in this world. Reconciliation is vital, because it gives man the opportunity to utilize available opportunities to the fullest extent, whereas confrontation leads to his entire energies being channelized into planning the destruction of others. The work of construction, therefore, is never engaged in, although the secret of true success lies in construction and consolidation rather than in destroying supposed enemies.
Many people justify violence by saying that they have been the victims of plots and conspiracies and so must put an end to this by fighting. This excuse is quite baseless. What is generally regarded as a plot is, in actual fact, a manifestation of that plan of nature which has been established in the present world as a natural law.
In the present world, the actual problem for a community is not that it has enemies plotting against it. The actual problem is that it has failed to purge itself of the weaknesses that provide others with the opportunity to exploit it. An established state of peace is a safeguard against this kind of exploitation. Violence means rendering oneself insecure by breaking the defence line.