The sounds of war are perennial. But the yearning for peace
never ends. This week we shall celebrate the days of two great men of peace:
Mahatma Gandhi on 2nd and St. Francis of Assisi on 4th October. Soon we shall also know the winner of this
year’s Nobel Prize for Peace.
The sounds of war are not necessarily only those that emanate
from the guns and the bombs, the tanks and the warplanes, and the beating of
the drums. All these may be silent. There may be no combat. But words are
sufficient. The yearning for peace also remains only a yearning till it is
expressed in words. Words are powerful in war and peace as they are in all
things big and small.
Last week we were shaken up by the pronouncement of a top
Iranian official that World War III could take place if Iran were to be
attacked by Israel. He went on to say that Iran considers the US bases in the
region as part of “American soil”, which could be targeted if war were to break
out. Elaborating further it was said that Israel would not “initiate a war
without US support” to arrest Tehran’s nuclear programme. Words have been
uttered. President Obama has also been talking hostile language to boost his
campaign. May be the verbal hostilities will become less after the results of
the November 6 US presidential elections. Let’s hope so.
Over two months back, President Pranab Mukherjee had said in
his acceptance speech that we are in the midst of World War IV, referring to
the war of and against terrorism which was engulfing almost the entire world.
He had described the cold war in the second half of the twentieth century as
the third world war.
In the midst of all the talk of war, we must not lose sight
of the signs of peace. The media focuses more on fights, murders, terror,
battles and wars. The silent work of the peace makers goes without notice. It
is the duty of all peace lovers and peace workers to highlight the efforts for
peace, especially by persons who are inspiring. This can enhance the movement
for peace.
Pope Benedict XVI was on a three-day visit to Lebanon, a
country that has seen much violence, in the second week of September. He gave a
clarion call for peace when he said: “I will appeal to all of you to be
peacemakers, wherever you find yourselves… in a world where violence constantly
leaves behind its grim trail of death and destruction.” “May God grant to your country, to Syria and
the Middle East, the gift of peaceful hearts, the silencing of weapons and the
cessation of all violence.”
Aung San Suu Kyi recently described Mahatma Gandhi as one of
her greatest sources of influence while addressing the students of Columbia
University last week. The Nobel Peace
Prize Winner said: “Gandhi is somebody really phenomenal… You must remember the
change through non-violent means was not ever thought of before Gandhi. He was the one who started it, he was the one
who decided that it is possible to bring about revolutionary change without
violence.” Suu Kyi is one of the great leaders of our times, an icon for
peaceful struggle for democracy. Nelson Mandela, another icon, has also
attributed his ideology for peace to the inspiring father figure of Gandhi.
When the leaders of other countries are paying tributes to
the Father of our Nation, we must work all the more to emulate him, especially
his non-violent method of struggle. We take the easier route by organising
cleanliness drives on his birthday. Not that cleanliness is less important, but
the path to peace is more difficult and very urgent in our times. Our long term
struggles can succeed in the long run only by following the path of
non-violence. Violence begets violence. It can only produce short term results
for a short time only. As Gandhiji said, the whole world would be blind if we
were to follow the eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth policy. The chain of
violence must stop somewhere. It takes a great person with great courage to
stop the chain by offering the other cheek.
I shall end this piece with the opening words of the prayer
of St. Francis of Assisi:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Published in The Navhind Times, Panorama 30.09.2012
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