Peace Isn't Absence Of Violence, It Is Presence Of Alternatives

Call it a coincidence or something uncanny, but both 9/11 and the International Day of Peace fall in September. The International Day of Peace is observed around the world each year on September 21. Established in 1981 by unanimous United Nations resolution, Peace Day provides a globally shared date for all humanity to commit to peace above all differences and to contribute to building a Culture of Peace. Nine-eleven needs no reference or introduction. It's etched in the collective consciousness of humankind as one of the most violent incidents in the annals of human civilisation. Some violent episodes in history become metaphors, like 'Pearl Harbour' and '9/11'.

During World War II, the huge destruction of Pearl Harbour by the Japanese Air Force prompted the US to obliterate Hiroshima and Nagasaki using atom bombs, and in 2001, the famous twin towers of New York were completely demolished on September 11. Both the epochal happenings changed the course of history and humanity. They also jolted the conscience of mankind and got all of us thinking. The question is: Can violence and retaliatory violence ever be the answer to any issue? Today, we're standing at the crossroads of human civilisation, tormented by ceaseless acts of violence, bloodshed and destruction of precious lives. Wars are being waged in many parts of the world.

Violence has become a way of life. It's not the sanctity of human life and existence that appeals to all of us anymore. It's the brutality and savagery of human nature that has become our universal fate. Violence can never be a viable solution to any issue. An act of violence begets counter-violence, and it goes on. Violence is a natural outcome of vengeance. Human beings will have to get rid of vengeance and vengeful behaviour to keep violence at bay. Agreed, revenge is an obvious reaction. But how long can we all afford to carry rancour and revenge in our hearts and minds? Somewhere in life's journey, we need to drop all ill feelings for a better tomorrow. We all must believe in man's inherent goodness and also believe that nothing bitter can survive forever. We all eventually recoil from violence and hatred. Didn't the gory sight of the battle of Kalinga transform bloodthirsty King Ashok and turn him into Ashoka the Great? Didn't the ruthless Angulimal realise his violent ways and repent when he came face to face with Buddha, the apostle of peace? We all have inherent and intrinsic goodness to become non-violent.

So it's time; we felt that mindless bloodshed and proclivity to avenge will lead us nowhere. When Gandhiji was assassinated on January 30, 1948, his son Devdas, the managing editor of The Hindustan Times, requested the government of India to pardon Nathuram Godse and Narayan Apte because his father never believed in retaliatory action in his entire life. That the government politely declined his petition is inconsequential. The same happened when Mrs Coretta Scott King, the widow of the slain US human rights activist Dr Martin Luther King Jr, who was assassinated in Memphis on April 4, 1968, requested the US senate and the jury to pardon James Earl Ray, who was finally awarded 99 years of imprisonment sans parole. We all must emulate these greats to make this world a place for all to live in a peaceful coexistence. Remember, peace demands the most heroic labour and the most difficult sacrifice. It demands greater heroism than war. It demands greater fidelity to the truth and a much more perfect purity of conscience.

Peace is not only better than war but also infinitely more arduous. We want peace because if we're at war with others, we cannot be at peace with ourselves. We all must be optimistic that love and peace will eventually vanquish war, hatred and all sorts of differences. To quote Dr Martin Luther King Jr, “I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.”

The pursuit of peace and progress cannot end in a few years in either victory or defeat. The pursuit of peace and progress, with its trials and its errors, its successes and its setbacks, can never be relaxed and never be abandoned. Peace is an ever-ongoing process. It's not an absence of war, it's a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, and justice. Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of creative alternatives for responding to conflict—alternatives to passive or aggressive responses; alternatives to violence. The real and lasting victories are those of peace and not of war. It's not enough to say we must not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it. But peace must never be a weasel word. When you're proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart. Buddha aptly said, “Better than a thousand hollow words is one word that brings peace.” One does not need buildings, money, power, or status to practise the Art of Peace. Heaven is right where you are standing, and that is the place to train. Every goal, every action, every thought, and every feeling one experiences, whether it be consciously or unconsciously known, is an attempt to increase one's level of peace of mind. Peace travels from being individual to being universal.

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So, it's naive to pray for world peace if you're not going to change the form in which you live (and also think). For, behind all imperialism is ultimately the imperialistic individual, just as behind all peace is ultimately the peaceful individual. Remember, each one of us has the power to change the world. Just start thinking of peace, and the message will spread quicker than you think. The universe helps spread the fragrance of peace in all directions because peace subsumes and suffuses the Kainaat (Universe). Jalaluddin Rumi compared peace with breath (Amn Azkhud Anfaas): Just the way breathing sustains us, peace sustains humanity. To quote Urdu-Persian poet 'Nashtar' Nishapuri, “Takhreeb-o-tashddud ki baatein bahut ho chukeen/ Aao, amn-o-muhabbat ko bhi ek mauqa dein.” (We've had enough of violence / Let's give a chance to love and peace). We are one people; we are only family. And when we finally accept these truths, then we will be able to fulfil a visionary's dream to build a beloved community, a nation, and a world at peace with itself.

Peace is not utopian. Rather, it's the most sapient solution for the survival of sapiens. It demands the united efforts of us all because peace is inviolable. Lastly, though we all crave peace, it must also be vibrant and vivacious. We don't want the eerie, icy and dead peace of the graveyard. Rather, it should be serene, salubrious and snug so that all of humanity can bask in its warmth.

Sumit Paul is a regular contributor to the world’s premier publications and portals in several languages.