A JOURNEY TOWARDS PEACE

A JOURNEY TOWARDS PEACE ~ 151 ~ The theme of this meeting is the complex issue of nuclear disarmament which, at this stage in world development, it is both appropriate and imperative that we discuss in forums of this nature. I am grateful, therefore, to the organizers of this conference for giving me the opportunity to share my views with you. What strikes me as being of prime importance is to fully understand the reasons for the stockpiling of nuclear armaments. In my opinion, the principal reason is mistrust between men and between nations. The escalation of this mistrust has caused the proliferation of nuclear armaments, and an increase in other related activities. What I believe to be mainly responsible for this mistrust is the lack of spirituality in modern times. We have to work at removing this root cause, without which it will be well-nigh impossible to make any progress. There is a well-known saying of Jesus Christ. He said, “Love your enemy.” It means that one must love everyone — including one’s enemies. This is the essence of spirituality and religion: love and compassion for one’s fellow men. And if we are