TOWARDS GLOBAL PEACE

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. COMMUNAL EGOS AND INTERCOMMUNITY CONFLICT A FATHER who was very strict constantly scolded his children even on small issues. No one had ever heard him speaking kindly with them. His children were so terrified of him that they did not have the courage to even open their mouths in front of him. As soon as he entered the house, they would fall silent and run away. One day, the man climbed up to the terrace of his house. When he got there, he saw, to his shock, one of his sons perched high up on an electric pole. The boy’s kite had got stuck on the electrical wire and he was trying to get it down by climbing the pole. As soon as the boy saw his father, he was terrified. But, instead of shouting at the boy as he normally did, the man spoke to him very gently. “Son, what are you doing there?” he asked. Then, very lovingly, he requested the boy to slowly get down the pole. Later, the man related this incident to somebody, explaining, “I smiled and spoke in a very gentle manner with my son because I feared that if at that delicate moment I scolded him, he would fall down and injure himself. This delicate situation compelled me to speak to him sweetly, contrary to my habit.” This example has valuable lessons, not just at the individual level but also at the social level. It applies to entire communities too, just as it does to individuals. If you are conscious of the sensitiveness of a situation and are careful and concerned about it, your awareness, care and concern will compel you to exercise tolerance, rather than to get