The Power of Peace
This formula for peace is of a broad-ranging nature, that is,
it is applicable at both individual and national levels. Adopt a peaceful course of action, and your success will be guaranteed.
The power of peace is greater and more effective than the power of violence. Constructive goals can be achieved only through peaceful means, while the use of violence leads nowhere except to ruination.
There is a very interesting example of this in Indian history in the not too far distant past. The freedom struggle of India started in 1857, with the leaders of that period attempting to liberate their country from British rule by resorting to violence. This trend continued up to 1919, without their goal having been achieved. That was the year that Mahatma Gandhi (1869 – 1938) entered the freedom struggle. After studying the situation, he decided to reverse the course of action. He declared that they would continue their freedom struggle, but that it would be by a strictly peaceful method. He pointed out that where the previous leaders had been using bombs, i.e. violence, against the British, they would now use the ‘bomb of peace’ to achieve the same end.
This declaration by Mahatma Gandhi changed the whole scenario; it paralyzed the whole machinery of the British Empire. Puzzled by this announcement, one British collector sent a telegraphic message to his secretariat, worded as follows: “Wire instruction how to kill a tiger non-violently.”
The violent method gives your opponents justification for violent retaliation, but if you adopt peaceful methods, the opposite party has no grounds for using force against you. This was the logic of Gandhian peace, which ultimately led India to freedom.
This formula for peace is of a broad-ranging nature, that is, it is applicable at both individual and national levels. Adopt a peaceful course of action, and your success will be guaranteed. The violent method is a highly risky affair. That it will entail losses is almost certain, while its benefits are indeed doubtful. But in the case of the peaceful method, which entails no risk, success can be taken very much for granted.
Why is the peaceful method so effective? The reason is that the peaceful method hits a man’s conscience. And when the conscience is hit, the person concerned has no option but to surrender to you.
But the case of the violent method is quite different in that it seriously ruffles the other party’s ego. It has been said, quite rightly, that when one’s ego is affected, it turns into a super ego and the result is breakdown. Violence inevitably breeds violence. It thus only aggravates the problem without resolving any issues either for individuals or for nations.
The peaceful method is the method of nature. This is an immutable rule. Thanks to nature invariably treading the path of peace, we see that everywhere in nature there is perfection. Nature may be involved in disparate kinds of activities, but this creates no problems. And, undoubtedly, the reason is that it is steadfastly peaceful in its line of action.
One important aspect of the peaceful method is that it saves any wastage of time and energy. Where violence disturbs normalcy to the point of being destructive, remaining peaceful helps to normalize things and is thus constructive. Moreover, violence only breeds hatred and intolerance, while peace fosters love and compassion. Peace is the greatest social good, for it brings about positivity among people. Where there is peace there can be developmental activities. But without a peaceful atmosphere, there can be no progress whatsoever.
The stars, the planets, and all the other parts of nature are active day and night, but they never stray from the path of peace. Peace is the culture of nature; peace is the law of the universe. Rivers flow carrying the message of peace, the wind blowing day and night conveys this message: ‘O man, adopt peace and be a healthy part of the world.’
