PEACE IN NATURE
A study of the universe shows that its all-pervasive system is based entirely on the principle of peace. There are innumerable celestial bodies throughout the universe, which are in perpetual motion. But no collision ever takes place between them. Each orbits with total precision within its own realm, never encroaching upon that of another, and that is why, in the world of nature, no clash or confrontation ever takes place.
The culture of the universe is the culture of peace. This is desirable for man too. Man also must adopt this all-embracing principle in his life. Renouncing the path of confrontation, he should opt for the path of peace.
Because of adhering to this peace culture, the universe has been functioning for billions of years without any such collision as would disturb its system. If a violent culture had prevailed instead, the different constituents of this universe would have collided and been destroyed. And the world would long have ceased to be inhabitable.
The Creator, who brought the cosmos into existence, also created human beings. It is His desire that man should likewise opt for the culture of peace that has been established in this vast domain. However, there is a difference between man and the universe. This peace culture has been imposed upon the universe by the force of nature. But man has been given freedom of action. It is desirable, therefore, that human beings should establish this peace culture by a conscious and voluntary effort of will so that harmony should also prevail in their lives.
The System of Nature
This earth, inhabited by man, has been properly set in order from the moment of its creation. For here, everything has been arranged according to a plan beneficial to mankind. This means that whatever man does on this earth, it is essential that he should do it without altering the plan of nature. If he tampers with it to even the slightest degree, it will result in the breakdown of the natural system already set in proper order and, in consequence, corruption will spread everywhere.
In our world innumerable events take place, governed by the law of nature: for instance, the continuous rotation of the earth, the receiving of light from the sun, the blowing of the wind, the onset of rains, the flowing of rivers, the growing of plants and trees, etc. All occurrences of this nature continue day and night. How striking it is that they occur in an extremely peaceful manner. There is no violence, no clash, no confrontation.
This being the natural way of reform, human beings ought to follow this way of nature, completely shunning violence and confrontation.
They should not conduct themselves like the violent individual who relies on things like swords, gun or bombs, but should draw their strength from noble human qualities, such as patience, forbearance, avoidance of conflict, a willingness for mutual adjustment, etc. These strategies of a peace-loving person are in conformance with the eternal and ineluctable laws of nature. Those who go against them will certainly create great disturbances everywhere; they will never be able to establish a reformed system.
The Law of Conversion
The human body requires blood in its system for its survival. But we cannot procure readymade blood in this world. For this we require a system where non-blood, after passing through a particular natural process, maybe converted into blood. Without this conversion, it is impossible to procure blood for ourselves.
Just as blood is vital for our physical existence, so is peace vital for our social existence. But we cannot find ready-made peace in this world. Therefore, in this matter as well, we will have to evolve a process by which non-peace may be converted into peace.
It is this peace-making process which was expressed by Jesus Christ in these words:
“Give to Caesar what is due to Caesar and give to God what
is due to God.” (Luke, 20:25)
This means that, by avoiding a head-on clash with unfavourable circumstances, we may gain time for the achievement of our objectives.
In the context of peace this formula may be expressed thus: Tolerate the state of non-peace so that you may obtain the state of peace. This is the only way to convert non-peace into peace in this world. There is no other path to peace.
The entire system of nature is based on the principle of conversion. Everything in our world has undergone a process of conversion. Water, before being converted, had existed in the form of two different gases. According to the law of nature, non-water was converted into water. This process is applicable to all other phenomena of the world.
Let’s take another instance—the tree. It never happens that a tree suddenly appears before us in its fully developed from. There is a process of nature, by which a seed is converted by stages into a tree. We can say that there is a process in nature, which converts a non-tree into a tree, then only a tree stands on the earth in all its majesty.
Similarly, a cow gives milk only after a natural process of conversion has taken place. It is as if the cow is an industry of nature, which converts non-milk into milk, a nutritious fluid. In a similar way, the food a man requires for his physical sustenance can come into existence only when nature’s factory converts the non-edible into the edible, and man’s digestive system further converts this edible material into flesh and blood.
The matter of peace too falls under this general law of nature. Peace is vital for our social existence but we cannot find ready-made peace in this world. Therefore, in like manner, peace can be had only by those individuals – or society – who have the ability to convert non-peace into peace. We can find peace only when we have demonstrated this ability.
Now let us see how this non-peace can be converted into peace. This process can be briefly summed up as giving a positive response in negative situations.
Our world functions on the principle of competition. That is why challenges and provocations are never absent from any situation. Our world can never be free from them. That sole remedy for this is to refuse to be provoked even in provocative situations. Peace is the result of such unilateral ethics.
In this world we can find nothing ready-made. Everything has to undergo a process of conversion. That is why we can never find ready-made peace here. We shall have to summon up all our wisdom to convert that which is not peace into peace. Only then can we possess peace. Just as this principle applies to the life of an individual, so also does it apply at national as well as international levels.
