PEACE?

Dr khurshid Alam. Dated24/3/2012( London)

The word Peace is derived from a Latin word Pax. In Hebrew it is called shotum and Islam it is called salam. Peace is an internal feeling and is the ultimate precursor for making any effort to build peaceful societies. It is a corner stone for the universal peace.

To achieve this state of mind one has has to go through different spiritual methods of purification or we may call it, a process to cleanse one's own chemistry.

Peace has been defined as a state of balance of self understanding and understanding of others in relation to your self. Where respect is gained by understanding the difference of perceptions of others. We may call it peaceful co-existence in contradictions.

It may be called the state of harmony in the absence of conflicts. To me this is an incomplete definition. Peace without cultural and economical justice carries no meaning. The peace in a graveyard is not a peace but silence. It is a peaceful co-existence between living individuals without denial of the right of having difference of opinions and perspectives.

Peace is intra-personal, interpersonal and international phenomenon and is a great human virtue. Pacification is the core characteristic. In peace there is no victor and the vanquished but all parties are equally victors.

Violence can be described to turn an orderly process or life into a disorderly state with a big element of fear. Fear can end a conflict but with complete disregard to human natural aspirations. In peace there is mutual love and affection while in violence and force there is underlying hatred and resentment.

Violence breeds violence and instigate the other party to use counter violence. Non violence breeds love and make the other to surrender. Hate cannot be removed by hatred but love and tolerance can transform the enemy in to a friend. It is weapon having no destructive quality. Abdul Ghaffar Khan used to explain that violence has always a bigger and vicious counter violence but there is no counter to non violence.

The patience to listen to others and accept the difference of opinion increase the depth of tolerance and leaves no room for interpersonal friction. It creates harmonious atmosphere to provide the opportunity to lay the foundation of building humanity with social justice and prosperity.

Human being is the second most destructive animal to an elephant. But elephant destroy the local nature and when it comes to the human beings they destroy a wast area and grossly destroy the humanity. The prosperity and human growth requires a climate of peace.