By Kamala Sarup
Photo Source paradesh.com
Peace and tolerance mean different things to different people and this can sometimes lead to confusion and obscure the truth.
A noble and tireless seeker of peace, Daisaku Ikeda, once said, “A great revolution in just one single individual will help achieve a change in the destiny of a society and, further, will enable a change in the destiny of humankind.”
Does this mean we all don revolutionary garb, take to the hills and engage in armed struggle? Certainly not. It has already failed.
Over 12,000 Nepalis have been killed over the last nine years. We don’t yet see any indication that warring parties in Nepal are keen to settle their differences through dialogue and work out a negotiated settlements.
Around the world, dozens of people are being killed every day in the name of‘jehad,’ `Resistance’ or ‘global war against terror.’ Tolerance and understanding has given way to hatred and suspicion. People are now refusing to see and recognize others beyond their own caste, creed and religion.
Unfortunately, after paying a huge price over past several decades, we have come to learn that this is not the way to resolve our conflict and lead our societies.
We live in the real world with jobs, family, responsibilities and normal day-to-day problems to solve. There are various political processes to allow people to interact and work towards conflict resolutions.
“The peace activists I have been fortunate enough to interact with remind me quite a bit of the courage and bravery I have seen in people of Latin descent, particularly Mexican descent, and the serenity and wisdom of the people I saw in Japan and in Nepal. Mostly in seeing the results of such conflicts during subsequent periods of
economic reconstruction. I did see firsthand a little of such conflicts when I visited Burma, or Myanmar, as it is known by some,” a senior American journalist, Scrabe, said recently.
Deeply held beliefs, such as religious convictions, can often arouse fierce passions among people. The intense sectarian violence in Northern Ireland or Sri Lanka are recent examples of this phenomenon.
On the one hand, UN offer assistance, inspiration and hope for many, yet our societies marred by scandals and
incompetence at many levels. The overall work and effort of people such as Kofi Annan has inspired a whole generation of African leaders. The tragic situation, which occurred in Rwanda, demonstrates the need for such
organisations. Yet in Orange County, California there is a remarkable man, Reverend Rick Warren, and Saddleback Church, which he and his wife founded, who recently went to Rwanda and according to news reports did a lot of good work there.
The world and its various institutions, such as governments and militaries, have been around for a very long time. History appears to move in cycles of sorts. Human beings either learn from history, or they will tend to repeat mistakes of the past. We must be optimist in this regard, and we must have high hopes for the future as long as there are people who are working for peace, tolerance and prosperity around the globe, including Nepal.
People and tolerance are social creatures and naturally gather together to pursue common interests. When people and the land converge in the harmony of peace and tolerance, often remarkable things can occur.
Nepal is a place where like-minded people of goodwill can gather together for peace, as recent musical events have shown, to solve or at least conceptualize the solution to problems facing the country today.
But, perhaps, the most important message is that if we want peace, we must work for justice.