We will get peace only when we are willing to pay the right price—and the price for peace is recognition of the higher laws of nature and life, recognition of the ideals of tolerance, brotherhood, understanding and equality
In one of the early wars fought between England and France, two warships sighted each other from a distance. It was the hour of dawn, and darkness lay upon the sea like a thick blanket. Thunderclouds flitted across the sky, so that even the stars were hidden from sight. The captain of one ship, spotting another ship at a distance and supposing the other to belong to the enemy, opened a volley of canon fire. It was returned with the same vigour, and a fearful encounter ensured. Both ships were badly damaged, and there were heavy casualties. After about an hour of canon and gunfire, the skies cleared, and in the first glimmer of the morning sun, the sailors discovered to their horror, that both ships were flying an English flag. Quick as the lightning’s flash, the fighting ceased abruptly. The ships drew close and exchanged greetings, and grieved sadly over the disastrous mistake.
Don’t put this down as a crude mistake made by unsophisticated men in the primitive past. In the 21st century, with its sophisticated technology and weaponry, we still hear of something called “friendly fire”—when rockets, missiles and bombs attack and kill one’s own troops or allies in war-zones.
What a needless and tragic waste of human lives!
Nations today, are plunged in the darkness of ignorance and believe that they can assert their sovereignty and integrity only by waging war against their enemies. Worse, they actually believe that lasting peace can be established through relentless war. Thus, our world is scarred by violence and strife. But when the darkness of ignorance is dispelled by the first glimmer of understanding, we will realise that different races and different nations are members of one global family. How grievously will we then repent our misdeeds! Piteous is the need of the nations for such a light—the light of oneness, the light of brotherhood, understanding and compassion.
It was the nuclear bomb which brought the Second World War to an end—but at what cost? Hiroshima and Nagasaki are horrendous reminders that nuclear devices cannot bring about peace by wholesale destruction. In fact, nations have woken up to the fact that they cannot have such a thing as military ‘victory’ when it is sure to be followed by mutual annihilation! What are the world’s leading statesmen doing about this frightening possibility?
People and nations, politicians and governments take it for granted that money must be spent on wars. Millions of dollars are spent on arms procurement. We are willing to pay the price for war—but are we ready to pay the price for peace? The answer is NO! We expect peace to be handed over to us on a platter—for free.
Nations have woken up to the fact that they cannot have military ‘victory’ when it is sure to be followed by mutual annihilation
We will get peace only when we are willing to pay the right price—and the price for peace is recognition of the higher laws of nature and life; recognition of the ideals of tolerance, brotherhood, understanding and equality.
Here is what some of the bravest generals and commanders say about war. These are men who devoted their lives to fighting for their countries— they faced the enemy frontline, and saw their men die in the battle. They were men who led from the front.
General Omar Bradley said: “Wars can be prevented just as surely as they can be provoked, and we who fail to prevent them must share in the guilt for the dead.”
General Douglas MacArthur said:“I have known war as few men now living know it. Its very destructiveness on both friend and foe has rendered it useless as a means of settling international disputes.”
The greatest need of humanity today is peace. The tortured, wounded soul of humanity has cried piteously for peace, age after age. World fellowship and worldunity in these two simple ideals is the panacea for all the social, political evils that afflict humanity.
The world belongs neither to you nor to me! We are here as pilgrims on earth. Our stay here is but for a little while. The world belongs to God— He is our President. Under His sovereign rule we must establish a world union in which every nation lives as the brother of every other nation.
By Dada JP Vaswani
