On this International Day of Peace, it is worth reflecting — what really shapes peace in our world?
Of the eight billion people on this planet, there are only a handful that cause terror, create disturbance and violence in the world, and all of us are affected. Don’t you think the reverse will also work? Just a few thousand of us, being really peaceful and loving, caring for the whole planet-can we not bring a transformation? I have this crazy idea — a world without violence. This may appear Utopian, but we need to dream, and we will get there. The world today needs more and more people who stand up for peace, who are ready to bridge differences and remove the prejudices that keep the world divided.
Peace is essential for prosperity. If there is no peace, there is no prosperity. Actually, it’s a catch-22 situation: peace brings prosperity, and prosperity sustains peace. We need to address both together in the world. Outer peace could come only if there was inner peace. World peace stems from right where we are. It is peaceful individuals who make a peaceful world.
Mediator Mindset
You may have noticed that when you are in a harmonious environment your mind picks up any excuse to be in conflict. And often, small things are enough to create big turmoil. If you have a conflicting environment, you tend to seek harmony. Ask yourself this question: Do you seek harmony in every situation or do you seek to widen the differences and prove your righteousness? The seed of negativity and the tendency for conflict in you can only be annihilated through spiritual practices.
For peace to be lasting, both reformers and rulers have to move together. Spiritual leaders, religious leaders, and NGOs have the role to reform. Many NGOs in the world can play a big role in bringing peace to the conflict zones. We must go and meet people in these regions; speak to them, for they are all part of us. They are not a different species but victims of misunderstanding, burdened with fear and prejudice against one another. Inside every culprit, there is a victim crying for help. If we can heal the victim, the culprit disappears.
Here, a two-way approach is needed: a humanitarian approach along with political dialogue. The humanitarian approach helps people free themselves from stress and tension, to look at life from a broader perspective, and to realise that the peace they seek is already deep within them. Conflicts arise when there is a breakdown of communication. Whenever there is a conflict, it indicates a certain chasm between communities or between nations. To bridge this chasm, you need strong people who are neutral, centred, and are ready to listen. For mediation to happen, the mediator must have the confidence of both sides. Mediators have to be real yogis. You should have spiritual depth and patience to listen to both parties and bring about what is best for both parties. We often think peace is what we experience between two conflicts. Peace is not just an absence of conflict; it is a positive phenomenon inside us. When our mind is quiet, our intellect becomes sharper, our emotions become positive and lighter, and our behaviour becomes much more palatable. These are the effects of finding inner peace, and world peace is impossible without individuals being at peace. How does one find inner peace?
Meditation gives you energy to cope with difficult situations and unites the hearts and minds of people. Meditation is the inward journey to find that oasis of peace, which is your very nature. Once you find peace within yourself, you will want to share it with your surroundings. A heart that has opened in peace cannot but serve.
Meditation is the foundation of mediation. When all communication breaks down between two parties, the role of a mediator arises. Mediation involves being neutral and providing space for two communities or parties that conflict with each other.
This attitude of allowing two parties to come together and rebuild lost trust is very challenging, but not impossible. To do this, first we need to be in a very calm, serene state. For others to listen, you must first listen to them. Sit with both parties and listen to them 100 per cent. Once they feel heard, they become open to listening to you. For this, the mediator needs a calm mind and a lot of patience.
When the conflict is between justice and peace, it is a humongous task to reconcile the differences. Only the spiritual dimension can ease the situation. Often, when you listen to conflicting points of view, you will find that everyone is correct from their own viewpoint. We have to find a way and come together in peace.
People who resort to violent means due to a sense of injustice can be engaged in dialogue if approached the right way.
From their perspective, they are fighting for a cause out of righteousness. In a way, their passion, commitment, and the spirit of sacrifice are commendable. When outer dynamism, which they have in abundance, is complemented by inner peace, they can prove to be a boon to society. Many of our free tribal schools in insurgency-affected regions are being run by former extremists.
In fact, in the beginning, they threatened our volunteers to close them down. But when they saw that these efforts were benefiting their own communities, they became volunteers themselves. Here, we all have to bring sense and come up with solutions to the conflict. The world, life itself, is full of conflicts, and it is wisdom that helps us to sail through them.
In Colombia, I was invited to mediate in the long-standing conflict between the FARC rebel group and the government. The conflict had lasted for over five decades. When I first reached out to the FARC, they were very suspicious. They asked, ‘Why are you here? What do you want from us?’ I told them, ‘I don’t want anything. I have come only to see you happy and to see peace in your country.
‘It took time to build trust because decades of violence had made everyone sceptical. First, they were very reluctant because I am from an alien culture, speaking an alien language. But once they recognised that sincerity, their hearts opened. We had three days of (2-3 hours each day) deliberations, and later on, they also joined meditation, and we could find a sea change. The day I was leaving, they said, ‘Please don’t forget us.’ They each brought a stone and told me to bless it. That shows that deep within, we are all connected through one spirit.
They called a press conference on the third day and announced a unilateral ceasefire, which later culminated in the historic peace treaty in 2016.
Judgment and Mediation
What is the difference between just giving a judgment and being a mediator? Suppose two people are fighting for an apple. A judgment would be: I cut it in half and give one half to each. Mediation is different — you don’t decide, you only facilitate people coming together. I would give the knife to one person to cut the apple, and the choice of which part to take to the other person.
If I cut and divide the apple, there will always be a chance for disputes to crop up in the future. One party will say, ‘I got less,’ the other will say, ‘I got more.’ But if I give the choice of cutting to one person and the choice of selecting to someone else, the one who cuts will do so justly, and the one who chooses will know it is fair. That’s the essence of mediation: you’re not imposing a solution.
Any judgment in courts results in a win-loss outcome. In mediation, both parties take away something: they feel heard.
We need to look at life with the ‘Three Cs’: A Cosmic (or broader) vision of a problem. Without commitment, you will not be able to move a step forward — we need commitment for peace and compassion. Without compassion, you cannot understand another person’s point of view.
Turbulence is a part of this world, whereas making peace is the nature of our spirit. If, with a strong resolve and skill, we can remain centred in peace, it begins to radiate all around us. When we are established in non-violence, nonviolence gets dropped in our presence. On this International Day of Peace, let us resolve to be established in peace inside and bring it to the world outside. It is time to stand for peace.