Peace cannot grow from seeds of violence

There has never been a single day in the whole history of the news media when the media reported that peace prevails on the whole planet Earth and that everything is going right in the world. A study of the recorded history of the world gives conclusive evidence that there has constantly been bitter or bloody strife over the last two-and-a-half millennia. This strife may have been social, economic, political, cultural, ethnic, religious, or militaristic, or of any other kind; often, it was bolstered by a claim that it was for a noble goal or a just cause.

Similarly, those who were responsible for the partition of the Indian subcontinent claimed that it was done for the noble goal of seeking justice for one particular community, which was considered the main minority community. Similarly, those who are now waging a struggle for reservation of government jobs for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, etc., claim that they are fighting for social and economic justice for the weaker and backward sections of society.

Of late, even extremists claim that their fight is for obtaining political freedom and for the human right of self-determination. Now, even if we suppose that the struggle waged by the above-mentioned groups or individuals, or by others mentioned in history, has been for a noble goal or a good cause, the question arises about the means used to achieve their professed goal. Have the means adopted in each one of the above cases also been worthy?

Looking at the historical facts, one would find that some of these struggles or protests indulged in gory acts of bloodshed of hundreds of thousands of people, and they created a deep feud against the capitalist world, thus leading to large-scale armament build-up. In their struggle for a classless society, they led to the creation of antagonistic groups or countries locked in global conflicts of various sorts.

The means adopted by the leaders for forcing the partition of India resulted in unparalleled communal carnage and genocide on a mass scale. Similarly, the strategies of those who want reservation for backward castes and the approach and means adopted by militants also have led to great strife and the latter, in particular, have led to killings, abduction, and fear.

It is easy to romanticise revolution or justify conflict in the name of ideals, but one should remember that lasting peace can never emerge from paths paved with violence. In the process of pursuing justice, if we lose our sense of humanity, the very purpose of that justice becomes diluted. So, the analysis of events of history leads us to the conclusion that if we wish peace for ourselves and the world, and if we aspire that bloody strife should end, then we must first review our goal and see if it is really correct and noble, and then we should double-check whether our means are also noble. Let us remember that the means are as important as the goal. The greatest transformations in history have not always come from force, but from the strength of inner conviction and peaceful resistance. Leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. taught the world that non-violence, dialogue, and moral clarity have the power to dismantle oppressive systems without bloodshed. In today's fractured world, where lines between activism and aggression are often blurred, we must return to the wisdom of these ideals. True peace is not just the absence of war, but the presence of compassion, understanding, and ethical integrity in both our vision and our methods. So, let our future struggles, if any, be defined not by the wounds they cause, but by the healing they bring.

The writer is a spiritual teacher and a popular columnist; views are personal