We have the right to appreciate and evaluate but not the right to ridicule, hate or destroy, for every individual and every nation has the right to choose and judge for themselves, says Rajyogi Brahmakumar Nikunj ji
Today each one of us is seeking peace, aren’t weij The prime reason for this is our dilemma and difficulty in surviving in a world that offers little rest and where peace comes in rare interludes. All over the world NGOs are holding peace marches, people in power are trying to overcome lawlessness, security agencies aim to conquer terror, environmentalists are aiming at natural harmony and yet peace remains elusive, mainly because the momentum of the world is such that it is not easy to establish peace.
The reason why peace is absent from some parts of the world is because racial prejudice or hatred built on the basis of caste, colour, creed or sex dominate these areas. In international relations, peace is absent because there is prejudice among nations built on differences in their economic or political systems.
Again, there are prejudices between various religious communities and sects and also between groups speaking different languages. These give rise to ideological intolerance, linguistic chauvinism, racial feud, religious fanaticism and national jingoism. A combination of all these makes co-existence difficult or even impossible.
These have created various interest groups and divided the world, which in turn has brought about conflict and confrontation everywhere. These prejudices stoke the fires of hatred which has resulted in armament race and has given rise to war between nations, riots between communities, bitter quarrels among family members and internal strife in countries. When due to prejudice of some kind, a person or a nation ridicules another person or nation, then, this creates a feeling of scorn and revenge in the consciousness of the person or the nation which has been ridiculed.
In fact, a deep analysis of the world situation will show that prejudices of various sorts are mainly responsible for much strife, cruelty, injustice and violence and also for the warped and impoverished lives of a large segment of society.
So, if we want to bring an end to war and violence and desire lasting and real peace, we must make an earnest effort to free ourselves from prejudice. If we want to be happy and wish the same for others, we must give up hatred. For this, we need to realise that if other people do what seems strange and irrational to us, our ways and ideas may also seem even more bizarre to them.
We should not forget that different people live in different circumstances and they have been reared in different environment. Different nations also have different historical background, heritage, culture and geophysical conditions. No two nations or communities can have similar identity of views and history.
And each one naturally has explanations for their respective beliefs and customs. So, we must have an attitude of respect for their beliefs and ways. We should look upon each one of them as different flowers in this vast garden of the world. It is highly unfair to place the idiosyncrasies of other races, nations or communities alongside someone else’s and ridicule them.
We have the right to appreciate and evaluate but not the right to ridicule, hate or destroy, for every individual and every nation has the right to choose its own goal and to judge for its own self. So, for universal peace, we must first have universal goodwill because it is pivotal to peace.
While disarmament, removing environmental pollution are essential for building a peaceful world, let us bear in mind that none of these objects can be achieved without goodwill and without respect for others. But how can there be goodwill if there is prejudice or hatredij If happiness is our goal, let hatred go from our minds; if we wish to have peace, let us shun all kinds of prejudices and accept everyone with a big heart.