Noel Manuel
Peace has become the most sought after word these days. This is because there is an absence of it in every web of human existence. Wherever we turn ourselves to, there is everything to be found that is much lesser than conflict, enmity, rivalry, jealousy, hate and of course war.
Actually on one hand there is an absence of peace and on the other a strong desire in pursuit of it. Life in itself is all about craving for what we fail to possess in life. Be it materially, socially or spiritually, it is human nature to respond to the stimulus of developments that are constantly taking shape around us. Whether we are able to accomplish our motivated cravings or not, we never appear to get tired or give up in our pursuits. Not surprisingly therefore that we come across some ugly incidents of killing, robbery, murders, so on and so forth. Our cravings never seem to die down during our entire lifetime. The more we have the more we crave for and this regrettably is a sin as there is no end to the chapters of cravings.
When we accomplish our material and social cravings, our lives supposedly become more comfortable, luxurious and entertaining. We know the outcome of achieving social, material and spiritual gain. We have learnt the lessons of the colour of money and taken a cue from our predecessors. The quality of our lives improve, and so we think; but hard to admit, there is an absence of peace.
Peace is a qualitative substance that provides us sustainable comfort, luxury and entertainment. The term sustainable means that when there is peace, there is less risk of losing our materialistic things, social set-ups and spiritual bliss. When there is no peace, the risk of losing our material, social and spiritual cravings are critical and delicate.
The irony with man is that he can’t preserve or retain what he possesses. Surprisingly the thing that he craves for is soon dispossessed by him because he tends to get fed up of it. Take for instance a child, whose glance falls upon a toy at the shop. He continues to pester his parents till he finally has his way. He then protects the toy for a week. The following week others are made to play with it and finally the week after that the toy finds itself in a corner – rejected and forgotten.
With peace it is the same old story. We cry out for it and advise others on it. We talk and write so much on it. We feel it is the need of the hour and a must for development, progress and change. Finally when we are able to bring it into our lives and threshold of our homes, we no sooner tend to get fed up of it and like the toy, peace too ends up in a corner – rejected, alienated and forgotten.
Changes and peace are the two lanes of the same highway. While one is definite, the other is infinite.
Change is possible and constant. Like the arms of the clock, that keeps moving and stops for none, change too, is constantly taking place in every second of every day of our lives – be it for better or worse. Like the flow of vehicles on a freeway there is no force on earth that can stop change from advancing. It is beyond our reach to stop change. But what lies within our reach is the ability to give direction to this change.
Changes have various forms and dimensions. There are changes taking place in our society, changes in the family, changes in friendships, changes in communities or even changes within ourselves. But are we actually aware of the direction these changes are taking? Do we know which way they are headed?
Change without peace is like a bottle without its cap. The contents are always at risk of spilling over and the outside threat of germs and dust entering the bottle is quite as high.
Change has to be secured and protected. And what lies within the confinement of protection and security can be given direction. If you were to throw a bottle without its cap there is every possibility of spilling some water. Try the same with a cap on and the results are just the opposite.
It is often said that there can’t be any changes without peace. Very true. This is because peace is the guiding factor for change. When change is given the right direction it reaches its purpose and there is a sustainable effect on the environment and its people.
Nepal, the only Hindu monarchy in the world was once known as the haven for peace. Changes were constantly in the right direction and this resulted in a vibrant economy as trade flourished and tourism discovered amazing heights. Things changed with the appearance of the Maoists movement and peace, which was once synonymous to its people has now turned anonymous.
Having understood the relation between change and peace, we now need to turn our focus to understanding the purpose of these words in the context of our lives.
A piece of peace in theory: Every situation has got a practical and theoretical face to it. What we often say is quite contradictory to what we actually do. This is because things are easier said than done. It is very easy to promise your child the moon when you have to calm him down. But practically it is impossible to get it for him. If changes are to be made with the way we think then we need to give direction to our theories.
A piece of peace in practicality: Honestly, there are very few practical people in the world these days. No wonder we have so many of our chief guests laying foundation stones for various projects and the stones in themselves have become epitaphs of the scheme. Where the funds go remain a mystery and this is because there is no peace. If there is no peace, it is obvious that jealousy, greed, corruption and other rampant forms of divisive practices exist.
A piece of peace in the society: A society bereft of peace is divided and desolate. This division and isolation has long term repercussions. It affects our day to day lives for the worse and our children including our youth become misguided. Jobs become a problem and there is an economic sickness with a disparity between the haves and have nots. The symbiosis of a progressive and vibrant society has all the ingredients of peace and peace is what we need to strengthen the future of our successors.
A piece of peace within ourselves: If there is no peace within me there can’t be any peace outside me. If I have to share the radiation of peace with the environment around me, I have to first learn how to program the light within me. When peace, like the sun, is allowed to glow bright and strong, it affects everyone and everything that comes in its path. In the most difficult of times, when I am forced to think and believe that I have given peace more time and enough of a chance, I need to remember that ‘enough’ too, has got a little space for accommodation - peace for just one more time.
A piece of peace in the family: A family that shares peace together often stays united forever. Peace is the epitome of a prosperous family. In the upbringing of the children, development of the man at his work place or the wife’s responsibility to perform her day to day tasks, it all evolves on peace. Separations, broken homes, unruly children and bad vices are hallmarks of the absence of peace. When peace exists, the family has a direction. A direction that is driven by trust, love and respect for one other.
A piece of peace in friendships: No lasting or true great friendship can ever be written without the ink of peace. Love and trust are the fruits that emerge from the seeds of peace. And every relationship can only last if love and trust exist in it. All great friendships have a recorded history of love and trust. When these fail to exist, it means that the relationship is devoid of the seed or the roots of peace. If we are to make our friendships last, we need to work from the very bottom of it and not the top.
A piece of peace among communities: There are some communities in the world that are more prosperous than the others. Now why is that so? Is it because they have a stronger work force or maybe an educated work force? Or is because they are just more advanced? Well, if you were to take a close study you will find something common in them. They respect each other. They value each other’s decisions. They understand each other and most of all they stand united in both inclement and calm weather. Respect, value, understand and unity are all the fruits of peace. Every prosperous community and learned to embrace peace.
A piece of peace in the world: When I have peace in place, which means practicing and retaining it in theory, practicality, society, family, friendship, community and within myself, I am confident that this world will be a better place to live in – and the earth forever radiating with peace wherever I go.
The writer is the Nagaland Bureau Chief of Eastern Panorama, news magazine of the Northeast, Northeast Regional Coordinator, Poetry Society (India) and Director of Dimensions, School of Phonetics.
