Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process,
gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new
structures. And however undramatic the pursuit of peace, the pursuit must go
on.
John F. Kennedy
A very beautiful advice by the erstwhile President of the
United States of America. Peace is not a bag of peas which you can buy from the
market. It has to be earned by continuous perseverance. We have to put effort
with a lot of effort.
He says peace is a daily, weekly, monthly process. Yes,
every day when we get up we need to promise ourselves that we shall keep our
tryst with the peace.
We can think of the incidents of the previous day, with whom
all we had interaction and with whom all we need to raise the white flag!
Especially if we are at the wrong. Even suppose the other person is wrong,
still what stops us from extending the friendly arm towards the other person?
What stops us? The ego? What ego will do to help us when we are in doldrums? We
keep on cursing ourselves later if a chance is missed. Instead we could put a
step forward and bury the hatchet.
So the process does not stop with a day, we have to promise
ourselves every day that we make peace with people. If some people we are
meeting on a weekly basis, then it has to be done there also. Sunday or
Saturday, we meet some people for a club meeting or a game of tennis, we better
do the same peace extension process. These will help us in becoming peaceful.
Once we are peaceful, then the blood pressure won’t go up;
we don’t end up with sleeplessness; we do not abuse our heart.. one action, so
many positive results.
Changing opinions... eroding barriers... quietly building
new structures... each one is a gem...
We have to change our opinions on people. Especially if we
are in touch with some of the people every day, it is imperative that we need
to keep changing our opinions. The family members, the neighbors, the colony
people, the colleagues.... oh...the list is long...We can definitely try to
change the opinion of others. But not by forcing ourselves. It is rather by
behaving in such a nice way that the other person’s perception about us
changes.
Eroding barriers... really a great way of moving forward.
The barriers are human made. These will stay invisibly between two people and
spoil the relation. The relation, if spoilt, especially if we love the other
person too much and the other person stays behind the barrier, our life becomes
miserable. We need to break the walls, ensure to erode the barriers to live
peacefully.
And quietly building new structures..... yes, if the old
relations can’t survive even with all our efforts, give it a beautiful twist
and leave it.
Sahir Ludhianvi, a famous Urdu poet has written a lovely
stanza in his lyrical poem ‘Chalo ik baar phir se ajnabee ban jaaye humdono’...
he says wo afsana jise anjaam tak laana na ho mumkin, use ik khoobsoorat mOD
dekar chOD na acchha....’ meaning for whichever story, if you cannot bring the
story to an end, give it a beautiful
twist and leave it... what a lovely way!
Yes, leave the old relation... need not fight or need not
leave a bitter taste... should be able to speak with the person when/if you
encounter again... but we should build new relations... since we are already
experienced, we should tread carefully...without feeling déjà vu..
And however undramatic the pursuit of peace sounds, we need
to pursue it.
Yes, if someone says I am trying for world peace, we feel
very funny. We may even brand the person mad... but think beyond.... there may
be a good and simple way of keeping peaceful. Let us take that and pursue...
and achieve.... however impossible it may sound...
Om Shanti Shanti Shantihi
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