With the invention of nuclear weapons and their sophisticated means of delivery, the nature of major war has now dreadfully changed. As a result of this horrendous development, mankind is, today, faced with the problem of its very survival. In this situation, the question of disarmament, arms delimitation or delegitimation of war has attained foremost importance.
But, while recognising that the constant threat of a nuclear war poses a grave danger to global peace, it would be wrong to equate peace with the mere absence of war. For war is nothing but a manifestation of the motives of violence and destruction or of the ignoble emotions of hate and anger. It is equally true that it is man's mind which is a vast store of divine potentialities also. Wars, it has truly been said, are born in the minds of men; but the seeds of peace also are to be found in man's mind.
So, the problem with global peace is, in its real essence, the question of man's mental equanimity and spiritual peace. If man moulds his motives in consonance with the pithy slogan: 'Be good and do good', peace will surely return to the planet earth. Any other effort diplomatic, political, juridical, etc., which is divorced from this principle, will attain, at best, only temporary and fragile peace.
Peace, in the real sense, is a divine feeling and is associated with love, unity, enlightenment, fraternal feelings and inner joy. It has its roots in the purity of mind. It is not even slightly touched by any ignoble motives or by any one of the “seven deadly sins”. The word peace, it should, therefore, be remembered, has wider and more subtle connotations than the one which has generally formed the theme for discussions at Peace Conferences that are held across the globe for decades.
Most of the modern dictionaries also define peace in terms, equivalent to these. But, in truth, peace refers to the harmony of man's mind with his intellect, his conscience, his environment and with other beings. Equanimity of mind is an essential characteristic of the state of peace.
In yogic parlance, it is the name given to spiritual experience which one gets when one's mind is lovefully linked to God, the Ocean of Peace. It is such a state of mind that spreads vibrations of peace in the world and can know the real solution to the problem of global peace.
(The writer is a spiritual educator and popular columnist for publications across India, Nepal and UK. You can write to him at nikunjji@gmail.com or visit http://www.brahmakumaris.com/)
