The meaning of Peace

It was a big day for all cricket aficionados. India was taking on Pakistan in the Asia Cup; a contest which was set to grab eyeballs from across the world. Moreover, the fact that India seldom plays Pakistan added to the intense build-up to that match. Ironically, the week gone by had soured the relationship between the two neighbouring countries. This was primarily because the Foreign Minister of India had cancelled a scheduled meeting with her counterpart from Pakistan. I won’t get into deep political issues which led to that decision; but the fact of the matter was that the match had also gained centrestage because of the intense political drama which preceded it.

I turned on the television and found that a reporter was trying to engage fans outside the stadium. The match was being held in the UAE, which has a mixture of Indians as well as Pakistanis. I was amazed to find that fans supporting both teams were cheering together. Moreover, there was a fan from India who said that he had immense respect for Pakistanis and that the respect will never diminish. In the mid-innings break, cricket legends from both countries like Sunil Gavaskar and Ramiz Raza came on to the field to play a game of cricket; and had a chuckle or two. There was no sign of turbulence visible in the stadium.

Such instances indicate that peace is much more than the nature of political relationships between two or more countries. The cricket match (even though it eventually turned out to be a one sided affair with India winning easily) was played in the right spirit, which surely pleased all of us as global citizens.

When we think of the word ‘peace’, terms like ‘tranquility’, ‘non-violence’ and ‘serenity’ enter your minds. But, it is much more than that. ‘Peace’ in itself is a word which is ambiguous in nature. It refers to both internal peace, as well as external peace. Let us look at both these aspects closely-

Internal peace refers to how individuals manage themselves. Broadly put, it implies that we are in peace with our mind and our soul, and understand everything about our body from its origin till its ultimatum. These ideas might sound far-fetched, but it is widely acknowledged that unless and until we are able to understand ourselves completely, we won’t be able to understand the structure of society and work for its betterment.

Internal peace is often determined by our social context. This refers to how parts of society like family, peer groups, media etc. influence us. It is our attitude towards life which makes a difference. If we are sincere and committed towards what we are doing and keep our conscience clear at all points of time, we will rarely face internal conflict. Even though it is not possible to remain bereft of internal conflict, a certain level of self-belief will lead towards achieving the goal of being internally peaceful.

In the instance of the cricket match, the fans did not get influenced by media reports, and forgot about everything else while watching the match. They were internally strong, and kept their conscience clear at all points of time.

External peace is something which is largely talked about, and sometimes even hyped up to a large extent. It basically refers to peace within society and among nations. Relations between nations and societies are often dynamic in nature. Sometimes they are really good and at other times relations might become strained. Peace is maintained when there is camaraderie between the leaders or the governments of two or more nations. However, this peace is often transient, and at the slightest provocation, can also result in disharmony.

Both these aspects, internal and external, are subtly intertwined.

It is external peace which gives people reasons to remain happy and feel secure. It will further allow individuals to prosper and blossom, by giving them the right kind of environment to live in.

Conversely, internal peace can definitely lead to external peace. We all have heard the famous quote by Julia Carney- ‘Little drops of water make the mighty ocean’. It is our individual efforts which manifest into peace between countries. Like the supporters and legends did during the cricket match, it is the responsibility of each and every citizen to do some self-introspection, and understand themselves better.

One might ask- How should we understand ourselves better? Do we need to study a subject like Psychology for doing so? No, not at all. All we need to do is sit down alone at one place, close our eyes and meditate. Remember to do this in a silent spot. The peace in the surroundings will surely enter our body and mind, and will make all of us feel peaceful and happy. Even if we perform this activity sincerely for two minutes, it will bring about a whole lot of changes within ourselves.

Mahatma Gandhi often stressed upon using the path of non-violence to end the British rule in India.  But, more importantly, he used the word ‘Satyagraha’ to counter the British. Satyagraha refers to the search for truth. If we look at this term closely, we will find that it has a deeper meaning hidden within it. It refers to looking out for truth not only in the external environment, but also internally, within our very own selves. This refers to finding out the true nature of human body and mind. When we are able to successfully understand ourselves better, we would easily be able to make our surroundings peaceful.

I believe that this world can change only by individuals taking the onus upon themselves. Let us take a pledge to follow Gandhiji’s idea of Satyagraha and become internally peaceful. We all have a lot of potential within us. We must channelize our energies in the right direction and for the right reasons. I am quite sure that if we all do so, this world will become a more beautiful and peaceful place to live on.

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This essay has been sent for the competition- Handwritten Voices